This issues cover shows a Django-style guitar by Shelley Park. We meet her in this issue.
D'Aquisto's Design Development by Paul Gudelsky
An overview of D'Aquisto's career by a man who studied guitar construction with Jimmy and collected a number of his instruments. It becomes clear how complex an individual D'Aquisto really was. Lots of generalized talk about wood and archtop design, too, but nothing scientific. More of a tribute to a man who died way too soon.
Remembering Jimmy by Paul Schmidt
D'Aquisto's biographer bids farewell to the man who was called by some the world's greatest luthier of our time. A touching and very real-world story.
Three Decades of Innovation captions by John Monteleone
A photo-essay of 8 D'Aquisto archtops formerly owned by Paul Gudelsky, set up to show the progression of Jimmy's designs.
D'Aquisto's Design Development: Another View by John Monteleone
A world-renowned maker of archtops who knew D'Aquisto well offers a more technical examination of Jimmy's design evolution.
Meet the Maker: Shelley Park by Cyndy Burton
Park plays jazz guitar and builds Selmer-style guitars like those designed by Mario Maccaferri and played by Django Reinhardt. She furnishes some interesting thoughts about alternative woods and different finishes. Are women luthiers who survive long enough to become professionals really more interesting than many of the men, or do they just give better interviews? You decide.
A Tale of Two Schools by Fred Carlson
Carlson attended Charles Fox's original guitar making school in 1975, and nearly a generation later reunited with Fox at his new facility, the American School of Lutherie. Basic to Fred's story is the manner in which the times, two people, and guitar making have changed in 20-odd years. The times, indeed, are a'changin'.
Crazy Like Charles Fox: Guitar Making Jigs for the 21st Century, Part Two by John Calkin
Our in-depth series on Charles Fox's jigmaking and highly organized approach to lutherie continues with part 2 in American Lutherie #53. Watch for part 3 in American Lutherie #54. Also in this issue Fred Carlson compares the Charles Fox school experience of 1975 with that of 1996.
Meet the Maker: George Fortune, Jr. by John Calkin
Self-taught violin maker Thomas Fortune Jr. is the "fiddle man" of his county. He forms the edges with a hoe. They probably do it different in Cremona, but Fortune gets nice results. Must see to believe.
Semihemispherical Fret Ends by Harry Fleishman
Who but Harry could design frets that look like half a hot-dog sliced lengthwise? Seriously, though, Fleishman's method of shaping and installing frets should mark the end of player discomfort and fret end hang-up. Not to mention that his frets look seriously cool.
This issue is no longer available individually. Its contents are
included in The Big Red Book of American Lutherie, Vol. 5.
