Posted on June 6, 2024May 23, 2025 by Dale Phillips Questions: Bracing Reinforcement Questions: Bracing Reinforcement by Jeffrey R. Elliott Originally published in American Lutherie #91, 2007 François Leonard of Port-Louis, France, asks: I’m guitar maker in France and I’ve been following and reading articles in American Lutherie since many years. I had recently an order for a 10-string guitar and I’m asking myself how much I need to reinforce the design of the bracing. My bracing is not so different from the one Jeffrey Elliott uses and talks about in his AL#56 article “Shaping the Sound.” Jeffrey R. Elliott of Portland, Oregon, responds: My experience is more extensive with 8-string guitars, but I believe the same principles apply. I suggest the following: Select top wood that is more stiff than you would choose for a 6-string, one with all the characteristics you usually look for, but also with a somewhat extended tap-tone range toward the lower pitches. Become A Member to Continue Reading This Article This article is part of our premium web content offered to Guild members. To view this and other web articles, join the Guild of American Luthiers. Members also receive 4 annual issues of American Lutherie and get discounts on products. For details, visit the membership page. If you are already a member, login for access or contact us to setup your account.
Posted on June 6, 2024May 27, 2025 by Dale Phillips Letter to the Editor: Domino Guitar Article in AL#85 Letter to the Editor: Domino Guitar Article in AL#85 by Scott van Linge Originally published in American Lutherie #88, 2006 Hi Tim, I read with interest the article on resurrecting the ’30s Regal Le Domino guitar in AL#85. On p. 48, the second picture from the top shows the body with the back removed and the remaining two lower bout back braces still in place. What caught my eye is that they were — (drum roll) — parabolic both lengthwise and possibly in cross section, although that aspect is hard to discern. Similarly, the remaining upper transverse brace on the top is also parabolic, lengthwise. While rounded, it is not parabolic in cross section. The replacement back braces, are instead, fashioned after the heavy ones used by Martin in the ’50s, and appear noticeably taller than the original parabolic ones. From my viewpoint, they inevitably will dampen the back, preventing it from having the reinforcing capability that the original parabolic braces would have afforded. In addition to using parabolic braces on the back, Martin used some on the top, specifically the short side braces and the arms of the X brace, during their “golden era” — a fact that most luthiers and companies who copy what Martin did then (including Martin, now) seem to have missed. In fact, I have only revoiced one guitar (a Collings) that had side braces perfectly parabolic and balanced to the forces on them, so that I did not have to reshape them to bring out the highs. Apparently in lutherie, as in politics, certain lessons from the past are sometimes lost or deemed unimportant. ◆
Posted on March 2, 2024May 14, 2025 by Dale Phillips High School Dreams High School Dreams by Dave Schneider Originally published in American Lutherie #10, 1987 and Big Red Book of American Lutherie Volume One, 2000 Years ago, I wanted to do something different, something no one else was doing. I wanted to own my own business as a guitar maker. I’m living out my high school dreams. My father showed me the art of fine craftsmanship when I was a boy. My high school woodworking teacher was a luthier. As I was one of the more advanced students he asked me if I was interested in making a guitar. I looked at Irving Sloane’s Classical Guitar Construction and told him I thought it looked too difficult, but later I said I would try. I needed a good challenge because I wasn’t really interested in academic subjects. Become A Member to Continue Reading This Article This article is part of our premium web content offered to Guild members. To view this and other web articles, join the Guild of American Luthiers. Members also receive 4 annual issues of American Lutherie and get discounts on products. For details, visit the membership page. If you are already a member, login for access or contact us to setup your account.
Posted on April 12, 2021May 20, 2025 by Dale Phillips Making Lining Strips — One Making Lining Strips — One by Rolfe Gerhardt Originally published as Guild of American Luthiers Data Sheet #71, 1978 and in Lutherie Woods and Steel String Guitars, 1997 I used to make lining strips one at a time, a long, tedious process. Then I visited Charlie Hoffmann in Minneapolis and was inspired to work out this gang-saw setup. The saws are 6" plywood saws, very small kerf, and are spaced on the radial arm shaft with 1/4" spacers. Three blades fit comfortably on my radial arm saw. The holder is a board with a guide strip and two hold-down springs. This holder is clamped to the radial arm saw table. I hold the strip I am sawing with my other hand. Become A Member to Continue Reading This Article This article is part of our premium web content offered to Guild members. To view this and other web articles, join the Guild of American Luthiers. Members also receive 4 annual issues of American Lutherie and get discounts on products. For details, visit the membership page. If you are already a member, login for access or contact us to setup your account.
Posted on April 7, 2021May 21, 2025 by Dale Phillips Improved X Bracing Improved X Bracing by Don Musser Originally published as Guild of American Luthiers Data Sheet #172, 1981 and in Lutherie Woods and Steel String Guitars, 1997 After building a number of guitars with the standard steel string X-bracing pattern, I noticed some problems. First, even when the braces were precurved to a 25' radius, there was still a deformation just behind the bridge that was caused by the upward pull of the strings on the inner bridge plate. Energy which could have gone to sound production in the whole top was being lost to wood deformation in a small area of the top. Second, there was always a problem of creating a guitar having both an outstanding bass and treble response. Good bass response requires less or lighter bracing on the bass side of the top. A crisp, well-defined treble requires more or slightly heavier bracing on the treble side. The challenge was to be able to achieve both without retarding either. Become A Member to Continue Reading This Article This article is part of our premium web content offered to Guild members. To view this and other web articles, join the Guild of American Luthiers. Members also receive 4 annual issues of American Lutherie and get discounts on products. For details, visit the membership page. If you are already a member, login for access or contact us to setup your account.
