Posted on June 2, 2026June 11, 2026 by Dale Phillips Fitting Flamenco Pegs Fitting Flamenco Pegs by Aaron Green Originally published in American Lutherie #82, 2005 and Big Red Book of American Lutherie Volume Seven, 2015 While it is the tradition for flamenco guitars to be fitted with pegs instead of machine gears, the historical rationale was economic in the same way as was the choice of cypress for the back and sides. These days the cost difference between pegs and gears is not usually reflected in the total cost of the guitar to such an extent that a guitarist would pick one or the other based solely on their budget. It has been my observation that in the last few years, more and more guitarists are requesting pegs for their guitars. There are some very compelling reasons for using pegs: They are quicker than gears; they are lighter than gears, which can help the balance of lighter cypress-bodied guitars; and from an aesthetic point of view, pegs are hard to beat. 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: Restoring 1826 Panormo Questions: Restoring 1826 Panormo by Aaron Green and Thomas Knatt Originally published in American Lutherie #109, 2012 Dave Skye asks: I am restoring an 1826 Panormo. It has been through many hands and had many previous repairs of variable quality. When the guitar came to me, I believed it to be a working instrument, but when I strung it up, the bridge flew off revealing a gaping hole where once there had been soundboard. That is now water under the bridge and I have succeeded in repairing the soundboard. Also, in a previous repair having nothing to do with the hole under the bridge, another section of soundboard had been replaced. As you can see in the photo, it is the bass-side edge of the lower bout. It is an excellent repair structurally, but unfortunately the color of the wood is slightly lighter than the rest. Is there a way of gradually darkening this piece to match the original soundboard material? 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 July 1, 2024May 22, 2025 by Dale Phillips Letter: Passing of Carleen Hutchins Letter: Passing of Carleen Hutchins by Aaron Green Originally published in American Lutherie #100, 2009 Hi Tim, I received an e-mail from Al Carruth with the sad news that Carleen Hutchins has passed on. It happened that Al was down in my neck of the woods the other day giving us an increasingly rare opportunity to catch up in real time. As it was, we talked a lot about Carleen. I can count on one hand the number of times I spent any appreciable time in her company and all of them were inspiring. As significant as those times were for me, the first time I met Carleen stands out the most in my memory. In June of 1992 I came along with Al on a road trip to Vermillion, South Dakota, for the GAL Convention. The four days it took us to get out there were an incredible adventure for me. I had just graduated high school (I turned eighteen halfway through the trip) and I was not entirely sure what I was going to do next. By the end of the convention I knew (thanks for that!) and have tried hard since to keep on keeping on. 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.
