Posted on October 9, 2025October 9, 2025 by Dale Phillips Classical Cremonese Violin Soundhole Placement Classical Cremonese Violin Soundhole Placement by Michael Darnton Originally published in American Lutherie #76, 2003 and Big Red Book of American Lutherie Volume Seven, 2013 Several systems have been proposed to explain the layout of Cremonese violin f-holes. The only surviving pieces of evidence we have, other than the instruments themselves, are some Stradivari drawings. After passing through the possession of Stradivari’s son Paolo, and a series of Italian connoisseurs and makers, the drawings are now in the Stradivari Museum in Cremona. They are also reproduced in S.F. Sacconi’s book, The “Secrets” of Stradivari. Sacconi also provided photos of marks inside violins which corresponded to some of those in the drawings, but the details of how those drawings were generated and what actual workshop method would have been used for placing the holes on violins is unknown. I believe that some aspects of the drawings are absolutely misleading. 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 21, 2025September 15, 2025 by Dale Phillips The Helmholtz Resonance The Helmholtz Resonance A Brief and Not-Too-Technical Introduction to the History and Theory of the Lowest Sound-Producing Mode, and Some Practical Considerations for Instrument Designers by R.M. Mottola Originally published in American Lutherie #82, 2005 and Big Red Book of American Lutherie Volume Seven, 2015 Research in physics and acoustics of stringed instruments shows us the mechanism by which sound is produced by those instruments. The plates of the instruments and the air inside vibrate in various patterns, each pattern producing sound in a range around a certain frequency. Each of these patterns can be considered to be a resonator, each with its own characteristics. Some of these resonators exist as modes of vibration of different areas of the plates of an instrument, and some are modes of vibration of the air inside the instrument. One of the air resonators is composed of the mass of air inside the instrument and the mass of air within and around the soundhole. The natural frequency of this resonator is near the lowest note that an instrument can make. It is generally labeled the A0 resonance, the letter A standing for the word “air” and the numeral 0 indicating that this is the first in a series of air resonances. This resonance is also referred to as the so-called Helmholtz resonance. Understanding how this resonance works in stringed instruments is not difficult, particularly given a historical perspective. Complete understanding involves some math, but a practical understanding can be had without it. Therefore, I am putting off presenting the formulae in the main article and have included them in a sidebar. 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 21, 2025September 15, 2025 by Dale Phillips The Helmholtz Formula The Helmholtz Formula by R.M. Mottola Originally published in American Lutherie #82, 2005 and Big Red Book of American Lutherie Volume Seven, 2015 The resonant frequency of a mass spring resonator can be determined by the following formula: 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 30, 2024May 14, 2025 by Dale Phillips The “Corker” Guitar: A Sideport Experiment The “Corker” Guitar: A Sideport Experiment by Alan Carruth Originally published in American Lutherie #94, 2008 Over the past few years there has been something of a trend for cutting holes of various sizes and shapes in the sides of guitars. (Editor’s note: See AL#91 pp. 6–13 for more on soundports.) While a hole in the side of the guitar might or might not directly affect the way the top and back (the main sound-producing surfaces on most guitars) vibrate, it could certainly be expected to affect the vibrations of the air inside the box. I became interested in this when a customer asked if I could build a guitar with a port. Since I’m the sort of guy who likes to have a map when I’m going into new territory, I looked up what information I could find. There was a certain amount on air resonant modes, but not much treating ports, so I decided to do an experiment. 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. Members also receive 3 annual issues of American Lutherie and get discounts on products. For details, visit the membership page. MEMBERS: login for access or contact us to setup your account.
Posted on June 6, 2024May 23, 2025 by Dale Phillips Questions: Jig for Oval Rosettes Questions: Jig for Oval Rosettes by R.M. Mottola Originally published in American Lutherie #97, 2009 Greg Pacetti of Fairbanks, Alaska asks: I’m in pursuit of some kind of jig for oval rosettes. The Questions column editor responds: Probably the single best source of info on cutting oval rosette channels appeared in the American Lutherie article “Making Oval Mandolin Rosettes” by Jonathon Peterson, et al. (AL#41 p. 34, BRBAL4 p. 140). In it, seven builders describe their methods. ◆
