American Lutherie #115
Fall 2013

On this issue’s cover, we see a parchment rose on a vihuela by Dutch luthier Martin de Witte.

Photo by Federico Sheppard

American Lutherie #115 – Fall 2013

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Archtop Guitars with Italian Flair

from his 2011 GAL Convention lecture by Stephen Marchione

Stephen Marchione finds a lot of lutherie inspiration in his Italian experience and heritage. He talks about techniques, but the real emphasis here is on attitude. If you are gonna do it, do it with flair.

On this issue’s cover, we see a parchment rose on a vihuela by Dutch luthier Martin de Witte.

Photo by Federico Sheppard

American Lutherie #115 – Fall 2013

$5.00$7.00

SKU: N/A Category:

Additional information

Choose Membership Status

,

Our back cover shows the foot of a 1930 classical guitar complete with the rubber stamp of its maker, Santos Hernández.

Photo by Jeffrey R. Elliott

Meet the Maker: Martin de Witte

by Federico Sheppard

Martin de Witte is a self-taught luthier and machinist doing beautiful work in a charming neighborhood of The Hauge, Netherlands. He specializes in lutes and Romantic guitars, and makes his own Stauffer-style enclosed and engraved tuner sets.

1930 Santos Hernández

by Jeffrey R. Elliott

This guitar by the Spanish master has an interesting story. Andrés Segovia signed the spruce top with a ball-point pen. Did that desecrate it, or make it distinctively collectible? Later it was poorly repaired. Now it has been properly fixed up by Jeff Elliott, so all is well.

GAL Instrument Plan #68: 1930 Santos Hernández

by Jeffrey R. Elliott

While Jeff Elliott was fixing up this fine old instrument, he made a thorough full-scale drawing of GAL Instrument Plan #68 for our benefit. Sweet!

Meet the Maker: Roger Alan Skipper

by John Calkin

Roger Alan Skipper was born and raised in western Maryland. That’s where he first discovered lutherie when a musician he met at a bluegrass gathering turned out to be a mandolin maker. That’s where he burned out on being a building contractor and boss of a chain of home improvement stores. And that’s where he still is today, as a one-man lutherie shop and a writer of novels.

What to Do When Your Head Falls Off: Instrument Repair Tips and Techniques

from their 2011 GAL Convention workshop by Brian Michael and Alex Glasser

Brian and Alex rip through a few repair jobs for our edification: two split guitar pegheads, a busted-clean-off uke head, guitar soundboard cracks, finish touchup, uke back replacement, and more.

Product Reviews

by Todd Brotherton

Here’s a review of a fancy expensive handmade rasp. But it is more than a review. Lots of good info on rasps.

It Worked for Me

by Tip House and Aaron Grumbacher

Use a plane sharpening jig to make a perfect bevel on a classical guitar bridge. Hold a guitar body for binding with vacuum and suction cups.

Questions

edited by R.M. Mottola

What’s a tamburitza? What’s the right kind of binding for the “Marie Antoinette” guitar? How do you angle the tiles for a mosaic rosette? How do you approach making a scarf peghead joint for a multiscale neck?