imiltoMmgalkeiPTHE ASSOCIATION OF STRINGED INSTRUMENT ARTISANS

Laminate Trimmers

David LaPlante's "Spanish Connection"

Yuri Dmitrivsky's Interview James D’A

Environmental Control In A Small Shop by Richard Mermer

Roger Sadowsky's Symposium Transcription On "How To Deal With Your Most Neurotic Customers"

and much more... The Association Of Stringed Instrument Artisans BOARD MEMBERS

If you have input, concerns or suggestions about the association, ssociation of you are welcome to contact any of the board members to discuss your ideas:

James Rickard; President mfringed 600 Wildcat Hill Road; Harwinton, CT 06791 (203) 485-9809 shop

Duane Waterman; Treasurer nstrument 1027 S. Sierra Madre; Colorado Springs, CO 80903 i (719) 473-8444 shop William Cumpiano; Secretary rtisans c/o The Luthier’s Collaborative ES 31 Campus Plaza Road; Hadley MA 01035 (413) 253-2286 work PURPOSE William Laskin; Vice-President The Association O f Stringed Instrument Artisans, a non­ 192 DuPont Street (rear); Toronto, Ontario, CANADA M5R 2E6 profit trade organization under the provisions of Section 501 (c) (416) 923-5801 work (06) o f the Internal Revenue Code, was established in 1S>88 to Roger Sadowsky; Public Relations help provide a sense o f community and professionalism to the 1600 Broadway #1000B; New York, NY 10019 field of stringed instrument making and repair. The goals o f the (212) 586-3960 association provide for but are not limited to: the establishment of a comprehensive database of resources, supplies and technical Dick Boak; Editor; Exectutive Director information; a means of providing multi-level education within c/o Church Of Art, 14 South Broad Street; Nazareth, PA 18064 the profession; assistance in marketing and promotion; health (215) 759-7100 home; (215) 759-2837 work and insurance packages at group rates; repair or service certification; an advertiser’s marketplace; and the publication of Yuri Dmitrievsky; Correspondant in Leningrad informative newsletter/joumal. Jon Natelson; Legal Advisor Annual Membership is $35.00 plus a first year processing fee of $15.00. Donations and subscriptions are not HONORARY MEMBERSHIPS deductable as charitable contributions. (Membership application on inside o f back cover) Lifetime Achievement Awards James D ’Aq u isto A.S.I.A. Bi-Monthly Newsletter #9 Mario Maccaferri Copyright © October 1990 “A.S.I.A.” Manuel Velezquez “Association of Stringed Instrument Artisans” Awards for Excellence in the Field All rights including editorial are reserved. John Monteleone No part of this journal may be reproduced in any form without written permission from the publisher. All submissions will be juried. We strongly encourage submissions from all ON THE COVER ______members, but we will not be responsible for loss or non-return of New York City luthier/repairman Roger Sadowsky pictured unsolicited photographs or manuscripts. Address all correspondence and subscriptions to-. here against his wall of satisfied customers. Note Paul Simon, Lou Reed and Billy Squier in this tiny section. Roger has personal Association Of Stringed Instrument Artisans testimonials from just about everyone. He is known fo r his 14 South Broad Street Nazareth, PA 18064 quality and his trustworthyness. A specialist in setup, his "Sadowsky" brand guitars and basses are owned by top CALL FOR ARTICLES/PHOTOS musicians: Sting, Mick Jagger & Keith Richards to name a few. Roger's Symposium '89 talk is featured in this issue. Look fo r an As a member generated publication, we greatly depend upon the submission of articles and photographs for use in our in depth interview in the next issue (# 10 ) o f Guitarmaker. Roger publications. Please do more than consider what part you can has been serving as a member o f the A.S.I. A. Board o f Directors play in the "coming to fruition" of this association. since last March. 2 The Association Of Stringed Instrument Artisans

for Elderly Instruments, he has been doing some of the best LETTERS repair work on vintage instruments in the country, and has built a number of wonderful guitars as displayed at the last Symposium BIG APPLE REBUTTAL His Brazilian Rosewood 5 Style Ukulele is extremely beautiful (too new to have made it to the Symposium). W e’ve been talking Dear Guitarmaker: about numerous exciting ideas and plans that bode well for the Thank you for your efforts in producing the best issue of future. His “new blood” will be a welcome transfusion into Guitarmaker (#8). I ’m afraid, however that I’m going to have to Schoenberg Guitars. take you to task for your absurd comment regarding next years Plans are basically to continue operation as before, working summer NAMM show: "....middle America dealerships are with C. F. Martin as the manufacturer of all Schoenberg Guitars petrified at the prospect of getting mugged and swindled in the with a unique collaboration between factory and luthier big apple.” developed by Dana and the people at Martin. We will continue As a native New Yorker who both lives and works in building instruments designed primarily for fingerstyle playing. Manhattan, I am genuinely offended by your remark. First of all, These are designs that have grown out of our love for the the convention is being held in Manhattan at the Javits Center, smaller-bodied instruments made by Martin over the years, so far one of the major conference facilities in the world. It is NOT concentrating on the OM and 12-fret 000. Sincerely, being held in Bedford-Stuyvesant in Brooklyn, or in South Bronx Eric Schoenberg where your remarks might have some legitimacy. Second, New Schoenberg Guitars York is much safer than the media portrays it to be. I personally 38 Shore Drive know more people outside of NYC who have been robbed, Concord, MA 01742 raped or otherwise been victimized by criminal elements. Third, (508) 369-2272 anyone who plays "Three Card Monty” on the streets of New York or allows themselves to be swindled in any other way is just GABRIEL BLODGETT plain dumb and deserves what they get! Fourth, we are proud of the term Big Apple, and you should have capitalized the name, as Dear Guitarmaker, it is a proper name synonymous with Manhattan! I’m a little late in responding for renewal because my second The bottom line is that traveling in any major urban center in son: Gabriel, was being born on August 7th. He and my wife, the world requires some heads up consciousness regarding Cindy are doing quite well and things are beginning to settle criminal elements and swindlers. And editing a journal requires down around here. W e’re looking forward to Symposium 91. And some heads up consciousness as well! With great respect and I’m in favor of the switch to recycled paper; great idea! Regards: affection: John Blodgett Roger Sadowsky; Professional Guitar Services 6 Lake Road 1600 Broadway; R oom 1000B Rockland, ME 04841 New York, NY 10019 (212) 586-3960 ENJOYING OUR INTERVIEWS Believe it or not, A.S.IA. B oard Member Sadowsky can be Dear Guitarmaker, seen on page 25 o f Guitarmaker #7 being happily embraced by I just wanted to add a note with my renewal check to let you the editor whose questionable comments have inspired the letter know how much I ’ve been enjoying Guitarmaker. Its quality and above. You will also fin d an article containing Roger's wisdom professionalism are getting better and better. I ’ve particularly beginning on page 13 o f this issue. been fascinated by the interviews in the last couple of issues. Elaine S. Hartstein SCHOENBERG UPDATE 57-07 225th Street Bayside, NY 11364 (212) 210-5283 days CASES ANYONE ? Guitars, Inc. Dear Guitarmaker, Dear Guitarmaker, Here's a suggestion for a topic that may be of interest to Just a quick note to inform you about the progress so far members: a review of case makers... particularly the high end with our reorganization. Schoenberg Guitars has incorporated ones. Thanks for your continuing efforts to maintain a high recently, following a split of the two owners, Eric Schoenberg quality and relevant information network. and Dana Bourgeois. Dana has accepted a position with Paul Abraham Wechter Reed Smith, designing and building acoustic-electric guitars. I 35654 32nd Street have stayed with the company and will be continuing operations Paw Paw, Ml 49079 much as before. Working with Dana has been a rewarding experience, and he is responsible for much of what our company If you would like to review case makers, correspond with us, has become. His drive and energy will be missed. or express your opinions about some of the articles or interviews As for the future, I am thrilled to say that D a n a ’s vacancy will contained in Guitarmaker, please don't hesitate to send them to: be filled by T. J. Thompson of Lansing, Michigan. T. J. has been making the beautiful pyramid bridges on Soloists all along, as A. S. I. A. Letters well as working on various other aspects of the manufacturing 14 South Broad Street and warranty repairs of Schoenberg Guitars. As head repairman Nazareth, PA 18064

3 The Association Of Stringed Instrument Artisans FOLLOW-UP TIPS

Dear Guitarmaker, Clothes Pin Modification I am writing with some suggestions regarding Michael While teaching my guitarmaking course at the P e te r ’s Valley D r e sd n e r ’s Tips column on “Calculating Neck Resets" which Craft Center in Layton, NJ (See Page 7), it once again became appeared in the *8 issue of Guitarmaker. I always find Michael’s painfully obvious that the traditional wooden clothes pins (as writing to be as helpful as it is well written. Since I have my own they are purchased) are quite unsuitable for use in gluing ribbon methods for determining how much to take off the heel of a linings, without a minor and fairly simple modification; the neck, I was fascinated to leam of a formula which could generate purpose of such modification to allow the clothes pin to clamp a number or measurement to use for this purpose. I will try it on deeper and lower down the taper of the ribbon, thus preventing the next reset I perform. the annoying “kick-out” that pulls the thin edge of the ribbon 1 disagree with Michael on his advise to readers to saw from a flush glue joint against the side. through the fretboard at the 14th fret. Most repair people that 1 know use the method of removing the next fret into the body (the 15th for a 14-fret guitar and the 13th for a 12-fret guitar, etc.) and simply drilling a 3/32" hole through the bottom of the fret slot off center so as to bypass any truss rod detailings. This method allows the repair p>erson to steam out the neck and the fingerboard integrally and has several advantages. First there is the aesthetic advantage of having the whole job completed with a minimum alteration to the instrument. Second, it provides an excellent visual reference for alignment of the neck on center. Third, some argue that sawing through the fretboard could compromise the structural integrity of the neck-to-body joint by allowing the neck to “creep” forward slightly due to an absence of connection with the fingerboard 0 d o n ’t believe this, but I felt the need to mention it). I know that some repair people slice off the heel cap in an effort to introduce steam into the neck joint (Martin does this on their neck resets), but I am not fond of this method either. Also, Michael's method of cutting through the fret board d o e s n ’t address what to do about bound fingerboards. This task can get quite messy, particularly on older guitars where the lacquer has become tinted through age. If one is careful about heating the fretboard extension and sliding the spatula only from the soundhole side to loosen the fingerboard, it is virtually impossible to determine that any work has been done to the guitar. Also, just before gluing the neck into the body, I make a very thin saw cut between the fingerboard and the front edge of the dovetail to address the issue of the “tipping” phenomenon that comes about because of the new angle of the neck. This saw cut allows the fingerboard to glue down smoothly over the body, mitigating any hump that might occur. As all repair p>eople know, performing a good neck reset is a difficult job. It requires a variety skills and judgments that, if not performed properly, could not only compromise the playability Scott Yembrick offers these tips: of the guitar, but the value of it as well. I am pleased that The dremel attachment used for cutting the binding has a Michael’s article is able to help crafts people everywhere particular cutter recommended for it. I suggest that you do not understand and appreciate this delicate operation more fully. use it. I threw mine out in disgust. Use a standard router bit Sincerely: instead. There are small ones available at your local hardware Bruce Ross; Acoustic Guitar Consultant store that work perfectly with the attachment. (See Mark Stanley’s 1148 Western Drive article about laminate trimmers on page 6. Ed.) Santa Cruz, CA 95060 If you cannot afford a jointer/planer, you might want to try a (408) 427-1819 “Safe-T-Planer”. This is a relatively inexpensive hand-held overhead planer that can remove small amounts of material from MEMBER S SPOTLIGHT ______top»s, backs, and sides. It works fairly well and is infinitely faster than planing by hand. No one sent in any biographies for the Member's Spotlight section this month, so fo r the time being, our publication has If you have tips, questions about specific techniques, clever been deprived c f the hundred or more fascinating stories about solutions to common or uncommon problems, or requests for those artisans who have not yet shared their story with us. We'd more information on a certain topic, send them in to A.S.I.A. love to hear from all of you. This space awaits ... Tips, or A.S.IA. Q & A. The Association Of Stringed Instrument Artisans

nipped staples installed on the underside of the fingerboard to VIDEOS______prevent slipping during glueup is nothing less than brilliant. The explanation of the neck fitting process was handled “BUILDING THE HERRINGBONE well, though their recommendation of a backpitch that yields a ACOUSTIC GUITAR KIT” gap of 1/8" is perhaps a bit extreme, causing the necessity of an awfully high bridge or worse yet a high saddle likely to tip over. 84 Minutes; VHS Format; Available from: 3/32" is more typically appropriate, but Stewart M acD onald’s Stewart MacDonald Guitar Shop Supply specific batch of parts might lend themselves to this dimension. 21 North Shafer Street The absence of an adjustable truss rod, in favor of the old style Athens, OH 45701 square tube reinforcement bar makes for a simpler neck assembly (614) 592-3021 and neck to body joint, but there is no explanation of pre­ stressing for string tension which is surely critical with this This video is intended for those who have purchased a approach. herringbone dreadnought guitar kit from Stewart MacDonald’s Cutting the soundhole out by hand with a utility razor knife Guitar Shop Supply Catalog, though viewing it will certainly be of after the top has been installed onto the body seems a tedious interest to anyone in our craft. I first learned about it from A.S.I.A. and unnecessary task; one that could be easily executed for the Member Keith Bowen, owner of the musical enterprise customer by the kit supplier at the point the rosette trenches are “Acoustech” in Orangeburg, NY. Keith had purchased the video circle-cut. Installing the frets off of the neck is also a controversial prior to taking the course that I was offering in guitar making this point. summer at P e te r ’s Valley Crafts Center in Layton, NJ. After hours Though there may be some minor disagreement over a few of listening to my tedious and often frustrating descriptions of the techniques of construction, the fact remains that this is an endless number of guitar related techniques, Keith suggested to instructional video for no doubt a first-timer. If one chooses to me that it might have been easier for me to simply play this video continue in the craft, there is plenty of time to formulate other in advance to my class of eight. He was right. methods and opinions. After the course was over, I came home and called my Throughout the video, Don provides helpful tips about the friends at Stewart MacDonald and ordered the video. I viewed it use and maintenance of specialty tools used in our trade; how to and made the following notes: sharpen a scraper, ways to use a chisel or a hand plane, etc.) Don The video is narrated by Don Macrostie, who demonstrates also provides an interesting mandolin solo while waiting for the clearly in the video his obvious mastery of the tools and glue to dry, and Dan Erlewine is given a rousing ovation at the techniques of the trade. Off camera background commentary is end of the video for his camera finesse and occasional offered by veteran luthier and repair expert Dan Erlewine. Dan commentary. points out and stresses those aspects of building at critical points Though this production bears little resemblance to slick in the process where errors are most likely to happen. productions of the type you may have seen on public television The process is basically a true to form representation of the (Norm Abrahms or Bob Vila productions), there is an informal Martin style of Dreadnought construction, with some necessary charm to the very direct and simple approach that the people at diversions from the luxury of having all of the jigs and fixtures Stewart MacDonald have taken with this project. As all of us in common to an experienced luthier’s shop. I was impressed by the field are learning, it is most important to capture and the well thought out, thorough and clever methods that had been standardize the most correct and efficient methods of our developed to minimize the fixturing for the kit builder. Instead of artisanry, especially the difficult and tricky jobs like fretting, neck the traditional external mold, a simple makeshift corrugated fitting, binding, etc. In doing so, much of the mystery is removed cardboard internal template (similar to the type used in violin from what in the past were quite guarded secrets. There is still construction) was utilized, and to maintain the shape, a waist plenty of room for style, evolution, and growth as in any skilled width cutout was fabricated out of plywood in a fashion identical profession, but this video in conjunction with the kit concept, to that used in dulcimer construction. The pace of the video certainly provides an excellent diving board for would-be makers moves quickly, but without skipping any pertinent details. to entrench themselves with a knowledgeable and patient teacher Naturally, if you miss something, or need to review a particular who will guide them much closer to some instantaneous level of process, it is easy to rewind and replay that topic. success a lot quicker than in the past. There are a number of tips worth noting in this video. I was impressed by the mention of using diagonal grain only, in Reviewed by the editor. fabricating a bridge plate. This is obviously to prevent bridge plate failure from splitting along the bridge pin holes; a sensible but very subtle point. Tucking bridge plates, side braces and tone bar braces into notches made in the X-brace is another nice feature; though some would disagree with tucking the bridgeplate under, since this makes subsequent removal for future repair quite difficult. An interesting and simple fixture is PARTS, TOOLS AN D suggested for putting the correct angle on the ribbon lining of the back. This involves a 4-5° tapered sanding block approximately LUTHIER'S SUPPLIES 24" in length, with rough sandpaper held at one end for flushing FOR FREE CATALOG CALL the ribbon lining as well as the front and rear blocks with sweeping motions. This is a clever approach to an often difficult and incomprehensible task. -848-2273 The use of giant rubber bands for clamping bindings was OR WRITE TO: another clever point; evolved no doubt from Irving S lo a n e ’s BOX 900Y, ATHENS, OHIO 45701 suggestion of slicing sections of rubber inner tubes. The use of The Association Of Stringed Instrument Artisans

in the guide at all times. This is unfortunate, because the Porter- TRENDS Cable 7310 base plate will accept the popular screw ring type template guide. Porter-Cable’s problem is the same, but not as The Music Distributors Association (MDA) Advisory Board bad as B o s c h ’s. They both rely on the castings of their base and Report for the 2nd Quarter of 1990 yielded the following motor housing assemblies for accuracy. The mating surfaces have interesting findings. The most saleable styles of acoustic guitars not been machined, rather simply cast. are now the moderately priced ($300-$700) acoustic-electrics, In spite of these shortcomings, the Porter-Cable 7310 is one with Dreadnought cutaways toward the top of the pack. Also of those tools that feels right in your hands. I redesigned the base decent sales of Ovation-style shallow bowl back acoustic-electrics plate and fabricated a single handle as shown in the photo. You were reported. Least saleable styles were classical guitars, can see the spindle lock button on the lower center of the motor. especially on the upper end. (A very tight professional market.) A local tool supplier quoted a price of $139 00 for the Porter- General acoustic sales were rising, up approximately 25% overall Cable 7 3 1 0 .1 purchased two 7310 laminate trimmers in March of from last year at the same time. 1990 for $109-00 each from: Electric guitars are favoring $300-$700 strat styles and T ool City inexpensive tele copies (under $300). Basic colors were the most 14136 E. Firestone Blvd. popular. Least saleable were the “bizarre” shapes, or the ones Santa Fe Springs, CA 90670 without whammy bars. Wild paint jobs are once again going out Outside CA 1(800) 423-7899; Inside CA 1 (800) 826-7819 of fashion. Electric guitar sales were stable or slightly rising from last years figures. In June of 1 99 0 ,1 discovered another firm that carries the The Iraq situation will no doubt have an impact upon 7310 at a slightly better price: available leisure time dollars, in turn having some downward Williams Tool & Hardware Supply effect upon guitar sales through next year, but often these trends 2017 White Settlement Road are very erratic and unpredictable. Economic recessions can often Fort Worth, TX 76107 cause a rise in popularity of folk, blues, and country music which 1 (800) 338-6668 tends to counterbalance the expected drops in guitar sales. Most companies and established builders are being cautious, not over spending, and in general playing it “close to the h ip ”, at least until the Iraq situation resolves itself. CHOOSING LAMINATE TRIMMERS by Mark Stanley

Recently many guitar builders have gone from full size routers to laminate trimmers for rabbeting binding ledges. The primary advantage of using a laminate trimmer is that it will usually operate at higher RPM ’s than conventional routers, thus making a smoother cut. Generally routers turn anywhere from 20.000 to 26,500 RPM’s. Laminate trimmers turn at 27,500 t o 30.000 RPM’s, but most laminate trimmers are in the 3.3 to 4.0 amp range, which is really not enough power to keep the RPM’s up while cutting a heavy rabbet through rosewood. There are new, more powerful types of laminate trimmers available. A very popular one is the 5.6 amp, 30,000 RPM Bosch Model 1608. The motor runs very cool, smooth and quiet, although the tool is not without its problems. It has a usable but somewhat sloppy thumbwheel-type vertical adjustment system. A major drawback is that the standard trimmer base is slightly out of square with the shaft. Practically speaking, if you are using a flush trim bit, the tool will cut too deep on one side, and when rotated 180°, will cut too shallow. All of the Bosch l6 0 8 ’s I ’ve examined have been built this way. According to the owner of a local tool store who sells Bosch equipment, the problem is chronic. My choice was the Porter-Cable Model 7310. This tool became available on the market in January of 1990, so you may not have seen it yet. The 7310 is rated at 5.6 amps with 30,000 RPM’s. It has an accurate thumbwheel-type vertical adjustment system, and a well designed spindle lock. It is also heavier in Porter-Cable Model 7310 with author modified base and handle. construction than the Bosch 1608. Personally, I prefer the extra stability for binding work. The chart on the next page attempts to compare vital 5.6 amps is quite powerful for a tool the size of a laminate specifications of several other popular brands and models of trimmer. I intended to use one for small template work as well, laminate trimmers. This comparison was prepared by: but the 7310 was not made accurately enough to allow the shaft Mark Stanley to remain in the center of the base when there is a change in 20903 175th Street East vertical adjustment. In other words, with a template guide Orting, WA 98360 installed, you can see that the bit is not in the center of the hole (206) 893-6451 The Association Of Stringed Instrument Artisans

LAMINATE TRIMMERS COMPARED templates for most pickup routing needs, and a small assortment of related tools of the trade. BRAND POWER SPEED WEIGHT ADJUSTMENT SPINDLt For a catalog, contact: & MODEL # IN AMPS IN RPM’s IN LBS. TYPE LOCK Larry Davis Porter-Cable WD Music Products Model 7310 5.6 30,000 3.75 thumbwheel yes 261-1 Suburban Avenue D eer Park, NY 11729 Porter-Cable Model 309 38 28,000 36 screw-type no (516) 243-2233 Porter-Cable micrometer EDUCATION UPDATE Model 310 38 27,500 3.75 ring no

Bosch THE PETER ’S VALLEY Model 1608 5.6 30,000 35 thumbwheel no GUITARMAKING COURSE Illack&Deckcr by dick boak Model 3265 4.5 27,000 3.85 thumbwheel no Toward the end of August, I packed up my tools and headed Hitachi off for P e te r ’s Valley (PV), a small but substantial crafts village Model TR-6 4.0 30,000 39 thumbwheel no near the town of Layton in the north-western corner of New Jersey. 1 had taken vacation time from my job at Martin to teach a Makita course in the basics of steel string guitarmaking to eight students 3700-B 33 28,000 3.6 sliding no who had signed up in advance and paid a tuition fee of $210.00 Ryobi and a materials fee of $350.00. In exchange, I had promised them Model TR-30U 3.8 29,000 30 sliding no eight days of hard work and an instrument strung and tuned without lacquer. For eight months prior to the start of the course, I had consternated and planned, gathered and purchased SOURCES materials, made checklists, considered logistics, and tried to do as much advance homework as possible to avoid any obvious HYDROCOTE UPDATE pitfalls or catastrophes. I was assisted by the PV master woodworker in residence, Hydrocote, the water-based lacquer system developed by David Van Hoff, who manages the well equipped workshop Eric Kasner of Hood Products and distributed in bulk on the east and makes high end commissioned furniture and beautifully coast by A.S.l.A. member Michael Dresdner, has continued in its crafted jewelry boxes. The shop was clean and ready with eight development to the extent that a product of suitable quality for workbenches. Upon arrival, I unloaded my assortment of guitars is ready for the marketplace. Michael Dresdner is not materials and tools, and eyed up my dubious situation. I really equipped to deal directly with non-wholesale customers, and as a had no idea whether I could actually pull this off, but was result has worked out a relationship with Stewart MacDonald certainly ready and excited about the challenge. Guitar Shop Supply for the distribution of Hydrocote for luthiers. Most of my students arrived the night before the start of the Stewart MacDonald has produced a video about lacquer course. We met the next morning at 9 am, and after introductions, finishing which will be reviewed in the forthcoming issue (#10) 1 began explaining my proposed schedule and handing out of “Guitarmaker”. They do intend to update that video to include materials. Since I had some extra materials, David Van Hoff Hydrocote, concurrently with the introduction of this product to decided to join in and try making a guitar himself. the instrument making community. Stay tuned for details or I was impressed by the caliper of student the course had contact: drawn. Three A.S.l.A. members had signed up. Bob Taylor of Stewart MacDonald Guitar Shop Supply Clapping Tree Instruments in Montclair, NJ (not the one from 21 North Shafer Street Taylor Guitars) is an Autoharp maker and had all the skills Athens, OH 45701 necessary to make an extraordinary instrument without my help. (6l4) 592-3021 Keith Bowen is a car restoration specialist, Finishing expert, guitar player, and Martin guitar dealer from Orangeburg, NY, He WD MUSIC PRODUCTS also had a great grasp of the basic woodworking skills necessary. Through the efforts of A.S.l.A. Board Member Roger Carl Mesrobian, a master carpenter, professional musician and Sadowsky, several major parts vendors were contacted with the aspiring archtop maker from Boston, was so adept with hand objective of having these vendors include A.S.l.A. magazine tools that he was an extreme help to others struggling with the cover sheets with membership applications in their out-going complexities of the neck to body dovetail nightmare. customer orders. This seems to be a great way of reaching Among the non-A.S.I.A. members, were Richard Frey, a local potential members and spreading the word about our publication electrical contractor and amateur guitarist who has the manual “Guitarmaker”. dexterity, common sense and patience to pull off any project that he One of the first to respond was Larry Davis of “WD Music undertakes. Barbara Levin, a social worker and guitar player from P r o d u c ts ”. In his correspondence with us, he included his New York City, was very eager to leam and had more than enough comprehensive parts catalog, which features most all varieties of dexterity and feel for woodworking to do a good job. Greg Ritter, electric guitar hardware (tremolos, bridges, lock nuts, knobs, a camera shop owner from New Brunswick, had few woodworking screws, springs, wrenches, tuning machines, pots, switches, skills, but was driven with an ambition to build a guitar for his father pickguards of every conceivable variety, nuts, saddles, pickup who is musically talented. D oug Ralt, a dentist and guitar player covers, e tc .) plus a surprising assortment of pre-routed electric from New York City, brought the obvious manual skills of his guitar and bass bodies and necks. Also offered are routing profession, though he had only a marginal experience with The Association Of Stringed Instrument Artisans

woodworking tools. Steve Jacobus, a machinist from Liberty Corners, NJ knew exactly what he wanted to do and proceeded accordingly without much need for supervision. All in all, it was a remarkably qualified groupof people. Parts were supplied in more or less a kit form; sides were pre-bent, tops were thicknessed, joined and rosetted, backs were sanded, to approx. 1/8", unjoined and supplied with a back inlay strip, necks were partially machine shaped and dovetailed to match the front block, fingerboards were slotted and tapered, braces were partially pre-shaped and ready to glue, truss rods were pre-assembled, outer bindings were pre-cut from standard boltaron, and students had the option of binding the top w ith herringbone and inlaying their Top row left to right: David Van Hoff, Doug Rail, Bob Taylor, Keith Bowen, Carl Mesrohian, Steve Jacobus. personal "logo" in mother of Bottom row left to right: Richard Frey, instructor Dick Boak, Barbie Levin, a n d Greg Ritter. pearl or abalone. The class made every attempt to adhere to the following block, so that instruments could be strung up and checked before schedule: a final commitment to glueup, but this was only marginally DAY 1: Assemble sides to front and rear blocks. successful. Some were forced to abandon the screw and glue the Install end piece and ribbon lining. neck in due to “questionable” fits. I t ’s fortunate that glue is Join bookmatchcd back to inlay strip. somewhat forgiving and that neck joints are eventually invisible. DAY 2: Begin glucup of back braces. I had anticipated fretting to be extremely difficult for Shape back braces. everyone, but it went surprisingly well thanks to .019" wire in a Fit and glue back to rim. .020" slot. We experienced some back-bowing regardless, since I Begin glucup o f top braces. h a d n ’t had the insight, time or equipment to have everyone pre­ DAY 3: Conclude glucup of top braces. stress the tension rods and re-level the fingerboards before Shape top and back braces. fretting. Facilitate glucup o f top to rim. In spite of these few problems and the incredible rush that Trim overhang and prep sand for bindings. eight days imposed upon us as a group, the success was startling DAY 4: Rout and install bindings. and the level of craftsmanship was extremely high. The Open body dovetail. experimental guitar that I made was dubbed the spruce goose Pre-fit neck to body. (spruce top, back and sides) and developed a small crack in the DAY 5: Drill headstock for tuning machines. back of the neck, but it was nothing a little cyano c o u ld n ’t Install adjustable truss rod. correct. Glue fingerboard to neck. Midway through the final day we all rushed outside with our Prepare and install frets in fingerboard. instruments into the sunlight for a group photograph. Some of DAY 6: Rough and fine shape neck. the instruments were totally playable, some were still in clamps. Final sanding of body and neck Our quick breakup and departure was anti-climactic to say the least after sharing eight consecutive 14 hour workdays... living, DAY 7: Final neck fit and glueup o f neck. Install nut. Locate bridge. Glue bridge. breathing, eating, sleeping GUITARS! The class is going to meet DAY 8: Final setup and adjustment. sometime in the late fall after the finishes have been applied. Then, a final critique and wrap-up of the experience will no String and tune. doubt happen in the midst of the social thrill of re-gathering into Discussions about finishing. a group that shared so much common intensity. Ten guitars in Because of the need to establish specific work stations, it eight days! The course was popular enough (there was a lengthy was necessary to rotate work through various processes. This waiting list) that plans are in the making for a similar course next forced amendments to the schedule and encouraged teamwork. year, though one of the jokesters in the class has been saying that In spite of having nearly 100 assorted cam clamps, we still had next years course will be titled “How To Repair the Guitar You work delays due to clamp shortages. Neck fitting was a real snag. Made Last Y ea r”! Nearly everyone had some difficulty with this. We had attempted I ’m not sure I want to do it again, but it sure was satisfying to a countersink screw attachment for the neck, through the front see the results of such a concentrated effort. 8 The Association Of Stringed Instrument Artisans

FRET SCALE CALCULATIONS ARTICLES BASED ON THE RULE OF 18 (ADJUSTED TO 17.817") ENTER DESIRED TOTAL SCALE LENGTH IN COLUMN A; LINE 8

COMPUTING ACCURATE FRET SCALES ROW A B C D E Throughout the centuries, a few methods have evolved for * SCALE" FRET' NUT-FRET" INTERVAL" BRIDGE FRET" calculating the fret positions of fretted stringed instruments. Correctly placed frets are actually only approximations of the true 8 1.0000" 1 0.05612617163383" 0.05612617163383" 0.94387382836616" notes. This tempering is done on pianos as well so that the player 9 2 0.10910219612539 0.05297602449156 0.89089780387460 10 3 0.15910487917386 0.05000268304847 0.84089512082613 can quickly switch keys and still be more or less in tune. The rule 11 4 0.20630110305140 0.04719622387754 0.79369889694859 of 18 was a reasonable method that provided a much greater 12 5 0.25084838356712 0.04454728051572 0.74915161643287 accuracy than frets placed randomly by ear, but it did have its 13 6 0.29289539577080 0.04204701220367 0.70710460422919 problems. With the rule of 18, the maker divided the desired total 14 7 0.33258247015084 0.03968707438004 0.66741752964915 scale length (without the compensation allowance factored in) by 15 8 0.37004206098258 0.03745959063174 0.62995793901741 16 9 0.40539918838997 0.03535712740738 0.59460081161002 the number 18. The result was subtracted from the original scale 17 10 0.43877185559601 0.03337266720604 0.56122814440398 length, then this new number was redivided by 18, and so on. 18 11 0.47027144275456 0.03149958715855 0.52972855724543 Gradually the divisor 18 was adjusted to 17.817 to increase 19 12 0.50000307867786 0.02973163592329 0.49999692132213 accuracy. 20 13 0.52806599170038 0.02806291302251 0.47193400829961 The following fret scale was simply programmed onto a PC 21 14 0.55455384085004 0.02648784914966 0.44544615914995 22 15 0.57955502843213 0.02500118758208 0.42044497156786 by: 23 16 0.60315299506893 0.02359796663660 0.39684700493106 John Sulir 24 17 0.62542649818006 0.02227350311113 0.37457350181993 Rudy’s Music 25 18 0.64644987483269 0.02102337665263 0.35355012516730 169 West 48th Street 26 19 0.66629328963899 0.01984341500630 0.33370671016100 New York, NY 10036 27 20 0.68502296992885 0.01872968008965 0.31497703007114 28 21 0.70270142477934 0.01767845485048 0.29729857522065 (212) 764-4286 29 22 0.71938765563867 0.01668623065932 0.28061234436132 We have chosen to show these calculations in two ways; first 30 23 0.73513735224067 0.01574969660219 0.26486264775912 we set the desired scale for an instrument with a scale length of 31 24 0.75000307866839 0.01486572642752 0.24999692133160 one unit. The three columns of numbers generated below 32 25 0.76403444878297 0.01403137011458 0.23596555121702 represent the distance from the nut to the fret (first column), the 33 26 0.77727829181025 0.01324384302727 0.22272170818974 34 27 0.78977880863069 0.01250051682043 0.21022119136930 interval between frets (second column), and the remaining 35 28 0.80157771929855 0.01179891066786 0.19642228070144 distance from the fret to the bridge. Because a scale length of one 36 29 0.81271440228118 0.01113668298262 0.18728559771881 has been used, you can use the numbers below as a universal 37 30 0.82322602588329 0.01051162360211 0.17677397411670 scale calculation by simply multiplying any number times the scale length you are trying to achieve, for example: If you would like to calculate a scale length of 25-34", multiply 25.34 times the nut to first fret factor 0.056126 (6 places FRET SCALE SPREADSHEET FORMULAS is much more than ample) to yield the actual measurement from BASED ON THE RULE OF 18 (ADJUSTED TO 17.817") the nut to the first fret, which equals 1.42223284". Repeat this ENTER DESIRED TOTAL SCALE LENGTH IN COLUMN A; LINE 8 process for as many frets as there are on your guitar to complete the scale. ROW A B c D E f SCALE- FRET NUT-FRET INTERVAL 1BRIDGE FRET For those of you who have a personal computer, drop down Q CO to the second chart which explains how you can create a 8 1.0000 1 ■ -A8/17.817 -A8C8 relatively simple spreadsheet to calculate any desired scale 9 2 -Sum(D8:D9) KA8-D8V17.817 -A8-C9 length. The second spreadsheet shows the exact formulas 10 3 -Sum(D8:D10) KA8

distinctive eastern European feature still seen on traditional THE SPANISH CONNECTION instruments such as the domra (an east european instrument by David LaPlante similar to the balalaika, but with a bowl type back). These guitars had a floating fretboard extension and a neck whose angle could be adjusted by a clock key mechanism. They also exhibited what has come to be known as the "ice cream cone” or separate heel, a feature common to many 17th and 18th century guitars regardless of origin. I had seen a number of early Martin guitars which showed various combinations of Stauffer-like features and elements of design found in much later models. It was unclear as to what influences were driving the major design changes to be seen between the late 1830’s a n d th e 1860’s when the mature form of the Martin guitar emerged. A recent restoration project, however, helped to clearly define much of what seemed to be happening in those traditional years. This was a Martin & Coupa guitar from the 1840’s which seemed to be entirely influenced (as opposed to the mixed character of others I’d seen)© by Spanish made guitars of the early nineteenth century. Here was the slipper foot neck block (although the neck was still attached, using a dovetail!), transverse braces with typical bracket reinforcements, three fan braces, a squared off Spanish style paddle shaped head with friction pegs and including two small holes drilled for a cord, this being a very common feature of early Spanish guitars. The neck also exhibited the typical Spanish heel with the extension of the back forming the heel cap in the familiar style. On the back of peghead was the raised dovetail carving so

familiar now on Martin guitars but absent from Spanish made Photography by D avid LaPlante avid D by Photography

Detail o f Torres guitar headstock dated 1892.

One of my major interests in addition to building guitars is the history of the classical guitar and the early versions of the Martin guitar. Through observations, restorations, collecting and researching the available literature, I ’ve noted a few interesting relationships between these well known types which I would like to share. Later nineteenth century Martin guitars are of special interest to the guitar maker as they, with their X-bracing, are the direct ancestors of the modern steel string guitar. They are also examples of superb craftsmanship, showing a uniformly tasteful aesthetic and fine design. This aesthetic has always been an admirable one to me, a simple square cut peghead, lovely elongated plantilla (plantilla: refers to specific shapes, sizes, templates for various guitar models) especially the smaller sizes and understated trim which always complimented and contrasted with the construction materials, enhancing and visually defining the guitars form. The earliest Martin guitars were derived from the designs of Johann Stauffer of Vienna, for whom C. F. Martin, Sr. worked as a foreman in the years before his 1833 arrival in the United States. These traverse-braced narrow waisted guitars often had the tuning machines inset into a flat scroll shaped headstock (a 10 The Association Of Stringed Instrument Artisans

Detail o f slipper foot on Martin & Coupa guitar. Martin & Coupa completed restoration. instruments since the 1850’s. Spanish guitar was being transformed by Antonio Torres into the A three ring rosette with herringbone was used, very familiar familiar form which still predominates in this latter part of the to us now, but I noticed how strikingly similar it was to one on a twentieth century. The linkage of these now diverse forms, guitar made by Manuel Narciso Gonzalez, made in 1833 ® Also through their early Spanish ancestors helps to understand and the tied bridge with pyramid ends closely resembled that used on explain their present day similarities and origins. an 1807 guitar by Manuel Munoa.© 1 can only speculate that Martin had adapted his designs BIBLIOGRAPHY Evans, Tom and Mary Ann, Guitars from the Renaissance to Rock. perhaps in response to the existing market climate or to follow Paddington Press, Ltd., 1977. pg. 50-51, 54, 235-6 the wishes of John Coupa, his guitar teacher associate whose New York studio was the main Martin outlet in the 1840’s. It is Longworth, Mike, Martin Guitars. A HLstorv. 4 Maples Press, 1988, possible, too, that he simply felt that the Spanish instrument was pgs. 2-4 superior and a better base upon which to develop his own ideas. With the dissolution of this arrangement (about 1850) some of the Romanillos, Jose L, Antonio de Torres. Guitar Maker - early Spanish features were dropped. However, many... such as H is life an d Work. Element Books, 1987 the now famous square headstock, pyramid bridge, Spanish heel Romanillos, Jose L., Catalogue ExposIclon de Gulttarras Antiguas and peghead diamond have remained and to this day have Espanolas. Provincial De Alicante, 1990 become Martin signatures. The mature Martin style shows additional influences; however, the wide flat Spanish frelboard Sharpe, A. P., The Story o f The Spanish Guitar. Clifford Essex Music was not adopted by Martin as the instruments still used the Co., Ltd., 1963, pgs. 20-22 narrower arched configuration found on his earliest instruments. Also, some northern European trim ideas were retained, the FOOTNOTES: major of which was the use of ivory bindings. (I have seen a O Evans, pg. 235-6 violin made in the late 1790’s with ivory bindings. This instrument © Romanillos, Catalogue Exposition - pg. 6 © Romanillos, Antonio Torres, pg. 45 was made in Markneukirchen, Germany, the town from which Martin emigrated.) D avid LaPlante is an avid classical guitar enthusiast, player, By the 1860’s, Martin guitars had matured into the form which they would retain for almost seventy years, until the late maker, a n d restorer. He resides in Clifton Park, New York an d 1920’s when they would undergo their final transformation into works fo r the New York State Museum in Albany. One o f his the 14 fret versions now copied world-wide. classical guitars was featured on the front and back cover of Curiously enough, it was also during the 1860’s that the early A S.I.A. *6. 11 The Association Of Stringed Instrument Artisans

use so as not to defeat the purpose. ENVIRONMENTAL CONTROL The next step is the costly one as you need to make two IN A SMALL SHOP______purchases: O the above mentioned air conditioner, and © a dehumidifier to take up unwanted moisture. I purchased these by Rich Mermer pieces of equipment from Sears as they had quite a selection to choose from, and they offered reasonable maintenance Woodcraftsmen are presented with a difficult challenge: to programs. Doing a little research prior to your purchase will maintain a low and relatively stable moisture content in their enable you to select the proper size that is needed for your shop. wood in the face of fluxuating and often high temperature and Helpful tip: purchase additional air conditioner filters that can be humidity (as is my particular case in Florida). In my discussions fitted outside of the intake vents of your air conditioner and with other luthiers and woodcraftsmen, I have found there to be dehumidifier (in addition to any filters that are placed inside the a general awareness of this problem, yet I am amazed at how few equipment) to further reduce the intake of dust. Just vacuum have developed a viable method of dealing with the situation. them off when they appear to be dusty. The solution comes no easier as most individual makers have Now, what to do with this equipment? W o n ’t it get expensive limited resources for their small shops/studios and cannot afford if I leave them on all day and night? I worried about this for a large scale and expensive environmental control measures. long time and then realized the answers to my prayers. The Surprisingly it appears that many larger operations also lack this Hunter Fan Company (2500 Frisco Avenue, Memphis, TN 38114) seemingly vital equipment. produces a programmable digital thermostat that plugs directly The following is an overview of my method of maintaining into any AC wall outlet. The air conditioner is then plugged into an acceptable shop environment, about 45% relative humidity this unit which can be programmed for up to four different times/ and 78' Fahrenheit (not bad considering that outside it usually temperatures per weekday and two different times/temperatures hovers around 85% relative humidity and 93’ Fahrenheit in the on both Saturday and Sunday. When the shop temperature summer). This is not meant to be presented as earth shattering reaches two degrees above the thermostat setting the unit turns news. It is just an explanation of the method I have chosen, on and cools the shop down to a temperature that is one degree based upon my limited finances. My 6000 cubic foot shop has below the thermostat setting. Hence the air conditioner is not been stabilized at a cost of about $800. I look at this as being a turned on all the time and the shop temperature is kept in a fairly fundamental investment that will insure the stability of my shop, narrow range (within three degrees). There is even a mechanism materials, and instruments. (As well as helping to prevent for monitoring the daily use of the air conditioner so you can instruments from coming back with serious repair problems due determine exactly how long it runs each day. All this control for to cracks. E d.) It certainly can be done less expensively by only $35.00. locating “preowned” equipment (see below). The dehumidifier has its own hydrostat/hygrostat ( I’m As my shop is located in the garage of our home, the first guessing th a t’s what it ’s called) which does not allow you a great thing I did was to put up insulation in the walls and in the ceiling. deal of control, but by referring to your shop hygrometer or This step along with the purchase of an air conditioner, is a psychrometer (every shop needs one) you should be able to find necessity if you are planning on being comfortable in your shop a hydrostat setting that will keep the relative humidity of your (not perspiring onto your wood as you sand it; a vicious cycle of shop in an acceptable range. Make sure to empty the catch raising and taking down the grain) and not paying the local utility bucket daily, unless you work out a system for it to drain company the equivalent of the national debt. If you live in automatically. Alaska, you can probably forget the air conditioner and do the Now, when my wood comes out of the drying cabinet, I opposite of everything I suggest (i.e., heater/air conditioner, d o n ’t worry about it gaining back all the moisture that has been humidifier/dehumidifier). My recommendation would be to forced out. My shop environment is manipulated so that the spend a little extra and purchase insulation with the highest “R" equilibrium moisture content of the wood should remain at an value possible. The savings in your utilities will more than make acceptable level throughout the building process. up for the added expense. For those of you in work areas with large lifting doors (two Richard Mermer, Jr. received his B.S. in Marine Science at car garages), if you d o n ’t need them for access I would Stockton State College, and his Masters Degree in Science recommend placing some sort of insulation barrier around them. Even jamming rags into openings and the placement of a heavy Education from the Florida Institute o f Technology. Richard curtain or drop cloth can be of help. Building an interior or false received basic training in instrument construction from the wall would solve the problem, yet not change the outward Roberto-Venn School o f Luthiery. He has been building and appearance of the structure. Remember to disconnect the repairing fretted instruments since 1983 having worked fo r the automatic garage door opener or you may surprise yourself one Oscar Schmidt Autoharp division o f Fretted Industries o f America day! The same practice should follow for any windows that are not needed for air conditioners or exhaust fans. I realize it hurts (Washburn) in Union, NJ (1983), and Phil Kubicki's "Guitar to block out your view of the outside world but we are Technology" in Santa Barbara, CA (1986). Richard is currently addressing environmental stability, energy conservation, and the building steel stringed acoustic guitars in his home/shop/studio. maintenance of your profit margin. Photographs o f his current instruments will be featured in the A note of caution at this point. You are sealing yourself off next issue (*1 0 ) o f Guitarmaker. He is also working as an from the outside with the hope of keeping moisture out. These same actions will seal in any contaminants. Be very careful when environmental specialist for the Florida Depiartment o f working with materials that produce toxic vapors such as Environmental Resources, Bureau o f Aquatic Preserves. He is finishing materials, cyanoacrylate glues, etc. Your choices are to happnly married to a woman named Sue and their address is: either work in another area that is better ventilated or to Richard and Sue Mermer incorporate a vent into the design of your shop. Of course the 150 Columbus Street vent will have to be sealed (and hopefully insulated) when not in Sebastian, FL 32958 The Association Of Stringed Instrument Artisans

TRANSCRIPTIONS Thanks, Dick. Hello. It ’s nice to be here at my third Symposium. I t ’s nice to be here with all of my colleagues and all ROGER SADOWSKY; of my friends, and all the people I h a v e n ’t met yet. AS TRANSCRIBED FROM HIS TALK AT Paul [Reed Smith], it ’s nice to see you be here tonight. Paul SYMPOSIUM 89 and I started having a phone relationship many years ago BEFORE phone sex became popular and we continued to have Transcription by William R. Cumpiano that relationship over the years. But Dick d id n ’t give us a break tonight, so as it ’s running late I thought instead of me talking we could all go to the College Tavern and I ’ll buy every one a beer, [laughter] Okay. The first thing I want to do is thank Dick for his untiring efforts with the Symposia. Also to thank Chris [Martin] and the C.F.Martin Company for allowing Dick to BE Dick. A few weeks ago, I asked Dick casually on the phone if there was anything I could do to help out with the Symposium He said h e ’d like me to speak on Friday night, and I said, ok. In ’85 I talked about fret jobs, and I said, “what would you like me to talk about?" and he said, “ethics and integrity in lutherie.” And I said “Dick, I thought you were my FRIEND! How could you do this to me?” What he said to me was, “I didn't know ethics and integrity in lutherie existed until I met you." I was very flattered by that, at the same time he was laying it on so thick I thought it was time to get my hip-boots out. But it was hard to say no. What I d o n ’t want to do tonight is preach or cop any type of attitude about anything. I just want to share with you how I deal with certain situations that very loosely fall under the category of ethics and integrity, and if anything just raise some questions for you to answer in your own mind in whatever way is appropriate for you. I left Dick a rambling message on his phone machine that I thought his title was wrong, and in many ways, I actually got my thoughts down in notes which were really boiling down to something like, “The Sadowsky Guide to Customer Relations,” subtitled “How to Deal with Your Most Neurotic Pain-in-the-Ass Customers." Sow e ’ll deal with a lot of that stuff. Some of you may remember an article that I wrote in ’83 for Frets Magazine, entitled "Zen and the Art of Guitar Repair,” and this was the first time I had tried to conceptualize some of these thoughts. Todd Taggart of L u th ie r’s Mercantile has been kind enough to keep that article still alive by reprinting it in his catalogue. The bottom line I was thinking about when I wrote that is that lutherie is craftsmanship, and w e ’re all aspiring craftsmen. We want to get better at that. It’s also a service business of the most basic typ>e. How willing you are to get pleasure out of serving customers is just as imp>ortant as our skills as craftsmen. Obviously, we know our clients can be very neurotic. I think Roger Sadowsky with trademarked bass neck andfretfile in one of the reasons th e y ’re so neurotic is if you look at your hand, working hard at 1600 Broadway in Manhattan. possessions, materially, th e y ’re probably more attached to their instruments than any other object they own in their life. They Symposium Co-ordionator Dick Boak's introduction: might have a comparable attachment to an automobile or Our final speaker of this of this evening is someone who something, but for the most part, th e y ’re extremely attached to also exemplifies excellence and integrity in our craft. A friend of their guitars. And then you combine that with the fact that mine for the last ten or fifteen years, I first met Roger when he historically they probably had more negative than p>ositive was working at Medley Music in Philadelphia. He was considered experiences with guitar repairmen and custom builders. At least to be one of the finest repairmen at that time. He was unhappy. in the old days: I think things are really changing in that regard. He wanted to make a change and he started talking, over the But th a t’s their history. They come into the shop and th e y ’re course of several months, about moving into New York City and really very nervous and apprehensive. quitting his job. I thought to myself how scary leaving a situation I want to give you an example of a bad experience that one like that was. How could you possibly just dive into New York of my clients just had with a shop in Southern California, as an City without knowing where your next paycheck was going to example of the kind of disasters that can occur. He brought his come from. I thought to myself that I probably wouldn't do it bass in to have a commercially available preamp installed. He myself. But Roger did it. Boy, did he do it! was quoted thirty-five dollars installation on the assumption that H e ’s very successful. H e ’s very good at what he does, you all they w o u ld n ’t have to rout a battery compartment, that there know that. L et’s give a warm welcome to Roger Sadowsky... would be room for a battery. He goes back the next week and he The Association Of Stringed Instrument Artisans picks up his bass and he found that a battery compartment had money advertising and we should look at happy customers AS been routed in his bass, and he was given a bill for seventy five our advertising. dollars. Now obviously, he was upset that he was not called and Let me give you another situation I had to deal with not too given the opportunity to choose: 1) if the battery compartment long ago. This gentleman I would say is probably as busy as any should be routed in his instrument and 2) where it should have studio guitarist in New York right now, mostly a lot of jingle work been placed. And he w o u ld n ’t have chosen to put the battery and record dates. 1 finished a Strat-style guitar that 1 thought compartment where the shop had chosen to put it. He might interest him so when it was finished I gave him a call and complained to the proprietor. The proprietor got very defensive, invited him to check it out. This makes me think, if I can digress and just said “we do good w o r k ”. There was no communication for one second, of something Paul Reed Smith had told me years going on. So, this client of mine stopped payment on his check ago which really stuck with me. I had asked him about his guitars when he got home and then decided what would be fair in the and I remember him saying that whether they were Strats or situation was send a check for the original thirty-five dollars that Gibsons or whether they were hybrids, he very succinctly said, “I he had contracted for and not pay the balance. make my guitar. Either you love them or you d o n ’t. If you love 1 them, you should buy them; if you d o n ’t, you should get "Doctors get paid something else.” That made a very big impression on me. It's one th a t’s always stayed with me, so I called Ira and said, “why d o n ’t i whether you live or die... you try the guitar, and if you like it you like it, and if you d o n ’t ...we only get paid if we produce results you don ’t." So he came in and tried it. He insisted that he be and the customer’s happy." given the opportunity to take it into the studio and try it out and I said absolutely. I gave it to him for twenty four hours and he used it and he came back and said he absolutely must have it. And What he got instead was a summons to appear in Small then this gentleman, being who he was, asked me to do about Claims Court. Then he called me and asked me if I would write three hundred dollars of additional custom work on the him a letter in defense of his position on this end of the problem. instrument gratis, but I wanted him to have this guitar. That was a difficult one for me. I respectfully declined to write his About a month later he calls me and he tells me he c a n ’t use letter for two reasons: one, I was sure he would win in Small the guitar any more. I says, “wh a t’s the matter?” He says the Claims Court, I said you d o n ’t need my letter. Number 2,1 didn't engineers complain it's not as warm-sounding as his old previous want to antagonize another repairman on the coast who was main ax. So what am I to do? I mean, I can buy the guitar back obviously a little nuts to begin with... especially if h e ’s going to from him: th a t’s one p>ossibility. I can tell him to go to hell. T h a t’s take a customer to Small Claims Court over forty dollars. another possibility. A month later I run into this guy in the street. Believe it or What I thought might work, and that was worth a shot is the not, he lost in Small Claims Court. He had to pay the full seventy- neck... it was a map>le neck. He was complaining it w a sn ’t warm five dollars. And I felt so guilty because I d id n ’t write him a letter, enough. So I thought the only shot I had in winning in this that I offered him seventy-five dollars worth of free work [chuckles] at my shop the next time he had the chance to bring his instrument in, which he took advantage of the next day. [all *B7(ptic Woods Company laugh] Department GT Box 532 Sicklerville, NJ 08081 But I think the bottom line of this whole thing is that for seventy-five dollars you c a n ’t buy more effective advertising than I earned in terms of word-of-mouth with this guy by the gesture that I offered. Conversely, hundreds of dollars of advertising c a n ’t undo the negative stuff that comes from taking a customer to Small Claims Court over forty dollars. Phone (609) 728-5555 (800) GIDWANI (For Orders Only) "I think happy Telex: 9102507962 FAX: (609) 728-6262

and dissatisfied customers MANUFACTURERS, IMPORTERS & DISTRIBUTERS OF are best viewed MUSICAL INSTRUMENT WOODS as good and bad advertising." * I & MOTHER OF PEARL INLAYS Specializing in Fingerboards (Ebony & Rosewood) T h e r e ’s no doubt, that given what we do, we have a very Rosewood Backs & Sides (Ebony & Rosewood) difficult time. Our work not only has to sound good, it has to ) look good, it has to feel good. Doctors get p>aid whether you live Peghead Veneers (Ebony & Rosewood) or die. And dentists get paid whether he saves your tooth or not. Flamed Maple, Birdseye Maple, Lawyers get paid whether your jury decides y o u ’re guilty or & Rock Maple Body Blanks innocent. We only get paid if we produce results and the customer's happy. Most Sizes Are In Stock. I think it ’s really important to realize that your clients are ALWAYS talking about you to their friends and fellow musicians. Inquiries For Custom Sizes Are Welcome. In essence, it is a totally word-of-mouth business. Whenever anyone has work done on their guitars, or picks up an instrument Satisfaction Guaranteed Or Your Money Back. that anyone of you has built, you can bet that th e y ’re running home to talk to their friends about it. So th a t’s the bottom line. 1 think happy and dissatisfied customers are best viewed as good Please Write For Our Price List and bad advertising. 1 think most of us d o n ’t sp>end a lot of 14 The Association Of Stringed Instrument Artisans situation was to try to reneck it with a rosewood neck and hope What I want to look at now, though, is how can we avoid that that would warm the sound up a bit. So I told him I’d like to having unhappy customers at all? One of the first things that we reneck it. His altitude was not, will it make a difference, or will it all have to do is give the person confidence when they come into give me what I want. His only attitude was, "how much is it going the shop. As I said in the beginning, they tended to historically to cost me?" I said, “do n ’t worry how much it ’s going to cost you, have had a lot of bad experiences with guitar shops. The just let me take care of it.” So I renecked it with a rosewood neck important thing is for the player to trust you. Assure him that you and when I had the neck ready I called him and told him to bring d o n ’t want to waste his money. Let him know that you d o n ’t want in the instrument and I put on the neck and he came to pick it him to invest more money in his instrument than the instrument up, and again he said, “wh a t’s this gonna cost? W h a t’s this gonna is worth. And let him know that you understand how he feels, cost?” I said, “if you like this neck, it won't cost you anything.” and that you promise to take good care of it. The implication was there: if you d o n ’t like it, I'm going to charge I ’ve had six service calls on my refrigerator in the last four you a lot. (all laugh] months. During the last four months every service call has been an opportunity for me to remember what most of my customers "I win because I have probably feel like when they come in the shop. I think it ’s good for all of us to connect with situations WE go through that a very busy, successful guitar player probably are very similar to how our customers feel. saying nice things about me Another thing is you have to talk to your people whether and my instrument." th e y ’re commissioning you to build an instrument or bringing in something for repair, for customizing: you have to talk with them until you're crystal clear what they want. If your customer is The bottom line is it all worked out. He was very happy. It unsure about what he wants, then it ’s premature for you to do the wound up costing me about an extra two to three hundred job. If th e y ’re not sure what kind of guitar they want you to make dollars in parts and materials. But again, it was a win-win for them, tell them to go out to the stores and play as many situation: he wins cause h e ’s got a guitar now that he uses every guitars as they can and come back to you in a few weeks with a day and is his main ax. I win because I have a very busy, clearer idea. Same thing with customizing work: if they come in successful guitar player saying nice things about me and my and sa y ,”I want a different sound,” but they c a n ’t articulate the instrument. But I think the question you have to ask is... when he kind of sound they're looking for, how can you give them first called and told me the instrument w a sn ’t working, I got anything? So, go out, listen to some pickups, listen to some REALLY irritated. I mean, I really wanted to tell this guy to take a fr ie n d ’s pickups, find out what Seymour Duncan humbucker hike. It was like, “I gave you twenty chances not to buy this your friend has in the bridge position that he likes so much. Have guitar. Why are you doing this to me?” But again, the bottom line them get a lot more specific. is, what is it going to cost you to have an unhappy customer? But does this mean we all have to be wimps when it comes to these types of guys? We d o n ’t. There are certain things I just "If your customer is unsure have no tolerance for with customers. One of which is customers about what he wants, then it ’s premature asking me to reduce my price. When a customer asks me to for you to do the job." reduce my price, I usually will say something like, “my reputation is for being good at what I do, not for being cheap. If you want cheap there are lots of other shops that you can go to." That Another thing with feel factors: so many customers are not aware the basic string tension differences between a [Fender! "There are certain things scale length versus a Les Paul scale length. Have them do dieir homework. You can help steer them in the right direction so ey 1 just have no tolerance for can do their homework efficiently. with customers. One of which Fretwire size: another very common problem. I leame my is customers asking me lesson on this one about nine years ago. I had a customer come in with a Strat with original small frets on it and he neede a to reduce my price." * I refret. During that time about 90% of all my customers W'1 sma frets were moving up to jumbos. I basically told ^im l^al' e . hadn't given any thought to fretwire size at all when he came in. usually handles it right away. I’m also willing to decline doing a job ifl just d o n ’t like the person, or his guitar. This is a tough one I discovered just by experience, in eighteen years of it, that every time I have just a bad feeling about an instrument or a bad feeling FREE about a customer, it always turns out to be a nightmare. I’m not ’ going to elaborate too much on it, just to say, “trust your gut.” If you get a real uncomfortable feeling about a person, that h e ’s CATALOGS, going to be impossible to please, or just... whatever, d o n ’t get involved with it. It's that simple. If you look at an instrument and INSTRUMENTS ' t e r ™ you get the feeling this is going to be a can of worms, if I start * Lp's, Tapes & CD’s doing a thirty-five dollar job on this it ’s going to turn into a two- * Books & Videos hundred dollar nightmare, d o n ’t get into it. It's that simple. P.0. BOX 14210 I have to add that it ’s easier to say these things when y o u ’re LANSING, ML 48901 * Electric Instruments « Accessories making a living. When I was putting a hundred bucks a week in (517)372-7890 my pocket and living in Manhattan it might not have been as easy outside U.S. to turn things away. I still think I did from the beginning. Just NEW'USED-VINTAGE trust your guts, th a t’s all I can say on that one. The Association Of Stringed Instrument Artisans

Primarily out of my conversation, he decided to try jumbo frets. really w a sn ’t significantly a better guitar than it was before he He picked up his guitar and a week later he gave me a call. He brought it in. was miserable. He could just not get used to the feel of these T h a t’s when I started focusing in on the acoustic quality of jumbo frets. So 1 refretted it back again to small frets at no charge, the wood, even in solid-body guitars. You can tell very quickly but the lesson I learned from this one was unless the customer how good an instrument is. There are a few good ones out there knows that they want to change to something else, give them and there are a few terrible ones out there, and there are lots of what th e y ’re used to. D o n ’t try to change it. If THEY know they average mediocre ones out there. Y o u ’ve got to walk a bit of a want to change, great. Whatever the fretwire size th a t’s on their fine line here. It ’s absolutely appropriate to say to someone, “you guitar, match it as closely as possible. know, I think y o u ’d be better off looking for a better instrument rather than putting all this money into the one y o u ’ve got.” "Does it make sense to put six hundred dollars worth of customizing "The good vintage guitars into a four hundred dollar guitar?" are too expensive to begin with and anything that you do to customize them Another factor th a t’s very important is knowing whether undermines or destroys their value." what the customer wants can be achieved in the most cost- efficient manner? Does it make sense to put six hundred dollars Given the reality of the vintage market now, I’m becoming worth of customizing into a four hundred dollar guitar? I ’ve never increasingly reluctant to modify vintage instruments. Ten years felt comfortable doing that. There are times that it could be really ago a lot of my work involved people buying the best old Strat or easy just to do it. But I ’ve always refused to do that. I t ’s a matter Jazz Bass they could find, then bringing it in for fretwork, of cost-of-customizing versus value-of-the-instrument. Most shielding, custom electronics and everything. It was a good way, customizing never translates into any increased resale value of ten years ago, to end up with a decent instrument. Today it the instrument. So, the only value of the work is the increased d o e s n ’t make any sense. The good vintage guitars are too usefulness to players as a tool for expressing themselves. I ’ve expensive to begin with and anything that you do to customize always felt a responsibility to not allow my customers to put more them undermines or destroys their value. So I think it ’s time to money into an instrument than the instrument was worth. An take a different approach with that, and the approach I have now example is a Floyd Rose installation. I c a n ’t install a Floyd Rose is, if th e y ’re GENUINE vintage instruments, and I mean real (with an average retail price of about $185) and do a countersunk vintage pieces, I w o n ’t do anything much more than a setup or installation for less than three-hundred and fifty dollars. The fix a high fret or whatever—just the minimum to keep them customer can go out and buy a pretty nice Ibanez with a licensed rolling along in totally original condition. I t ’s difficult with the Floyd for $4-500. It doesn't make any sense. guitar market. Most other things... cars, whatever, there are all So I have a hard time recommending that people do that, sort of legitimate ways to restore things and have them still be especially if it ’s a guitar that th e y ’re already familiar with, put a Floyd on the guitar, it ’s going to sound different, it ’s going to feel NOW BACK IN PRINT different. Again, it's going to be a huge can of worms. For the Irving Sloane's most part, I find myself doing fewer Floyd Rose retrofits and STEEL STRING GUITAR CONSTRUCTION recommending that people BUY instruments with factory- installed Floyds.

"If the customer is n ’t committed to the instrument I’m not going to get involved in serious work on it."

Another thing I discovered a long time ago is that I can make a good instrument a very good instrument, and I c a n ’t make a poor instrument a good instrument. Again, you have to walk a tightrope, in terms of YOUR assessment of the instrument versus the c u s t o m e r ’s assessment of the instrument. When I have someone in the shop and th e y ’re looking to put some serious plus a complete library o f books money into an instrument, what I try to do is get a sense of what pertaining to the instrument making field their relationship is with the instrument. Before I pass any judgment on the instrument at all, it ’s “where are you at about including: this guitar? Is this your main ax? Is there something out there that Classic Guitar Construction by Irving Sloane you would like better than this? If the customer is n ’t committed to Guitar Repair by Irving Sloane the instrument I’m not going to get involved in serious work on Steel String Guitar Construction & Repair by D. R. Young it. I ’ll tell them th e y ’re better off taking the money th e y ’re willing to spend on the customizing, take the value of the instrument and The Manual of Guitar Technology by Franz Jahnel put that into a new guitar, rather than put all this money into a and many more titles from: guitar th e y ’re really not that attached to. Again, it all went back to a situation about ten years ago where a guy brought me this Strat THE BOLD STRUMMER, LTD. and I did a fret job and I shielded the electronics and I put a new #1 Webb Road • Westport, CT 06880 bridge on it, and I put new pickups in. My work was good, but it

■ 16 The Association Of Stringed Instrument Artisans authentic. Somehow the vintage market has gotten wired up so make a decision without the customer being there, no problem: that the only thing th a t’s authentic is something that has not been you can always change a low action to a high action, whatever. touched, by human hands. There's no room to do reasonable But you c a n ’t undo a battery compartment that y o u ’ve routed. So restoration work and still have them be vintage pieces. If y o u ’re if you c a n ’t undo it, make sure you talk to the customer first. going to do anything, make sure you keep all the old parts. Give Most people d o n ’t realize that th e r e ’s a gestalt to the them back to the customer. I think you have to run people instrument. The instrument is greater than the sum of it ’s parts through, "are you a player, or are you a collector? If you're a So, if you change the body, or you change the neck, it ’s not the collector, take your instrument, stick in under y o u ’re bed, look at same instrument. Even with a simple renecking, y o u ’re asking the it every once in a while and fondle it, but that's it.” T h a t’s all you customer to spend $300-$400 with no way to predict what the can do in today's market and have the instrument retain it ’s value. end result is going to be. It may be good, but it ’s going to be If th e y ’re a player, then they have to decide, is this an instrument different from the instrument that he left you with. If the they think th e y ’re going to want to hold on to for a long time and customer wants a new neck or a new body, I suggest it ’s time to use it as a professional tool? If a player decides to use it as a tool, look for an entire new instrument. Find one you like and buy it. he has that right, if he wants to spend $5000 for an old Strat and D o n ’t give customers too many choices. All it does is confuse then have you take a router to it, he does have that right. Then them and make them crazy. Y o u ’re laughing... I’m sure out of YOU have the right to accept or decline whether you want to do experience. Three choices and they start to short-circuit. that to the instrument as well. [laughter] I consider it our professional responsibility to come up with two choices for them. My recommendation is, do A or B. I "If y o u ’re going to do anything, think the more you leave C out, the happier everyone will be. I ’ve noticed that no matter how loyal your customers are, no make sure you keep ail the old parts. matter how happy you think they are, no matter how well y o u ’ve Give them back to the customer." taken care of them, th e y ’re always going to hop around to other shops. D o n ’t get bummed out when you find out that th e y ’ve been doing that. T h e r e ’s an irresistible urge just to check out If you take in a job from a customer, estimate it very what the other guys are doing. I used to think I could earn loyalty completely. I t ’s always better to over-estimate and charge from customers. It seems to be an imp>ossible task: they're always someone less when the repair is done or when the instrument is going to hop around to other shop». completed, than to call someone and have to raise an estimate. Or, estimate with a high-low range. “If it goes real easy, it ’ll be a hundred bucks; if it goes as hard as they ever are, it ’ll be a "Most people d o n ’t realize hundred-fifty bucks.” Give yourself a little room. Discuss all possible contingencies that might arise, like whether or not that t h e r e ’s a gestalt something might need a battery compartment routed in it, and to their instrument. with separate estimates: "It will be thirty five dollars if it d o e s n ’t The instrument is greater need a battery compartment and it will be seventy five dollars if it does, and if it does, where would you like the battery than the sum of i t ’s parts." compartment?” Quote accurate delivery time especially on repair work. D o n ’t bad mouth your competition. If a guitar comes in that Y o u ’re dealing with pieople who in many cases are making a someone else has done a less-than-satisfactory job on, it ’s ok to living with their instrument. Keeping your word about when a say “if I ’d have gotten it first, I would have done it this way,” job will be done is essential to your reputation. It ’s okay to without saying, "he did it wrong" or “he did it lo u s y ”. Similarly, charge extra for rush work. Everybody else does: the photo you have to be careful when you refer people to your finisher does it. If you need something done next day or same competitors. I love to be able to refer people to my colleagues day, you have to pay for it. We have the right to do the same. out there who I know do certain things better than I do. But at If then the customer is not satisfied, you have to ask yourself, the same time, there are times where I have to refer people to “did you communicate with him effectively? Did you give him other people where I’m not sure of their work. I think if you false expectations? Are you blaming the customer for your work make a referral, you have to be willing to stake your reputation not being as good as it should be?” on the person y o u ’re referring them to. D o n ’t do anything irreversible to an instrument without a D o n ’t gossip about your clients. I ’ve discovered by reverse customers consent. Anything you can undo, fine. If you have to gossip that one of the things that a lot of my customers like when they come into my shop is that I d o n ’t have a lot of chatter going on about what th e y ’re doing. T h e r e ’s a difference between being GERMAN SPRUCE GUITAR TOPS cordial and friendly and being nosy about p > e o p le ’s business. I ’ve • Selected Best "la" Quality • heard second hand that pieople appreciate the fact that I d o n ’t do • "Bearclaw" (bazelficbte") Grain • that, so I’m just passing it on to you, it seems to be something that • Limited Supply: S I25-00 Per Set • they like. Lastly, d o n ’t cop an attitude about young, p>oor guitar MESQUITE Guitar Back & Side Sets players. They can be the next Mark Knopflers. T h a t’s all I have to • F lam e G rain • say. If any one of you has an incredible p»in-in-the-ass customer • EXTREMELY Limited Supply $80.00 P er Set • that you c a n ’t deal with, then we can talk about it tomorrow. G ood night. Ikmanw SMo [applause] p. o. box 1031, puunene, bawaii 96784 telephone and fa x (808) 244-9486 Roger Sadowsky is a member of theA.S.lA. Board o f Directors. His address and phone number appear on the inside front cover. The Association Of Stringed Instrument Artisans

three years ago I bought myself a carving machine, which saves a AN INTERVIEW WITH LOT of time. The other way was very, very difficult. It’s like a JAMES D ’AQUISTO pantograph. I have a template, and it traces the template and carves it. (The First o f Three Parts) YURI: John Monteleone showed me his. Interviewed by Yuri Dmitrievsky on l2/3/89 D’AQUISTO: T h a t’s right. Naturally, I d o n ’t bring it down to precise, definite measurements, I leave extra because then I can Transcribed by William Cumpiano carve the top* and backs the way I want the sound to be. I can control the sound by carving certain ways: by making the backs arch more or less, by making the tops the same way. I never make the same thicknesses on any guitars. They always vary. Because you never have the same piece of wood, so you c a n ’t do the same thing to every piece of wood. Like the violin makers, they make everything exactly the same: two millimeters, three... everything for each violin is the same, but it s h o u ld n ’t be that way. According to the grain, the density of the wood, the weight of the wood, it should be carved accordingly. This way you can control the sound. YURI: And what do you use for this, logic or intuition? D’AQUISTO: I t ’s more or less logic. Common sense. A piece of w ood can't be the same, it ’s like a human being. We all look the same but each character is different. Wood is the same way. Each piece has its own character. If you have four pieces of spruce, each piece of spruce, even if it ’s cut from the same tree, is going to respond differently. So you c a n ’t do the same thing to this piece of spruce as y o u ’re doing to this one, as y o u ’re doing to THIS one. Each one has to be treated completely different. The only thing you have as a template, is the shape of the guitar, the sides of the guitar: th a t’s a definite. But as far as the measurements, the arch, all that is variable. Everything.

"...it’s like a human being. We all look the same but each character is different. W ood is the same way. Each piece has its own character."

YURI: But can you tell me, for example, how does thickness depend on say, the grain of spruce? D’AQUISTO: That also has to vary. The type of grain, THIS grain— you may find a piece of wood, even though the grain may be far apart, that piece of wood may still be dense, may be a Jim D'Aquisto with "Elite" model in his Long Island studio. heavy piece of wood. Do you understand? So, you would carve it thinner. Because it has the strength. Then you may have another D'AQUISTO: [Examining the hand-made strings on a classic piece of wood with the grain far apart, which is very porous, a guitar made by a Muscovite luthier which Yuri brought] ...but light piece of wood. So you c a n ’t carve it the same way. There are over here, they d o n ’t make them right. They use plain nylon. And no specific measurements. What IS definite is the shape: thick in that d o e s n ’t give good sustain, good quality. It gives a terrible, the center, thinning on the ends, so that it vibrates on the ends, terrible sound. THIS is the way the string should be made. But we like a bell. Understand? That stays the same. That is your c a n ’t get anyone here to do it this way. No one here can do it this template. But the individual measurements always vary. They way. It's really something, I’m telling you. I ’ve been telling them always vary according to the weight. to make it this way, and they say, "oh, Jimmy we h a v e n ’t got the If I were to give you definite measurements, that w o u ld n ’t be equipment, the machinery”, but they have everything here they right because y o u ’ll make all the guitars the same way, and some need. would sound very good, some w o u ld n ’t sound good at all, and YURI: We just need material and we could do it. y o u ’d say, “I did the same thing to that as to this, so why d o n ’t D’AQUISTO: Sure. T h a i’s right. These strings are fine. This is they sound the same?” The wood is completely different. Even fantastic. This is the way it should be. The workmanship, and though it ’s the same TYPE of wood. Maple, spruce, it has to be especially since you have no help, everyone has to do everything treated completely different. Forget what you did with the last themselves, th a t’s fantastic. guitar, and you do something completely new with this guitar, YURI: We have very poor tools and we make due. because the weight, the wood, everything is different. The D ’AQ U IS T O : You make all the tools yourself. I know. You see, character is different. up until three years ago, I used to carve all the tops and backs by YURI: And to what degree can you predict the sound when you hand, with a hammer and chisel, and then with a plane. And just have wood... The Association Of Stringed Instrument Artisans

D'AQUISTO: Well, there are two things that are important that get a warmer sound. So you can control the tone th a t’s coming nobody ever realizes. They talk about one thing, and th a t’s out of the instrument—even after it ’s been completed. sound. But th e r e ’s also tone. Sound and tone are two different If the player says, “I want to hear more warmth, more things: the sound could be the volume. The tone is the warmth, mellowness in the instrument," Very simple: just by applying or the color of the sound. The tone and the sound can be controlled reducing the pressure, up or down. You can change that by on an archtop instrument. Even after the instrument is completed, lengthening or shortening the strings. you can still change the sound of the guitar. See this kind of All these things are variable on an archtop. guitar? [points to the classic] you c a n ’t change it. You can only go T h a t’s why the instrument is a very versatile instrument, but one way. If you were to go inside of this guitar, and shave the braces, it ’s tone would only get deeper in quality. See? The denser the braces, the faster the vibrations, the more treble you get out of the instrument. The slower the vibrations (which means with thinner braces), naturally you get lower tones. So this instrument, once it ’s set, you c a n ’t really change it. The highs are the hardest thing to get out of this type of instrument. The clarity. The bottom is easier to get. The highs are difficult to get.

"The tone and the sound can be controlled on an archtop instrument. Even after the instrument is completed..."

With an archtop, the highs are always there first. The treble is always there from the beginning. The bass of the instrument takes time to build up. As the instrument ages and the wood becomes looser and more free, then the warmth and bottom of the instrument begin to come out. That happens with all instruments. As they age, they get warmer-sounding. They get mellow-sounding. Now, with the archtop instrument you have a movable bridge and you have the tailpiece. This makes the string tension on the guitar a variable. By lengthening the tailpiece, or shortening the tailpiece, you can change the tension on the strings. Say you have a long cable which is stretched across a river. Now the cable is brought up to the tightest tension possible If someone were to walk across the cable would be very taught, but flexible, very flexible: the longer the cable the more flexible it is. Now you take the same cable and you put it across a small area, and you brought it up to the same tension it was across the wide river, the cable would be very stiff. You could walk across it and it w o u ld n ’t move. The same thing happens to the strings.

"By lengthening the tailpiece, or shortening the tailpiece, you can change the tension on the strings."

The longer the strings the more flexible they are. The shorter you make them, the tighter. The tightness brings the treble. The looseness brings the bottom, the low end. So with the archtop guitar, you can lengthen or shorten the string by changing the different lengths of the tailpiece. Now, its an arched instrument, so the neck sits at an angle, and the bridge is pushing on the top of the guitar. This [points to Y u ri’s classic] is pulling on the top. The archtop has pushing pressure on it ’s top. The tighter you push on the top, the faster the vibrations: y o u ’re muting the guitar. Y o u ’re forcing the top to vibrate but Highly unusual D'Aquisto "Avante Guarde" art-deco model, the y o u ’re putting pressure on it. So the highs are coming out. The prototype of which was commissioned by California collector top is vibrating faster. Now, if that tailpiece were to be raised, Hank Pisan, featuring unique scroll cut headstock, rod plate y o u ’d be taking pressure off the top. Now the top would be cover, tailpiece, pickguard, and non-traditional elongated oval breathing more freely, and the bottom would come out. Y o u ’d "f" holes...(perhaps more appropriately called "o" holes). fj ip$jj | The Association Of Stringed Instrument Artisans nobody realizes this. I think that it should be made to be played makes a different instrument every time. And never repeat. classically too, because the projection is much better in this D’AQUISTO: Right. It’s very frustrating the other way. You instrument. yourself know this that after a while the people who buy the The sound coming out of the soundhole is like the water guitars begin to hold you back because they want the same guitar coming out of a round hose. The water comes out, and falls over and over and over again. So th e r e ’s no time to develop short: the same with the sound. Now, if you take that hose, and something new. Sometimes, I just get frustrated, and 1 say, look, I you squeeze it, now the water travels further, with more power. have to do something new because I’m getting terribly bored Now it ’s projecting, now it ’s travelling much further. with doing the same thing again and again. T h e r e ’s always room All these things are variable with the archtop instrument. I’m for improvement. Constantly. And I have to do it to keep myself trying to make it an instrument that would be played strictly interested in what I’m doing. acoustically. Not just an electric guitar, th a t’s something different. But the archtop guitar can be played where they can play "...to hear what the guitar sounds like classical music on it. If it ’s made properly, with a proper neck, with the proper string pressure, and the projection— it would without the amplifier: the mellowness, the push this instrument so that it can be played solo, and it would clarity, the sustain, the beauty and warmth travel much further with nylon strings. Every time music is written o f the instrument..." on the classic guitar, the music is written around the orchestra. The guitar plays, and then the orchestra plays. If they played together, y o u ’d never hear the guitar. But with the archtop, like YURI: Breaking away. I think that it can only work for extremely the violin, the sound would be able to cut through the orchestra. creative people. I t ’s made for that purpose. You could write music for this D’AQUISTO: Right! instrument and the orchestra playing together, not being YURI: Artists can very rarely reject the ease of delivering what separate, or solo. their customers want. D’AQUISTO: That's right. The customers can hold you back. If "The sound com ing out of the soundhole the masses controlled everything there w o u ld n ’t be any is like the water coming out Prokofiev, or Tchaikowsky. T h e y ’d be playing the same nonsense over and over again [chuckles]. There has to be something of a round hose.... if you take that hose, constantly new... or someone constantly leading us into it, or we and you squeeze it, keep repeating the same thing over and over again. now the water travels further, YURI: And at the same time, I believe that the most difficult of all possible instruments to make is the archtop guitar. with more power." D’AQUISTO: It is very difficult. It’s so variable. You c a n ’t predict anything. I ’ve got it down to a science where the instrument IS YURI: In all jazz orchestras, the guitarists played archlop guitars without amplifiers. D’AQUISTO: The jazz guitars? Well, that goes back fifty years, with Gibson. You see, Gibson started with the idea of the archtop instrument to be played acoustically. They d id n ’t think of it amplified. So the instrument was made to project: the way I’m talking with the "P holes, taken from the violin. But somewhere along the line, someone changed everything by adding the electric pickup. It was the downfall of the acoustic idea. The electric completely destroyed that whole thought of the acoustic, and the f-hole, archtop guitar. Now what I’m trying to do is bring the archtop back, where the guitarists start playing again... you see, th e y ’ve arrived at a point where the electric guitar is just a lot of frustrating noise. T They want to hear the warmth of a guitar. They d o n ’t want to hear the amplifier any more. They want to hear what the guitar sounds like without the amplifier: the mellowness, the clarity, the sustain, the beauty and warmth of the instrument—which is so important. And I am trying to bring that back now. Like they did fifty years ago, with the guitar before it got completely changed, you see? NEW 216 PAGE CATALOG-HANDBOOK FOR LUTHIERS : The amplifier is good for particular things. They have to play with a saxophone or trumpet quartet, and as a solo instrument, ■ ARTICLES, AND THOROUGH PRODUCT DESCRIPTIONS they need the amplification. ■ FINEST WOODS AVAILABLE ■ EXQUISITE TOOLS YURI: I think that Jim Hall recorded without a pickup. ■ TIME TESTED FINISHING SUPPLIES D’AQUISTO: Yes, th a t’s right. I’m making Jim a new guitar. I have ■ BOOKS, PLANS, COMPLETE SUPPLIES FOR THE LUTHIER a new design now for the guitar. I ’ll show you a picture. I also SEND $10.00 (S7 REBATE WITH ORDER) TO: make this with f-holes. I have no pictures of that. You can have P.O. BOX 774 ■ 412 MOORE LANE ■ HEALDSBURG, CA 95448 ■ USA those pictures. TEL: 1-800 477-4437/ (707) 433-1823 ■ F A X (707) 433-8802 YURI: Thank you. Once I read an interview with you in Guitar (FREE BROCHURE/PRICE LIST AVAILABLE) Player, and in it you said that you have a lot of ideas about how to develop archtops, and you are one of those luthiers who The Association Of Stringed Instrument Artisans

predictable, because there are certain things that are definite. I always tell the people who buy the guitar that the guitar will take time to develop, it w o n ’t happen right away. The guitar can take six months to a year before it begins to open up and sound well. And I say someday y o u ’ll be playing the guitar and all of a sudden y o u ’ll simply hear the guitar, just like a door was opened, where the sound, the volume will grow, instantly. And many people have called and said, “Jimmy, I was playing the guitar and all of a sudden it felt like someone opened a door and I heard everything.” And I say, “the more you play it, the faster that will happen.” The minute you d o n ’t play it, and neglect it, it ’ll begin to tighten up again. It goes back and stays tight again. Then it ’s subject to all the climate conditions: the hot, the cold, everything happens. But if you play it constantly, move it, vibrate it, then those changes w o n ’t be so drastic. T h e y ’ll just be very slight.

"...y o u ’ll be playing the guitar and all of a sudden y o u ’ll simply hear the guitar, just like a door was opened..."

I t ’s the same with the violin: if you d o n ’t constantly play it, it ’ll tighten up. It could crack. It could do so many things. It has to be played constantly. The archtop is the closest thing to a violin or a cello. The guitar is a plectrum instrument, and the others have to be bowed, and have a soundpost. The soundpost vibrates the top and back at the same time. But with the archtop guitar, the back is a resonator. Even that [points at Y u ri’s guitar). You hit the string, the top vibrates, then the air inside of the guitar moves and hits the back. The back is the resonator. It forces the sound out of the guitar. You put the back against you, tight, and you play, you choke the guitar. The sound w o n ’t come out. It needs that back to resonate, to push the sound, or air, out of the guitar. So how sensitive you make that back is just as important as Above, instruments in progress... ribboned gu itar rims sit in the top. T h a t’s why I can look at a piece of wood and see a beautifully fabricated maple molds. Necks, fingerboards, and bent beautiful grain, but I know the piece of wood is too tight and if sides on workbench. Below, Jim leveling frets. Note how orderly the the person that wants the guitar wants something mellow, I c a n ’t files, chisels and back saws are organized in Jim's tool rack . give him that beautiful piece of wood because it ’s so tight, the grains are very tight, the wood is going to vibrate very fast, at a very fast pace and only project the highs of the sound. So I would prefer a piece of wood not that good, flame-wise or anything, wide grain, very loose, very light, and th a t’d be what I’d use for that person. So h e ’s more interested in the sound than the beauty of the guitar. All these things are very important. So that back is just as important as the top, exactly the same. YURI: Do you tune the back and top to a particular pitch? D’AQUISTO: No. 1 d o n ’t go by a note. I d o n ’t tune the instrument. When you tune the instrument, y o u ’re causing a problem for yourself. When you tune the instrument to an A, or any note, it becomes a sympathetic note. So when you hit that note on the instrument, it'll overtone. The whole instrument vibrates and kills that note, it becomes a dead spot. It w o n ’t vibrate. It’s like with a glass: if you hit a certain vibration and the glass

m The Association Of Stringed Instrument Artisans finally reaches the vibration that it resonates to, it'll explode. The action, I just make different sizes, variable thicknesses, by same thing with an instrument. You shouldn’t tune it. You changing the piece of wood. 1 make it out of ebony. All my s h o u ld n ’t tune them the same. I only feel the sensitivity, I balance bridges are made of ebony. So I give them varying thicknesses, the back on my fingers and I hit it, and feel the sensitivity: how four or five pieces, so it fits underneath and the saddle extends, loose it's vibrating. I’ll h it it an d I’ll feel it with my finger: how far this way. it's vibrating. Very lightly, I ’ll hit it and then I take my finger and YURI: You were the first to make the tailpiece of ebony... I ’ll run it across and see how far the vibration are carrying. If it D'AQUISTO: Yes, I copied it from the violin. With the metal travels to a certain point and then stops, I carve it more to loosen tailpiece, you get an unwanted overtone. The tailpiece can it up more, and I feel it again. So you could call it “toning” or vibrate to a G, or an A, which is wrong. With the ebony it just "tuning” it, but I d o n ’t tune it to a particular note. I never do that. holds the strings, and d o e s n ’t vibrate the same way that the piece No. T h a t’s very bad. of metal does. There are certain things that the violin school teaches you, YURI: But it transfers the sound anyway. What is the difference? that are a r e n ’t right. Not at all. I always say that if Stradivari, D’AQUISTO: It’s tremendous. I t ’s lighter so it takes weight off the Guarneri or Amati were alive today they would be the innovators. guitar. You see, every time they put decorations on the guitar, it They would be doing something completely different. The takes sound from it. All the pearl, all the unnecessary things that people who follow what they THINK they did are holding every are put on the instrument. When you have to cut and take wood one back. It shouldn’t be that way. It should not be that way, with definite measurements and tuning. All that is not right. YURI: Your point is that you judge everything according to the sound. What is your criteria, aside from what the customer wants? D’AQUISTO: Oh, I guess, to get the fullest response possible from the instrument. The customer tells me what he wants, but then I forget that. Then I think of just what is best for that instrument. How can I get THIS instrument to vibrate and to play at its fullest. T h a t’s all I think about. THAT instrument. I may have five or six instruments waiting to be worked on. But when I pick The Martin ___ up one instrument, I work only on that instrument. I d o n ’t do the Guitar Company H I ' same thing to any of those instruments. Everything is different. offers a wide selection They may look alike, but th a t’s as far as it goes. T h e y ’re all of rare imported and domestic exotic^ hardwoods, plus guitar S \ a variable, but the one point that I try to reach is this most sensitive parts, guitar kits. gMH point in any one of those guitars, to get the fullest and best construction and sounds. repair books, and « ''65- Instrument making \ *• supplies. Catalog "How can I get THIS instrument available upon to vibrate and to play at its fullest. request. T h a t’s all I think about."

Then, after the guitar is completed and lacquered, I have to string it up. I have to make a bridge. Each bridge is made custom for each guitar. I may make one bridge to be long, another to be short. I may make a bridge wide, another narrow. It all depends how sensitive that guitar is. The bridge transfers the sounds of the strings to the top, so that makes it a very important point. If I Woodworker s Dream want more warmth or more treble to come out of the guitar, I P.O. Box 329 • Nazareth. Pennsylvania 18064 make the bridge longer or shorter or wider or narrower. The call toll free 1-800-247-6931 longer the bridge the more lows I get out of it. The smaller the in Pennsylvania dial 1-800-633-2060 bridge the more top end. Everyone thinks the opposite. If I make a big fat bridge, like this, I get all the bottom out of the guitar, all the depth. If I make a little thin bridge, I get all the treble. 1 make some bridges triangle shaped. The bass is triangled. I make the wide end at the bass side and the narrow point at the treble side. This way I get balance between them. A.S.I.A. AD RATES And now I've made something new called the “tone bar.” I put it between... see, the bridges are adjustable. They have Ad rates and sizes for inclusion in A.S.I.A. publications have pinwheels to raise and lower. Now what I ’ve done is place a been established. Members in good standing may deduct 20% piece of wood in between... I ’ll show you. H e r e ’s the bridge. (x .8) from the rates listed below. You may submit your printer Here are the wheels. Here are the pinscrews, inside, (draws) This ready artwork (or calling cards) to "A.S.I.A. Ads". We will provide is like a cutaway drawing. These are the pinwheels. H e r e ’s the assistance in preparing members ads at no extra charge. Sizes are base. Okay? It’s curved. I lore are the pinscrews. I place a piece of as follows: wood here in between the bridge and the top, so that this saddle rests on the base of the bridge. So the strings now contact... Full Page: 7.25" x 9 7 5"...... $200.00 th e r e ’s no space here any more. It's a solid bridge now, so this One/Half Page: 3 5" x 9.75" or 7.25" x 4.25" ...... $105.00 carries the sound directly from the strings right to the guitar. With One/Quarter Page: 3-5" x 4.75" vertical only...... $55 00 no space in between. Now if you want to raise or lower the One/Eighth Page: 3-5" x 2.25" horizontal on ly ...... $30.00 The Association Of Stringed Instrument Artisans out to replace it with a decoration, y o u ’re taking away the sound. have ordered a guitar like this. So I’m happy, very happy about it. So the least amount of decoration you can put on the guitar... that YURI: About D’Angelico, do you think he gave you something should be sufficient. No more than that. besides the craftsmanship... something human as a teacher... as a The D’Angelico guitars... I worked with John D’Angelico for guru w e ’d say? thirteen years. After he died, I continued and so I had a good D ’AQ U IS T O : Yes. Because John had very good ideas himself. basis, a good idea of what had to be done. But then after a When he first started making guitars in 1932 he was a violin certain period of time, you know it becomes a burden. It holds maker. He was studying and making violins with a very fine you back. It keeps you from doing your own ideas, because you Italian violin maker who was bom in this country. His family was keep following the same thoughts, the same ideas... everything in instrument making. Not violins. His uncle was making guitars, the same. People would say, “I want you to make me a the old style Italian classical mandolins with the belly, He was D’Angelico guitar,” and after a while it became very frustrating. I making flat top steel-string guitars in this country. The basics finally had to stop. With every guitar I made people would say, were there. He had the talent and ability. His father was a tailor. "oh, th a t’s a D’Angelico. And I would have to say, “no, it ’s a My grandfather was a tailor. My father was a machinist, a tool- D'Aquisto." I had my name on the top, but they automatically and-die maker. Very fine work. So John and I had the same kind assumed that it was a D’Angelico. So I changed it completely: of background; people that were using their hands, and people gave it a new headpiece... though it's still similar in many ways. who had the mentality to do this kind of fine work, people with Now at least they know what my guitars look like and they know good ideas. a D’Angelico. I have people now copying what I ’ve done: my soundholes, my headpiece a little bit... ebony tailpieces, "So John and I had the same kind of everything. YURI: Ten years ago, I tried to make a drawing from a photo of background; people that were using their Jim Hall with your guitar... hands, and people who had the mentality to D'AQUISTO: Oh... y e s... do this kind of fine work..."

"With every guitar I made When John started in 1932 he copied the Gibson L -5 ,1932 people would say, “oh, th a t’s a D’Angelico. model. He had only made a few violins, but he liked the guitar. And I would have to say, He liked the idea of making arch top guitars. So he took the L-5 and copied everything: the soundholes, the headpiece, tailpiece, “no, i t ’s a D’Aquisto.” exactly. Everything. He made the guitar for, I d o n ’t know, five years, maybe more, and then he started to get ideas about his YURI: I copied everything, your f-holes... own headpiece, changing the f-holes, and the tailpiece. As he D’AQUISTO: [laughing] They all do that. I remember when John worked on the guitar he became frustrated because it looked so Monteleone first started to make guitars, he brought his first much like the L-5, and he wanted people to see HIS ideas. So he guitar to me and asked me many questions: how do you do this, started making his own designs. About 1935-36, he started to how do you do that... he copied many things. I told John, make the new styles. Then little by little, from that style, he had “people will look at the guitar and th ey ’ll sa y ,'it’s a D ’Aq u isto ’,” the Excel model, the New Yorker, then he had Style A, Style B, he and I said, “you d o n ’t want to hear that, you want to hear ' it ’s a had all different styles, each for a price. Some had a lot of Monteleone’. So start designing things for yourself, do your own decorations, some had little decoration. And he charged ideas and concepts." accordingly: the New Yorker was the most expensive, the Excel YURI: H e ’s still very close to your designs. was next-to-the-most expensive, then the Style B was less D ’AQ U IS T O : Well, I appreciate that very much. I feel very expensive and Style A was the least expensive guitar, with the appreciative that he respects me for that. I have nothing against least trimmings. He made those for almost twenty years. Finally it, its okay. he eliminated the A and the B and he made only the Excel and YURI: They all say that y o u ’re great. All of them. the New Yorker. I started to work for John D'Angelico in 1953.1 D ’AQ U IS T O : Well, I appreciate it. But, th a t’s why I did this new was seventeen years old. model. Because I feel I have to start doing things again to get me away from the tradition. I d o n ’t like to keep doing the traditional "I started to work for John D'Angelico in over and over again. I have MORE ideas in my head for different things. So, little by little, I have someone who says “yeah, Jimmy, 1953.1 was seventeen years old." I’m interested in your ideas: I ’ll buy that guitar.” So I make the guitar with all the new concepts, like this, and they buy them. It YURI: Why did you come to him? How did you meet him? gives me the chance, like a composer, or an artist. If h e ’s got D ’AQU ISTO: I w asn ’t a very good student in school. Not that I good ideas and s o m e o n e ’s interested in buying that piece they was making trouble or delinquent, none of that. But school was say, “all right, I ’ll pay for it, do it.” And so they can do their new so boring for me. I d id n ’t understand everything, I was into ideas and concepts. T h a t’s what I did with this. classical music, I liked to go to the museum... and the school YURI: And Jim Hall will have one like this. seemed so unnecessary to me: adding, subtracting. History was D'AQUISTO: I’m making one now for Jim like this. He's going to the most interesting thing for m e... and geography, to see around use it strictly for acoustic playing. the world. But all the other things to me were... unnecessary. I YURI: Does anyone else have one of these? would gaze out the window and daydream constantly. Finally, in D’AQUISTO: I made just one. Just this guitar. This g u it a r ’s in San high school, my teacher told my father and mother, “take him out Francisco now. I have already many people writing from all over of school because h e ’s not a good student, he d o e s n ’t want to the world that are interested in this now. They saw the picture in bother with the work.” I was about fifteen, sixteen, and they took Guitar Player magazine and they said, " I ’m very interested in me out of school and I got a job, I got a regular job on Wall Street getting this guitar, could you please send me a picture," so now in the stock exchange. I was a runner, an errand-boy. But my I’m sending them pictures of what it looks like. So far two people father, who as I said was a tool and die maker made models as a The Association Of Stringed Instrument Artisans hobby: bridges, motor boats and things like that. I was the same thirty or thirty five years old, I was seventeen. So he worked for way: aeroplanes... so I use to do model building. John until the Second World War broke out. He came back 1945, YURI: Me also! 1 started model building airplanes also. and he had already been working for John for about ten or D’AQUISTO: The craft. It continues from when y o u ’re young, all twelve years. But there were certain things on the guitar he d id n ’t the way: it ’s all a matter of having the patience to do all these fine do. He didn ’t do all the fine things that John did: the carving of things. That's what I tell people: all this is to me is model the tops and backs, the braces, setting the braces in the guitar, building. I t ’s all the same, even as far as making garments. We putting the neck on the guitar. All these things, he d id n ’t do. He would make fine tailors, too. It's just a mentality: it ’s just the way was making the fingerboards, cutting the necks out, putting the it works. Fine hands and the patience to do these fine things. bindings on the headpiece, making pickguards. And that was all. What ever it could be. So I started to do the work he did. He showed me many I was playing the guitar. I was going for guitar lessons. I had things, how to do HIS work. How to make the fingerboards, how a friend, and we would play together every couple of days. I to do the binding. And then some things John would show me, d id n ’t know him that well, but we were starting to get to be good that Jimmy d id n ’t do, 1 started to learn all these other things: I friends. I had a very cheap guitar. It only cost about twenty watched him set the braces in the arch top, carve the back and dollars, and he had a Gibson guitar. I was amazed. Oh, what a top. And I used to ask him many questions and he would tell me. beautiful instrument! So he says, “some day, when you have the Jimmy w a sn ’t interested in doing those things, just doing the time, I ’ll take you to a place in New York where they make the heavy work, that was all. best guitar in the world,” he says. “To see the finest guitarmaker in the world.” It was D’Angelico. I d id n ’t know who he was. So "John was very depressed, very down. one day we got on the train and we went to New York and I met And I got mad at him: I said, D’Angelico. He was just finishing a brand new New Yorker: beautiful neck, natural finish, a gorgeous guitar, a big guitar... it “we can DO it! " was on a Saturday. So he says, “would you like to play the guitar?” I said yes. So I sat down and he puts the guitar in my And finally, about 1958-59, there was a terrible accident. hands. 1 played it. It was amazing. Unbelievable. The sound!... Something happened to the building we were in and we had to and so nice to play. So I just fell in love with the place and with move out. So Jimmy and John had very bad words. And John him. He was a very fine man. With his friends he was very close. threw Jimmy out. He got rid of Jimmy, and John had no place to With strange people or people who d id n ’t have the mentality to work. And I c o u ld n ’t work with John; the place was closed up. understand him, he had very little patience. He would throw We w e r e n ’t making any guitars, so I had to go out and make a them out immediately. If he liked you, then you were welcome. living. I started to play the guitar in the night clubs. John did nothing. He was sitting at home doing nothing at all. Finally, I got "Most of the time, I stayed very frustrated, because I d id n ’t like playing the clubs. 1 d id n ’t like that kind of life. It was terrible. I was playing all kinds of with my hand on my elbow music. I just d id n ’t like the music. It was terrible. and I watched D'Angelico work." YURI: For how long? D’AQUISTO: For about six months or so. John w a sn ’t doing anything, and I got very frustrated, I wanted to make guitars So I went home, and I told my mother and father about the again. So I called Jimmy DiSerio. He was already working for place, told my father about this fantastic place, so interesting and Favilla Guitars. They made flat-top guitars like Martin, and I everything. So I used to go back every once and a while to go asked Jimmy if he could give me a job working there, so I could visit him. earn some money. He surprised me. I used to drive him home YURI: You lived in New York? after work, and Jimmy used to drink a lot, and I used to drive him D’AQUISTO: I lived in Brooklyn. 1 used to come on the train, home. He was often intoxicated. We had been good friends. But over the bridge into Manhattan. I was bom in Brooklyn. But he refused me. He said, “no, were not hiring anybody, we d o n ’t when I went home that day, I saw my cheap guitar, and I saw all need anyone.” He made me feel terrible. After working for him the things he had on his guitar. I had to put them on my guitar. I such a long time. He said, “why d o n ’t you go and bother John?" I took it apart, and I made things for it. I started making a new felt terrible. So I went to see John. pickguard, and new electric controls... my father made me a special box with his machinery so 1 could put the controls on the D ’Arm o n d inside the box. I made a bridge of my own. I took "...h e died in his sleep. Which is good. these things to John, and he saw how good I was with my hands, Because he was a very good man." that I could work with the instruments very well. Then he asked me if I wanted to work for him. So I said, “Oooh sure! I’d love John was very depressed, very down. And I got mad at him: that.” I said, “we can DO it! We can find a place and you make the So I started to work for him. I had been working in the stock guitars again and I ’ll help you.” He was very depressed. So finally exchange, so this was fantastic, I could now work for him. The we found a little empty store and we worked it out: we took all money was nothing, but I d id n ’t care about the money: I was the machinery from the old building and brought it to the new living with my parents and everything was fine. And 1 started place and set it all up, and John started to work again. I got him with him, watching. Most of the time 1 stayed with my hand on working again. So now, it was just him and me alone, and I my elbow and I watched D'Angelico work. Constantly. worked with him for six years until he died. 1964. Working with He had another pierson working for him. His name was Jimmy him alone, I learned many more things, because now I started to DiSerio. He was a very fine craftsman also. Very fine craftsman. do things that I d id n ’t do before. Now I was doing J o h n ’s work. It He did all the rough and heavy work for John: cutting the necks was VERY interesting, because I was working with John. out and doing the binding on the headpieces and things like that. John was getting sick, and he c o u ld n ’t work very well, so I But he also started with John when HE was very young. But he was doing a lot of his work. A lot of his work. Finally, he died in was much older than me. Jimmy was, back in those days, he was 1964. He had a heart attack, a terrible severe heart attack, he died 24 The Association Of Stringed Instrument Artisans in his sleep. Which is good. Because he was a very good man. YURI: And after that...? THE LIGHTER SIDE D'AQUISTO: |a long pause! ...well, anyway...[another long pause} [with an unsteady voice)...after he... like I said, we helped each AUGUSTE CLODPOLLE: other... he was that kind of person. [Composing himself] So, anyway, after a few months he died. I A French Master was terribly afraid: I d id n ’t know what to do. So...[long pause! by Louis (Ludomir) Grakelcik So after maybe three or four months, the family said he wanted me to have the place. He said that it was mine. But he d id n ’t leave it in a will. So I said okay. I ’ll take the place, so the family gave it to me for practically nothing, like three thousand American dollars, which was nothing. All the machinery, even the string business. He was selling D’Angelico guitar strings. In those days, the siring business was doing very well... maybe thirty-five thousand dollars a year. I had no way of knowing this. So I was already married. I got married 1956.1 was already working for John for almost five years. I had two children when he died. The third was just born, and he died. So I w a sn ’t making very much money, perhaps sixty-five or seventy dollars a week in those days. Everyone else was making a hundred fifty dollars a week, so I was below standard making a living. I had to continue playing the guitar in the night clubs and working in D’An gelico’s at the same time. I had two jobs: I used to work all night, sleep a couple of hours and then go to work in the morning at J o h n ’s. So it was very hard for me. Very hard.

The opinions exfiressed in GUTTARMAKER Interviews do not necessarily represent the opinions o f A.S.IA. We invite opposing opinions to these interviews ,and about any other topics that our membership feels might be pertinent to ourfield. To follow-up or contribute to GUTTARMAKER, please send your ideas inwriting to us at A.S.IA.; 14 South H road Street, Nazareth, PA 18064

JOBS WANTED/OFFERED

Kevin Raitcn is an experienced woodworker and carver who is seeking a job in musical instrument making. His desire is to work making guitars and basses. To date he has little experience with instruments, aside from a sincere desire to learn. It is the sad truth that, though we have come to call our chosen Kevin Raitcn pursuit by its French name, "la lutherie,” yet we have all but ignored Box 409; Crossroad the contributions of that great nation to the art and science of Surry ME 04684 instrument construction. Indeed, apart from the unassailable (207) 667-6658 reputation of the Parisian violin- and bow-makers, there is but a single luthier, the estimable Bouchet, whose name springs readily to Wayne Bolt and Jiiti Dalla I’alu are setting up to produce the lips of the American maker. So it is with pleasure that I see now electric guitars and are interested in an employee that is a resurgence of interest, thanks largely to his recently published thoroughly familiar with electric guitar making. autobiography,® in the work of the late banjo theorist Auguste Contact Wayne or Jim at: Clodpolle. Bolt Guitars The emergence at this point of scholarly work on Clodpolle is Allentown, PA certain to create a stir in lutherie, and not only because of the (215) 799-5231 revolutionary nature of his theories. Never a timid nor a temperate man, Clodpolle was a product of a profoundly nationalistic era in I am looking for a skilled guitarmaker to assist me in French history. His dignity and studied demeanor (some would say, building steel string and classical guitars, and to perform a “pomposity” and “ped an try”) earned him as many detractors as modest amount of work at E uphonon Co., a mail order luthier followers (his many rivals profited unfairly by this very fact). Thus materials supplier. I seek a mature responsible person, college it is that, though I applaud Mr. K a y n o r’s excellent translation, I feel degree preferred, sufficiently skilled to construct a guitar at least that I must temper Clodpolle’s views, somewhat, with fact: present, equal in craftsmanship to a Martin. Contact Walter Lipton at: if you will, an apology, lest the entire work be dismissed as so much Euphonon, Co. rubbish. Box 100 Clodpolle began his musical career as, of all things, a prodigy Orford, NH on the cello. So he affirms ® and so much is readily verifiable.® It (603) 353-4882 was in Baltimore, while on a concert tour of the Eastern United States The Association Of Stringed Instrument Artisans

in 1887 that he first heard the instrument that was to become his make his well-known drinking habit tax-deductible. I should state lifelong obsession: the banjo.© This event marks the turning point in his defense that such uncompromising standards caused his shop in his career, he purchased a banjo the very next day, and by the time overhead to be very high indeed, and in any event, he could not he returned to Paris, was proficient enough to begin concertizing. possibly have saved any money in this way. Within eight months he was the leading virtuoso on the continent, Clodpolle was a connoisseur of fine wines, renowned for his and had played before the cream of society in every major European capacity. He viewed mere water as “an inferior substance, lacking in capital.® It must have been at this time that Clodpolle fell prey to the esprit, unsuitable for drinking. It is not a beverage at all!"* This view “tinkerer’s bug," that odd ailment which is at once the bane and the led him to begin soaking his banjo heads in wine, a process which abiding love of the banjoist. he said improved the tone, Indeed, by choice of vintage, he claimed Auguste Clodpolle fell to “tinkering” with abandon. There was to exercise great control over tonal characteristics: no aspect of the b a n jo ’s construction or setup that escaped his "Almost any white wine of quality will sufficefor the attention; and whatsoever came under his attention was subject to banjo, although one must always consider the desired experimentation. Before long, he had opened an atelier on the Rue e ffe c t . The dry and light vintage, such as a good Chablis, d ’Hy v ily , where he built many experimental banjos and banjo-like produces a bright ringing tone which is perfectly delicious. instruments. He also began to publish his findings, and sometimes The fuller-bodied and sweeter wine, such as a fine mere speculation in the guise of findings, in any journal that would Chateau d ’Yquem , b y virtue o f its weight, will give a tone publish them. The public listened; the public adored; the public which is s o f t and intimate, saved from cloying by the crystalline deposits of sugars le f t on the surface, which flocked to Clodpolle's flagstaff as lend a brilliance. “... lemmings to the sea. And as public acclaim grew, so grew Clodpolle’s Clodpolle recommended Champagne “for a sparkling tone,” vision. His writings soon took on the '■H and cautioned that red wines must be scrupulously avoided. character of diatribes. j: "I myself prefer a good dry Bordeaux, though rather He came to view the banjo as an jj!; * • • •'«.# than use an inferior year, afin e white Bourgogne is much extension of French nationalism. And to be preferred. “ " how could so noble an instrument be anything BUT French? Clodpolle ’ ’ • J' * ( Ironically, considering the m a ste r ’s refined tastes, his most claimed, in 1894, that he had traced ‘..v , • popular and successful innovation in this regard involved soaking the b a n jo ’s origin to the Ysdre ?-v. the head not in fine wine, but in beer; a process he recommended / • 1? Valley.® The basis of this assertion, . . . . . for “la musique proletaire.”12 This is no doubt due to the *;• .• . '3%, d-,v..V ^ apparently, was an ambiguous pre- preponderance at the time of popular songs for banjo, and the Roman figurine, or rather fragment waning of the delicate classical parlor music which had theretofore ify'-'.-.jP ’ which he saw at the Mairie des Rosiers been all the rage. As much frustration as Clodpolle must have fell at (where he had gone to lake the cure • 'is*' the success of his "Tu-borg-phone," how much greater was his after a period of rather high living), The Desrosiers Fragment consternation to see this development snatched up by imitators, (Approx, half scale.) and which, as Clodpolle wrote, most notably a large American company, all of whom far exceeded “could be nothing but a personage playing the banjo.” This theory, Clodpolle himself in financial gain. His suit in 1919 against the absurd as it seems, became Clodpolle's pet. He elaborated upon it offending company wasunsuccessful, because Clodpolle was unable until he could reconcile it to indisputable historical fact. The banjo, to establish any similarity between his instruments and theirs.15 The said Clodpolle, native to Alpine France, had been carried to North suit nearly ruined him, and it marks the beginning of the final chapter Africa by deserters from Hannibal’s army, and had travelled thence in his life. His faith in the public broken, Clodpolle gradually to West Africa and eventually the New World.® withdrew from public life. Gone were the articles and That Clodpolle could propound so unlikely a theory has cast pronouncements; Clodpolle now jealously guarded his discoveries. some suspicion upon his motives: did he believe it or did he not? In He continued to work, and took on several apprentices, who recall the former case, he would seem a fool; in the latter, a charlatan. Not him as a broken man, declining in health, bitter and resentful of the to defame the man, I feel that it is a case of the will to believe being world. stronger than the power to reason. At any rate, such was the By the time he died, penniless and forgotten, in 1932, th e intellectual climate in France that th is theory found ready adherents, b a n jo ’s vogue on the continent had also passed away. Perhaps it is and considerable controversy developed over fine details. It was at not too late to rekindle the flame he so zealously tended. this point that the solid community of banjo enthusiasts behind Clodpolle began to splinter away. Numerous schisms developed as FOOTNOTES TO: “AUGUSTE CLODPOLLE: A FRENCH MASTER" former disciples took issue with one or another of the m a ste r ’s 1. Auguste Clodpolle: Autobiography, by Auguste Clodpolle, translated and with notes by D. A. Kaynor. Squamugget; University Press, 1989- 978 pp. Originally teachings. Now, whenever Clodpolle published an article, abusive published as: "Considerations Sur la Vie D*un; Maitre de Peau de Veau (Calfskin)," E ditoriale V entchaud (Hot Air), Paris, 1928 refutations would immediately appear. Clodpolle must have been 2. Ibid, p.32 profoundly hurt by the attacks of these ingrates, yet he continued to 3. N ew York Herald, 27 O ctober, 1887, p.21. "Mr. Claude-Paul isic.1 o f Paris to O ffer Recital T h is Evening," b y Amalthea Soon e. experiment and to write. To be sure, he showed no forbearance 4. Clodpolle/Kaynor, op.cit., p.40 5. A. Clodpolle. M6thodc Scicntifique et Concise pour le Bandeau. towards his detractors: his was a contentious nature. Editoriale Palmes et Lauriers (Palms & Laurels), Paris 1890, intro., p.ix Clodpolle’s attempts to “frank ify” the banjo did not stop at a liberal 6. A. Clodpolle, "Indications I ire fu tables de L’Origine Francaise du Banjeau," Enqueteuse Nationale (National Enquirer), 24 June, 1894, p.17 revision of history. He always sought tocreate a tangible Frenchness 7. A. Clodpolle, "Le Pfclerinaae Trans-Mediterran£e du Banjeau Primordial: Un Voyage O uolie," Le Minuit. 6 April, 1897, p.30 in the instrument. In his search for a “more truly French french 8. A. Clodpolle, ‘Formule Propre pour le Vemis a Gomme Lac" polish," he developed a formula using fine cognac as the solvent.-The U Drvadc: Hcbdomadajrc dc LTbtnistc Francais.' 18, Jan.,1895, p.12 9. A. Clodpolle, 'Nouvclle M ethbdepour la Mouillaae des Pcaux de Banieau.' finish achieved by this means was, by all reports, magnificent. It is pam phlet, self-published, 1901, 28 pp., ref. p.2 truly unfortunate that, although we have many of Clodpolle’s 10. Ibid, p.9 11. Ibid, p.15 instruments, no example of this finish now exists. Clodpolle was 12. Ibid, p.24 13. Superior Court o f Boston, D o ck et #2397, an n o 1921. also known to use cognac in his alcohol lamps and glue pots. Louis (Ludimer) Grakelcik is living in exile in Amherst, MA under the Detractors have unkindly suggested that this was an attempt to assumed name of Owen Davidson. 26 The Association Of Stringed Instrument Artisans

MEMBERSHIP APPLICATION The Association Of Stringed Instrument Artisans 14 South Broad Street Nazareth, PA 18064 The Association Of Stringed Instrument Artisans, a non-profit trade organization under the provisions of Section 501 (c) (06) of the Internal Revenue Code, was established in 1988 to help provide a sense of community and professionalism to the field of stringed instrument making and repair. The goals of the association provide for but are not limited to: the establishment of a comprehensive database of resources, supplies and technical information; a means of providing multi-level education within the profession; assistance in marketing and promotion; health and insurance packages at group rates; a repair or service certification; an advertiser’s marketplace; and the publication of informative newsletters and journals. Initial Membership is $50.00 This includes a one-time $15.00 processing fee. Annual renewal membership is $35.00 Please make checks payable to: “A.S.I.A. ” Donations and subscriptions are not deductable as charitable contributions. Please complete all of the information below:

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Please check all appropriate boxes below: I am a: I am involved with: I am a: □ Builder □ Acoustic guitars □ Full Time Artisan □ Repairer □ Electric guitars □ Part Time Artisan □ Designer □ Basses □ Hobbiest □ Author □ Mandolins □ Vendor □ Banjos I derive_____% of my □ Music Store □ Violins income from this field. □ Manufacturer □ Dulcimers □ Consultant □ Harps For A. S I.A . Office use only: □ Musician □ Early instruments □ Enthusiast □ Accessories □ Other: _____ □ Other: ______Other affiliations include: Liu nam es o f partners, m usic uorms, com panies, wuh which you a m or have bean directly associated

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Referred by: this application may bephotocopied COMING UP IN THE NEXT GUITARMAKER #10

Bart R e it e r ’s Folk Banjos James D ’Aq u is to ; Part Two Y u r i’s Interview With Roger Sadowsky

Steve McMinn's Symposium '89 Talk About Logging Spruce For Guitar Tops

and m uch m o re...

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“If we are goin g to cut a tree down, we should be prepared to build [item s]... that will last for 100 o r even 200 years.” Kieji Ninomiya, spokesman for the Warabashi (disposable chopsticks) Action Network, on Japan's habit of throwing away wooden ( o fte n Sitka S p ru ce! ) eating utensils that have only been used fo r about 20 minutes.

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At l e f t • Martin & Coupa Guitar (circa 1845), photographed during restoration. Photograph by David LaPlante. Guitar courtesy o f Steven Brown. David LaPlante's article: The Spanish Connection, beginning on page 10, establishes some unusual connections between the Spanish and the East European instrument making traditions.

^ THE OFFICIAL PUBLICATION OF: C BI-MONTHLY NON-PROMT The Association of Stringed Instrument Artisans 14 South Broad Street Nazareth, Pennsylvania 18064

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