Posted on September 1, 2026September 1, 2026 by Dale Phillips It Worked for Me: Classical Guitar Peghead It Worked for Me: Classical Guitar Peghead by George A. Smith Originally published in American Lutherie #86, 2006 To shape the end of a classical guitar peghead, a router can be used with a simple template which is screwed into the areas where the tuning-machine slots will be. But I prefer a system which gives better support so that there is less of a chance of the router wobbling and making errors. My peghead-shaping jig is made of 1/2˝ Baltic birch plywood, is larger than the guitar’s head, and uses interchangeable 1/4˝ thick templates. Before routing, the peghead’s centerline, dimensions, and side taper are established, and the end shape is traced onto the head. The neck is left rough to facilitate clamping. The shape is then bandsawn about 1.5MM outside the traced line. The jig is centered on the head and secured with two screws where the slots will be. I use a 3/8˝×2 1/4˝ long pattern bit #102-0632B from Eagle America. The bit’s bearing should run low on the pattern. Lower bit into the open area of jig and hold the router fast while turning it on. Rout the design, return the bit to the open area, and turn off the router. Do not remove the router until the bit has stopped turning. 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 August 31, 2026August 31, 2026 by Dale Phillips Reducing Build Variation In Arched Plates Reducing Build Variation In Arched Plates by Mark French and Eddie Efendy Originally published in American Lutherie #101, 2010 It is generally assumed in manufacturing operations that build variation and build quality are inversely related. This can be problematic in instrument manufacture because of the natural variation in wood properties. The point of series production is to make identical products that match a blueprint or some other geometric description. For a group of instruments to be identical, they must not only have identical geometry, but should also sound the same. This is a very difficult task and there is probably not a single objective metric that describes tonal quality. However, one necessary condition is that the resonant frequencies of the instruments should be the same. 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 August 28, 2026August 28, 2026 by Dale Phillips Meet the Maker: Kevin Aram Meet the Maker: Kevin Aram by Cyndy Burton Originally published in American Lutherie #104, 2010 In May of 2010, Jeff Elliott and I celebrated thirty years together in life and lutherie by traveling to England. The trip was conceived twenty years ago after the 1990 GAL Convention, when husband and wife Kevin and Alison Aram visited us following the convention where Kevin gave a comprehensive lecture on Julian Bream’s 1973 José Romanillos guitar. He presented not only the plan of that landmark guitar, but the fascinating story surrounding it in AL#25 (BRBAL3). Kevin and Alison had long ago given up that we’d ever make it across the pond, but we did (on luthier time!), and they graciously welcomed us into their home. They live on a very old farm in north Devonshire in a substantial stucco-faced stone building that once housed dairy cows. They are surrounded by stunningly beautiful rolling countryside and the sounds of sheep and cows in the neighboring pastures and their own hens clucking nearby. The nearest town is ten miles down a mostly single-lane road. But they have wireless, and UPS delivers. 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 August 26, 2026August 26, 2026 by Dale Phillips Salvador Ibanez Guitar Restoration Salvador Ibáñez Guitar Restoration by Sue Johnson Originally published in American Lutherie #108, 2011 The power of coincidence is strong in my workshop, and so it was with this restoration. The same week that AL#95 arrived, so did a rather sorry guitar. The similarity between my patient and the century-old Spanish factory-made guitar that Tobias Braun wrote about was evident and it was very useful to be able to compare the instruments, particularly where parts were missing or damaged. The guitar had been in the owner’s family for as long as she could remember. It was given to her over thirty years ago, and her then-boyfriend had offered to fix it. She agreed, much to her father’s concern. The handyman boyfriend worked hard and returned the guitar, but it never sounded the same again. A few years later, the guitar was passed to a guitar-playing friend in order to find a suitable repairer. The owner and her friend lost touch, and it seemed that the instrument might never be seen again. In the intervening years the temporary custodian moved around the country, and although she wanted to return the guitar, it wasn’t until the advent of Friends Reunited that it was possible. My customer was delighted that the instrument had survived and was repairable and she wanted to put right the injustice of what she had inflicted on the guitar (and her father) all those years ago. 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 August 7, 2026August 7, 2026 by Dale Phillips Reviews: Stauffer and Co. The Viennese Guitar of the 19th Century by Erik Pierre Hoffman,Pascal Mougin, and Stefan Hackl Reviews: Stauffer and Co. The Viennese Guitar of the 19th Century by Erik Pierre Hoffman, Pascal Mougin, and Stefan Hackl by Pierre Audinet Originally published in American Lutherie #112, 2012 Stauffer & Co. The Viennese Guitar of the 19th Century Erik Pierre Hofmann, Pascal Mougin, and Stefan Hackl ISBN 978-2-9538868-0-1 Hardcover, 320 pp., 2012 Available from Elderly Instruments, $295 This book is a remarkable journey in time, emphasizing those few decades of the 19th century in the city of Vienna which literally laid the foundations for many of the ways contemporary guitar builders, classical and steel string alike, approach guitar making. Like many others, I preordered the book before it was printed. I thought the authors deserved support for undertaking years of research on an under-documented topic, with limited expectations of return on their investment. Now that I read it, I’m glad my support helped to produce a book that is sure to remain an authoritative reference for years to come. 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.
