Posted on February 20, 2026February 20, 2026 by Dale Phillips D’Aquisto’s Wedge Bridge D’Aquisto’s Wedge Bridge by John Monteleone Originally published in American Lutherie #113, 2013 James “Jimmy” D’Aquisto’s guitar design development falls into two epochs. The early period, beginning in 1965, is an obvious continuation of his teacher John D’Angelico’s instruments in nearly every aspect, with the exception of the D’Aquisto logo on the headstock. Jimmy’s clients were faithful to D’Angelico, and that’s exactly what they expected. Change would come gradually, even timidly, over a period of time as Jimmy learned his independence. Certain ideas about tradition and expectation expressed by his early clients stood in his way for a number of years, hindering his design development. In the 1950s and ’60s, archtop guitar players were not risktakers, and the market popularity of the archtop was being displaced by solidbody guitars and the new music of the day. Unlike the quick-changing shiny sheet metal of Detroit automobiles, annual adjustments to mainstream guitar designs for the annual trade shows were small and predicable. The few independent luthiers of the day would watch this market closely to see what they would need to offer in order to compete. 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 February 20, 2026February 20, 2026 by Dale Phillips Meet the Maker: David King Meet the Maker: David King by Jonathon Peterson Originally published in American Lutherie #85, 2006 David King and I have been rubbing shoulders at instrument shows for years, and I have always been a big fan of his work, but the bass he had at the last Portland Handmade Musical Instrument Exhibit was stunning. Elegant and balanced, with a flawless finish, custom hardware, active EMG pickups, an onboard tuner, and every ounce accounted for — I just had to talk with him about his lutherie life and how he made these beauties. Was it instruments first, or was it music? It was music first. There were four kids and two adults in my family, and everyone played an instrument. My dad was a political science professor at U. Mass. in Amherst; he played the piano. My eldest sister played clarinet and my next sister played viola and sang. My brother was a cellist. Eventually my dad picked up the viola, too. I started violin at age seven and carried it on until I hit college, at around twenty. Then I realized that the sound of that thing right under your ear — I think little kids can take that noise better than adults can, but I was never going to be a great violinist. (laughs) You have to draw the line. I’d always listened to classical music, and it never occurred to me that there was pop music out there, or anything else that could be taken seriously. 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 February 19, 2026February 19, 2026 by Dale Phillips Restoration of a Michelot Late Baroque Guitar Restoration of a Michelot Late Baroque Guitar by D. and F. Sinier de Ridder Originally published in American Lutherie #101, 2010 For a majority of players, the big change brought about by the development of the 6-string guitar did not mean a sudden replacement of their 5-course guitars with the new instruments. Guitar makers did not suddenly make a fortune building 6-string guitars to answer an explosive demand for this novelty, even if it quickly raised a lot of interest all over Europe. The transition, for many years, was manifested in a cautious modification of the old instruments. Seventeenth-century Baroque guitars were still in circulation. They were richly adorned, made of expensive and noble materials — real pieces of art — and musicians accustomed to the sound of their favorite instruments were not ready to switch for the unknown. Even those with simpler “only wood” Baroque guitars could be frightened by the new playing problems, new tessitura (the vocal range of the instrument), larger necks, fixed frets, and such. As a result, many went to their luthiers asking for a modification to their beloved existing guitar. It seemed to many that it was a wise and cheap solution. Recall that at this time labor was less expensive than materials. Facing that kind of request, luthiers transformed the Baroque instruments, modifying the heads, the neck widths, and even making more profound changes dealing sometimes with soundboards and bracings. To give a single example, we have seen a nice 5-course Lambert, modified by Lacôte who equipped her with his bracing system and his modern pegs, and a blocking mechanism he had used for some time. 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 February 19, 2026February 19, 2026 by Dale Phillips Measuring Archtop Musical Instruments Measuring Archtop Musical Instruments by Chris Burt Originally published in American Lutherie #83, 2005 See also, Arched Plate Carving, Part One by Chris Burt Arched Plate Carving, Part Two by Chris Burt Arched Plate Carving, Part Three by Chris Burt This is the first of three articles that take you from the basics of creating your own database of musical instrument measurements to applying what you have learned from those measured instruments while you carve top and back plates. In this article, you will learn to safely measure fine instruments. Article Two will describe plate carving, and article Three will describe plate graduating. This article is dedicated to Bob Lundberg, from whom I first learned the basics of measuring instruments. He showed us how to set the bar high. — Chris Burt Before you can build an archtop instrument based on an existing model, you need templates — at a minimum: a body-shape template, neck cross-section templates, and plate arching templates. You can’t carve something if you don’t understand it. If you are going to spend the considerable time that’s required to understand an instrument model, seek out the best. Measure several and keep detailed notes. If you take the time to compile a set of measuring tools and learn to use them respectfully and gently, you’ll be surprised to find how many people will allow you access to their fine instruments. 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 February 19, 2026February 19, 2026 by Dale Phillips Arched Plate Carving, Part One: Establishing the Outside Surface Arched Plate Carving, Part One: Establishing the Outside Surface by Chris Burt Originally published in American Lutherie #84, 2005 See also, Measuring Archtop Musical Instruments by Chris Burt Arched Plate Carving, Part Two by Chris Burt Arched Plate Carving, Part Three by Chris Burt This is the second of a series of articles that take you from the basics of creating your own database of instrument measurements to applying what you have learned from those measured instruments while you carve top and back plates. The first article of the series appeared in AL#83. In this article, you will learn how to carve top and back plates. The remainder of the series will describe plate graduating. A classical guitar maker I know recently told me he began his career making carved-plate guitars, but his finished top and back plates always looked like folk art. Our conversation got me thinking about his experience and the causes of unwitting folk art. I don’t know the process he followed and so can’t comment on it, but I do remember a fiddle player who asked me for advice as he built a fiddle. His finished fiddle looked like folk art, the main reason being that he didn’t have a process. At least, he didn’t quite believe, or understand, the process he read about or the clarifications I advised. I remember telling him, more than once, that he’d not yet finished one step and so shouldn’t start the next. Inevitably, the next time I’d see his work, he’d let impatience push him into abandoning the incomplete step in favor of the illusion of progress provided by beginning a new step. 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.
