Posted on June 22, 2026June 22, 2026 by Dale Phillips Meet the Maker: Géza Burghardt Meet the Maker: Géza Burghardt by Cindy Burton Originally published in American Lutherie #61, 2000 and Big Red Book of American Lutherie Volume Six, 2013 I met Géza and his wife and business partner, Tini, at the 1998 GAL Convention in Tacoma. I’d been hearing about him for several years and was really looking forward to our chat. Three hours whizzed by as Géza told his remarkable story, a true immigrant success story. He, Tini, and their young daughter Eszter arrived in Vancouver, B.C. in 1988 with little more than the shirts on their backs. They spoke very little English. Twelve years later they have a thriving lutherie business, a beautiful shop, and a comfortable life. What follows is Géza’s story in his own words. I was fourteen years old when I became an apprentice in a special woodworking school in Hungary for three years to become a pattern maker. This is an extremely complicated job requiring great precision. We were taught to do everything by hand. We were not allowed to use any power machines, not even a grinder to grind the chisels. After you were done with a job it was sent to a special room for checking. There was no tolerance — not even a tenth of a millimeter. They’d send it back and you’d have to fix it, and your salary went down. 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 June 12, 2026June 12, 2026 by Dale Phillips Let’s Catch Up With Graham Caldersmith Let's Catch Up With Graham Caldersmith by Juan Oscar Azaret Originally published in American Lutherie #132, 2017 Hop on a plane in Boston. Fly twenty-seven hours to Sydney, then connect on a prop plane to Port Macquarie on the coast of New South Wales. Rent a car (no, the steering wheel is not on that side, dummy), and drive 60KM southwest. (Stay to the left, the left, the LEFT!) Oops, here comes a traffic circle — drive around clockwise, cars on your right have the right of way, remember to exit left, and stay left. Why is that left wheel always grabbing the shoulder... where the heck is it, anyway? Now out of the city (whew!) and on beautiful Australian farmland — rolling green hills in the mild August winter. Past the logging town of Wauchope and the hamlet of Byabarra. The road narrows to a winding switchback climb up the steep slopes of Bago Bluff, and finally we find ourselves on a high plateau of rich farmland in the town of Comboyne, NSW, population two hundred. Comboyne is the home of luthier Graham Caldersmith and his partner Angela MacPherson (Photo 1). On a recent trip to visit our son in Australia, I took the time to spend a delightful day with Graham and Angela in their enchanting home/workshop/tea house where I learned much about lutherie and acoustics, and enjoyed their wonderful hospitality. 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 June 10, 2026June 10, 2026 by Dale Phillips Meet the Maker: Olivier Fanton d’Andon Meet the Maker: Olivier Fanton d’Andon by Woodley White Originally published in American Lutherie #118, 2014 It is a beautiful thing for a person of integrity to pursue excellence in his craft. Set that pursuit in a medieval village in the French countryside an hour or so south of Paris, on a hill with cobblestone streets, across the street from a medieval church, and you discover the idyllic setting for inspired work. The workshop of Olivier Fanton d’Andon is situated on the second floor of an old convent. The building itself is U-shaped with a stone wall enclosing the courtyard. Entering his workspace, I noticed the tall ceilings and an open feel. The walls facing the courtyard are made of huge windows that provide lots of natural lighting. 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 June 5, 2026June 5, 2026 by Dale Phillips Meet the Maker: Robbie O’Brien Meet the Maker: Robbie O'Brien by Brian Yarosh Originally published in American Lutherie #117, 2014 I’ve known Robbie O’Brien for more than five years through the local Colorado lutherie community, having taken his classes at Red Rocks Community College, and through his more recent association with the Colorado School of Lutherie. I can attest to his love of teaching and spreading the knowledge of guitar building throughout Colorado and the world. It was my privilege to sit down with him at his shop in Parker and get to know him a little better. Let’s start with some history. Tell us a little about yourself. My folks were military and I was born in Nuremberg, Germany. I don’t have German citizenship and I don’t speak German. I was there for about a year and a half before moving back to the States. I grew up in Atlanta, Georgia, where my father was a commercial pilot for Delta Airlines. 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 May 28, 2026June 4, 2026 by Dale Phillips Meet the Maker: Josep Melo Meet the Maker: Josep Melo by Mónica Esparza Originally published in American Lutherie #120, 2014 We met in Sigúenza, Spain, in 2004. I had just arrived at the monastery to participate in my first guitar-making workshop with the great Maestro, José Romanillos. In came Josep, whom I confused for the ghost of Manuel Ramírez. He came directly to my bench and started to assist me. Everyone else thought that he came to me because I was the only woman there, but actually, the class was taught in English, and I was the only Spanish-speaking student. He is Catalan (from the Catalonia region of northeastern Spain), and speaks very little English. During the two-week class, he carried a camera at all times, following José around, and photographing his every move. They are great friends and Josep was assisting with the workshop. He spent much of his time at my bench and I was very grateful for his help. Josep suggested I could return the favor by sweeping his Barcelona shop when I came for José’s class again the following year, and that’s exactly what I did. He said that this is what all new apprentices should do! 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.
