Posted on July 6, 2020May 21, 2025 by Dale Phillips White, Yellow, and Hide Glues White, Yellow, and Hide Glues by Lawrence D. Brown Originally published as Guild of American Luthiers Data Sheet #174, 1981 and Big Red Book of American Lutherie Volume One, 2000 This article originally appeared in the FoMRHI Quarterly No. 18, and appears here (revised and expanded) with the kind permission of that organization. Ultimately, the quality of a musical instrument depends not only on the sweetness of its tone but also on its continued service and durability in a variety of climates. Deterioration of an instrument may occur from internal or external forces. External forces are those that come from hard use or from string tension. Internal forces are the result of the natural tendency of all woods to shrink, warp, and shift position in response to changes in moisture content. Poorly shaped parts that have been forced together by clamping pressure are also capable of generating internal forces by the steady pull on the joint caused by the misalignment. The structural integrity of the instrument, its ability to stay together and retain an attractive appearance over a number of years, depends on four things: the choice of carefully sawn woods with a uniform, low moisture content; the type and design of the joints used; the experience and expertise of the builder; and the adhesive used in construction. The concern here is glue, although some discussion of closely related factors such as joint design and humidity is unavoidable. 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 22, 2020May 22, 2025 by Dale Phillips Brazilian Guitar Makers Brazilian Guitarmakers by Roberto Gomes Originally published in American Lutherie #33, 1993 and Big Red Book of American Lutherie Volume Three, 2004 The guitar has been the main musical instrument in Brazil since it was brought by the Portuguese colonizers centuries ago. In those times, Baroque guitars were the most common string instruments. They had five courses of gut or wire strings. Since then it hasn’t changed much, as we can see in the “Brazilian viola” which is used for a kind of Brazilian country music called musica sertaneja (countryside music). The shape of the soundbox of this viola today resembles more a small classic guitar. Unfortunately there are very few records of those times, making it difficult to make a better study of those guitars and their makers. It’s known that most of the instruments were made in Portugal, Italy, and France. The first decade of this century brought three immigrant families from Italy: the Gianninis, the DiGiorgios, and the DelVecchios. These families were luthiers in their country of origin and later they founded the main Brazilian guitar factories which became the backbone of Brazilian-made guitars for nearly eighty years. They made mostly classic guitars and some violins, along with Brazilian violas. They also made mandolins, first with vaulted backs like lutes and later with flat backs, which are used to play choro music. 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 May 21, 2020May 21, 2025 by Dale Phillips More Inlay Tricks More Inlay Tricks by Tim Shaw Originally published as Guild of American Luthiers Data Sheet #129, 1979 and in Lutherie Woods and Steel String Guitars, 1997 Most published material on inlay suggests gluing the abalone or pearl shape to be inlaid to the fingerboard with white glue or Duco cement, scribing, then scraping or prying the hapless piece off with a razor blade. If you’re using 0.040" stock, this technique breaks a lot of inlay. I’ve had great success using white glue in very small amounts (about three tiny dots on the back of the piece). Let it dry, then scribe with a machinist’s scribe or a #11 X-acto blade. Pass a lit match across the top of the piece and warm it thoroughly. This will break the glue bond and allow you to slide the inlay off without harm. The glue remaining on the fingerboard can be easily cleaned off, and you can go from there. I’ve also found it helpful to rub the scribed lines with a white or yellow grease pencil, and then wipe off the excess. This leaves a very fine line which is also easy to see. ◆
Posted on March 4, 2020May 20, 2025 by Dale Phillips Violin Top Removal Violin Top Removal by George Manno Originally published in American Lutherie #5, 1986 and Big Red Book of American Lutherie Volume One, 2000 One of the most difficult repairs to perform on a violin is removing its top after it has been glued with a yellow or a polyvinyl white glue, such as Titebond. These glues do exactly what the name implies: Their main objective is to close the separation between the rib and the top or back permanently. Violins are built in such a way that they can be taken apart if necessary. On many occasions, we have seen instruments come into our shop that were repaired by amateurs using whatever glue was available at the local hardware store. Apparently, thoughts of future adjustments to the neck or bass bar are not considered. Efforts to remove the top without damaging it after such glues have been used were, for a time, a cause of great distress to us. We have found a way to dissolve such a bond without harming the table, ribs, or back. Using a number of thin artist’s spatulas, a syringe, and some warm vinegar, along with a lot of patience, the removal of the top can be done successfully and the repair completed in a few days. 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 January 6, 2020May 21, 2025 by Dale Phillips Devolution of the Modern Lute Devolution of the Modern Lute by Robert Cooper from his 1984 GAL Convention lecture Originally published in American Lutherie #4, 1985 and Big Red Book of American Lutherie, Volume One, 2000 The other way to do it is with a dovetail extension on the neck, which slides into the block. But that is not really the historical way. Here again, we’re getting back to the historical method, and it seems to be perfectly adequate. It is common in old lutes to use no tail block whatever. Also, a lute has no edge binding or lining; the top is simply glued right to the rib. The bracing of the lute top is almost entirely composed of transverse bars, with just a J-shape bar and two smaller bars behind the bridge. The transverse bars run directly across the instrument and are butted and glued directly to the sides. The grain of those transverse bars is horizontal; it runs parallel to the top. You may wonder why in the world didn’t they do it logically, like guitar builders, and run it vertically. The probable reason is that when you make a lot of lutes you have a lot of top wood left over from pieces that you broke. Vertical grain top scraps would make horizontal grain braces. Also, if you split braces out of a billet, they split better this way than otherwise. These braces are rather high. The main brace is a little over an inch tall, by maybe 5MM. They are quite substantial, so the fact that the grain runs flat does not pose a strength problem. 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.
