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 30, 2024May 14, 2025 by Dale Phillips The “Corker” Guitar: A Sideport Experiment The “Corker” Guitar: A Sideport Experiment by Alan Carruth Originally published in American Lutherie #94, 2008 Over the past few years there has been something of a trend for cutting holes of various sizes and shapes in the sides of guitars. (Editor’s note: See AL#91 pp. 6–13 for more on soundports.) While a hole in the side of the guitar might or might not directly affect the way the top and back (the main sound-producing surfaces on most guitars) vibrate, it could certainly be expected to affect the vibrations of the air inside the box. I became interested in this when a customer asked if I could build a guitar with a port. Since I’m the sort of guy who likes to have a map when I’m going into new territory, I looked up what information I could find. There was a certain amount on air resonant modes, but not much treating ports, so I decided to do an experiment. 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 30, 2024May 14, 2025 by Dale Phillips The Guitar as a Structure and Some Practical Information on Bracing The Guitar as a Structure and Some Practical Information on Bracing by James Blilie Originally published in American Lutherie #100, 2009 Why does the neck of the guitar break at the nut when dropped off the stage? Why does the bridge sometimes pull off a guitar? Why does the neck of a guitar sometimes need to be reset? Why does a really thick guitar top give less bass response than a top of more typical thickness (a thinner top)? These are questions that are — primarily — structural. I have seen many ideas on the structure of guitars in print that are simply wrong. I am a structural engineer and have been working in the civil engineering, aviation, and medical device industries for twenty-five years. My engineering work has been, in essence, ensuring that structures are strong (or stiff) enough. I am also a guitar maker since 1998 (I’m building my fifty-ninth guitar) and a fingerstyle guitar player. I have found that my engineering experience has helped my guitar building in many ways. This is my $0.02 worth as an experienced structural engineer. 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 30, 2024May 14, 2025 by Dale Phillips Strings: The (Often) Forgotten Accessory Strings: The (Often) Forgotten Accessory from his 2008 GAL Convention lecture by Fan Tao Originally published in American Lutherie #101, 2010 Joseph Curtin: Some of you already know Fan as the person you talked to at D’Addario after you built a custom instrument and then realized the strings for it don’t exist. He’s also become something of a violin-string guru and a major figure in the violin world, since he not only builds violin strings at D’Addario, but is also a very passionate amateur violinist. Fan started as an electrical engineer at Cal Tech, then got drawn into violin research through his job at D’Addario. Fan started the Oberlin Acoustics Workshop, which is one of the most exciting things that’s happened in instrument research, bringing makers and researchers together. He also started the first Violin Society of America Innovation Exposition, which was a big success and really got people thinking more about innovation. He’s a wonderful person, as well. Fan Tao: Thank you. This is the first convention I’ve attended that represented lots of guitar makers. The most exciting things about working with violin makers are their passion for their craft, their creativity, and their wide range of interests. It’s good to find those same traits among guitar makers. 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 30, 2024May 14, 2025 by Dale Phillips Practical Acoustics Practical Acoustics from his 2008 GAL Convention lecture by Michael Cone Originally published in American Lutherie #102, 2010 Nikola Tesla said, “Science is but a perversion of itself unless it has as its ultimate goal the betterment of humanity.” On the one hand it’s only a guitar, and the jury is still out on just how much better off humanity will be for having a better guitar. On the other hand, a musical instrument is the conduit between a musician and the divine, with the capability to inspire and transcend our ordinary, relative existence. This by itself certainly makes lutherie a worthwhile endeavor, and the application of science to this art and craft, an ultimate necessity. By science, I mean repeatability, not theory. I mean the practical application of measuring, changing, remeasuring, and then seeing and hearing the difference. We’ve been doing the same thing for several thousand years: flexing, tapping, training our ears, training our guts. After twenty years or so, you pretty much know what you are doing. 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.
