Posted on July 16, 2024August 8, 2024 by Dale Phillips Beautiful Bog Oak Beautiful Bog Oak by Gary Southwell Originally published in American Lutherie #152, July 2024 Black Oak, Fenland black oak, and bog oak are all names commonly used for this remarkable timber, which is over 5,000 years old. The wood I use comes from the English East Anglian Fenlands of Norfolk and Lincolnshire. Let us start […] To access this post, you must purchase Guild Membership – United States, 2024 + 2025, Guild Membership – Canada, 2024 + 2025, Guild Membership – Outside U.S. and Canada, 2024 + 2025 or Guild Membership – Outside U.S. and Canada, 2024 + 2025 Digital Only.
Posted on June 6, 2024January 16, 2025 by Dale Phillips Questions: French Polish VS Olive Oil Questions: French Polish VS Olive Oil by Gary Southwell and Koen Padding Originally published in American Lutherie #97, 2009 Stuart Mewburn from London, England asks: A recent request for an instrument finished with olive oil prompted me to do an experiment. I took two pieces of European spruce, the same size, oil finished one and French polished the other. I used virgin olive oil, applying one layer a day with a cloth and finished the next morning with Micro-mesh. Over fifteen days it built up a lustrous finish. Over the same time I applied thirty layers of French polish to the second piece of spruce. The oiled spruce (fifteen layers) weighed 2g more than the bare wood. The French polished spruce (thirty layers) weighed 1g more than the bare wood. If these figures are multiplied up to the size of the lower bout it means that the oiled top adds 33.2g to the weight of the working part of the top and the French polish adds 16.2g. When you consider that a bridge weighs about 19g–20g that’s a significant increase in weight for the strings to drive. The experiment begs a couple of questions. Has anyone done similar tests for other guitar finishes? To what extent does the mass of the finish affect the tone of the instrument? And as an aside, how well will a finish like olive oil hold up? 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.
Posted on January 12, 2010March 7, 2024 by Dale Phillips Review: Northumbria Tuning Gears Review: Northumbria Tuning Gears Reviewed by Gary Southwell Originally published in American Lutherie #63, 2000 and Big Red Book of American Lutherie Volume Six, 2013 Northumbria Tuning Gears Doug Blake and Alan Robson www.robsontuners.com For most of us guitar makers, the only items on our instruments we do not make ourselves are the tuners. So it is an important choice for us to find something that complements our own work both in performance and aesthetics, and all at a price with which we or our clients feel comfortable. Whilst there is a plethora of cheaper massed-produced tuners, for many years there has been very little choice in the high-quality handmade range, Rodgers being regarded by many as setting the standard. So I was interested when about a year ago, Doug Blake and Alan Robson (who are Northumbria Tuning Machines) visited me with a prototype tuner they had been working on. With Doug being an experienced precision engineer and Alan a serious guitar enthusiast and amateur guitar maker, they promised to make a good team. The prototype itself had excellent styling, closely based on the Landstorfer model. It had simple, elegant plates with sharp detailed outlines, and (like the originals) no engraving, complemented by simple waisted shafts fitted with beautifully hand-turned ebony buttons that felt wonderful. I was less impressed with the inconsistent feel of the mechanism over the six strings. Also they generally felt too loose and sloppy, and not quite smooth enough. To their credit Doug and Alan took these criticisms away (with other people’s comments no doubt), and, over the span of a year, improved the feel and consistency to a point that today I consider them to be amongst the best tuners available. 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.
