Posted on May 1, 2026May 1, 2026 by Dale Phillips Remembering Manuel Remembering Manuel by Eugene Clark, Armin Kelly, Robert Ruck, Jeffrey Elliott, Cyndy Burton, and Paul Szmanda Originally published in American Lutherie #119, 2014 Manuel Velázquez was making fine guitars in the 1940s, before I knew what a guitar was. I had always assumed his presence, that he would always be with us, like the New York Yankees, like the Statue of Liberty. But now he is gone. Manuel visited Tacoma with his son Alfredo in 2006. Alfredo thanked me for recognizing his father in some of my published articles. I explained that Manuel meant a lot to me — not so much for the guitars he made, but for the man he was. I have said to many people over the years that the most important thing in making guitars is the name that is on the label. It is because of Manuel that I have come to that position. Manuel’s guitars do not sound like the work he has copied ever so carefully. They sound like Manuel — warm and loving, very clear, very Latin. His student-grade guitars, better than many first-class guitars, are very popular in New York City. 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 April 24, 2026April 24, 2026 by Dale Phillips Questions: Wound G Classical Strings Questions: Wound G Classical Strings by Jeffrey R. Elliott Originally published in American Lutherie #109, 2012 Scott from the Internet asks: Who uses wound G classical strings, and why? I’d think they’d provide better sustain, less inharmonicity, and, for instruments that don’t have separate saddle intonation for each string, better intonation up the neck. But is it a personal choice thing, or are there specific performance reasons, or what? Jeffrey Elliott from Portland, Oregon replies: I believe people use wound G strings for different reasons that include trying to overcome the limitations you mention of plain nylon Gs. Some flamenco guitarists I know have used nylon-wound G strings because they have a slightly textured sound that lends a husky, breathy quality they feel is desirable. In addition, most classical guitarists I know who use wound Gs (either metal or nylon wound) do so because the tonal character of the plain nylon G string is often just simply unmusical — that is, thick, dull, and synthetic sounding — and obviously out of character with the rest of the set. This has become less of a problem with improvements in nylon string manufacturing technology in the last fifteen to twenty years and with the introduction of carbon fiber and other materials for the trebles. Consequently, I’ve noticed far fewer guitarists using wound G strings. However, while solving most of the problems associated with the older nylon strings, some of these newer materials have introduced another set of tonal characteristics that many find objectionable. Carbon fiber in particular, while bright, clear, projecting, and consistent in response along the fingerboard, can be too much so, significantly narrowing the guitar’s tonal spectrum of response and limiting the expressive range for the musician (and listener!). Even so, today’s guitarists and guitar makers are fortunate to have a far greater choice in achieving the sound they hear in their heads than fifteen or twenty years ago. ◆
Posted on April 21, 2026April 21, 2026 by Dale Phillips Let’s Catch Up with Jeffrey R. Elliott Let’s Catch Up with Jeffrey R. Elliott by Chris Sobel Originally published in American Lutherie #127, 2016 The distinguished career of Jeffrey R. Elliott has spanned over fifty years, from his beginnings as an apprentice to Richard Schneider in Detroit, to his rise as one of the foremost 20th-century American luthiers. Among his credits are a long list of high-profile clientele and the selection of one of his guitars for exhibit at the Smithsonian. His careful stewardship of the traditional guitar design has both preserved the tradition and furthered its evolution, and to these ends, he has spent considerable time teaching and mentoring the next generation of luthiers. Indeed, his meticulous craft and strikingly beautiful aesthetics, combined with the allure of his characteristic sound, have fostered a formidable backlog of orders that has lasted his entire career. A GAL Convention might not seem the same without Jeff, who has attended at least a dozen throughout the years as an exhibitor, a lecturer, and as a panelist and panel moderator on topics including workspace planning, the classical guitar, the flamenco guitar, the archtop guitar, and the mandolin. 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 April 20, 2026May 1, 2026 by Dale Phillips Jeffrey R. Elliott Open Harmonic Bar Classical Guitar Jeffrey R. Elliott Open Harmonic Bar Classical Guitar by Jeffrey R. Elliott Originally published in American Lutherie #127, 2016 The earliest example I know of a guitar with an open harmonic bar was made by Antonio de Torres in 1856 (“La Leona,” FE 04). Originally as a design element used in conjunction with a tornavoz (seldom used today, it has faded into obscurity), the open harmonic bar has survived separately as an essential feature in some top-bracing designs, and many of history’s most noted makers have tried their version of it, although infrequently. The most successful example, in my opinion, was Julian Bream’s 1973 José Romanillos guitar, which inspired me to try it. However, the historic design has a serious inherent structural risk, and if underbuilt, the guitar can also be so overly responsive that the fundamental becomes clouded. For many years I wondered if I could adapt the design so that it avoided both the structural and sonic risks yet still produced the sound I was after, and in early 1990 I produced this design. I believe the design allows the surfaces of the waist and upper bout to work in concert with the lower bout, so that the entire top responds more fully, and all at once. Based on a symmetrical layout, I redefined the design and made the following changes: 1) created apertures in all three harmonic bars and extended them to 1CM from the periphery and left them solid for their central 10CM of length; 2) dropped the cutoff bars altogether, and extended the fans to 15MM from the periphery; 3) installed a soundhole reinforcement ring and extended the outer two fans on both sides into it; 4) used only one upper bout strut on each side, and at an angle to the top’s grain; 5) widened the bridge patch 3MM both in front and behind; 6) made both the soundhole and fingerboard supports .5MM thicker; 7) graded the fan bracing as per the plan specifications, concentrating stiffness and mass in the center, and gradually loosening toward the periphery in a symmetrical pattern; 8) scalloped the surface of the end block that meets the top so that it continued the same spatial contact of the corner blocks; and 9) while I believe these changes have both expanded and refined the design, the most crucial addition was the .5MM-thick relief pads just under the harmonic-bar openings, let in 2MM on their ends. In over twenty-six years, none of my guitars have cracked under those openings, which has been the main structural risk with earlier open-bar designs; nor do they inhibit the purpose of opening the harmonic bars in the first place. 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 April 17, 2026April 17, 2026 by Dale Phillips Restoring Tárrega’s 1888 Torres Restoring Tárrega’s 1888 Torres by Jeffrey R. Elliott from his 2004 GAL Convention lecture Originally published in American Lutherie #83, 2005 and Big Red Book of American Lutherie Volume Seven, 2015 It was a privilege and an honor to restore this 1888 Antonio de Torres classical guitar, which is the centerpiece of a wonderful collection owned by Sheldon Urlik of Los Angeles, California. Identified as SE 114 in Antonio de Torres Guitar Maker — His Life and Work by José Romanillos, this guitar has great historical significance, not only because it was made by Antonio de Torres, but because it was owned by the great guitarist, composer, and pedagogue Francisco Tárrega. Before I began any work, I consulted with luthier and historian José L. Romanillos of Guijosa, Spain, for his expertise on Torres guitars and also reread his comprehensive book, which is the primary source of the historical information that follows. In addition, I consulted with luthier John F. Mello of Berkeley, California, for his restoration experience on Torres guitars and both previous owner Elias Barreiro of New Orleans, Louisiana, and the present owner Sheldon Urlik for their knowledge of the history of this guitar. 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.
