Posted on February 20, 2026February 20, 2026 by Dale Phillips Torres Guitar Restoration Torres Guitar Restoration by R.E. Bruné Originally published in American Lutherie #33, 1993 and Big Red Book of American Lutherie, Volume Three, 2004 In March of 1986 I received in my workshop an 11-string guitar by Antonio Torres made in Almeria in 1884, and numbered #71. This instrument being perhaps unique in the world today for Torres’ work, it was imperative that it be adequately documented and ideally, restored as close as possible to original playing condition. The owner was quite anxious to pursue this course also, with the ultimate goal of selling it on the open market. Surviving guitars by Torres are quite rare, being limited to fewer than seventy known instruments, and this example is perhaps the only 11-string example remaining, although Prat alludes to two others in his Diccionario under the listing for Torres. It is not clear whether he is referring to the same instrument owned by several different people or different instruments owned by different people. Although Torres numbered his instruments made from 1880 until he died in 1892, apparently there is no surviving record of the details of each instrument nor who the original owners were. (Editor’s Note: After this article was written, José Romanillos published his excellent book, Antonio de Torres, Guitar Maker — His Life and Work. In it he presents photos, drawings, and descriptions of another surviving Torres 11-string, #83. Author Bruné urges all to acquire and study this book.) 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 February 1, 2026April 1, 2026 by Dale Phillips It Worked for Me: Curly Koa Sides It Worked for Me: Curly Koa Sides by C.F. Casey Originally published in American Lutherie #114, 2013 Recently I was faced with the gnarliest set of curly koa sides I’ve ever worked with. I was building a custom tenor ukulele, and the client had personally selected the woods. After thinning the sides, I gently flexed one to check its stiffness, and the darn thing broke! I was able to glue it back together, but I was sure that in the bending process the glue would soften and it would fall apart again. So I installed another clamp bar on my bending form, just at the point of the break, clamped the sides down securely at that point, and proceeded to bend outwards in both directions (Photo 1). 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 June 3, 2025August 1, 2025 by Dale Phillips Meet the Maker: Ted Davis Meet the Maker: Ted Davis by James Condino Originally published in American Lutherie #96, 2008 I was introduced to Ted Davis over twenty years ago. We never talked. We never shared a trade show booth. We never had a musical transaction. Ted was one of those early folks who was so on top of it that he was writing GAL articles and making blueprints of famous instruments. When I was honing my craft in my teens and early twenties I was studying all of the instrument-making articles and drawings I could find. Ted Davis. That name kept popping up. Twenty years later I found myself sitting in Lynn Dudenbostel’s shop, talking away, and he drops, “Ted Davis lives just down the way a bit. You know, Ted Davis from the GAL,” as though there could be none other. After a minute I realize... that Ted Davis? The Ted Davis? Lynn chimed back in, “And he still sells a bit of red spruce. You should go visit him.” 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 13, 2025May 2, 2025 by Dale Phillips Meet the Maker: Myles Gilmer Meet the Maker: Myles Gilmer by Todd Brotherton Originally published in American Lutherie #26, 1991 and Big Red Book of American Lutherie, Volume Three, 2004 Would you give us some background on yourself? The wood business that I’m doing now is an offshoot of what I was doing in the ’70s. My education was in medical research, but there weren’t too many jobs in that area, so I built furniture accessories and sold them to galleries and stores across the country for a few years. I lived in equatorial Africa in the early to mid ’70s. I was working in the wood business in Ghana and Liberia as a jack-of-all-trades, doing vehicle maintenance, repairing machine saws, and doing some cutting and milling. I spent a lot of time hiking in the forest. The trees are incredible there. I have photographs of a native hut next to a tree that was 220' tall and 12'–14' in diameter. People often imagine an African forest as being a jungle but it’s more like what we see here in the Northwest; an old growth high canopy forest, very open inside with not much secondary growth on the floor, and quite dark to walk through. When I moved back to the USA, I quickly found that there weren’t great sources for the wood I was interested in. I had friends in Africa and started importing a little for my production line. We started importing more, and soon my competitors were interested in buying. I was still producing wood pieces, but getting tired of production woodwork. Over a two-year period I just switched from being a manufacturer to being a supplier. 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 July 7, 2024May 6, 2025 by Dale Phillips Lemon Oil and Carnauba Wax Lemon Oil and Carnauba Wax by Jimmie Van Originally published in Guild of American Luthiers Data Sheet #97, 1978 and Big Red Book of American Lutherie Volume One, 2000 In a living tree the cell walls are saturated with water and pretty much keep their shape. After a tree is cut down and the wood is processed by air drying or kiln drying, most of the water is removed. The wood can shrink up to 20%. This wood is now like a sponge and even a finish like lacquer, varnish, or shellac only slows the rate of moisture absorption or loss. Thus, over time, the cells lose part of their ability to remain at or return to the size that you had originally intended. We see the results in swelling, shrinking, and cracking. Using pure lemon oil as a cleaner and carnauba wax as a sealer can further protect woods and slow down the changes on finished instruments. It is important to start with lemon oil that you know is pure. Most products sold as lemon oil contain considerable amounts of petroleum distillates and synthetics. Avoid these. You may be able to locate lemon oil through an essential oils store or a store carrying natural products (if it’s food quality, it’s probably the right stuff). First I make sure that the surface of the guitar or other wood instrument is free of old wax by using a mild wax remover. (The lemon oil will dissolve previous coats of carnauba wax.) I keep a soft, oil-moistened cloth in a sealable glass jar to keep it from evaporating between instruments. With this cloth I spread a coat of lemon oil over the entire instrument, letting it stand for fifteen to forty-five minutes or until most of the oil has been absorbed. Wipe any remaining oil off after this time as the wood will only take in what it needs. Pure lemon oil will not harm acetate or celluloid, but it can damage styrene. This can be a problem on some cheap instruments. Although pure lemon oil does not harm most finishes, I recommend caution, especially around stains. Lemon oil is also good for removing rosin buildup on violins, cleaning strings, and bringing up the sheen of finished or unfinished mother-of-pearl. 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.
