Posted on January 3, 2010May 20, 2025 by Dale Phillips Out of the Basement Out of the Basement by Richard Bingham Originally published in American Lutherie #7, 1986 and The Big Red Book of American Lutherie, Volume 1, 2000 See also, “H.L. Wild” by Paul Wyszkowski “A Scene from Dickens” by Steve Curtin About five years ago, when I was in the middle of my second C.F. Martin guitar “kit,” (thanks to Dick Boak, who saw me through this madness and was very generous in fitting it out), a good friend of mine who moves houses and buildings for a living presented me with one of his “finds.” It was a cardboard carton with variously-sized pieces of wood; bookmatched slabs of spruce and maple, very rough and indifferent looking pieces of ebony, a few sticks of bass wood, and a rather gaudy rosette glued to a piece of tag-board. The materials were noted on a slip of yellow paper printed by a spirit-duplicator and checked off in pencil, and dated May 12, 1964. The label told that the contents were from “H.L. Wild, New York City.” Apparently the “kit” was too much for the party who requested it. 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 January 3, 2010May 20, 2025 by Dale Phillips A Scene from Dickens A Scene from Dickens by Steve Curtin Originally published in American Lutherie #7, 1986 and The Big Red Book of American Lutherie, Volume 1, 2000 See also, “H.L. Wild” by Paul Wyszkowski “Out of the Basement” by Richard Bingham I suppose the seeds of the notion to build an instrument were planted in many of us in The Last Whole Earth Catalog, from which I learned of this fabulous establishment on Manhattan's Lower East Side. I think I planned to build some dulcimers first, and embarked by train and subway for the place. This was 1974. Great neighborhood! Inside, I was greeted by a scene out of Dickens. The light through the unwashed windows and dust was poetic in the best cinematic style. Unfamiliar woods were everywhere, strewn in chaos. Light barely penetrated the rear of the shop. 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 January 2, 2010May 23, 2025 by Dale Phillips Curing and Grading Lutherie Lumber Curing and Grading Lutherie Lumber by Bruce Creps previously published in American Lutherie #92, 2007 See also, “Resawing Lutherie Wood” by Bruce Creps “Sharpening the Stellite Teeth on the 3" Hitachi Blade” by Bruce Creps At a GAL Convention several years back a well-known luthier and lecturer stated that the best way to be assured a supply of properly processed tonewood was to harvest and air dry it yourself. He posited that due to turnaround and financial considerations most tonewood suppliers rush their kiln schedule and compromise the quality of the wood. For me, the wisdom of his statements was in stressing the importance of proper drying. I don’t know if the percentage of kiln-dried instrument-grade wood damaged or compromised due to improper drying is higher than the corresponding air-dried percentage. I do know that it is very easy to damage wood when air drying it. You don’t have to do anything. Neglect it and you can expect degrade: end checks, surface checks, warping, case-hardening, rot pockets, fungal stain and decay, and/or insect infestation. Improperly kiln-dried wood can exhibit checking, warping, and case-hardening. However, with kiln drying the fungi and pests in the wood will be killed, and colors can be clearer. The obvious disadvantages of kiln drying are that you need space and funds for a kiln, and you use lots of energy (unless you have a solar kiln). 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.
