Posted on September 10, 2026October 6, 2026 by Dale Phillips Product Review: SuperMax 16-32 Drum Sander Product Review: SuperMax 16-32 Drum Sander by Ralf Grammel Originally published in American Lutherie #144, 2021 Any tool you consider buying should be scrutinized by three criteria: cost, need or want, and space. Cost: This is usually the last thing people think about when getting a new anything. For me, it’s at the top of the list. I buy the most tool I can afford. Not bells and whistles, but utilization and durability. Need or want: There is a difference. This is usually the first consideration. Will it save me time and labor? Will it make things more precise? Will I use it more than once in a blue moon? Those are needs. On the other hand, it’s cool, and Bill has one. Maybe I can make other stuff with it. We all know those are wants. 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 September 10, 2026October 5, 2026 by Dale Phillips Product Review: SuperMax 16-32 Drum Sander Product Review: SuperMax 16-32 Drum Sander by John Calkin Originally published in American Lutherie #144, 2021 My first thickness sander was a Performax unit that attached to a radial arm saw and was driven by the saw motor. Wood had to be pushed through it by hand and when it jumped the wide, thin push unit it did painful damage to the fingers. Still, it was better than nothing. Eventually, I sold the saw to Huss & Dalton and threw the sanding unit in the trash. H&D had a free-standing, twin-drum Performax that I was allowed to use. A conveyor belt fed the wood to the drums. It was a deluxe item. 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 September 2, 2026September 2, 2026 by Dale Phillips Product Reviews: Mandolin tuners Product Reviews: Mandolin tuners by JAmes Condino Originally published in American Lutherie #93, 2008 About ten years ago, I was in the middle of a guitar lesson when my teacher suddenly put down his guitar and picked up a mandolin to describe a moment of musical universality. I was instantly hooked; the giant light bulb appeared above my head; I realized I could build a nice mandolin from my guitar off-cuts and scrap pile. I didn’t know anything about mandolin tuning machines, so I let a fellow at the local fiddle shop sell me a set that turned the gears in the reverse direction for every string. I thought they were a bit deco and fun. A few weeks later I found myself backstage at North Carolina’s Merlefest, new mandolin in hand, talking up a storm with one of the more popular (anonymous) mandolin players in the world who also can sing a great story while sawing on his fiddle. Quirky fellow that he is, he picked up my new mandolin and turned the first string a few cents out of tune in the wrong direction. After he adjusted the other seven strings, retuning the entire mandolin flat, he told me never to use those tuners again! That day I realized I needed a lot more information on what tuners were out there and how they worked. 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 August 7, 2026August 7, 2026 by Dale Phillips Reviews: Stauffer and Co. The Viennese Guitar of the 19th Century by Erik Pierre Hoffman,Pascal Mougin, and Stefan Hackl Reviews: Stauffer and Co. The Viennese Guitar of the 19th Century by Erik Pierre Hoffman, Pascal Mougin, and Stefan Hackl by Pierre Audinet Originally published in American Lutherie #112, 2012 Stauffer & Co. The Viennese Guitar of the 19th Century Erik Pierre Hofmann, Pascal Mougin, and Stefan Hackl ISBN 978-2-9538868-0-1 Hardcover, 320 pp., 2012 Available from Elderly Instruments, $295 This book is a remarkable journey in time, emphasizing those few decades of the 19th century in the city of Vienna which literally laid the foundations for many of the ways contemporary guitar builders, classical and steel string alike, approach guitar making. Like many others, I preordered the book before it was printed. I thought the authors deserved support for undertaking years of research on an under-documented topic, with limited expectations of return on their investment. Now that I read it, I’m glad my support helped to produce a book that is sure to remain an authoritative reference for years to come. 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 August 5, 2026August 5, 2026 by Dale Phillips Review: Advanced Ukulele Building with Jay Lichty Review: Advanced Ukulele Building with Jay Lichty by John Calkin Originally published in American Lutherie #142, 2021 Advanced Ukulele Building with Jay Lichty Robert O’Brien Video instruction Download from Obrienguitars.com, $277 I have loved books all my life, but when I began having worrisome visions of my house tipping toward the side containing my library I decided to make a change. As I began to shed books, it became easier to do. Most of my lutherie books disappeared via eBay and I have not missed them. Early on I became a fan of video instruction. But videotape was not especially convenient when it came to finding specific information. DVDs were a huge step forward, but then came the automatic download. YouTube provided a world of free instruction, but too often it was unsatisfying and of doubtful veracity. Nothing beats expert instruction that is professionally recorded and expertly edited. It doesn’t come cheap, but I have never minded investing in quality education. 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.
