Posted on June 15, 2026June 15, 2026 by Dale Phillips Essential Tools: Scratches and a Detail Knife Essential Tools: Scratches and a Detail Knife by Eugene Clark with Jonathon Peterson Originally published in American Lutherie #80, 2004 and Big Red Book of American lutherie Volume Seven, 2015 What are scratch tools, Eugene? Scratches are something like one-tooth saws. The square one is like a rip tooth, a paring tool like a small chisel that takes a shaving out; and the pointed one is a parting tool that separates. So, you have a pointed scratch and a chisel-shaped scratch. The latter are really just violin purfling tools. These were hand forged from nails. On some of these German scratches you can pull the blade out of the handle and you will see the unaltered point of a nail — good Swedish nails, probably. Nails made from Swedish steel were very much in demand for tools like this. 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 May 21, 2026May 22, 2026 by Dale Phillips The Megas Touch: Violin Style Purflings on Archtop Guitars The Megas Touch: Violin Style Purflings on Archtop Guitars by Jonathon Peterson Originally published in American Lutherie #104, 2010 When I was in Ted Megas’ shop a few months ago,one of the things that interested me was the way that he does his purflings and bindings. His routing setup is unique to what I have seen, as is his use of violin-style purflings on his archtop guitars. Ted agreed to let me know when he would be installing some purfling so that I could watch him work. Let’s start with a brief overview of the process. It all starts with the design and the materials you want to use. As I mentioned in our interview (AL#101) I have several bandsaws. One is a 14˝ Delta from the ’30s that is set up with a really fine 24 tpi blade just for cutting binding. For plastic bindings I buy sheets and cut my own strips. For hardwood bindings I cut my own veneers and rip them into stock for purflings and bindings. 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 May 12, 2026May 13, 2026 by Dale Phillips Meet the Maker: Rick Turner Meet the Maker: Rick Turner by Jonathon Peterson Originally published in American Lutherie #64, 2000 and Big Red Book of American Lutherie Volume Six, 2013 One of the great pleasures of my job here at the Guild is that I get to meet and talk with luthiers I’ve admired from afar. As the 1999 Healdsburg Guitar Festival was winding down, I approached Rick Turner and asked if he would be willing to be interviewed for this journal. Rick’s name will be familiar from his work with the Alembic company and the Grateful Dead; from his writing in American Lutherie, Guitar Player, and other magazines; and from his attendance at various instrument shows and conventions, including our own. I first heard him speak at the 1980 GAL Convention in San Francisco and have been a great admirer ever since. Rick graciously agreed, and we sat on the veranda outside the display hall and talked while the last tables were being folded and put away. We were the very last ones to leave. Rick spoke about the winding path of his career, the rock-and-roll world of the ’60s and ’70s, his approach to pickup and instrument design, and his current work, which includes a totally cool acoustic steel string and his Renaissance series of “amplicoustic” guitars. It was so much fun! 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 May 11, 2026May 11, 2026 by Dale Phillips Meet the Maker: Ted Megas Meet the Maker: Ted Megas by Jonathon Peterson Originally published in American Lutherie #101, 2010 Tell me about your life. Start from the beginning. I was born in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. I lived there until I was five, when my father got transferred to Buffalo, New York. He was a metallurgist at Bethlehem Steel. When you were growing up, Bethlehem was a working industrial town. It had Lehigh University, where my father graduated. That is a prestigious engineering college, and then they had the steel mill, so it was pretty industrial, but now that the steel mill is gone it is actually a really scenic place. Because it’s Bethlehem they have a Christmas festival with lots of music, and there are other things going on. I guess I was an independent kind of kid. I remember playing, and I remember getting stung by bees. I remember the house we lived in, which my father built. I have gone back to visit it, but I don’t remember too much from those years. 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 February 20, 2026February 20, 2026 by Dale Phillips Meet the Maker: David King Meet the Maker: David King by Jonathon Peterson Originally published in American Lutherie #85, 2006 David King and I have been rubbing shoulders at instrument shows for years, and I have always been a big fan of his work, but the bass he had at the last Portland Handmade Musical Instrument Exhibit was stunning. Elegant and balanced, with a flawless finish, custom hardware, active EMG pickups, an onboard tuner, and every ounce accounted for — I just had to talk with him about his lutherie life and how he made these beauties. Was it instruments first, or was it music? It was music first. There were four kids and two adults in my family, and everyone played an instrument. My dad was a political science professor at U. Mass. in Amherst; he played the piano. My eldest sister played clarinet and my next sister played viola and sang. My brother was a cellist. Eventually my dad picked up the viola, too. I started violin at age seven and carried it on until I hit college, at around twenty. Then I realized that the sound of that thing right under your ear — I think little kids can take that noise better than adults can, but I was never going to be a great violinist. (laughs) You have to draw the line. I’d always listened to classical music, and it never occurred to me that there was pop music out there, or anything else that could be taken seriously. 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.
