Thoughts on 12-String Guitars

by Roger Alan Skipper

Originally published in American Lutherie #113, 2013

We at the Guild of American Luthiers are quite often asked about 12-string guitars: What should be done to beef up a 6-string guitar plan to make it suitable for a 12-string configuration? What have the major builders done in the past, and how successful were their efforts? What are current builders doing? To find the answers to these questions, we queried several experienced luthiers:

Dana Bourgeois of Pantheon Guitars in Lewiston, Maine ◆ Frank Ford of Gryphon Stringed Instruments in Palo Alto, California ◆ Charles Freeborn of Freeborn Guitars in Portland, Oregon ◆ David Freeman of Timeless Instruments in Tugaske, Saskatchewan ◆ Evan Gluck of New York Guitar Repair in Manhattan, New York ◆ John Greven of Greven Guitars in Portland, Oregon ◆ George Gruhn of Gruhn Guitars in Nashville, Tennessee ◆ Arnold M.J. Hennig of Elderly Instruments in Lansing, Michigan ◆ Bruce Petros of Petros Guitars in Kaukauna, Wisconsin ◆ Andy Powers of Taylor Guitars in El Cajon, California ◆ Tim Shaw of Fender Guitars in Scottsdale, Arizona ◆ Marc Silber of Marc Silber Music in Berkeley, California ◆ Robert Steinegger of Steinegger Guitars in Portland, Oregon.

Though this article is arranged as though we were having a roundtable discussion, it was assembled from individual responses; differing opinions are simply the results of varying experiences, rather than dissension.

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The Business of Lutherie, 1980

by Richard Bruné, George Gruhn, Steve Klein, Max Krimmel, and Robert Lundberg

Originally published in Guild of American Luthiers Quarterly, Volume 9, #4, 1981 and Big Red Book of American Lutherie Volume One, 2000

See also,
The Business of Lutherie, 1984 by Ted Davis, Steve Grimes, Bob Meltz, and Matt Umanov
Where Are They Now? by Tim Olsen

We luthiers who are part of the late-’60s, early-’70s lutherie boom are now witnessing a remarkable event. A generation of instrument makers is coming of age. We have heard much of late about the steadily improving quality and sophistication of our instruments, and we have seen a number of major talents emerge from the pack to achieve wide recognition and respect. As this maturation of skill develops, business ability becomes the deciding factor between failure and success.

While the discussion of business skills and theories is, in fact, the subject of this article, thoughtful readers will note that a mature attitude toward our craft is beginning to prevail. The naïve thralldom to the instrument is being replaced by a realistic understanding of our limits and abilities, and an unwillingness to suffer simply because of our love of lutherie.