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 May 21, 2020May 20, 2025 by Dale Phillips Copying Pearl Patterns Copying Pearl Patterns by Robert A. Steinegger Originally published as Guild of American Luthiers Data Sheet #125, 1979 and in Lutherie Woods and Steel String Guitars, 1997 Whenever I get my hands on a nice old instrument with distinctive pearl work, I like to get the pearl patterns for my collection. First of all, I photocopy all the parts of the pattern. (Note: the copy machine must be of the type that prints actual-size copies. The instrument must be held carefully and steadily on the machine.) This may have to be done from several angles because of the variations within the pearl itself. Abalone inlays are very difficult to copy in this manner, but a little patience should see the job done. 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 12, 2025 by Dale Phillips Meet the Maker: Bart Reiter Meet the Maker: Bart Reiter by Paul Hostetter previously published in American Lutherie #34, 1993 and Big Red Book of American, Volume Three, 2004 As a card-carrying guitar nut, guitar player, and luthier, I’ve always felt a bit like a turncoat because of my jaundiced view that our current vibrant lutherie world is somewhat top heavy with guitar nuts. It’s one reason I like the GAL so much: there are all these wild cards who have a very nonflattop agenda. I love it! But it seems that every time I go to a Guild convention someone I really want to meet doesn’t show up for some reason. It happened again last summer, though I knew I’d find dozens of other surprises amongst the corn fields and bomb threats ‘way over there in Vermillion. Among them were two of the very top figures in the world of banjo, Bart Reiter and Ron Chacey. Dan Erlewine issued me a blank cassette and commanded: “Go forth and interview!” Dutifully, and happily, I did. I’d always wanted to meet these guys anyway. Here’s the first one I talked to. 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 November 19, 2019May 23, 2025 by Dale Phillips What You Should Know About The Hardanger Fiddle What You Should Know About The Hardanger Fiddle by David Golber Previously published in American Lutherie #36, 1993 and The Big Red Book of American Lutherie, Volume Three, 2004 Someone has walked into your shop with yet another weird instrument. This time, it’s sort of like a violin, but it has a whole lot of pegs, the top is carved funny, it has pearl and bone inlay, and it’s decorated with flowery drawings. He says his grandfather brought it from Norway in 1890, and he wants you to put it in playing condition. Well, it’s a Hardanger fiddle (hardingfele in Norwegian). The instrument originated in the area around the Hardanger fjord, whence its name. It is distinctly Norwegian; in fact, it is played in only about a quarter of Norway, the western and south-central areas. The oldest instrument found has a date of 1651. The musical tradition is still very much alive, and continues unbroken up to the present. Beginning in about 1850, there was an absolutely enormous emigration from Norway to America — something like a third of the population. Those who played fiddle of course brought their fiddles with them. In addition there were tours by professional players who performed for their emigrated countrymen and then returned to Norway. But the instrument and the music died out in America. The children of the immigrants rarely learned to play, and father’s fiddle lay in its case in the attic, or was hung on the wall like an icon of a lost era. Now there is something like a revival here in America, not only among the descendants of the immigrants, but also among those not of Norwegian ancestry who have discovered the 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 January 11, 2010May 28, 2025 by Dale Phillips Review: Advanced Inlay Techniques by Larry Robinson Review: Advanced Inlay Techniques by Larry Robinson Reviewed by John Calkin Originally published in American Lutherie #59, 1999 and Big Red Book of American Lutherie Volume Five, 2008 Video: Advanced Inlay Techniques Larry Robinson Robinson Custom Inlays, 1998 After a book and two videos of inlay instruction you might wonder if anything is left for Larry Robinson to teach. Well, there’s plenty, including some leftover stuff if Larry ever decides to make a fourth video. Robinson’s book gave scant coverage to inlaying signatures, and that’s where the bulk of instruction is placed in Advanced Inlay Techniques. The signatures start as mere pencil lines, and by the time they are reduced to fit on the fingerboard at the 12th fret, they are very thin lines indeed. On work of this delicacy he tries to talk each customer into inlays of gold or silver, rather than shell, and the signatures inlaid in the video are cut from gold sheet stock. The signature in cursive is narrower than the cuts made by the 000 jeweler’s saw blades, less than .010". Cutting such work from shell might well be left to lasers. There is also a trick method of routing for such intricate work that pretty much guarantees accurate results and prevents the tearout of ebony where only dots and bits are to be left. A side excursion is made to examine the use of computers to lay out and alter signatures and lettering, which may be eye-opening for anyone still trying to fight off computer literacy. Robinson maintains that this one program has more than paid for his computer, as well as having brought a measure of ease to his work life. The lettering segment goes on to address block lettering, shaded letters, and the use of various fonts inlaid in a variety of materials. 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.
