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.
Posted on June 10, 2020May 20, 2025 by Dale Phillips Roy Smeck: Wizard of the Strings Roy Smeck: Wizard of the Strings by James Garber previously published in American Lutherie #11, 1987 and Big Red Book of American Lutherie Volume One, 2000 Roy Smeck is one of the treasures of American popular music. For nearly seventy years now he has entertained millions with his virtuosity on fretted instruments and his warm sense of humor. He has also been mentor, teacher, and friend to dozens of fretted instrument enthusiasts, and has been the inspiration for countless others through his numerous instruction books. Roy was born on February 6, 1900 in Reading, Pennsylvania. His musical development closely parallels that of the dawning 20th-century American popular culture. The birth and adolescence of the recording industry, radio, film, television, and the golden era of American instrument making all occurred during his rise to stardom. In the vaudeville circuit he made his name solely as an instrumentalist. He also achieved prominence as a recording artist under his own name and as a backup studio musician for a number of other well-known stars in the early days of recording. 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.
