Posted on October 1, 2026October 26, 2026 by Dale Phillips Meet the Makers: David and Rob Rodgers Meet the Makers: David and Rob Rodgers by Cyndy Burton with Jeffrey R. Elliott¸ Originally published in American Lutherie #109, 2012 About thirty-five years ago, a very successful design engineer discovered that the best tuners found on classical guitars did not work very well. He had previously designed and made large equipment like precision grinding machines and saws for cutting metal joists. While still working at his day job, he experimented in his home workshop and figured out how to make precision tuning machines that not only work very well, but are beautiful. In May of 2010, Jeff Elliott and I met David Rodgers and his wife/partner Muriel in the Leicester train station (about 75 miles north of London), where they greeted us like old friends, though we knew each other only through our business correspondence. (Full disclosure: Yes, we’ve been Rodgers’ customers for over thirty years.) They drove us to their home in nearby Kirby Muxloe, where we spent a delightful few days in their home and shop, and visited as well with their son and business partner Rob in his shop just across the road. After sitting down with our requisite tea, we began our conversation. Become A Member to Continue Reading This Article This article is part of the Articles Online featured on our website for Guild members. To view this and other web articles, join the Guild of American Luthiers. For details, visit the membership page. MEMBERS: login for access or contact us to setup your account.
Posted on September 10, 2026October 8, 2026 by Dale Phillips Meet the Collectors: Forderer and Westbrook Meet the Collectors: Forderer and Westbrook by Cyndy Burton Originally published in American Lutherie #94, 2008 At the 2006 GAL Convention I spoke to Jim Forderer from California, and Jim Westbrook from Brighton, England, about their collections of historical guitars and their adventures in building those collections. At both the 2004 and 2006 GAL Conventions they arrived together in Forderer’s outsized RV packed to the ceiling with the most incredible road show this interviewer has had the pleasure to see. I began by asking Jim Forderer how he started collecting. I played violin as a kid, starting as a four-year-old and playing through school and with a Country and Western group in college. Then I began to be interested in guitar, and bought a $10 guitar in Mexico. I played that guitar until it wore out. After I left school I didn’t play guitar for many, many years. I had a career as a horseman, and then got married and had a number of children, about thirty-two.... Become A Member to Continue Reading This Article This article is part of the Articles Online featured on our website for Guild members. To view this and other web articles, join the Guild of American Luthiers. For details, visit the membership page. MEMBERS: login for access or contact us to setup your account.
Posted on September 10, 2026September 28, 2026 by Dale Phillips 19th-Century Rosette Marquetry for 21st-Century Guitars 19th-Century Rosette Marquetry for 21st-Century Guitars from his 2004 GAL Convention workshop by Gregory Byers Originally published in American Lutherie #84, 2005 and Big Red Book of American Lutherie Volume Seven, 2015 Ever since attending the guitar-making lecture series given by José Romanillos in Toronto in the summer of 1981, I have been determined to make rosettes that honor some of the old Spanish marquetry techniques and patterns, particularly those found in the guitars of Antonio de Torres. Being congenitally unable to copy without modification, I have used some of the old patterns as inspiration to develop modern techniques to achieve similar results. I say modern, but do not confuse with “labor-saving.” Patience and a clear vision are required to achieve inspired results. Since most classical guitars are appreciated and valued for their sound above all else, I have devoted countless hours to improving my rosettes — go figure! My rosettes are built up from a series of purfling strips and decorative elements fashioned from other veneer strip glue-ups. Each rosette is assembled in situ from a more or less unique combination of these elements. This differs from the model exemplified by Ramírez and others that makes use of preassembled rosettes cut from a cylinder like sliced salami. In this style, a central motif of end-grain tiles made from bundles of tiny sticks is wrapped inside and out with sheets of veneer. Many identical rosettes can be sliced from this hollow log. The methods I will describe here are not as efficient, but are more flexible and offer the advantage that the appearance of end grain can be avoided. This will usually give a cleaner, more vibrant appearance. Become A Member to Continue Reading This Article This article is part of the Articles Online featured on our website for Guild members. To view this and other web articles, join the Guild of American Luthiers. For details, visit the membership page. MEMBERS: login for access or contact us to setup your account.
Posted on September 9, 2026September 25, 2026 by Dale Phillips Eight Concerns of Highly Successful Guitar Makers Eight Concerns of Highly Successful Guitar Makers by R.E. Bruné from his 2001 GAL Convention lecture Originally published in American Lutherie #79, 2004 and Big Red Book of American Lutherie Volume Seven, 2015 Many of you know a little of my history, but I’ll say a bit more so you’ll understand where I’m coming from and why I will espouse some of the radical ideas that you may hear today. I began playing guitar in the early 1960s when I was just a teenager. I taught myself flamenco, then moved to Mexico City in 1968 and lived there for two years. I played in flamenco troupes for a number of dancers and singers including Roberto de Ronda, Lola Golan, and La Poli. Later I worked with other singers like Pepe Culata and Agujetas (Manuel de los Santos). So I began my career by struggling to make a living as a musician. My attitude toward the instrument was from the standpoint of a player. Become A Member to Continue Reading This Article This article is part of the Articles Online featured on our website for Guild members. To view this and other web articles, join the Guild of American Luthiers. For details, visit the membership page. MEMBERS: login for access or contact us to setup your account.
Posted on September 9, 2026October 29, 2026 by Dale Phillips Manuel Reyes: Guitarrero Manuel Reyes: Guitarrero by R.E. Bruné Originally published in American Lutherie #84, 2005 and Big Red Book of American Lutherie Volume Seven, 2015 See also, 2003 Manuel Reyes Flamenco Guitar by Tom Blackshear Born in 1934 in Jayena, Granada, Manuel Reyes moved with his family to Córdoba in 1944 and began his association with the guitar in 1949. In this same year he begins his personal diary in which he records his lifelong love affair with the instrument. It was through a friend named Señora Carmen Luque that Manuel was introduced to lutherie. She allowed Manuel to borrow a dilapidated guitar in need of restoration which Manuel proposed to study for the purpose of making a copy for his own use and also to have the instrument restored for Sra. Luque. Realizing that perhaps the restoration was more than he had bargained for, Manuel took the guitar to the shop of Miguel Rodríguez in Córdoba, who quoted 250 pesetas for its restoration (about $10 in today’s money). However, Manuel’s father objected, not because of the cost, but because he feared that Manuel would be lured by the siren call of the guitar, and like his grandfather who was also guitarist, spend too many hours away from his family playing the guitar. So Manuel went to friends who were carpenters and prevailed upon them to loan him their tools and supplies in order to try to restore the guitar himself. After six months he was unsatisfied with the results and decided to make a guitar from scratch for himself, which after some time he completed. The same month he finished the guitar, he made the acquaintance of Joaquin Sánchez Galisteo, who had been a student and employee of Miguel Rodríguez the elder; and as Manuel describes this association, Joaquin became his maestro. Become A Member to Continue Reading This Article This article is part of the Articles Online featured on our website for Guild members. To view this and other web articles, join the Guild of American Luthiers. For details, visit the membership page. MEMBERS: login for access or contact us to setup your account.
