Posted on April 30, 2026April 30, 2026 by Dale Phillips Product Reviews: Garrett Wade Versatile Vise Product Reviews: Garrett Wade Versatile Vise by R.M. Mottola Originally published in American Lutherie #119, 2014 Garrett Wade Versatile Vise #05R10.10, $84.70 garrettwade.com The item reviewed in the following paragraphs was provided to American Lutherie for review. A draft of this review was sent to the supplier prior to publication so that any factual errors in the review could be corrected. A long time ago, before I started doing any serious woodworking, I had the pleasure of visiting the shop of a local woodcarver. In addition to a bewildering collection of gouges and mallets, he had a cool work-holding vise which could be positioned to hold the work in just about any position. I had forgotten most of the details of that visit soon after, but when it came time to begin equipping my own lutherie shop, I remembered that vise and considered it would be just the thing as the primary work-holding device. With only a description of what it could do, I rooted around for information and finally found that it was called a Versa Vise and was American made. That was the good news. 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 April 30, 2026April 30, 2026 by Dale Phillips Making Bridge Plates: A Huss & Dalton Shop Story Making Bridge Plates: A Huss & Dalton Shop Story by John Calkin Originally published in American Lutherie #75, 2003 and Big Red Book of American Lutherie Volume Seven, 2015 Consider the humble bridge plate. There’s no consensus on its shape, size, the material it should be made from, or even its real function. Certainly it supports the ball ends of the strings and protects the top wood from damage. But is it a brace that helps prevent top deformation? Does it help shape or alter the voice of the guitar? Does it really give bridge support? You tell me; I really don’t want to get in on the argument. Vintage Martin people have definite ideas about what size and shape the bridge plate should be, and it better be made of maple. Most guitarists probably don’t give a thought to the bridge plate, which places it firmly in the lap of the luthier. 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 April 27, 2026April 27, 2026 by Dale Phillips Elliptical Legacy Elliptical Legacy by James Condino and John Monteleone Originally published in American Lutherie #109, 2012 Recently I had the good fortune to examine and draw the beautiful D’Aqusito mandolin in the collection of The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City. While in the area, I visited several great guitar builders and got a chance to play dozens of fine D’Aquisto and D’Angelico instruments, most of them still in the trenches, gigging hard with the local fellows. John Monteleone did the restoration and finish work on the mandolin for the museum, and I stopped by John’s place for a bit of laughter and to pick a few tunes. The shop is an icon of 20th century guitar building. The walls are lined with photos of famous people and their instruments, along with little glimpses of the history of our craft. The original iconic photograph of a young Jimmy D’Aquisto standing next to an older John D’Angelico outside the Kenmore Street shop hangs on the wall. There are amazing instruments in various stages of construction and repair, and his old upright bass is instantly accessible right next to the main workbench in case a nice old jazz standard comes up on the radio and the moment strikes him. John’s wonderful stories connected the soul and craft of the mandolin and guitar from his shop on Long Island, through the traditions of some of the greatest luthiers of all time, all the way back to the origins in Italy. 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 April 27, 2026April 27, 2026 by Dale Phillips Molding Plastic Humbucking Mounting Rings Molding Plastic Humbucking Mounting Rings by Mike Doolin Originally published in American Lutherie #117, 2014 I switched over to playing 7-string guitar as of 2013, and consequently began building and modifying 7-string guitars to play. For electric guitar, the options for 7-string pickups and hardware are pretty slim compared to 6-string. There are a few pickup makers who make 7-string models, and happily Jason Loller makes a superb 7-string humbucker. But the only plastic mounting rings I could find were the thin ones for flat-topped solidbody guitars, and I mostly play archtops. So, I decided I’d have to make my own tall plastic mounting rings. I made the mold out of scrap 1/2˝ Delrin from TAP Plastics. I cut 1.718˝ wide strips (cleaning them up to that width on the jointer) to form the perimeter of the mold. I used a 1/4˝ sheet of UHMW plastic as the base since it’s inherently nonstick, over a scrap of 3/4˝ plywood. I fastened everything together with 1˝ nails, drilling .120˝ holes for them. This makes the whole assembly an easy friction fit. 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 April 24, 2026April 24, 2026 by Dale Phillips Questions: Colors in Abalone Questions: Colors in Abalone by Isabel Roeder Originally published in American Lutherie #109, 2012 Roger Alan Skipper of Oakland, Maryland asks: Do you know any way to keep the colors in abalone and MOP from washing out in a digital photo? I’ve tried everything I can think of, and can never recapture the intense greens and blues, even with some pretty intense color adjustments. Isabel Roeder of Newton, Massachusetts replies: There are many things that can make an image or part of one appear washed out, so first let me cover the basics. First, never use flash or other harsh, direct light. Indirect sunlight works best. If your camera has a saturation and contrast control (Nikon cameras call this “picture control” and generally have an option called “vivid”) you can try increasing both in the camera. You can also try this with photo editing software. Another thing to try in the camera or with editing software is sharpening. 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.
