Posted on July 1, 2024July 9, 2024 by Dale Phillips Letter: Fleishman and Fabio Lutherie Class Letter: Fleishman and Fabio Lutherie Class by Mike Moger Originally published in American Lutherie #68, 2001 Tim: I was sanding the top of a classical guitar recently with 600-grit paper. When I thought the job was about done, I walked out into the sunlight, held the instrument up to the light, and looked closely. I wasn’t nearly finished, and was glad for having made the trip. It reminded me of Fabio Ragghianti, the luthier who taught me to take that short walk. And of Harry Fleishman, the man who offered me the opportunity to study under him. I encourage anyone interested in becoming a better luthier to take a class. I’d built furniture for many years, and had wanted to build a guitar, but had no idea how even to begin. Books helped , but the class I took this past June in Boulder, Colorado at the Luthier’s School of the Rockies was invaluable. The school was run by Harry, with thirty years of experience in designing and building guitars. Four students worked under Fabio, an Italian luthier who has been building classical instruments for twenty years. Fabio provided the plans and the primary teaching; we used Harry’s tools. Harry looked over our shoulders and constantly added to the exchange of ideas. The rules were easy. You do your best to build a guitar that is structurally strong, with a great sound, and beautiful. Nothing is done without knowing the reason for doing it. One great benefit was to compare Harry’s modern methods and machinery to Fabio’s methods that have been used in Europe for 200 years. Fabio’s quiet patience allowed for mistakes to be made, followed by lessons on how to correct them. Harry’s energy and enthusiasm filled us with different ways to accomplish the same things. And Fabio’s French polishing demonstration alone was worth all that we’d done before it. They are more than creative and quality-driven professionals. They are great teachers, fun to be with, and willing to give us everything we could soak up during the class. So I built my guitar, and will build many more. And each time I walk out into the sun to look closely at what might be a finished job, I’ll remember the class, and thank two good men for what they gave us. PS: Harry has closed the school in Boulder. He’s now the Director of the Luthiers School International. Harry Fleishman 1533 Welter Ct. Sebastopol, CA 95472-2655 707-823-3537 guitars@fleishmaninstruments.com Fabio Ragghianti lives and works in Italy, and can be reached at raguitars@libero.it. ◆
Posted on June 21, 2019March 7, 2024 by Dale Phillips Fabio’s Excellent Nicaraguan Adventure Fabio’s Excellent Nicaraguan Adventure by Mike Moger previously published in American Lutherie #93, 2008 Fabio Ragghianti walked into the open-air market on a hot day in Jalapa, Nicaragua, to buy some fruit. He had been in town for three days, and the food he was used to eating was back in his home town of Pietrasanta, in Tuscany. A boy looking about sixteen or seventeen helped him pick out some oranges and apples, and quickly asked him in Spanish, “How much does it cost to learn how to build a guitar?” Our classical guitar building class had started nine days earlier, in February 2007. My son, Abram, was with me, and together, the three of us were to teach five eager students the finer points of building good guitars. Men and boys, and a few ladies, had stopped by the open shop every day to see us work. A local TV reporter (the only one in town) interviewed us about what we were doing, and people asked how much it would cost to buy a good guitar. Guitars had been largely absent since Nicaragua had fought the Contra-Sandinista war. The town of Jalapa, Nicaragua is located in the northern mountains, just south of Honduras. It was hit hard in the war when the Contras stationed themselves in Honduras. Jalapa stood between them and the Nicaraguan capital, Managua. 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.
