Posted on January 6, 2010March 11, 2024 by Dale Phillips Review: The Modern Classical Guitar For Friend or Builder by Donald M. Sprenger Review: The Modern Classical Guitar For Friend or Builder by Donald M. Sprenger Reviewed by C.F. Casey Originally published in American Lutherie #27, 1991 and Big Red Book of American Lutherie Volume Three, 2004 The Modern Classical Guitar For Friend or Builder Donald M. Sprenger Taylor Publishing Co., 121 pp. ISBN 0-9617445-0-2 First, let it be said that I have very little knowledge about the Kasha system of guitar design. So when I saw this book advertised as using this system, I thought this would be a good opportunity to learn something. On leafing through the book, the first thing that struck me was that the drawings were rather crudely done. Let me rephrase that: very crudely done. Now, I’m no whiz at draftsmanship myself; but it seems to me that if you’re going to the trouble of writing and publishing a book, it would be nice to go that little bit further and either do decent drawings or get someone to do them for you. But then I thought, “Maybe the man is a master luthier who just can’t be bothered with such petty details; maybe the text will make up for it.” 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 January 6, 2010March 11, 2024 by Dale Phillips Review: Guitars: From the Renaissance to Rock by Tom Evans and Mary Ann Evans Review: Guitars: From the Renaissance to Rock by Tom Evans and Mary Ann Evans Reviewed by C.F. Casey Originally published in American Lutherie #2, 1985 and Big Red Book of American Lutherie Volume One, 2000 Guitars: From the Renaissance to Rock Tom Evans and Mary Ann Evans Paddington Press Ltd. 1977 Out of print (1999) Of all the popular (as opposed to strictly scholarly) histories of the guitar, this is in my opinion by far the best. Laid out in five broad sections (classical guitar, at 150 pages the longest; flamenco guitar; the guitar in Latin America; steel string acoustic guitar; and electric guitar), the book goes into considerable detail on the musical styles, composers and performers, social background, and styles of construction of the instrument. Regarding this last, luthiers will be especially interested in the “Gallery” section of each chapter, consisting of photographs, measurements, and very thorough descriptions of typical and exceptional instruments from each phase of the guitar’s history. In addition, there are visits to the workshop of classical guitar maker José Romanillos and the factory of the Gibson company. 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 January 4, 2010March 11, 2024 by Dale Phillips Review: The Fine Guitar by José Oribe Review: The Fine Guitar by José Oribe Reviewed by C.F. Casey Originally published in American Lutherie #9, 1987 and Big Red Book of American Lutherie Volume One, 2000 The Fine Guitar José Oribe Mel Bay Music stores or amazon.com, $19.95 First off, let it be said that this is not a “how-to” book; it gives very little specific information on Oribe’s building procedures. To be fair, this was not the book’s intent; as Aaron Shearer says in his foreword, the book deals with “What to think about relative to creating an exceptionally fine guitar” (emphasis Shearer’s). Oribe talks about his years of experience as a luthier, and dwells on the attitudes, theories, and various generalizations that this experience has led him to. Under the headings of materials, soundboard, scale, adhesives, finish, setup, and strings, he conveys a lot of useful...tips isn’t quite the right word; perhaps attitudes. Oribe has a clear, lucid style, all the more surprising when you consider that a lot of what he’s discussing is intangible. 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.
