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.
Posted on February 19, 2026February 19, 2026 by Dale Phillips Arched Plate Carving, Part Two: Graduating the Top Plate and Cutting the f-Holes Arched Plate Carving, Part Two: Graduating the Top Plate and Cutting the f-Holes by Chris Burt Originally published in American Lutherie #85, 2006 See also, Measuring Archtop Musical Instruments by Chris Burt Arched Plate Carving, Part One by Chris Burt Arched Plate Carving, Part Three by Chris Burt This is the third article in this series, which takes you from measuring worthy instruments to carving plates in the image of the instruments of your dreams. To date you’ve measured one or more fine instruments and have carved a couple of plates that require final graduation. The thickness maps you’ve recorded when measuring instruments will tell you nothing about tap tones, but they will provide a view into at least one graduation scheme that works and a general goal towards which to work. So, how do you decide when you’ve finished graduating a plate? I can only describe my method. But heck, it’s a method based on both tradition and science. Some prefer tradition, some prefer science, some follow their imagination. I like the first two with a little of the third thrown in for fun. The techniques I describe in this article are based on more than faith. I learned them from teachers more knowledgeable than I. I also learned them through study, insight, and refinement gained through practice. Also, I once deviated from these techniques to build a viola graduated strictly by thickness. The wood I used turned out to be less stiff than any I’d previously used. The resulting plates were not stiff enough. The mode 2 tap tone for the top was down around C and C♯. I didn’t like the viola’s sound and never tried to sell it. I should have kept the plates thicker. I’ve since accepted that each piece of wood is unique and varies from other pieces in both density and stiffness. 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 Three: Barring the Top Plate, and Graduating the Back Plate Arched Plate Carving, Part Three: Barring the Top Plate, and Graduating the Back Plate by Chris Burt Originally published in American Lutherie #86, 2006 See also, Measuring Archtop Musical Instruments by Chris Burt Arched Plate Carving, Part One by Chris Burt Arched Plate Carving, Part Two by Chris Burt This is the final article in a series that takes you from creating your own database of instrument measurements to applying that knowledge to carving top and back plates. In AL#83 Chris described taking measurements of extant instruments. The next two articles covered joining plates, carving their outside archings, carving and graduating the inside arching of a top plate, and cutting the f-holes. Here he describes the barring and tuning of top plates and the graduation and tuning of back plates. The next step is making the bars that stiffen the top. The grace of these slender pieces hides a significant amount of work. The information described here works equally well for the bars of any carved-plate instrument, such as violin-family bass bars, mandolin-family tone bars, or archtop guitar barring. 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.
