Posted on July 28, 2026July 28, 2026 by Dale Phillips Review: The Master’s Bench by Paul Schmidt and Arian Sheets Review: The Master’s Bench by Paul Schmidt and Arian Sheets by Mike Doolin Originally published in American Lutherie #143, 2021 The Master’s BenchPaul Schmidt and Arian SheetsISBN 978-0984826940National Music Museum/University of South Dakota, 2016 The Master’s Bench, by Paul Schmidt and Arian Sheets, follows up on the story of the D’As with the fascinating and fortuitous backstory of the National Music Museum’s exhibit of their reconstructed workshop. While most of the book is a visual catalog of the instruments and tools, the early chapters serve as a valuable addendum to Acquired of the Angels. 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 July 21, 2026July 21, 2026 by Dale Phillips Uncle Dan’s Favorite New Vise Uncle Dan’s Favorite New Vise by Dan Erlewine Originally published in American Lutherie #142, 2021 Howdy, GAL. I miss you all! Some of you may already know about what I am showing here, but I’d be surprised if many did, as it’s so new on the market. It’s the greatest new tool in my shop, and in the shops of several professional luthier pals of mine: The Total Vise, a sturdy pedestal-stand and neck-holding vise that makes so many guitar repair, building, wiring, and setup jobs better, safer, and easier — especially for someone who doesn’t have a good-sized shop, benches, and permanent fixtures. Originally designed as a gun- and bow-making vise, the Total Vise’s maker, Jeff Howard, was surprised and pleased to find that a few luthiers stumbled upon his setup and liked it. Right away, Jeff asked us to help him design a version of it for guitar work, and we all chipped in over the last half year. Finally it’s ready for any professional, part-time, or novice luthier that wants the best setup for holding a guitar for serious business. The Total Vise has been a game-changer for us and we just want to tell the world about it. So here we’ll visit a few shops from around the country and see how the Total Vise is put to use. 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 24, 2026June 24, 2026 by Dale Phillips Meet the Maker: Robert Anderson Meet the Maker: Robert Anderson by John Calkin Originally published in American Lutherie #144, 2021 Robert Anderson took the long road to banjo building, just as so many of us have approached lutherie. The instrument first came to his attention during a TV appearance by Eddie Peabody, but the desire to play came from Earl Scruggs via the movie Bonnie and Clyde. “My first banjo was a tenor because I didn’t know any better.” That’s a mistake many beginners have made. Once set on the right path, he acquired a cheap 5-string banjo just before starting college at Kent State in Ohio. As luck would have it, as he moved into his dorm room he heard bluegrass-style banjo being played in the room next door. His dorm neighbor, Ken Serger, became his first banjo instructor. 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 October 10, 2025October 10, 2025 by Dale Phillips Workshop Evolution Workshop Evolution by Kent Everett from his 2011 GAL Convention lecture Originally published in American Lutherie #108, 2011 Evolution doesn’t necessarily mean that you get better and better. It can mean that you evolve to fit the situation you find yourself in, such as changes in the market or your living conditions. One basic way to set up a workshop is to have a master work bench in the middle of the room and the power tools around the edges. It’s basically a circular idea. This is very common in Spain and I think most of our small garage workshops are set up this way. In a bigger workshop, you might want to set it up so the wood goes in one end, it goes through the various operations, and it comes out the other end as a guitar. This is a more linear plan. For five years prior to getting into the first shop I’m going to show you, I went everywhere trying to find a job as a guitar builder. I built my first guitar in Victoria, BC in a little workshop right down the street from Larrivée. I walked into his place one day and I was blown away. He had eleven employees and I could not believe it. I wanted to be part of that. I stayed in Victoria for a year trying to get on with Jean, but that was around 1980 and the acoustic guitar market was dying and he was shrinking his shop. I built four guitars in a cabinet shop while I was in Victoria. I would bring them to Jean and he would encourage me and I’d go back and do it over again. 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 14, 2025 by Dale Phillips Meet the Makers: Sue and Ray Mooers of Dusty Strings Meet the Makers: Sue and Ray Mooers of Dusty Strings by Jonathon Peterson Originally published in American Lutherie #77, 2004 and Big Red Book of American Lutherie Volume Seven, 2015 Over the past two decades, Ray and Sue Mooers’ company, Dusty Strings, has become a major player in the folk-music scene in the Pacific Northwest and beyond. Their urban-basement store in Seattle has become a regional hub, not only supplying musical tools to beginner and expert alike, but serving as a meeting place for musicians; a place for folk-music aficionados to get information about concerts, festivals, and regional events. Their enthusiasm is infectious, and their expertise, inventory, and reputation has grown over the years. They have probably built and sold more hammered dulcimers than anyone, anywhere, and they have recently moved their folk-harp and hammered dulcimer production into a new, thoroughly modern facility not far from their retail store. I spent an afternoon talking with them and walking through the plant, and was massively impressed not only by the scale and sophistication of what they are doing, but by the two of them. They are warm, welcoming, and down to earth, and they have wonderfully clear and direct attitudes toward their lives and their business. After all these years they are still in love, and despite big changes in the scale of their enterprise and the incumbent responsibilities, they still seem to be having fun. 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.
