Posted on June 5, 2026June 5, 2026 by Dale Phillips Making an Archtop Pickguard Making an Archtop Pickguard by Nate Clark Originally published in American Lutherie #116, 2013 The ubiquitous tortoise pickguard. This one is from a 1947 Gibson ES-150 archtop (Photo 1). The glue joint between the pickguard and the celluloid “nut” that’s attached to the bracket has failed (Photo 2). The celluloid is deteriorated at this old glue joint as well as the point of contact with the pickup. I suppose I could repair the pickguard but it’s going to be quicker and more stable to make a new one from some fresh celluloid. To keep this job simple and profitable I’ll use a combination of woodworking hand tools and power tools to make a good looking pickguard reasonably fast. 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.
Posted on May 22, 2026May 22, 2026 by Dale Phillips Restoring a Battle Axe Restoring a Battle Axe by Roger Alan Skipper Originally published in American Lutherie #97, 2009 Some time ago a friend delivered to my shop, in a cardboard box, a 1972 D-28 Martin guitar; a basket would have been a more suitable container. This instrument had experienced some major trauma. From my friend’s reluctance to discuss particulars, I suspected some human trauma had occurred about the same time — that this “axe” had done genuine battle. “This thing has been in my attic for years,” he said. “Salvage the tuners or whatever you can, and throw the rest away.” I glanced at the splintered mess, closed the box, and filed it on a top shelf, out of the way. 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 21, 2026May 21, 2026 by Dale Phillips Make a Dished Workboard, Freehand Make a Dished Workboard, Freehand by Ryan Schultz Originally published in American Lutherie #99, 2009 As a first-time guitar builder, I bought a kit from LMI and eagerly began to build my guitar. Very early in the process, I realized that I needed to obtain two radiused sanding dishes (30´ for the top and 15´ for the back) for various tasks as the Robert O’Brien DVD suggests. These sanding dishes are not cheap. They generally cost $60 to $80 each plus shipping. So I was determined to make the sanding dishes on my own if I could. My research showed that most people make a router jig with the appropriate profile (see AL#74). But I thought I could make a dish quicker and easier, with no jigs, basically routing it free hand. 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.
