Posted on July 15, 2025July 15, 2025 by Dale Phillips Meet the Maker: Duane Heilman Meet the Maker: Duane Heilman by John Calkin Originally published in American Lutherie #71, 2002 and Big Red Book of American Lutherie Volume Six, 2013 Duane Heilman is a quirky luthier. Though he serves his community in the apple-growing country of eastern Washington doing typical repair work in a normal fashion, his creative bent might run off in any direction when he turns his mind to instrument creation. His Spam instruments have been a hit at several GAL Convention auctions. The Spamdolin is a mandolin that uses a Spam can as a body and resonator. The Spamavarius is a violin made in a similar fashion. They are funny, weird, and fully playable instruments that entice fans of the bizarre into the auction room several times a day to sample them. They always sell for surprising amounts of money. I first talked to Duane across the cafeteria lunch table the first day of the 2001 GAL Convention, and after hearing his tale of successfully marketing ukes on eBay, I knew I’d have to get him to repeat it for my tape deck. So here’s Duane, the first luthier I know to leap willingly into the 21st century. 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 January 13, 2025May 14, 2025 by Dale Phillips Meet the Maker: John Kitakis Meet the Maker: John Kitakis by John Calkin Originally published in American Lutherie #67, 2001 and Big Red Book of American Lutherie Volume Six, 2013 Those who didn’t make it to the 2001 GAL Convention, or have been otherwise holed up in their shops, may not even be aware that we’re in the middle of a rebirth of the ukulele. There are more uke manufacturers than at any time in recent memory, and a growing number of independent builders have surfaced to satisfy the high-end market. The shop of John Kitakis, Ko’olau Guitars and Ukuleles, is a family enterprise that began with guitars but found that the real market was in ukes. His story is a good one, and you’ll be glad you met him here. 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 June 30, 2024May 14, 2025 by Dale Phillips Mechanical Compliance for Soundboard Optimization Mechanical Compliance for Soundboard Optimization by David Hurd from his 2006 GAL Convention workshop Originally published in American Lutherie #90, 2007 People say, “You’ve got to make fifty or a hundred guitars before you get it right.” That makes me crazy. I feel that if you can do the carpentry of putting an instrument together and have idea of what it should look like, you can get 80% or 90% of the way there in terms of top optimization with a mechanical compliance approach. I build many sizes of guitars and ukuleles using different top woods. I have developed an easy method of testing the compliance of a top, that is, how far it flexes under a given force, with a simple fixture. Being able to measure and compare the compliance values has proved to be a very useful thing in optimizing these soundboards for the best sound and stability when I graduate the edges of the tops and carve the braces. After building and measuring many instruments, I have developed a mathematical model that does a very good job of estimating what the target compliance measurements should be for a given instrument size and string tension. I have integrated the model into a spreadsheet which you can use by plugging in just a few simple measurements. 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 13, 2024May 14, 2025 by Dale Phillips Ukuleles Are For Real! Ukulele Are For Real! by Bob Gleason Originally published in American Lutherie #1, 1985 Two years ago, when I moved to Hawaii, I told my cabinet maker shop partner that I’d never build a ukulele. I just did not consider them real instruments. I mean, when they were regularly on sale from the wholesaler at $10 to $15 each, how could I think of them as anything but toys? Well, two years down the road they earn me at least 50% of my income and sell for $275 to $500. In Hawaii they are a very real instrument. The ukulele is commonly thought of as being Hawaiian in ethnic origin. Not so; it is of Portuguese descent. It has evolved from a small guitar called a Braguinha brought to Hawaii by the Portuguese around 1879. In Hawaiian the name ukulele means jumping flea. This refers to the rapid movement of the fingers while playing. 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 June 6, 2024May 22, 2025 by Dale Phillips Letter: Ray Cowell Ukes Letter: Ray Cowell Ukes by Thomas Johnson Originally published in American Lutherie #99, 2009 Dear Tim: A ukulele revival is underway in the U.K. Of special interest here is Ray Cowell, who has crafted a pair of ukes from the Titanic’s sister ship, the RMS Olympic. Captain Edward Smith was the Olympic’s first skipper, and he went on to his last command aboard the Titanic. The Olympic was dismantled in 1937, and local industries purchased salvaged timbers and fittings for further use. Ray worked as an engineer in coal mines in the early ‘60s under appalling conditions. He shifted to the paint manufacturing industry, where he developed specialized machinery; when his job evaporated, he bought and developed his own successful factory that serviced the paint industry. One of the factory’s existing buildings was fitted with materials salvaged from the Olympic: paneling, lighting, floor tile, decking, and even the main staircase. 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.
