Guitarmaker Issue 81
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Front Cover
Elliot John-Conry
Elliot John-Conry modifies a Hofner pickup
guitar, electric; pickup; repair
From the Director
Alton Acker
Bear’s thoughts meander from spring at his shop, to Symposium 2013, to the generosity of luthier Wayne Henderson, then to the music of the Gibson Brothers. He also advocates building ukuleles as a good way to use up smaller bits of tonewood and make a little profit. With 1 photo.
Vacuum and the Guitarmaker
Sylvan Wells
Wells, who has being using vacuum in his shop for 20 years and has demonstrated its use at several symposia, provides details on vacuum jigs for lutherie. He discusses materials, methods, and sources. With 11 photos.
Making a Nut for a Gibson Les paul
Nate Clark
Clark describes his efficent method for creating a high-quality well-fitting replacement nut for a Les Paul electric. With 26 photos.
repair
Unique Projects in Lutherie
Jack Clark
Enter the twilight zone… The text in this article is from Jack Clark’s article in Issue 80 but the photos are from his article in (future) Issue 82. Bear is messing with our minds. With 7 photos from the future.
Fledgling Luthier Showcase
Jack Clark
The beautiful acoustic guitars of 20-something Eric Bashore. With 7 photos.
biography
Cigar Box Guitars
Jack Clark
A review of the book “Cigar Box Guitars.” Clark says that beautiful photography highlights the step-by-step procedures, builder profiles, and a photo gallery of finished instruments.
review
ASIA Letters
Chuck Erikson, Tom Morrissey, William Richardson, David LaPlante, Charles Fox
Chuck Erikson lays out changes of address for various operations at the Duke of Pearl. Morrissey asks if there is lutherie training available for the Veterans Administration Vocational Rehabilitation program. WWII veteran Richardson, who is an ASIA life member, shares his praise for Guitarmaker, and tells us a little bit of what he is up to at 91 years of age. David LaPlante asks ASIA to provide a flow chart for navigating CITES/Lacey Act issues. Charles Fox responds to Bear’s letter thanking him for his article “Standardization in Luthierie.” To round this issue out, Graham looks for a vintage Martin rapairperson in Jerusalem.
Adam’s Hofner Repair, Part 2
Elliot John-Conry
John-Conry continues this repair with the pickups and wiring harness. He carefully re-fits the pickups to the arched top, adds some shielding, and cleans the pots. See Issue 80 for part 1. With 17 photos.
rapair; guitar, archtop
Making a Duplicating Router
Paul Lloret
Lloret builds a duplicating carver for rough-carving archtop plates. Made with easily accessible woodworking machines, this carver may not be accurate enough for final carving, but is much cheaper than machined metal models. With 11 photos.
Engineering the Classical Guitar
Dr. Richard Shile
Dr. Shile considers acoustic guitars from an engineering perspective, performing numerous experiments to validate his models. He looks at the soundboard, the neck-body joint, and braces while building several instruments. Good material for a left-brained luthier. Shile is looking to collaborate with an established luthier to translate his technology into production instruments. With 8 photos.
Invasive Pests & Diseases Affecting North American Hardwoods
Chris Treitsch
Trietsch discusses pests affecting North American hardwoods: Asian Long-Horned Beetle, Dutch Elm Disease, Emerald Ash Borer and American Chestnut Blight. With 1 photo.
Martin Guitar uses Botanical DNA To Thwart Counterfitters
A press release announcing that Applied DNA Sciences, Inc. has been chosen by Martin Guitar to covertly mark their guitars.