Posted on June 6, 2024January 16, 2025 by Dale Phillips Letter: Passing of Ivo Pires Letter: Passing of Ivo Pires by Mary Monteiro Originally published in American Lutherie #99, 2009 Dear Mr. Peterson, You may remember me — I contacted you a couple years ago when I was doing a Hall of Fame biography of my dearest friend, Ivo Pires. It is with heartbreaking regret that I write to tell you of the sudden death on April 20 of my dearest friend, Ivo Pires. He has left the entire community in shock. Did you know that he repaired Yo Yo Ma’s cello just before he went on his world tour? A couple weeks later there was delivered to his studio in the Berklee College of Music (Boston) a bouquet of flowers so big that everyone was in awe and couldn’t imagine who had sent it. Finally someone found the card and said, “Oh, Mr. Pires! It’s for you!” As he was telling me this story, I said, “Ivo, what did you do with the card?” He didn’t know! It could have been a collector’s item. But being the lovable and unpretentious person we all knew he was, it never occurred to him. ◆
Posted on June 6, 2024January 16, 2025 by Dale Phillips Questions: Luthier Craig Pederson Questions: Luthier Craig Pederson by Gordon Pritchard Originally published in American Lutherie #96, 2008 Scott Freilich from Santa Fe, New Mexico asks: Have you heard of a guy named Craig Pederson? He built some beautiful acoustics in Santa Fe in the late '80s. Guitar by Craig Pederson. Photo by Scott Freilich. Gordon Pritchard from U.S. Virgin Islands replies: I have a Jazz model by Craig Pederson. The one you have was mine and I sold it to a guy in England. Both guitars were built for and purchased by a terrific guitarist named Steve Katz who now lives in St. Croix, Virgin Islands. Steve is a good friend of mine, and is how I ended up with these guitars. Both were built in the ’80s. From what I can find out, Craig Pederson now teaches school somewhere in New York. ◆ Jazz guitar by Craig Pederson. Both photos by Gordon Pritchard.
Posted on June 6, 2024January 16, 2025 by Dale Phillips Letter: Ray Cowell Ukes Letter: Ray Cowell Ukes by Thomas Johnson Originally published in American Lutherie #99, 2009 Dear Tim: A ukulele revival is underway in the U.K. Of special interest here is Ray Cowell, who has crafted a pair of ukes from the Titanic’s sister ship, the RMS Olympic. Captain Edward Smith was the Olympic’s first skipper, and he went on to his last command aboard the Titanic. The Olympic was dismantled in 1937, and local industries purchased salvaged timbers and fittings for further use. Ray worked as an engineer in coal mines in the early ‘60s under appalling conditions. He shifted to the paint manufacturing industry, where he developed specialized machinery; when his job evaporated, he bought and developed his own successful factory that serviced the paint industry. One of the factory’s existing buildings was fitted with materials salvaged from the Olympic: paneling, lighting, floor tile, decking, and even the main staircase. 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 16, 2025 by Dale Phillips Letter: NMM Opens Gudelsky Gallery Letter: NMM Opens Gudelsky Gallery by The National Music Museum Originally published in American Lutherie #82, 2005 GAL members — The National Music Museum on the campus of The University of South Dakota in Vermillion, South Dakota, will celebrate the 500th birthday of Andrea Amati, in whose workshop in Cremona, Italy, the form of the instruments of the violin family as we know them today first crystallized, by hosting an international conference — The Secrets, Lives, and Violins of the Great Cremona Makers 1505–1744, Friday–Monday, July 1–4, 2005. The program brings together individuals who have been at the forefront of archival research in Cremona, amidst some of the earliest, best preserved, and historically most important instruments known to survive. Presenters include Carlo Chiesa, John Dilworth, Andrew Dipper, Roger Hargrave, and Duane Rosengard. The event is being coordinated by Claire Givens (Minneapolis), a NMM Trustee. Major underwriting is being provided by four prominent American violin dealers: Chris Reuning (Boston), Jim Warren (Chicago), Bob Bein and Geoffrey Fushi (Chicago), and David Kerr (Portland). Registration forms and housing information are available on the NMM website. 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 17, 2025 by Dale Phillips Letter: Public School Lutherie Class Letter: Public School Lutherie Class by Glen Friesen Originally published in American Lutherie #91, 2007 Dear Tim, I am a high school industrial arts teacher at Waldheim School Industrial Arts. Waldheim is a small community of about a thousand people located about thirty-five miles north of Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, in the heart of the Canadian prairies. I have constructed electric guitars and basses with students for years, but this year one of my 12th grade students, Trevor Boehm, completed our shop’s first steel string guitar. Traditional woods were used: mahogany, Sitka spruce, and ebony. Trevor added a number of personal touches such as using abalone for the peghead inlays, rosette, and pick guard; cocobolo and poplar purfling and binding; and a Tru-Oil finish. This is not a kit guitar. Each of the pieces was cut from larger dimensional stock. What makes this project even more amazing is that it was constructed in a multi-activity shop environment. Oxyacetylene and plasma cutting, arc and MIG welding, several furniture projects, and two electric guitars were all being done in the same small shop while Trevor was constructing his guitar. This is Trevor’s third guitar. His 10th grade project was a 6-string electric, and in 11th grade he designed and constructed a unique electric baritone guitar. Trevor will be graduating in June and hopes to explore a career in lutherie. Both photos by Glen Friesen Trevor’s steel string guitar marks the culmination of several years of planning and jig construction. We were really excited to hear the first notes from it. In my opinion, he did an exceptional job. The steel string is now a project that students can choose to attempt if they desire. All of this would have been a lot more difficult if I had not had access to your publications. I just felt that I needed to thank you. ◆
