Posted on July 26, 2023June 11, 2025 by Dale Phillips In Memoriam: Rick Turner In Memoriam: Rick Turner July 30, 1943 – April 17, 2022 by GAL Staff, David Bolla, and Steve Klein Originally published in American Lutherie #147, 2022 Rick Turner epitomized the imagination, courage, and determination of a lot of people in the Lutherie Boom generation, people who dove into guitar making before there was detailed resource material, before there were sources of parts and specialized tools, before there was a supportive community of generous and knowledgeable makers. He joined the GAL early on and spoke at our 1980 Convention in San Francisco, then again, twenty-four years later, at our 2004 Convention in Tacoma. He wrote a long-running column for American Lutherie called “Electronic Answer Man” in the 1990s. See this issue’s Web Extras for photos and links. — GAL Staff Photo by Jonathon Peterson. My first Guild of American Luthiers Convention was in Tacoma, Washington, in 2004. I stood outside the auction preview room, speaking with a small group of young luthiers around my age. I hadn’t been to Roberto-Venn yet. In fact, I got the call I had been accepted to the guitar-building school while at the convention. I was just there to learn as much as possible as I considered a future career path. As we stood there, a man wearing a Mickey Mouse T-shirt under a sport coat approached. He kindly took time to speak with us for a while about guitars, sharing his opinions on some of the topics we were discussing. He was much older than anyone else in the group, but it wasn’t noticeable by his demeanor. Only his graying hair and weathered face informed us of his age. He hung out for nearly twenty minutes, laughing and smiling with the rest of us. The following day, I attended the final lecture of the week. It was highly anticipated, as Rick Turner, one of the great legends of the trade, would be speaking about his vision of the future of the industry and innovations on the horizon. I was in awe as the man who had casually joined our conversation the day before took the stage, commanding the audience as a giant of the craft, larger than life. I only met him that one time, but it was a formative encounter. It was humbling to have someone who had such influence on an industry stop to speak with kids who were just entering it. I’m saddened to hear of his passing, but I am happy I had the chance to speak with a man, if only for twenty minutes, who had such an immense impact on music and instruments. — David Bolla I first met Rick Turner fifty years ago at a Prune Music guitar show in Mill Valley. From then on, his door was always open. I will miss his open information sharing. For instance, I first heard about cyanoacrylate glues from him, long before Krazy Glue was even a product. I’ll miss the synchronistic hook-ups that just seemed to happen around him. In the late ’80s he introduced me to Gibson’s new CEO, and that led me to reconnecting with Ned Steinberger and the creation of the headless project which continues today. In Rick’s shops over the years, I’ve met musicians and craftsmen; many I now call friends. I will also miss his forever-forward thinking. Just how do we accomplish the task at hand? He made the sub-bass string pickup for the first electric harp guitar that I built for Michael Hedges. Rick was a pragmatic, unapologetic self-promoter, but he held the door open for so many of us to pass through, with a smile and with encouragement. The passing of my old friend helped me remember just what his friendship, his ideas, and the sharing of his research has given me. He was the glue. — Steve Klein Young Rick Turner, 1966. Photo courtesy of Rick Turner. Lecturing at the 1980 GAL Convention in San Francisco. Photo by Dale Korsmo. At the Healdsburg Guitar Festival, 2000. Photo by Jonathon Peterson. Lecturing at the 2004 GAL Convention in Tacoma. Photo by Jonathon Peterson. Rick Turner (left) at GAL HQ after the 2004 GAL Convention in Tacoma. Also in this photo: Tini Burghardt, Richard Glick, Todd Rose, Geza Burghardt, Cyndy Burton. Photo by Hap Newsom. Rick Turner was an active GAL author. Follow this link to see a complete listing of his articles. https://www.search.luth.org/tag/turner%c2%b8-rick/ An interview from 2007 on the NAMM website. https://www.namm.org/library/oral-history/rick-turner Story on Rick Turner Guitars website. https://www.rickturnerguitars.com/stories-father-boutique-guitars Beau Hannam Remembers Rick Turner Published online by Guild of American Luthiers, 2022 I only met Rick Turner once, in Oct 2021, and I found him delightful. He greeted me with a hug. That surprised me; it’s not common for a guy his age on meeting someone for the first time. I admire flora drawings, and a few months prior I had commented on his post where he proudly showed his ex-wife’s book of trees with amazing illustrations by her (Eye Spy a Tree: Welcome to the Arboretum by Amber R. Turner). I guess he remembered that comment, as while we were talking in his office about guitar history and what we love in lutherie, he reached down and gave me a copy of the book. Unaware of his history with Alembic, the Grateful Dead or his Model 1 guitar, I first came to know Rick through his posts on various forums and Facebook and his often-forceful advice, particularly on the advocacy of the use of hot hide glue and epoxy. Indeed, his “glue list” remains an unequaled educational resource on which glues to use and where to use them. It is strange when a giant dies as it forces us to realize the importance of knowledge gained over a decades long career and that some of it is now lost. Looking back, I realize some of my fundamental building principles have been influenced by his teaching: His back-slanted saddle (about 7 degrees), carbon fiber in various areas, and his use of epoxy in building, especially for large surface glue-ups like fingerboards are all based on rock-solid common sense. He was forceful at times for the same reason any person who has been a luthier for decades is when they give advice to someone starting out in the industry who hasn’t yet the capacity for listening or learning. It is truly frustrating and something teachers have dealt with since the first sea creature crawled onto the land, looked back, and suggested to the second sea creature that they follow. But sometimes people, be they our children, friends, or strangers we try to give advice to, can only grow through pushing through a problem then seeing, acknowledging, and understanding the warned-about folly for themselves. Seeing, acknowledging, and understanding are the steps the mind needs to take and some people need to live them all fully. It is probably best to work through each step on your own, but being giving an Easter egg of advice which allows you to jump to the understanding part is a gift often not accepted, and rarely seen as the gold that it is. We are surrounded by fools gold on the internet. But Rick’s advice was always 24k. Since the advent of social media, I have seen a pattern. Lutherie and Life’s nuggets of wisdom are most often found not in systematically structured philosophical essays; they are found in what seems at first glance insignificant posts, in tiny ad hoc responses to a some other question, and in the beauty of a short, well reasoned and decisive answer to a seemingly unrelated topic. Search for the small things, in the big things. And vice-versa. Sayonara Rick. Don’t get epoxy on those heavenly clouds. — Photo courtesy of Beau Hannam
Posted on July 25, 2023May 12, 2025 by Dale Phillips In Memoriam: Chris Herbert Chris Herbert Nov. 22, 1955 - May 30, 2022 by The Herbert Family Published online by Guild of American Luthiers, July, 2023 Chris Herbert was probably Denver’s premier guitar repairman. He moved to Denver in 1980 from Columbus, Ohio, with excellent woodworking skills and a love of music. He was mentored at the now defunct Feretta’s Guitar Store where he learned his craft and began his career. He took to it very quickly and became the go-to luthier for almost every guitarist who played vintage instruments in Colorado. He worked on guitars for countless Colorado musicians, including the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, Hot Rize, The Nacho Men, The Mother Folkers and many, many others. When touring musicians came to town, he was always the one they called — Jewel, Mason Williams, Andy Gibb, Duke Robillard, the Subdudes. When Mason Williams asked how much he owed, Chris said, “Just play me Classical Gas!” That was Chris. All photos courtesy of the Herbert Family except as noted. He worked mainly on S. Broadway, but in his later years, preferred to work out of his home. He built a few custom instruments in the early days, and his second custom guitar is now owned by Nick Beier of San Diego. He also collected Golden Era Martin and Gibson guitars which are now worth a fortune; many of these went into his friends’ collections. His favorite guitar was the Blackguard Telecaster. Everyone who knew Chris commented on his love of old instruments and the care that went into fixing their myriad problems that developed over the years. He was a perfectionist and it showed. For years, he was a certified Martin repair person and had an excellent relationship with Martin and their longtime employee and historian David Musselwhite. Chris called himself a humanist and felt a strong sense of compassion for displaced and oppressed people. He cherished his abundant friendships with local and nationally recognized musicians, good buddies, and neighbors, and his close ties to his siblings. Chris was a fan of other builders, including Denny Stevens. Denny also lived in Colorado, but tragically developed ALS and passed away in 2009. Chris owned a 1973 Denny Stevens guitar, which was the last guitar in Chris’ estate. The Herbert Family kindly donated it to the Guild of American Luthiers, in memory of master luthier Chris Herbert. It was sold in the Guild’s Benefit Auction in July 2023, the proceeds of which go to further the Guild’s mission of information sharing among luthiers like Chris. — At the 2023 GAL Convention Benefit Auction. Photo by Steve McElrath.
Posted on April 21, 2023May 14, 2025 by Dale Phillips Meet the Maker: Henry Stocek Meet the Maker: Henry Stocek by John Calkin Originally published in American Lutherie #62, 2000 and Big Red Book of American Lutherie Volume Six, 2013 There is a host of nonluthiers without whom lutherie would suffer. I refer to the makers and suppliers of the products that eventually comprise our instruments — the wood, trim items, pickups, cases, hardware, and finish products that make instruments more functional and more interesting. It should come as no surprise that most of these folks are as fascinating and dedicated as any luthier. We’ve met a few of them in these pages before, and I hope to give more of them the exposure they deserve. First up is Henry Stocek, the celluloid guru who introduced us to the art of turtleoid creation (see Reinventing the Celluloid Tortoise). He created Deep River Vintage Instrument Supply to furnish the trade with imitation tortoiseshell pickguard stock that was reminiscent of the color and patterns used in the ’30s. Other items are on the way. 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 April 20, 2023May 6, 2025 by Dale Phillips Matty: The Merchant of Greenwich Matty: The Merchant of Greenwich from his 1979 GAL Convention lecture by Matt Umanov Originally published in Guild of American Luthiers Quarterly, Volume 7 #3, 1979 I’d like to say that I’ve never given a lecture in my life; the last time I stood in front of a blackboard I had to write my name a hundred times. Perhaps a little self-introduction could explain to you some of my qualifications for being here. I have a store in Greenwich Village, where we sell, buy, trade, and repair quality acoustical instruments. I have had the store for 10 years, before which I worked sort of free-lance doing repair work on my own. And before that I struggled through a couple of different guitar factories. People today generally prefer a Martin Dreadnought, usually a rosewood one for a bluegrass band. Rosewood is chosen over mahogany because of the richness of the tone; you get a much fatter bass out of a rosewood body guitar than you will out of a mahogany guitar. It is usually easier to record a mahogany guitar in the studio. Engineers tell me this all the time. All the extra overtones of the rosewood guitar are just too complex — it’s difficult to capture. 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 August 1, 2022May 19, 2025 by Dale Phillips Lutherie Binge? Lutherie Binge? by Dake Traphagen Originally published in Guild of American Luthiers Quarterly, 5, #4, 1977 Well somehow I’ve survived my first but not last, European experience, which Tim Olsen dubbed a “Lutherie Binge” in Vol. 5, No. 2. From my perspective, I think the phraseology could be better put as a Life Experience Binge. After all, let’s not limit ourselves to being only luthiers; or at least if we want to view ourselves as being luthiers, let’s expand the term to encompass all other experiences which connect ourselves to our Luthiership. So what about my European Experience? Ten hour jet flight, what a slow method of transportation; Galliards of royalty traversing the English countryside. While resting in the dark forest; was that a Hobbit or maybe an elf? The Mediterranean’s salty, yet beautiful swimming; but where were the troubadour guitarists of Spain: only me expectations? A lot of flamboyant people and machine guns however... Majestic, cultured, the arts of Arts of western conception, if only one wouldn’t be so coined American; such is the way Paris... Oh yes! The ferry’s cooling rushing air and rolling boat with rain, sun, spray, and lovely people enjoying; except for a few green faces, but who knows, maybe they enjoyed being green. 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.
