Posted on January 11, 2010May 14, 2025 by Dale Phillips In Memoriam: John Sullivan In Memoriam: John Sullivan April 5, 1964 – April 21, 2007 Originally published in American Lutherie #90, 2007 My good friend John Sullivan passed away early on the morning of April 21, 2007. He was diagnosed with esophageal cancer less than a year ago, and things progressed very quickly. Where do I begin? John was just a sweet, sweet man who poured everything he had into his instruments, relationships, and golf game. He was extremely generous with his knowledge of lutherie, and many builders have come forward in the past weeks to tell stories about how they called John up to ask a question or two, and wound up with notepads of info or an invite over to the shop/kitchen for some hands-on demonstrations. Although he was well known for his mandolins, John was also a go-to builder for harp guitars, archtop guitars, and fiddles. His last instrument was a wonderful 5-string fiddle that is now in the capable hands of Darol Anger. Had he lived, I have no doubt that he would have built many more 5-strings. He loved to make them, and the ones he made were very good. Photo by David Riggs. Photo by Bruce Harvie. I remember one night we went down to see Foghorn String Band at the local Portland pub. Foghorn’s Caleb Klauder plays one of John’s F-5s, and Jon Neufeld from Jackstraw was there with his Sullivan archtop, another cannon of an instrument. I wound up sitting in too, so there were three Sullivans going off like a bomb. I don’t think I’ve ever seen John so happy, and it’s a memory I’ll always hold very dear indeed. I’m sure everyone who reads these pages can relate. A benefit to help cover John’s medical expenses was scheduled for April 29th at the Wonder Ballroom in Portland — a benefit that became a memorial after the news of John’s death. Forty of his instruments, including his first mandolin, were on display, and bands featuring John’s instruments played onstage upstairs. It was a wonderful and touching tribute to a luthier and friend who left us much too early. John leaves behind his wife and partner Patricia Lackaff, who has just lost her best friend. Our thoughts and prayers go out to her. He also leaves behind a very large band of happy musicians who I imagine at this moment playing “We Bid You Goodnight” at points all over the globe. And all with impeccable tone. Long-time GAL member Bruce Harvey presented a moving musical memorial to John Sullivan at the recent Handmade Musical Instrument Exhibit in Portland, Oregon. Bruce played a Sullivan F-5, set a repeating loop, then soloed over that on a Sullivan electric mandolin. John Sullivan had exhibited at this show many times in the past, and he was deeply missed by the builders in his hometown. All three photos courtesy of Bruce Harvie. Here are a few links: http://www.mandolincafe.com/forum/showthread.php?t=30844&highlight=John+Sullivan http://www.mandolincafe.com/forum/showthread.php?t=31114&highlight=John+Sullivan http://picasaweb.google.com/Mandoniaa/JohnFest
Posted on January 6, 2010May 16, 2025 by Dale Phillips Review: Making Stringed Instruments — A Workshop Guide by George Buchanan Review: Making Stringed Instruments — A Workshop Guide by George Buchanan Reviewed by C.F. Casey Originally published in American Lutherie #26, 1991 and Big Red Book of American Lutherie Volume Three, 2004 Making Stringed Instruments — A Workshop Guide George Buchanan Sterling Publishing Co., 205 pp. ISBN 0-8069-7464-8 You don’t have to look at the publishing information to know this is a British book. You don’t even have to depend on the usual vocabulary clues. In fact, they’re not even all here. The book uses “clamps” rather than the dead-giveaway “cramps,” although it does refer to “timber” rather than “lumber.” It’s the style, that unmistakable tone typical of English do-it-yourself books: not exactly formal, not exactly old-fashioned (in fact, the book was first published in 1989), but just subtly different in flavor from its North American counterparts. It’s more than just diction and syntax that make this book different, it’s the approach to the material. As the title suggests, the book is about a variety of instruments: violin, viola, and cello; mandolin and mandola; and classical and archtop guitars. However, rather than treating each instrument more or less independently, as most books of this type seem to do, Buchanan spends fully half the book dealing with the violin and viola, and then adds comparatively short chapters covering those aspects of the other instruments which are different from the violin. He does spend somewhat more time on the mandolin and mandola, as the first flat-top-and-back instruments in the book. 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 1, 2010May 14, 2025 by Dale Phillips Sideways Sideways by John Monteleone previously published in American Lutherie #91, 2007 See also, “There’s a Hole in the Bucket” by Cyndy Burton “Herr Helmholtz’ Tube” by Mike Doolin “Three Holes are Better than One” by Robert Ruck Archtop builder John Monteleone is famous for his avant-garde approach to these instruments. He explains how sideports came into his mix. The concept of incorporating the use of alternative soundholes in the side of my guitars came to me at an early age when I had built my first acoustic guitar, back around 1963. I would place my ear on the side of the guitar and wonder how I could make the guitar sound just like that. I figured that the only thing preventing me was the side of the guitar itself. Even then I knew that you couldn’t just cut out a hole into the side of the instrument without inviting structural failure. There had to be some kind of reinforcement to permit it to happen. How could I make this happen on my guitar? Some years went by before I actually got to revisit this idea and to address the best and most precise method of execution. While still in my old workshop in the 1980s I had done several drawings for this system of side soundhole placement but never got to build it. Then in 1995 Scott Chinery put the challenge to me to come up with a way to hear the projection of the guitar in a better and more effective way for my contribution to his Blue Guitar Collection. Scott, unbeknownst to me and the other blue guitar makers, had also challenged a couple of the other luthiers during this time by planting this seed with them as well. It seemed to me the perfect invitation, if not an excuse, to explore this avenue of tonal possibility. Experimentation of design is historically not novel to the idea of trying to make improvements to nearly all musical instruments. A visit to the US Patent and Trademark Office will provide a staggering volume of inventions for fretted instruments alone. Many ideas never made it to fruition. But it is wonderful to see the many recognizable ones that did. 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.
