Posted on January 19, 2010September 10, 2025 by Dale Phillips Questions: Digital Photography Questions: Digital Photography by Byron Will, and R.M. Mottola Originally published in American Lutherie #81, 2005 and Big Red Book of American Lutherie Volume Seven, 2015 James from Cincinnati, Ohio asks: I’m switching from film to digital photography. I’d like to take photos to send to clients during construction and post on my website. I’d also like to take really good studio shots for my portfolio. I know this can’t be answered comprehensively in the Questions column. Right now I’m looking for tips and/or directions to pursue. Byron Will of Portland, Oregon answers: My experience taking photos of my harpsichords and other instruments and teaching digital photography at the community college here might be of use. You don’t mention if you’ve already purchased your digital camera. If not, I recommend you check out these websites that I’ve found very helpful for determining what to buy: www.dpreview.com and www.steves-digicams.com. Bear in mind that the quality of the optics is as important as the number of megapixels. 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 January 19, 2010September 9, 2025 by Dale Phillips Review: Shoptalk 6 Review: Shoptalk 6 Reviewed by John Calkin Originally published in American Lutherie #73, 2003 and Big Red Book of American Lutherie Volume Seven, 2015 Shoptalk 6 Stewart-MacDonald Video, 90 minutes, 2002 www.stewmac.com I look forward to each new edition of the Shoptalk videos. They show off the new Stew-Mac tools in the best soft-sell manner by simply demonstrating how they work in a real guitar shop; and on top of that there is always plenty of good randomly gathered information that has nothing to do with selling stuff. The camera work has become excellent, Stew-Mac has developed a fine team of on-camera luthiers, and the cost of the videos is always too low to pass up. You couldn’t beat that combination with a stick. Dan Erlewine leads off with an exhibition of nifty new tools. The BridgeSaver is a set of small hand tools used to repair worn bridge plates and to restore the bridge-pin area of guitar tops. Removing a shot bridge plate has become a last-ditch effort that is frowned upon by vintage folks who wish to maintain instrument originality as much as possible, and by luthiers because it is time consuming and sometimes dangerous to the guitar top. The BridgeSaver removes wood around wallowed-out or misplaced bridge-plate material and/or top material and cuts a mating disk of new wood (not included) to precisely mate with the newly formed hole. The exact procedure is better seen than described. The catalog pictures are good enough to give you the idea, but the video ought to light you up if you’ve done any old-style bridge-plate work in the past. 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 January 6, 2010May 20, 2025 by Dale Phillips Review: The Luthiers Mercantile Catalog for Stringed Instrument Makers Review: The Luthiers Mercantile Catalog for Stringed Instrument Makers Reviewed by Cyndy Burton Originally published in American Lutherie #29, 1992 and Big Red Book of American Lutherie Volume Three, 2004 The Luthiers Mercantile Catalog for Stringed Instrument Makers Luthiers Mercantile, 1990. 216 pp. At our 1990 GAL Convention in Tacoma, the word was floating around that the much anticipated new Luthiers Mercantile Catalog would soon be out. A prototype version lay on the exhibit table along with some great wood bargains. I remember I was particularly interested in the cutaway modification for the Universal Wood-Bending Machine, having recently built mine from the kit and thinking how great it would be to be able to do cutaways with the ease of just “normal” bending. So I peeked at Mark Campellone’s description and drawings for modifying the machine to do cutaways. This expanded information on the Universal Wood-Bending Machine (along with several other tips/improvements for the machine) is typical of how the “new” catalog is different from the old one. It’s better. Most of the old photographs are still there and many new ones have been added. The old catalog is simply used as a core for updating and expanding based at least partly on feedback from the people who buy and use LM tools and woods. (It has the feel of a GAL publication in that regard.) 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.
