Posted on July 1, 2024July 9, 2024 by Dale Phillips Letter: Fabio Lutherie Class Letter: Fabio Lutherie Class by Steve Spodaryk Originally published in American Lutherie #69, 2001 Dear GAL, While traveling in Italy this fall, I was fortunate to study with Fabio Ragghianti. Over a two-week period, I was able to see the construction of a flamenco guitar. These beautiful instruments are built one at a time, so seeing this skilled handwork was very educational for a beginner like myself. I also learned to French polish, and saw many useful tools that Fabio has designed. Fabio and his wife Luciana were wonderful hosts. We enjoyed great meals, conversation, and side trips to the surrounding towns and countryside. I am looking forward to returning later this year and building a classical guitar under Fabio’s tutelage. Thank you GAL for fostering these experiences and furthering the art of lutherie. I came home completely inspired, and I am busily working on a new guitar. ◆
Posted on July 1, 2024May 22, 2025 by Dale Phillips Letter: Passing of Carleen Hutchins Letter: Passing of Carleen Hutchins by Aaron Green Originally published in American Lutherie #100, 2009 Hi Tim, I received an e-mail from Al Carruth with the sad news that Carleen Hutchins has passed on. It happened that Al was down in my neck of the woods the other day giving us an increasingly rare opportunity to catch up in real time. As it was, we talked a lot about Carleen. I can count on one hand the number of times I spent any appreciable time in her company and all of them were inspiring. As significant as those times were for me, the first time I met Carleen stands out the most in my memory. In June of 1992 I came along with Al on a road trip to Vermillion, South Dakota, for the GAL Convention. The four days it took us to get out there were an incredible adventure for me. I had just graduated high school (I turned eighteen halfway through the trip) and I was not entirely sure what I was going to do next. By the end of the convention I knew (thanks for that!) and have tried hard since to keep on keeping on. 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 July 1, 2024May 29, 2025 by Dale Phillips Letter: Fleishman and Fabio Lutherie Class Letter: Fleishman and Fabio Lutherie Class by Mike Moger Originally published in American Lutherie #68, 2001 Tim: I was sanding the top of a classical guitar recently with 600-grit paper. When I thought the job was about done, I walked out into the sunlight, held the instrument up to the light, and looked closely. I wasn’t nearly finished, and was glad for having made the trip. It reminded me of Fabio Ragghianti, the luthier who taught me to take that short walk. And of Harry Fleishman, the man who offered me the opportunity to study under him. I encourage anyone interested in becoming a better luthier to take a class. I’d built furniture for many years, and had wanted to build a guitar, but had no idea how even to begin. Books helped , but the class I took this past June in Boulder, Colorado at the Luthier’s School of the Rockies was invaluable. The school was run by Harry, with thirty years of experience in designing and building guitars. Four students worked under Fabio, an Italian luthier who has been building classical instruments for twenty years. Fabio provided the plans and the primary teaching; we used Harry’s tools. Harry looked over our shoulders and constantly added to the exchange of ideas. The rules were easy. You do your best to build a guitar that is structurally strong, with a great sound, and beautiful. Nothing is done without knowing the reason for doing it. One great benefit was to compare Harry’s modern methods and machinery to Fabio’s methods that have been used in Europe for 200 years. Fabio’s quiet patience allowed for mistakes to be made, followed by lessons on how to correct them. Harry’s energy and enthusiasm filled us with different ways to accomplish the same things. And Fabio’s French polishing demonstration alone was worth all that we’d done before it. They are more than creative and quality-driven professionals. They are great teachers, fun to be with, and willing to give us everything we could soak up during the class. So I built my guitar, and will build many more. And each time I walk out into the sun to look closely at what might be a finished job, I’ll remember the class, and thank two good men for what they gave us. PS: Harry has closed the school in Boulder. He’s now the Director of the Luthiers School International. Harry Fleishman 1533 Welter Ct. Sebastopol, CA 95472-2655 707-823-3537 guitars@fleishmaninstruments.com Fabio Ragghianti lives and works in Italy, and can be reached at raguitars@libero.it. ◆
Posted on July 1, 2024May 29, 2025 by Dale Phillips Letter: Romanillos Seminar Letter: Romanillos Seminar by Stephen Frith Originally published in American Lutherie #68, 2001 Dear Tim, I joined the GAL a couple years ago, and this philosophy of openness, sharing, and frank exchange is right on the ball. I saw a free ad in American Lutherie: “Master-classes in Spain, make a guitar with José and Liam Romanillos.” A chance of a lifetime? The Romanillos family hosted a fortnight working holiday, which was busy, friendly, happy, and constructive. Set in the Sigüenze hillsides, we were the comfortable guests of the Hermanos Maristas. In the spirit of openness and sharing, José and Liam helped us consider each piece of wood, as we made our guitars. A quote: “If we know, we tell you.” Based on José‘s first successful instrument in the Spanish tradition of Torres, our work was guided with strategies and beliefs. Secrets don’t exist in good news. On the front bench were all the planning forms and construction templates needed to make a Romanillos and Son guitar, and copying of these was firmly encouraged. The method was straightforward, sensible, and uncomplicated, one that can be easily replicated in my own workshop. I’ve brought home my own Frith/Romanillos. Sounds great! Speaking as an old London College of Furniture boy, I have to say the Sigüenza 2001 course was brilliant. The cost was reasonable, and returning next year for some fine-tuning would be exciting for a full-time luthier like me. I hope it runs and runs, there is always more to learn. It was great to meet members from all over: Texas, California, Canada, England, Switzerland, Germany, Belgium, Spain, and Japan. Sigüenza 2002? Go for it! ◆
Posted on July 1, 2024July 9, 2024 by Dale Phillips Letter: Lutherie in South Africa Letter: Lutherie in South Africa by Rodney Stedall Originally published in American Lutherie #70, 2002 Dear Tim, Ron Bushman was in South Africa recently on a business trip. He’s a part-time luthier living in Fullerton, California (hometown of Leo Fender) with about twenty-five classical and flamenco guitars carrying his label. He also plays flamenco very well. Ron Bushman admires a Portugese guitarra made by François Pistorius. Both photos by Rodney Stedall I took the day off to offer Ron a bit of South African luthiers’ hospitality. After collecting him at his hotel we went off to Silverton Houthandelaars (wood dealers) to look for indigenous woods. He selected some impressive backs and sides from kiaat and a nice piece of tambotie for headstock veneers. We then visited François Pistorius who impressed Ron with his Portuguese guitarra, an offset-soundhole classical, and his famous double-neck steel string/bouzouki combination on which he plays Celtic music that he learned during his apprenticeship in Galway, Ireland. François added to Ron’s load by kindly giving him a back and side set of bubinga (African rosewood). François plays his double-neck guitar/bouzouki. Then to my workshop where we cut the kiaat into luggage-size pieces. I was able to give Ron a nice quartersawn neck set of boekenhout (African beech) with its beautiful flaming as well as some leadwood (hardekool) and black ivory which I had previously cut into thin bookmatched pieces for head veneers. We then treated Ron to a traditional meal of stywe pap (stiff corn porridge) and bredie (tomato onion gravy) with sosaties (shish kebab) braaied (barbequed) on an open fire made from bushveld leadwood. We sent Ron off, fully laden with his stock of South African tonewoods to remind him of his visit to our beautiful country. ◆
