Posted on August 7, 2026August 7, 2026 by Dale Phillips “Restomodding” Wall-Hanger Guitars “Restomodding” Wall-Hanger Guitars by Roger Häggström Originally published in American Lutherie #144, 2021 Cheap guitars were made in great numbers all over the world at the beginning of the last century. In Sweden, the driving force behind a burgeoning interest in guitars was the independent church movement. The prevailing sentiment was that every able-bodied parishioner should be able to play three chords on a guitar at prayer meetings and fundraisers (Photo 1). Many of these instruments still exist, mostly in unplayable condition. I have found ways to restore these wonderful old guitars and make them play and sound better than ever. I love the bass-balanced sound of old-style ladder bracing in a small steel-strung parlor guitar. The complex sounds keep me wanting to play another chord. Modern X bracing gives more bass but also less varied tone, in my opinion. 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 July 30, 2026July 30, 2026 by Dale Phillips Review: Acquired of the Angels: The Lives and Works of Master Guitar Makers John D’Angelico and James L. D’Aquisto by Paul Schmidt, third edition Review: Acquired of the Angels: The Lives and Works of Master Guitar Makers John D'Angelico and James L. D'Aquisto by Paul Schmidt, third edition by Mike Doolin Originally published in American Lutherie #143, 2021 Acquired of the Angels: The Lives and Works of Master Guitar Makers John D’Angelico and James L. D’Aquisto, Third Edition Paul Schmidt ISBN 978-0692165515 DHR Publishing, 2018 Paul Schmidt’s Acquired of the Angels was a landmark book when it first appeared in 1991. Schmidt’s research yielded an enlightening portrait of two of the most influential luthiers of the 20th century, whose work largely defined the ideal form of the archtop guitar. Since the 1998 second edition was insightfully reviewed by Linda Manzer in 1999, (AL#59, Big Red Book of American Lutherie Volume Five) I’ll mostly focus on the differences in the latest, third edition. The biggest change from second to third edition, and maybe the best reason to purchase the latter, is the physical format. The new edition is nearly double the size, more of a coffee-table-book format, and the photos benefit greatly from the expanded real estate. In particular, Josh McClure’s studio shots dazzle with detail, color, and lighting. Closeups of tailpieces and headstocks show the maker’s meticulous attention to detail. The cover photo on the paper jacket will catch most people’s eye as the low E string of the guitar has shifted out of its notch in the saddle. Be sure to read the Unofficial Official Photography Artist section to read the humorous story behind that error. 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 July 28, 2026July 28, 2026 by Dale Phillips Review: The Master’s Bench by Paul Schmidt and Arian Sheets Review: The Master’s Bench by Paul Schmidt and Arian Sheets by Mike Doolin Originally published in American Lutherie #143, 2021 The Master’s BenchPaul Schmidt and Arian SheetsISBN 978-0984826940National Music Museum/University of South Dakota, 2016 The Master’s Bench, by Paul Schmidt and Arian Sheets, follows up on the story of the D’As with the fascinating and fortuitous backstory of the National Music Museum’s exhibit of their reconstructed workshop. While most of the book is a visual catalog of the instruments and tools, the early chapters serve as a valuable addendum to Acquired of the Angels. 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 July 15, 2026July 15, 2026 by Dale Phillips The $75 Guitar Challenge The $75 Guitar Challenge by Doug Hunt and Mark French Originally published in American Lutherie #142, 2021 Mark: A couple years ago, I was walking around a big home store and started to wonder whether it would be possible to build a guitar only from things I could buy there. Obviously, they didn’t sell tuners, fretwire, or truss rods. However, I thought it might be possible if one had those three things. I decided that, given those parts, it might be possible to make a guitar with $75 to spend at the home store. Thinking it might be an interesting challenge, I suggested the idea to Doug Hunt. Doug and I have been guitar-making friends for years, having met as part of a project aiming to teach technical subjects to high school students through guitar making. (Check it out at guitarbuilding.org.) He was interested, though not looking for one more thing to do at the time. A while later, he suggested that a better idea would be to start with a budget of $75 that could be spent anywhere (he’s a big fan of eBay, as it happens). As long as the money could be spent anywhere, he thought that it might be possible to do the whole instrument for $75. Over some months of occasionally revisiting the idea, we did a little negotiating and settled on the following rules: 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 July 7, 2026July 7, 2026 by Dale Phillips First Build: A Lumberyard Ukulele First Build: A Lumberyard Ukulele by Steve Dickerson Originally published in American Lutherie #143, 2021 When you’re building your first instrument, there aren’t many options. You can buy a kit, join a class (if you can find one), or build from scratch. Kit building can be enjoyable, as well as educational, but (to me, at least) it doesn’t produce the same satisfaction and sense of accomplishment that comes from starting with nothing but the raw materials. My first instrument, many years ago, was scratch-built, but with a twist: I bought a tenor ukulele kit from StewMac, complete with plans and a how-to DVD. I watched the DVD, studied the plans and manual, but set the kit aside. I then bought materials from Home Depot and made a uke, using the kit’s plans and instructions. I still have my “Lumberyard Ukulele” (Photo 1), and it’s a good reminder of some of the things I did wrong. 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.
