Doc and Leo and Me by Curt Carpenter
Carpenter tells of his VA-sponsored apprenticeship to a legend of the electric guitar industry. A fine string of anecdotes. Carpenter actually moved in with Doc Kauffman and his wife, relived all the old stories, learned to build guitars, visited with Leo Fender, met Rudy Doperya, and made pickups. Carpenter left the army to enter the Guitar Wars.

Cat Guts and Glitter and Horsehair on Bow Sticks: an overview of the 1995 Catgut lectures by Al Carruth
The Catgutters have many interests that overlap the interests of GAL people, but they offer it more formally than GAL writers. Well, more formally than non-violin GAL writers. With five photos and four charts of diagrams and modal charts.

Segovia's 1912 Manuel Ramirez by R.E. Brune
There is an undying interest in the Segovia guitars. Brune offers good description as well as 10 photos and a complete set of plans. The plans are a reduced version of our full-scale blueprint, Instrument Plan # 38.

Two Travel Guitars and Their Makers by Jonathon Peterson
Classical guitarists are too fussy to simply travel with a shrunken guitar. These two luthiers offer instruments that suit the special needs of special guitarists.

Ain't Nobody's Business But My Own from a 1992 convention workshop by Dan Erlewine
Many luthiers hate to talk about money because they don't like to acknowledge how little they clear per year. It's often a tough life. But all of us want to know how the others are doing, and if we are cheating ourselves. A brave, outspoken panel and a roomful of pros share a vociferous exchange of money talk.

Meet the Maker: Jim Roden by Jonathon Peterson
Roden is a dulcimer maker and a forester, so he understands that we need to preserve forests and we need to cut them, too. He freely addresses both sides of the coin.

Fretboard Materials: A Semiscientific Survey by Fred Casey
Casey devised his own methods of testing fingerboard woods for strength and abrasion resistance. His results will probably surprise you.

Resetting a Dovetailed Guitar Neck from a 1992 convention lecture by Bryan Galloup
Thirty-six photos and detailed captions explain how to cook the neck out of a flattop and put it back on the way it ought to be.

Vreeble and Veneer by John Calkin
Calkin's pair of articles first take a look at Vreeble, a form of lacquer-based crackle paint, and then at refinishing an electric bass with curly maple veneer.

Questions edited by Cyndy Burton
The only question with an answer in this column offers a list of lute makers throughout the world, though the list is admittedly not all-inclusive.

Electronic Answer Man by Rick Turner
Have you got a new idea about wiring a guitar or bass? Turner helps you decide if it may be worth the effort of trying it out. The fact that a new wiring system will work doesn't mean anyone will want to hear it. Or buy it. Or care at all.

Product Reviews by Harry Fleishman
Fleishman tests the L.R. Baggs Micro Drive preamp and the MEQ-932 preamp available from Martin. Both units are for acoustic guitars, and the reviewer found them both to be a good value but not necessarily interchangeable.

It Worked For Me
Readers offer advice and information about extending the width of your bench vise, making a guitar inspection light, flattening the knobs of turned tuning pegs, and using an opaque projector for instrument designing.

This issue is no longer available individually. Its contents are
included in The Big Red Book of American Lutherie, Vol. 4.