Posted on June 28, 2024July 8, 2024 by Dale Phillips On-Board Preamps On-Board Preamps by Bob Meltz Originally published in Guild of American Luthiers Data Sheet #158, 1980 Seeing that I, like other luthiers, enjoy the finer things in life (i.e. food, clothing, shelter), it is always a pleasure to find something that a) provides the luthier with a good return on his investment in time and materials, and b) provides the customer with something useful at a reasonable price. Such is the case with this little tidbit. It happens that most of my clientele play electric instruments and I have implanted preamps in dozens of these instruments with universally good results. It seems that most electric guitarists playing rock, fusion, or contemporary jazz are endlessly searching for ways to provide them with the sound of small, overdriven tube-type amps. The most common device used to accomplish this is the “distortion box” as made by a number of companies. The disadvantages of this type of device are numerous: a clumsy box sitting on the floor with cords dangling at the feet of the player, added noise from all but the most expensive units, line loss when the effect is bypassed, etc. For all but the people who are looking to totally “raunch out”, the on-board preamp is a viable, indeed preferable, alternative. Although it provides practically no distortion of its own, the added output is enough to overdrive the preamp stage of almost any guitar amp. 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 28, 2024July 8, 2024 by Dale Phillips Spraying Lacquer With Nitrogen Spraying Lacquer With Nitrogen by Harry Coleman Originally published in Guild of American Luthiers Data Sheet #64, 1978 and Big Red Book of American Lutherie Volume One, 2000 There are several advantages of using compressed nitrogen for spraying over the more conventional air compressor. Air compressors, when pulling air right out of the atmosphere, also pull the moisture in the air right into the storage tank. Most of it can be filtered out, but not all. In addition, oil has a way of working its way from the piston assembly in the compressor into the air line and ending up on your work. Compressors are expensive and do break. You have to have a long enough air line to get the compressor out of the finishing room or a spark from the motor could blow you away. Long lines cause a drop in air pressure. With nitrogen you are assured of 100% clean, dry “air.” Since there’s no motor involved, you can put the whole unit in the finishing room and use a shorter air line. The only disadvantage is that air is free, but nitrogen isn’t. You also have to take your tank out to get it filled. This is inconvenient, but the quality of the spray job makes it worth the trouble and expense, especially for a low-volume shop. 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 6, 2024January 15, 2025 by Dale Phillips Questions: Stainless Steel Rusting Properties Questions: Stainless Steel Rusting Properties by Peter Dyer Originally published in American Lutherie #58, 1999 Peter Dyer of Winters, CA has perhaps the last word on the subject of stainless steel and its rusting properties and the Universal Side Bender: The Metals Handbook, Desk Edition, published by the American Society for Metals (6th printing, 1991) says, “In atmospheres free from chloride contamination, stainless steels have excellent corrosion resistance. Types 430, 302, 304, and 316 normally do not show even superficial rust. Some rusting may occur in marine atmospheres or in industrial exposure where surfaces become contaminated with chloride salts.” So, if you’re building guitars and using 302 or 304 stainless on the Universal Side Bender, absent the conditions described above, don’t worry about rust. I hope that this resolves any confusion generated by the seemingly contradictory statements earlier. ◆
Posted on June 6, 2024January 16, 2025 by Dale Phillips Questions: French Polish VS Olive Oil Questions: French Polish VS Olive Oil by Gary Southwell and Koen Padding Originally published in American Lutherie #97, 2009 Stuart Mewburn from London, England asks: A recent request for an instrument finished with olive oil prompted me to do an experiment. I took two pieces of European spruce, the same size, oil finished one and French polished the other. I used virgin olive oil, applying one layer a day with a cloth and finished the next morning with Micro-mesh. Over fifteen days it built up a lustrous finish. Over the same time I applied thirty layers of French polish to the second piece of spruce. The oiled spruce (fifteen layers) weighed 2g more than the bare wood. The French polished spruce (thirty layers) weighed 1g more than the bare wood. If these figures are multiplied up to the size of the lower bout it means that the oiled top adds 33.2g to the weight of the working part of the top and the French polish adds 16.2g. When you consider that a bridge weighs about 19g–20g that’s a significant increase in weight for the strings to drive. The experiment begs a couple of questions. Has anyone done similar tests for other guitar finishes? To what extent does the mass of the finish affect the tone of the instrument? And as an aside, how well will a finish like olive oil hold up? 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 6, 2024January 15, 2025 by Dale Phillips Accelerator for Superglue and More Accelerator for Superglue and More by Chris Pile Originally published in American Lutherie #10, 1987 and Big Red Book of American Lutherie Volume One, 2000 I would like to inform fellow members of recent developments in the cyanoacrylate area of my repair business. The makers of Jet have added two new products to their line which have quickly become indispensable in the completion of my daily work. The old, reliable Jet and Super-Jet have been joined by Slo-Jet and Jet-Set. If you remember, Jet is the familiar thin, quick-setting superglue, and Super-Jet is thicker and slower to dry. Slo-Jet is even thicker and much slower to dry, consequently filling gaps and holes even better than was previously possible. As a matter of fact, it dries so slowly I’ve no idea how long it would take to cure if I wasn’t using the other new product — Jet-Set. 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.
