Posted on January 6, 2010May 21, 2025 by Dale Phillips Review: Guitars: From the Renaissance to Rock by Tom Evans and Mary Ann Evans Review: Guitars: From the Renaissance to Rock by Tom Evans and Mary Ann Evans Reviewed by C.F. Casey Originally published in American Lutherie #2, 1985 and Big Red Book of American Lutherie Volume One, 2000 Guitars: From the Renaissance to Rock Tom Evans and Mary Ann Evans Paddington Press Ltd. 1977 Out of print (1999) Of all the popular (as opposed to strictly scholarly) histories of the guitar, this is in my opinion by far the best. Laid out in five broad sections (classical guitar, at 150 pages the longest; flamenco guitar; the guitar in Latin America; steel string acoustic guitar; and electric guitar), the book goes into considerable detail on the musical styles, composers and performers, social background, and styles of construction of the instrument. Regarding this last, luthiers will be especially interested in the “Gallery” section of each chapter, consisting of photographs, measurements, and very thorough descriptions of typical and exceptional instruments from each phase of the guitar’s history. In addition, there are visits to the workshop of classical guitar maker José Romanillos and the factory of the Gibson company. 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 6, 2010May 19, 2025 by Dale Phillips Review: L’ELAN Review: L’ELAN Reviewed by Francis Kosheleff Originally published in American Lutherie #20, 1989 L’ELAN Ecole de Lutherie Artistique du Noroit Inc 226, rue Christophe-Colomb est Quebec, Quebec G1K 3S7 CANADA L’ELAN is a twenty page magazine published in French by the Ecole de Lutherie Artistique du Noroit, hence the E.L.A.N. which also means flight or momentum. It is a free publication sent out by the lutherie school of Quebec which is financially supported by the Ministere des Affaires Culturelles, a Canadian government agency. Of L’ELAN #2 (Spring ’89) the cover is color, a striking photo of part of a violin. There is a three page essay on the tonic of craft and craftsmen and their role in our times, followed by a three page informative article on the care and main tenance of keyboard instruments with drawings. There are also interviews, or visits with three luthiers: violin maker, Andre Gadoury; harp maker, Alain Beaudoin; xylophone-marimba — vibraphone maker, Denis Grenier; all with black and white photos. 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 6, 2010May 16, 2025 by Dale Phillips Review: The Gibson Guitar (Volumes 1 & 2) by Ian C. Bishop Review: The Gibson Guitar (Volumes 1 & 2) by Ian C. Bishop Reviewed by Gary Frisbie Originally published in American Lutherie #28, 1991 and Big Red Book of American Lutherie Volume Three, 2004 The Gibson Guitar (Volumes 1 & 2) Ian C. Bishop The Bold Strummer, 1990 ISBN 0-933224-46-X (Volume 1) ISBN 0-933224-47-8 (Volume 2) These are books from the ’70s, written by an Englishman and intended to provide a wealth of information on the Gibson guitars built from 1950 to the end of the ’70s when the second volume was published. Volume 1 would appear to be the more essential of the two because it covers the major lines of solidbody and hollowbody electrics, plus the jazz and flattop acoustics. However, Volume 2 is really just as important, because the author discusses omissions and inaccuracies which occurred in Volume 1, and also because he covers the Epiphone guitars produced under Gibson auspices, as well as Japanese Epiphones. Also discussed are some off-brand peculiarities such as Kalamazoos and Dwights. Because there are so many myths and assumed facts regarding these instruments, it is hard to believe that everything written in these books is true. However, a great majority of the material seems to be accurate, and one could do worse than to consult these books as a reference to the authenticity of a given guitar. The author even states that one of his main goals is to provide enough information for a reader to accurately assess a guitar and thereby avoid paying more than is warranted if the guitar is being misrepresented as older and more collectible than it really is. 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 6, 2010May 19, 2025 by Dale Phillips Review: First Bass Review: First Bass Reviewed by Tim Olsen Originally published in American Lutherie #17, 1987 First Bass 9 Fair-at-Essex Hackensack, NJ 07601 $5/year I’m looking at the premier edition of First Bass, and while one can’t help but notice that the spelling, punctuation, typesetting, and page layout are mighty loose, this is an impressive opener. The 32 pager features interviews with Jamaaladeen Tacuma, John Entwistle, and Jack Bruce, and a great little first-hand story about Jaco Pastorius giving a wild solo concert standing on a truck with amps wired to a Greenwich Village lightpole. The Winter 1989 issue went out free to almost 30,000 industry types. 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 6, 2010May 19, 2025 by Dale Phillips Review: The Flamenco Guitar by David George Review: The Flamenco Guitar by David George Reviewed by David Macias Originally published in American Lutherie #12, 1987 and Big Red Book of American Lutherie Volume One, 2000 The Flamenco Guitar David George Society of Spanish Studies Madrid, Spain, 1969 Out of print (1999) Do not let the title of this book fool you. Although it is being reviewed in American Lutherie, this is not a “how-to-build” book. The making of a flamenco guitar, from the tree to the French polishing, is very well described by Manuel Reyes of Cordoba, but in very general terms. Particularly enjoyable to the flamenco enthusiast is a short history of the elusive and mysterious music of the Gypsies of Southern Spain, called flamenco. This book will also be interesting to some classical guitarists who at one time or another have had the urge to try a bit of flamenco, and perhaps it will help to clarify a few mysteries about what flamenco is or is not. To the nonflamenco guitarist, all flamenco guitarists seem to be part of a cult. Perhaps this is because of all the Gypsy lore and legends and the way of life associated with the art of flamenco. Personally, the only way I can explain this cult thing is that because of flamenco’s East Indian, Middle Eastern, and North African origin, it is immediately different to Western ears. 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.
