American Lutherie #142 Spring 2021 On this issue’s cover we see Dan Erlewine at work on a guitar held in a free-standing vise specialized for lutherie work. Photo courtesy of Dan Erlewine American Lutherie #142 – Spring 2021$12.00 – $14.00 Choose Membership Status Choose an optionMemberNon-memberClear American Lutherie #142 - Spring 2021 quantity Add to cart SKU: N/A Category: American Lutherie Additional information Additional information Choose Membership Status Member, Non-member Related products American Lutherie #123 – Fall 2015 $8.00 – $10.00 Select options American Lutherie #130 – Summer 2017 $8.00 – $10.00 Select options American Lutherie #109 – Spring 2012 $5.00 – $7.00 Select options Remembering Julian Bream by Cyndy Burton, José Romanillos, R.E. Bruné, Jeffrey R. Elliott, Kevin Aram, Gary Southwell, and Simon Ambridge The great classical guitarist Julian Bream was well known for supporting and encouraging contemporary composers and promising young players. Less noticed by the public, but of special importance to luthiers, was Bream’s work with a handful of classical guitar makers from whom he commissioned the fine instruments that he played. In this article, those luthiers offer memories of their interactions with Julian Bream. On this issue’s cover we see Dan Erlewine at work on a guitar held in a free-standing vise specialized for lutherie work. Photo courtesy of Dan Erlewine American Lutherie #142 – Spring 2021$12.00 – $14.00 Choose Membership Status Choose an optionMemberNon-memberClear American Lutherie #142 - Spring 2021 quantity Add to cart SKU: N/A Category: American Lutherie Additional information Additional information Choose Membership Status Member, Non-member Related products American Lutherie #128 – Winter 2016 $8.00 – $10.00 Select options American Lutherie #131 – Fall 2017 $8.00 – $10.00 Select options American Lutherie #111 – Fall 2012 $5.00 – $7.00 Select options The back cover shows two pegheads of guitars built in the Romantic-era style by James Buckland. And yes, the guitar on the left is strung lefty. Photo by James Buckland The Charles Fox Guitar-Building Method, Part Four by Mark French In this article the peg head is shaped and drilled, the neck shaft is slotted for the truss rod, the heel is formed, and the neck is fitted to the body. This important series continues in our next issue. A Modern Venezuelan Cuatro by Luis Colmenares The traditional Venezuelan cuatro is a small 4-string instrument with a distinctive flush fretboard and wooden tap plate covering the entire upper bout. See our GAL Instrument Plan #58. The author of this article is a working musician and a member of the Venezuelan diaspora. He has developed an electric version of the instrument for playing the evolving music of the Venezuelan culture. Uncle Dan’s Favorite New Vise by Dan Erlewine Good ol’ Dan Erlewine is known for finding and spreading efficient new tools and techniques for guitar makers and repairers, as well as for mentoring and promoting young talent in the lutherie field. He’s at it again in this article, as he loosely wrangles a team to consult on the design of a specialized new shop vise. The Terz Guitar by James Buckland The terz guitar was a smaller Romantic-era guitar, which played in a higher range and was written in a different key. Knowing this history helps us understand several otherwise-puzzling old instruments. GAL Instrument Plan #80 - Terz Guitar by James Buckland This plan drawing of an anonymous instrument from the early 19th century includes the authentic adjustable neck joint and the rule-of-18 fret spacing. New Frets in Old Nibs by Ben Haskenhoff The author steps us through a full refret of a solidbody guitar with a bound fretboard where the new frets nestle right back into the binding. Save the nibs! The $75 Guitar Challenge by Doug Hunt and Mark French Two luthiers dare each other to make a useful guitar for a total investment of $75. One makes a flattop, the other a solid body. There are rules, and rules are meant to be broken. Side Bender and Body Mold Cut from One Sheet of Plywood by Terence Warbey Not only does Warbey make the entire bending form and the outside mold from a single sheet, but the form pops apart like a Swedish Christmas ornament and stores flat in a plastic bag. Tuning a Marimba Bar and Resonator by Max Krimmel If you are luthier who does not remember the name of Max Krimmel, you might be under age fifty. Max was a pack leader in the early days of the American Lutherie Boom, before he went on to specialize in a few of his many other artistic interests. Anyway, why and article about marimbas? As Max says, “Think of it as deep background learning.” Big Shop-Made Dovetail Clamp by Bob Gleason A big honkin’ C clamp for pressing home a dovetail joint can be easily built from plywood, wood scrap, cork, and a commercially available press screw. It can just as well be pretty, because that’s fun. And if you don’t see what’s fun about it, maybe lutherie is not for you. Lutherie Curmudgeon by John Calkin Sometimes a bargain is no bargain, like when the work that a power tool accomplishes is less valuable than space it uses in your shop. If you don’t love something, set it free. Reviews Monica Esparza reviews the elaborate new book by Josep Melo, José Luis Romanillos Guitars, The Guijosa Period, 1993–2015. John Littel reviews Hanging Tree Guitars, a book about outsider luthier Freeman Vines. John Calkin reviews the online instructional video Advanced Ukulele Building with Jay Lichty. It Worked for Me by Steve Kennel, Reginald Beardsley, and Steve Dickerson Sacrifice a wobbly old Workmate to make a nice guitar holding rig for your bench top. Fix finish checking with diluted linseed oil. Make your own cabinet scrapers. Assure symmetry in shop templates. . Letters from our readers Quick and dirty Dobro. Lessons learned from a puppy-vs-guitar encounter. Fond memories of attending the Charles Fox guitar-making course in long-ago Vermont. Collecting frequency response data from completed guitars. Story of a workshop injury. Two luthiers trade cigar-box guitar builds. Web Extras View photo gallery for this issue of American Lutherie. American Lutherie #149 – Summer 2023 American Lutherie #148 – Spring 2023 American Lutherie #147 – Winter 2022 American Lutherie #146 – Summer 2022 American Lutherie #145 – Spring 2022 American Lutherie #144 – Winter 2021 American Lutherie #143 – Summer 2021 American Lutherie #142 – Spring 2021 American Lutherie #141 – Winter 2020 American Lutherie #140 – Summer 2020 American Lutherie #139 – Spring 2020 Journal
