Posted on June 25, 2026June 25, 2026 by Dale Phillips Beyond the Rule of 18: Intonation For the 21st Century Beyond the Rule of 18: Intonation For the 21st Century by Gary Magliari and Don MacRostie from their 2011 GAL Convention lecture Originally published in American Lutherie #116, 2013 Don MacRostie: I wear a couple of hats. I do product development with Stewart-MacDonald and build Red Diamond mandolins. This is Gary Magliari, the creator of the intonation system we are going to discuss today. We started working on this about five years ago after Gary showed it to me at the Newport Guitar Festival. His method really seems like a benefit to me, and I think it’s time to make everybody aware of what he’s done. I believe there are a lot of little things I can do as a builder to make a good or great, or whatever you want to call it, instrument. Things like using glues and woods that have better acoustic properties, tuning those woods, and applying finishes that improve the output create a better instrument. These are little things and if you leave one out, it can still be a good instrument. 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 June 24, 2026June 24, 2026 by Dale Phillips Meet the Maker: Robert Anderson Meet the Maker: Robert Anderson by John Calkin Originally published in American Lutherie #144, 2021 Robert Anderson took the long road to banjo building, just as so many of us have approached lutherie. The instrument first came to his attention during a TV appearance by Eddie Peabody, but the desire to play came from Earl Scruggs via the movie Bonnie and Clyde. “My first banjo was a tenor because I didn’t know any better.” That’s a mistake many beginners have made. Once set on the right path, he acquired a cheap 5-string banjo just before starting college at Kent State in Ohio. As luck would have it, as he moved into his dorm room he heard bluegrass-style banjo being played in the room next door. His dorm neighbor, Ken Serger, became his first banjo instructor. 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 June 3, 2026June 3, 2026 by Dale Phillips It Worked for Me: Mount Fret Erasers on a Handle It Worked for Me: Mount Fret Erasers on a Handle by Jason Hull Originally published in American Lutherie #144, 2021 I like using Fret Erasers. I also have carpal tunnel syndrome. I drill a hole in a block of wood, glue the erasers to it, and mount the block on my Gurian fret file (Photo 1). I put a rubber cap on the screw, to prevent dinging the frets. Photo 1. Photo by Jason Hull. Voilà! I can dress frets again. ◆
Posted on June 3, 2026June 3, 2026 by Dale Phillips It Worked for Me: Sawdust in Fretboard Slots It Worked for Me: Sawdust in Fretboard Slots by John Calkin Originally published in American Lutherie #144, 2021 When I worked in the dusty machine room at Huss & Dalton, it would occasionally happen that the technician doing the fretting would show up, remove the trapdoor of the table-saw base, and dip a coffee can full of the sawdust. If the saw base had recently been cleaned, the tech became very disgruntled as he stalked away. It was very mysterious. H&D had always used superglue to secure the frets. The slots were widened with a Dremel tool to make the frets a press fit. Once the fretboard was nicely leveled and sanded, the sawdust was rubbed across the slots until they were firmly packed. A heavy coat of bowling-alley wax was then applied to the fretboard right over the filled slots. The sawdust filler was then blown out of the slots with compressed air, leaving the slots wax free. The frets were glued in a few at a time using clamps and special cauls, and any squeeze-out readily popped free of the waxed wood using a small chisel. When a refret was called for, the old frets were lifted out after a large soldering iron was used to liquefy the superglue, which either evaporated or soaked into the sides of the slots. There was never a trace of chipout. Any playing wear was sanded out of the wood and the fretting process repeated. Mystery solved. ◆
Posted on April 21, 2026April 21, 2026 by Dale Phillips An Automated Fret Slotting Machine An Automated Fret Slotting Machine by Jim Stratton and Mark French Originally published in American Lutherie #114, 2013 One of the most challenging and critical aspects of building a fretted stringed instrument is cutting fret slots. Fret location can make or break the quality of even the most meticulously crafted instruments. The most common method currently in place utilizes a miter box and a fret saw, but this method depends on the user and is subject to human error. When thousandths of an inch matter, how does one accurately guarantee fret location? Automation is the obvious answer. While automation does remove a portion of the “handcrafted” ambiance of any fine instrument, it also removes human error. A machine does not miscalculate when it’s tired or accidentally shift the fretboard while cutting the final fret on a fretboard that has countless hours of hard work invested. When accuracy and repeatability are required, automation answers the call. 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.
