Guitarmaker Issue 89

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Front Cover

Tom Monaster

Birds-eye view of the vendor area from Symposium 2013.

symposium

From the Director

Alton Acker

Acker suggests using good tonewood and raising our workmanship to match; preparing for the 2015 symposium; and thanks Jack Clark for his many Guitarmaker articles over the years.

symposium; Guitarmaker

Maintenance of a Peter Gottschall Guitar

Maurizio Cuzzolin

Cuzzolini had this unusual double-cutaway, double-soundport Gotschall guitar in his shop for a tune-up. He gives us some pictures of the soundports, bracing, and the builder’s unprecedented bridge soundports. We also get a brief understanding of what Gotschall (now deceased) was up to. With 3 photos.

sound ports guitar, steel-string

Buying Legal Tonewood

Michael Dickinson and Rob Gardner

During the 2013 symposium, Dickinson and Gardner hosted a discussion on hoops and wickets that instrument owners, luthiers, and wood suppliers need to pass through to buy and sell wood (and shell) legally. As any such discussion, this one was long and empassioned. If you are going to sell even one guitar, you will need this information—but get yourself a tall beverage before you dive into this lengthy transcription. With 7 photos.

tonewood

Goodby to the Fledgling Luthier

Jack Clark

Clark, after writing 30 Fledgling Luthier articles and building who-knows-how-many ukuleles is retiring. He will still be encouraging new luthiers through the Fledgling Luthier Showcase. With 1 photo.

Making a Nylon Nut

Nate Clark

Nylon nuts are common on vintage Gibson guitars, but nylon is more difficult to work with than bone, corian, or other harder materials. Clark takes us through the steps and tools he uses to create a new nut for a 1951 Gibson ES-175. With 19 photos.

nut; setup; repair

ASIA Letters

Mark Turner

Turner corrects the attribution for the “Guitar for Vets” article in issue 88. The author was John Reitz, not John Hall.

errata

Reflections of My First Encounter with ASIA

Tom Morrissey

As a new luthier, Morrissey shares some of his thoughts on the benefits of ASIA, especially the symposium. With 4 photos.

Fledgling Luthier Showcase

Jack Clark

Luthier Jaime Rivera’s gilded career went from hospital x-rays to garage sunbursts. You are going to have to read the article to get these puns. With 8 photos.

biography

Air Dry Lacquer

Brian Howard

Howard gives us an overview of the three basic air-dry lacquers and some tips on their application. With 2 photos.

finishing

Fledgling Luthier to Full Time Builder

Bill Brown

Brown shares a brief interview with Virginia luthier Marty Fair. With 4 photos.

biography

Electric Guitar Broken Peghead Repairs

Greg Voros

Voros, who sees more than his fair share of broken pegheads, shares his methods for repairing vintage instruments. A proper repair is not a quick or cheap one, so be forewarned. With 11 photos.

repair; guitar, electric

Chasing a Dream, the Acoustic Guitar Project

Joe Wilson

In 2012 Dave Adams founded “The Acoustic Guitar Project” to promote independent global acoustic guitar musicians with a unique proposition: nominees have one week to record an original song, live and unedited. With 7 photos from around the world.

guitar, steel-string

“ASIA is an organization where you not only grow your skills, but grow your extended family. I have met so many wonderful, knowledgeable people through this organization.” ~Michael Dickinson, Martin Guitar