Posted on December 16, 2024December 16, 2024 by Dale Phillips Fall Collection 2024 Articles Online Fall Collection 2024 GAL Members – Login first before clicking on article titles to read the full articles. Not a 2024 member? You can join or renew here. Radiation from Lower Guitar Modes by Graham Caldersmith (1985) Caldersmith discusses the efficiency and pattern of sound radiation in the classic guitar produced by the four lower resonance modes, which he calls monopole, cross dipole, long dipole, and tripole. Inside Pacific Rim Tonewoods by Steve McMinn (1993) McMinn’s lutherie wood business has turned out to be a pretty big deal. Here we gain perspective by seeing it at the very beginning. The Great White Sitka by Jeffrey R. Elliott (1993) Holy Moby Spruce! How does one hack a log that’s eleven feet wide into 4000 guitar tops? Very carefully! By the way, this is a log that Steve McMinn rescued from the pulp mill. Meet the Maker: Bernard Millant by Jonathon Peterson (2006) Millant is a violin maker, a bow maker, an appraiser, an author, and a man of high repute within the violin world. The depth of training behind many old-school fiddle people will astonish most guitar makers, and it makes for entrancing reading. Meet the Maker: Dmitry Zhevlakov by Federico Sheppard (2007) This is not only the story of a Russian luthier who also makes beautiful rosettes for other builders, but is another example of how the Internet has changed the world — in this case for better. Aluminum Sonatas: A Brief History of Aluminum Stringed Instruments in the Last 120 Years by James Condino (2007) Every luthier knows how fickle and finicky the market is, so it’s no wonder that musical instruments made of aluminum didn’t catch on. Examined here are a violin, a mandolin, and a pair of bass viols. Fun stuff! Mechanical Compliance for Soundboard Optimization by David Hurd (2007) Hurd believes that the fastest way to great instruments is science, and it’s hard to argue with such a rational man. His jigs measure the deflection of top plates while under tension, and once he carves the top and braces to the numbers he wants, he’s done. This could be math heavy, but he offers an Internet spread sheet to ease the pain. Construction of the Colombian Tiple by Anamaria Paredes Garcia and R.M. Mottola (2007) Cross a 12-string flattop with a classical guitar and you get the Colombian tiple. The tiple has four courses of three steel strings, but on the inside, it’s a classical. Follow Alberto Paredes as he builds the instrument in this photo tour. See GAL Plan #51. Meet the Maker: Mervyn Davis by Rodney Stedall (2007) Davis’ South African upbringing inspires a wonderful decorative sense in his instruments. He’s built a ton of different stuff but may end up best known for his wildly unique modular guitars called Smooth Talkers. Cricket: A Reclaimed Salvage Recovery by James Condino (2007) Condino’s mandolin is made from recycled materials, mostly Douglas fir and katalox. It is unique and beautiful, and the story behind it is pretty cool, too. Grading on the Curves: Fitting Bars and Bridges on Archtop Guitars by Steve Andersen (2007) This is a very detailed look at how a notable builder of archtop guitars fits tone bars and bridges to his instruments. The Venezuelan Cuatro by Aquiles Torres (2008) Traditionally, this instrument is a small 4-string guitar with 14 frets clear, no frets over the body, a flush fretboard, and a large veneer tap plate. Note that the cuatro built for the article has 17 frets clear of the body. See GAL Plan #58. The MacRostie Mandolin Deflection Jig by Don MacRostie (2008) MacRostie’s clever jig measures the top deflection of a carved mandolin under string load at any stage of its construction. It is a valuable tool within the reach of any luthier. The “Corker” Guitar: A Sideport Experiment by Alan Carruth (2008) Carruth built a classical guitar with many small ports drilled in the side. By plugging the ports in various combinations he investigated the usefulness and physics behind them. Though this guitar did not make a believer out of him, he admits that his results are somewhat inconclusive. Electric Guitar Setup by Erick Coleman and Elliot John-Conry (2009) Two disciples of Dan Erlewine explain the latest techniques of setting up the electric guitar. All the details and specs are there, as well as a bit of philosophy. Dulcimer 101 by John Calkin (2009) Dulcimers are needlessly maligned and in need of advocates, and the author is a strong one. Tools and jiggery are kept to a minimum to make construction of this entry level instrument as accessible as possible. The Guitar as a Structure and Some Practical Information on Bracing by James Blilie (2009) A structural engineer and guitar builder sees the guitar as a thing buffeted by forces and stresses. Total Flame Out: Retopping a Harp Guitar by Harry Fleishman (2009) Harry replaces the failed soundboard on a complicated instrument with as little refinishing and other stress as possible. Strings: The (Often) Forgotten Accessory by Fan Tao (2010) D’Addario's resident scientist Fan Tao helps us understand string issues in relation to custom instruments and customized tuning. Practical Acoustics by Michael Cone (2010) Cone describes his advanced apparatus and method for acoustically testing classical guitars. Meet the Maker: James Ham by Roger Alan Skipper (2010) Ham operates from a shop in Victoria, B.C. where he repairs and restores violin family instruments and constructs world class double basses. It’s All About the Core or How to Estimate Compensation by Sjaak Elmendorp (2010) Mathematics and parameters used to address the problem of string compensation estimation. Articles Online Fall Collection 2024 Radiation from Lower Guitar Modes by Graham Caldersmith (1985) Caldersmith discusses the efficiency and pattern of sound radiation in the classic guitar produced by the four lower resonance modes, which he calls monopole, cross dipole, long dipole, and tripole. Inside Pacific Rim Tonewoods by Steve McMinn (1993) McMinn's lutherie wood business has turned out to be a pretty big deal. Here we gain perspective by seeing it at the very beginning. The Great White Sitka by Jeffrey R. Elliott (1993) Holy Moby Spruce! How does one hack a log that’s eleven feet wide into 4000 guitar tops? Very carefully! By the way, this is a log that Steve McMinn rescued from the pulp mill. Meet the Maker: Bernard Millant by Jonathon Peterson (2006) Millant is a violin maker, a bow maker, an appraiser, an author, and a man of high repute within the violin world. The depth of training behind many old-school fiddle people will astonish most guitar makers, and it makes for entrancing reading. Meet the Maker: Dmitry Zhevlakov by Federico Sheppard (2007) This is not only the story of a Russian luthier who also makes beautiful rosettes for other builders, but is another example of how the Internet has changed the world — in this case for better. Aluminum Sonatas: A Brief History of Aluminum Stringed Instruments in the Last 120 Years by James Condino (2007) Every luthier knows how fickle and finicky the market is, so it’s no wonder that musical instruments made of aluminum didn’t catch on. Examined here are a violin, a mandolin, and a pair of bass viols. Fun stuff! Mechanical Compliance for Soundboard Optimization by David Hurd (2007) Hurd believes that the fastest way to great instruments is science, and it’s hard to argue with such a rational man. His jigs measure the deflection of top plates while under tension, and once he carves the top and braces to the numbers he wants, he’s done. This could be math heavy, but he offers an Internet spread sheet to ease the pain. Construction of the Colombian Tiple by Anamaria Paredes Garcia and R.M. Mottola (2007) Cross a 12-string flattop with a classical guitar and you get the Colombian tiple. The tiple has four courses of three steel strings, but on the inside, it’s a classical. Follow Alberto Paredes as he builds the instrument in this photo tour. See GAL Plan #51. Meet the Maker: Mervyn Davis by Rodney Stedall (2007) Davis’ South African upbringing inspires a wonderful decorative sense in his instruments. He’s built a ton of different stuff but may end up best known for his wildly unique modular guitars called Smooth Talkers. Cricket: A Reclaimed Salvage Recovery by James Condino (2007) Condino’s mandolin is made from recycled materials, mostly Douglas fir and katalox. It is unique and beautiful, and the story behind it is pretty cool, too. Grading on the Curves: Fitting Bars and Bridges on Archtop Guitars by Steve Andersen (2007) This is a very detailed look at how a notable builder of archtop guitars fits tone bars and bridges to his instruments. The Venezuelan Cuatro by Aquiles Torres (2008) Traditionally, this instrument is a small 4-string guitar with 14 frets clear, no frets over the body, a flush fretboard, and a large veneer tap plate. Note that the cuatro built for the article has 17 frets clear of the body. See GAL Plan #58. The MacRostie Mandolin Deflection Jig by Don MacRostie (2008) MacRostie’s clever jig measures the top deflection of a carved mandolin under string load at any stage of its construction. It is a valuable tool within the reach of any luthier. The “Corker” Guitar: A Sideport Experiment by Alan Carruth (2008) Carruth built a classical guitar with many small ports drilled in the side. By plugging the ports in various combinations he investigated the usefulness and physics behind them. Though this guitar did not make a believer out of him, he admits that his results are somewhat inconclusive. Electric Guitar Setup by Erick Coleman and Elliot John-Conry (2009) Two disciples of Dan Erlewine explain the latest techniques of setting up the electric guitar. All the details and specs are there, as well as a bit of philosophy. Dulcimer 101 by John Calkin (2009) Dulcimers are needlessly maligned and in need of advocates, and the author is a strong one. Tools and jiggery are kept to a minimum to make construction of this entry level instrument as accessible as possible. The Guitar as a Structure and Some Practical Information on Bracing by James Blilie (2009) A structural engineer and guitar builder sees the guitar as a thing buffeted by forces and stresses. Total Flame Out: Retopping a Harp Guitar by Harry Fleishman (2009) Harry replaces the failed soundboard on a complicated instrument with as little refinishing and other stress as possible. Strings: The (Often) Forgotten Accessory by Fan Tao (2010) D'Addario's resident scientist Fan Tao helps us understand string issues in relation to custom instruments and customized tuning. Practical Acoustics by Michael Cone (2010) Cone describes his advanced apparatus and method for acoustically testing classical guitars. Meet the Maker: James Ham by Roger Alan Skipper (2010) Ham operates from a shop in Victoria, B.C. where he repairs and restores violin family instruments and constructs world class double basses. It’s All About the Core or How to Estimate Compensation by Sjaak Elmendorp (2010) Mathematics and parameters used to address the problem of string compensation estimation.
Posted on July 1, 2024July 9, 2024 by Dale Phillips Letter: Technical Qualm with Jim Blilie’s Article in AL#100 Letter: Technical qualm with Jim Blilie’s article in AL #100 by Alan Carruth Originally published in American Lutherie #101, 2010 Tim — I really enjoyed AL#100. It’s a nice mix of “technoid,” “art,” and “craft” articles. Lots of good info, but I did see a couple of things I wanted to respond to. First, in Jim Blilie’s article, which was excellent overall, I have a disagreement that rises above the level of minor. He says, on p. 31: “The fact that the relationship between stiffness (Young’s modulus) and density is inherently linear shows that just changing wood species doesn’t affect the stiffness-to-weight ratio very much.” The problem with that is, while the lengthwise Young’s modulus (E) values for both hardwoods and softwoods tend to fall on straight lines, they are different lines, owing to differences in basic structure in the woods. I’ve been measuring the properties of wood samples for several years. I’m enclosing a graph of long grain E vs. density for most of the pieces I’ve measured so far (147 samples), with eyeballed “average” lines drawn in. The softwoods include all of the usual-suspect top woods, as well as white pine and Mediterranean cypress. As you can see, the points fall very close to a straight line toward the left side of the chart. The hardwoods include a lot of lutherie woods (most of the samples are Indian rosewood), and some others, with balsa and blackwood being the end points. As you can see, the scatter of the points is greater, but they do at least suggest a line. One could, of course, draw a single line that took in all of the data points, but at the cost of accepting quite a lot more scatter in the softwood data. Given the relative homogeneity of softwood structure, this seems unwarranted. Besides, the resulting line would not approach the origin at all closely, which would be illogical. As is, the hardwood line is in no way an extension of the softwood line. Balsa, and yew, ’way down on the left, overlap the softwood area, as do a few of the softer hardwoods, such as butternut. Still, compared with the softwoods, hardwoods tend to have higher density for the equivalent E value. 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.
Posted on June 30, 2024September 17, 2024 by Dale Phillips The “Corker” Guitar: A Sideport Experiment The “Corker” Guitar: A Sideport Experiment by Alan Carruth Originally published in American Lutherie #94, 2008 Over the past few years there has been something of a trend for cutting holes of various sizes and shapes in the sides of guitars. (Editor’s note: See AL#91 pp. 6–13 for more on soundports.) While a hole in the side of the guitar might or might not directly affect the way the top and back (the main sound-producing surfaces on most guitars) vibrate, it could certainly be expected to affect the vibrations of the air inside the box. I became interested in this when a customer asked if I could build a guitar with a port. Since I’m the sort of guy who likes to have a map when I’m going into new territory, I looked up what information I could find. There was a certain amount on air resonant modes, but not much treating ports, so I decided to do an experiment. 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 March 7, 2024May 21, 2024 by Dale Phillips Side Soundports There’s a Hole in the Bucket by Cyndy Burton A Discussion of Sideports, with Contributions from Kenny Hill, Alan Carruth, Roger Thurman, John Monteleone, Mike Doolin, and Robert Ruck previously published in American Lutherie #91, 2007 See also, “Sideways” by John Monteleone “Herr Helmholtz’ Tube” by Mike Doolin “Three Holes are Better than One” Robert Ruck Just in case we become too self-satisfied with our “discovery” of ports, Alain Bieber, in his article on lyra guitars (AL#88, p. 16), points us to the Neapolitan Gennaro Fabricatore’s ported lyras from the early 1800s. (Alain ported his own contemporary lyra guitar, too.) So we know prominent makers were putting holes in the sides of their instruments in the late 1700s, early 1800s. Many of us are also aware of Carleen Hutchins’ groundwork in the early 1980s. Her “Le Greyère” violin, with sixty-five sideports, has provided a wealth of data about violin resonances since it was made in 1982. She donated the violin to the National Music Museum in 2002. See some great photos of Le Greyère and a list of publications reporting on that research at collections.nmmusd.org/Archives/NewViolinFamily/Hutchinscheeseviolin.html. People are sensitive about putting holes in things. Many guitarists — perhaps more classical guitarists than others — find the ports some sort of denigration, a violation of the sanctity of the guitar’s perfect form. In all fairness, we’ve met with very strong feelings on both sides of the port issue. Luckily, our customer was very open to the idea. He’s not a concertizing musician, but he’s a serious player, and occasionally he plays publicly for special events. We wanted to try ports for him because he has a hearing loss, and we thought ports would be a great way for him to hear himself better. At that time, Robert Ruck had made about a hundred ported guitars, so we figured he had worked out the kinks. He kindly advised us on size, location, and so on. We followed his lead. The result is a wonderful instrument that the owner truly appreciates. We love the feedback — the monitor effect for the player — and when we tested it in a small auditorium with an overflowing audience, we could not discern any loss of projection or quality of sound. But was it louder? Our evidence was very meager and inconclusive. Many makers are adamant that it’s louder with the ports open for both the player and the audience. 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.
Posted on April 21, 2023March 5, 2024 by Dale Phillips Questions: Guitar Air Cavity Questions: Guitar Air Cavity by Art Davis, Alan Carruth, and Joe D. Franklin Originally published in American Lutherie #63, 2000 and Big Red Book of American Lutherie Volume Six, 2013 Tom Blackshear of San Antonio, Texas asks: Is there a formula for measuring the air cavity of a guitar box, then figuring out how to keep the same amount of air with slightly different box dimensions? Art Davis of San Diego, California responds: Use bird seed. It’s not totally accurate but it’s easy. Pour it in, pour it out, and measure it. Hold the guitar really well because ten or twenty pounds of bird seed is heavy. Also, as per W.D. Allen’s, “Basics of Air Resonances,” in The Big Red Book of American Lutherie Volume 1, changing the air volume doesn’t always do what you think it’s going to. 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.
