Posted on October 9, 2025October 9, 2025 by Dale Phillips The Bassola The Bassola Approximating the Sound of the Upright Bass by R.M. Mottola Originally published in American Lutherie #64, 2000 and Big Red Book of American Lutherie Volume Six, 2013 Clearly the best way to get the sound of an upright bass played pizzicato is with an upright bass. But that instrument poses a number of problems to bass guitarists and even to upright players — the former can’t play the instrument, and the latter often simply hate having to carry the thing around. Experiments toward approximating the sound of the upright in an instrument playable by bass guitarists constitute something of an ongoing project for me. This article describes one such effort, a large (for a guitar) acoustic instrument I call a Bassola, for no other reason than that it rhymes nicely with my last name. The project began with listing the functional specifications for the instrument. When engineering a new instrument (or anything that represents more than a trivial departure from some existing and well-specified entity, for that matter) I find it very useful to have a target to shoot at. This makes it easier to plan and deal with the design tradeoffs that inevitably occur, plus it provides some criteria against which to judge the finished product. 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 October 9, 2025October 9, 2025 by Dale Phillips Clark Irish Harp Revisited Clark Irish Harp Revisited by Craig Pierpont Originally published in American Lutherie #64, 2000 and Big Red Book of American Lutherie Volume Six, 2013 Following David Riggs’ article on the Clark Irish harp (“Clark ‘Neo-Irish’ Harp”), it seems like a good opportunity to take a closer look at folk harps from the luthier’s point of view. As a professional harp builder of some experience, I have learned my trade in no small part by studying the construction theory of fingerboard instruments of the lute, guitar, and violin families. While there is much relevant information there, it is important to consider the enormous fundamental differences between the dynamics of fingerboard instruments and harps. 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 October 9, 2025October 9, 2025 by Dale Phillips An Authentic Hurdy-Gurdy An Authentic Hurdy-Gurdy by Wilfried Ulrich Originally published in American Lutherie #77, 2004 and Big Red Book of American Lutherie Volume Seven, 2015 The dispute between guitarists and hurdy-gurdists is an old one. In the early 1700s, when French aristocrats became interested in playing the hurdy-gurdy and pretty good composers such as Baton, Chedeville, and others began to compose for it, prominent guitarists contended that the hurdy-gurdy was only good enough for cat music! However, the queen was an eminent player of the instrument, and the two daughters of King Louis XV were trained by Charles Baton. A hurdy-gurdy teacher of the time is said to have wanted to change the outstanding and worthy guitar of a marquis into a hurdy-gurdy. In his opinion, this was the only fit use for such an instrument. The hurdy-gurdy and the musette (a small bagpipe) were the beloved instruments of the leading society. To dignify the instrument, its origin was attributed — without proof — to ancient Greece. 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 October 9, 2025October 9, 2025 by Dale Phillips The Colombian Tiple The Colombian Tiple by Luis Alberto Paredes Rodríguez Originally published in American Lutherie #82, 2005 and Big Red Book of American Lutherie Volume Seven, 2015 In an article published in American Lutherie #39 (Big Red Book of American Lutherie Volume Four) by Jorge Gonzalez Jr., several important statements are made in connection with the tiple. The first of them says that, “The origin of the tiple is still a subject of debate, but the modern tiple is thought to have been developed in Colombia.” It states further that “...the early Colombian tiple had four single gut strings which later evolved into four courses of triple steel strings with a requintilla (the center string of each course, tuned an octave lower than the others) on the lower three courses. There are also examples of Colombian tiples with ten steel strings in which the outer courses are double and the inner courses are triple.” Lastly, “The tiple is, in essence, a small guitar indigenous to Spain and many South American nations. Construction is similar, if not identical, to that of a 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 July 15, 2025July 15, 2025 by Dale Phillips Meet the Maker: David Rivinus Meet the Maker: David Rivinus by Jonathon Peterson Originally published in American Lutherie #61, 2000 and Big Red Book of American Lutherie Volume Six, 2013 David Rivinus is a newcomer to the Pacific Northwest, having recently moved here from Vermont. His lutherie life has taken him from the Midwest, to California, Vermont, and to his current residence in Newberg, Oregon. It has also taken him from building, restoring, and photographing traditional instruments into the laboratory and out to the cutting edge of viola ergonomics, which is where I met him. The following conversation took place at the 1999 Handmade Musical Instrument Exhibit near Portland, Oregon, where he and his innovative work were a welcome addition. What got you into the shop? Was it the music, the woodworking, or just turns of fate? I’ve been interested in both music and woodworking ever since I was a kid. I played violin and viola in school orchestra, and when I went to college I was a music major. I played in the college’s chamber orchestra and did a little conducting. My woodworking actually started with clocks. I was very interested in the gears and the inner workings of clocks, and I did some restorations. My first experience with varnish, for example, was in restoring clock cases. 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. Members also receive 3 annual issues of American Lutherie and get discounts on products. For details, visit the membership page. MEMBERS: login for access or contact us to setup your account. Posts pagination 1 2 … 15 Next
Posted on July 15, 2025July 15, 2025 by Dale Phillips Meet the Maker: David Rivinus Meet the Maker: David Rivinus by Jonathon Peterson Originally published in American Lutherie #61, 2000 and Big Red Book of American Lutherie Volume Six, 2013 David Rivinus is a newcomer to the Pacific Northwest, having recently moved here from Vermont. His lutherie life has taken him from the Midwest, to California, Vermont, and to his current residence in Newberg, Oregon. It has also taken him from building, restoring, and photographing traditional instruments into the laboratory and out to the cutting edge of viola ergonomics, which is where I met him. The following conversation took place at the 1999 Handmade Musical Instrument Exhibit near Portland, Oregon, where he and his innovative work were a welcome addition. What got you into the shop? Was it the music, the woodworking, or just turns of fate? I’ve been interested in both music and woodworking ever since I was a kid. I played violin and viola in school orchestra, and when I went to college I was a music major. I played in the college’s chamber orchestra and did a little conducting. My woodworking actually started with clocks. I was very interested in the gears and the inner workings of clocks, and I did some restorations. My first experience with varnish, for example, was in restoring clock cases. 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. Members also receive 3 annual issues of American Lutherie and get discounts on products. For details, visit the membership page. MEMBERS: login for access or contact us to setup your account.
