This issue's cover shows a recent guitar by Harry Fleishman. Harry participated in the steel string design panel discussion which is transcribed in this issue.
Expanding Steel String Design by Fred Carlson, Harry Fleishman, William Eaton, and Saul Koll
A distinguished panel of design pioneers including Harry Fleishman, Fred Carlson, Saul Koll, and William Eaton spoke about their work with steel string guitars at the 1998 Convention. The photo shows a triple-decker bracing plan on Fred's Pinwheel guitar.
Arching and Voicing in Violin Plates by Graham Caldersmith
Australian luthier and physicist Graham Caldersmith is back to show us how he constructs the arching of a violin plate to maximize both the physical strength and the tonal response. He demonstrated this technique at the 1998 GAL Convention.
On the Selection and Treatment of Bracewoods by Ervin Somogyi
Ervin Somogyi tested some spruce bracing stock by hanging weights on it and measuring the deflection. He was surprised by the results. The photo shows his test apparatus.
The Maalaea Special by Rich Mermer
Rich Mermer shows us how he builds the Maalaea Special, an acoustic lap-steel guitar similar to the old Weissenborn design. Article includes a bracing diagram.
Meet the Maker: Bob Gernandt by John Calkin
Bob Gernandt lives near the Great Smokey Mountains of North Carolina, and makes citterns, Irish bouzoukis, mandolins, and guitars. We meet him in this issue.
Project Evia by Joseph Curtin
Joseph Curtin is a well-respected violin maker who has been itching to try some new ideas. In this article he shows us the Evia, his experimental viola design which incorporates some significant departures. The photo shows the bolt-on neck joint which allow increased flexiblility in action adustments, among other conveniences.
Healdsburg 1999 by Jonathon Peterson
The 1999 Healdsburg Guitar Festival was a blast! Here's a few of the luthiers who attended, out having too much fun. Left to right: Tom Ribbecke, Rob Girdis, Steve Grimes, Jeff Elliott, GAL staffer Jon Peterson, and John Monteleone. Oh yeah: there were also a ton of the world's best guitars there.
Meet David Santo by Todd Novak
David Santo is a luthier from away back, having worked with Gurian and Umanov in the '60s. We meet him in this issue.
Refret With David Santo by Todd Novak
Remember David Santo? That's right, we just now met him in this issue! In this article he walks us step-by-step through an old-fashioned, low-tech fret job
AL#60 also includes letters to the editor, reviews, our question-and-answer column, workbench tips, and an extensive listing of sources for all things lutherie.
This issue is no longer available individually. Its contents are
included in The Big Red Book of American Lutherie, Vol. 5.
