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.
Posted on April 17, 2026April 17, 2026 by Dale Phillips Restoring Tárrega’s 1888 Torres Restoring Tárrega’s 1888 Torres by Jeffrey R. Elliott from his 2004 GAL Convention lecture Originally published in American Lutherie #83, 2005 and Big Red Book of American Lutherie Volume Seven, 2015 It was a privilege and an honor to restore this 1888 Antonio de Torres classical guitar, which is the centerpiece of a wonderful collection owned by Sheldon Urlik of Los Angeles, California. Identified as SE 114 in Antonio de Torres Guitar Maker — His Life and Work by José Romanillos, this guitar has great historical significance, not only because it was made by Antonio de Torres, but because it was owned by the great guitarist, composer, and pedagogue Francisco Tárrega. Before I began any work, I consulted with luthier and historian José L. Romanillos of Guijosa, Spain, for his expertise on Torres guitars and also reread his comprehensive book, which is the primary source of the historical information that follows. In addition, I consulted with luthier John F. Mello of Berkeley, California, for his restoration experience on Torres guitars and both previous owner Elias Barreiro of New Orleans, Louisiana, and the present owner Sheldon Urlik for their knowledge of the history of this guitar. 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 April 17, 2026April 17, 2026 by Dale Phillips A Rubbed-Oil Finish Method for Classical Guitar A Rubbed-Oil Finish Method for Classical Guitar by Kevin Aram based on his 2014 Convention workshop Originally published in American Lutherie #127, 2014 The purpose of this article is to explain the methods I use to oil finish my guitars. It is based on the workshop I gave at the 2014 GAL Convention. The workshop itself was a tad anarchic and the transcription of the proceedings was rather rambling, so it was decided that a rewrite was the way to go. I am not referring to a brushed-oil-varnish type of finish that you might find on a violin or cello or indeed some guitars. This is a rubbed oil finish using a Liberon Finishing Oil. This is the only product I recommend, and I understand it is widely available in the U.S. as well as here in England and elsewhere. It is made from tung oil with added driers. The people at Liberon aren’t saying any more than this. It is fairly pleasant to use (on a par with shellac) and the smell will not send you running from your workshop. If you check out the Liberon website, there is a safety sheet. The main precaution to take is to not leave any cloths that have been used to apply the oil in the workshop, as it is possible for them to self-combust. Safely dispose of them straight away. 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 April 16, 2026April 16, 2026 by Dale Phillips It Worked for Me: Bound Fretboard It Worked for Me: Bound Fretboard by Greg Nelson Originally published in American Lutherie #114, 2013 Removing the last little bits of the tang when preparing a fret for a bound fretboard is not all that difficult to do by hand with a fine file, but here is a small jig that powers the operation and removes some of the drudgery. The pictures should prove self-explanatory. I use a Foredom tool, but the idea of the jig can easily be adapted to almost any rotary tool. Almost any bit capable of grinding the fret material will do. My jig is set up to use a diamond wheel. I must stress that this is simply for cleaning up what is left after clipping the bulk of the tang off. Even at that, and at low speed, the tang can get hot quickly. ◆ Both photos by Greg Nelson.
Posted on April 16, 2026April 16, 2026 by Dale Phillips It Worked for Me: Knobs It Worked for Me: Knobs by Mark French Originally published in American Lutherie #112, 2012 The shafts on guitar pots come in 1/4" and 6MM diameter. For some reason, I sometimes wind up with the wrong size knobs. In theory, it should be no problem to drill out 6mm knobs to fit 1/4" shafts, but I have had problems holding knobs securely while drilling. Definitely don’t try to hold them in your hand! Last week, I finally found a method that works. The knobs I had were 3/4" diameter, so I drilled a 3/4" hole in a piece of hard scrap wood, adding a notch for the set screw. By backing out the set screw about halfway, the knob won’t turn while being drilled. A 1/4" hole through the center of the larger hole lets a chuck key pop the knob out with no hassle. ◆ Both photos by Mark French.
