Jim Buckland is Professor of Guitar at Presbyterian College and Converse College in South Carolina. He received his training at the University of Toronto, the University of Akron, and the University of South Carolina. He was the first guitarist to graduate with the Doctor of Musical Arts degree in guitar performance, and his doctoral research on the nineteenth-century terz guitar earned him the Dean's Award for Distinguished Graduate Endeavors.  Dr. Buckland is not only a performer and educator, but also a luthier. He builds in the nineteenth-century style, using original tools and techniques, following the work of Guadagnini, Fabricatore, and Stauffer.

Thursday, June 12
Workshop: 19th-Century Lutherie Techniques

Thursday, June 12th
Concert: 19th-century guitars

Twenty-eight-year member Cyndy Burton is a classic guitar maker, a contributing editor for American Lutherie, and a past convention lecturer. She's especially interested in French polish and other environmentally-friendly finishes.

Friday, June 13th
Facilitator: Classical Guitar Listening

(Sometime GAL member) Old-school Spanish guitar maker and GAL convention lecturer Eugene Clark does a little teaching at home, and is always willing to reply to questions.  He is not sure how many guitars he has made, but he is certain of thirteen grandchildren.

Thursday, June 12th
Workshop: Q & A on the Spanish Solera

Erick Coleman started out as a repair student of Dan Erlewine’s. Soon after, he was hired by Stewart-MacDonald as their technical advisor. With Stewmac, he handles technical and quality control issues, co-writes the Trade Secrets articles with Dan and is part of the R&D team. Outside of the company, he operates his own shop, United Lutherie in Jacksonville, Ohio along with luthier Gene Imbody.

Wednesday, June 11th
Workshop w/ Jason Lollar: Guitar Electronics

Thursday, June 12th
Workshop w/ Elliott John-Conry: Electric Guitar Hardware Upgrades, Choices, and Setup Tips

Mandolin Magazine columnist, Fine Woodworking author, and American Lutherie regular contributor, ten-year Guild member James Condino built his first guitar in 1979. In the years since, he has focused on the guitar, mandolin, and upright bass. He taught lutherie at Oregon State University for four years, did production work with Breedlove Guitars, and can count over 160 instruments that he has made. He recently relocated from Portland, Oregon to Asheville, North Carolina where the locals pick faster and talk slower. In addition to building and writing, he has a regular flow of students passing through his Cascade School of Lutherie.

Wednesday, June 11th
Workshop: Brontosaurus 101: A Guitar Maker Builds an Upright Bass

Building his first dulcimer in 1968, Michael Cone completed his first guitar in 1969 in San Luis Obispo with the encouragement of Denis Grace of Berkeley. Joining the Guild at it's inception, in 1974 he moved to New England where he set up shop in the Maine woods, building classical guitars and many other musical instruments. It was while in Maine that he met Dana Bourgeois who made the trek to New Vineyard carrying his first guitar. Returning to California in 1979 he worked in San Luis Obispo, Los Angeles and San Francisco. In 1986, he suspended guitar construction and focused on software design and robotics. Returning to his musical roots in 1998, he resumed limited construction of classical guitars. Currently settled on the island of Maui and using complex acoustical analysis, he continues to explore the intricacies of beautiful tone.

Sunday, June 15th
Lecture: Practical Acoustics: An Oxymoron?

Joseph Curtin completed his first violin in 1978 under the guidance of Hungarian maker Otto Erdesz.  He subsequently worked as a maker in Toronto, Paris, and Cremona. In 1985 he moved to Ann Arbor, Michigan, where he and Gregg T. Alf established the firm of Curtin & Alf.  Curtin opened his own studios in 1997.  He has worked with French research scientist Charles Besnainou in developing high-quality instruments using graphite composites. He is currently building a series of prototype “ultra-light” violins and violas that explore the possibilities for the instruments’ further ergonomic, acoustical, and aesthetic evolution.  He is also collaborating with physicist Gabriel Weinreich in developing an electric violin that uses real-time digital filters to reproduce the sound of specific Old Italian instruments. Over the past four years, Curtin developed and brought to market the Impact Hammer Rig – a sophisticated tool for measuring violin sound in a workshop setting. Along with researcher Fan Tao, Curtin is founder and co-director of the VSA Oberlin Acoustics Workshop, and he has lectured on the art and science of violin making at universities and professional associations throughout America and Europe.

Saturday, June 14th
Lecture: New Directions in Violin Making
Hands-on Workshop: Measuring Sound Radiation in Stringed Instruments

Sixteen-year Guild member Mike Doolin squandered his first college education as a music major and made a marginal living playing music through the '80s. Now he combines skills acquired from several former pursuits to make a marginal living as a full-time luthier. He still plays funk, rock, and jazz in the Portland area.

Saturday, June 14th
Facilitator: Steel String Listening

Long-time GAL member Dan Erlewine is a frequent writer and convention speaker for the Guild. If you repair guitars he is your superstar.

Wednesday, June 11
Workshop w/ Frank Ford: Why you want a Metal Lathe and Milling Machine, plus Fretting Demo

Thursday, June 12th
Workshop w/ Frank Ford with help from Brian Michael: Structural Guitar Repair plus Acoustic Guitar Pickup Installation

Harry Fleishman designed and built his first electric upright bass in 1969; thirty-eight years and hundreds of guitars later, he's working with a small Chinese factory to make a very different EUB.  He teaches classes at Luthiers School International and has been a GAL member since 1985.

Friday, June 13th
Panel Discussion w/ Veronica Merryfield and David Minniweather: Electric Basses and Electric Upright Basses: Transition and Innovation in Bass Design

Friday, June 13th
Facilitator: Bass Listening Session

Frank Ford is a frequent writer and convention speaker for the Good Ol' Guild. His website is a treasure trove of guitar repair info.

Wednesday, June 11
Workshop w/ Dan Erlewine: Why you want a Metal Lathe and Milling Machine, plus Fretting Demo

Thursday, June 12th
Workshop w/ Dan Erlewine with help from Brian Michael: Structural Guitar Repair and Acoustic Guitar Pickup Installation

Charles Fox was present at the creation. His lutherie schools, beginning in Vermont in the early 1970s and continuing to California in the '90s and Oregon today, have set scores of luthiers on the right track to creative and efficient guitar making. His current project is the ergo guitar, a new model which combines several cutting-edge design concepts.

Friday, June 13th
Workshop: Wood Bending Techniques Old and New

Bob Gleason is a 31-year GAL member and an American Lutherie author. He's been making ukuleles and other instruments in Hawaii forever.

Friday, June 13th
Workshop: Ukulele Making for Guitar Makers

Steve Grimes has been a Guild member for 27 of the last 30 years. He is a past GAL Convention lecturer.

Thursday, June 12th
Panel Discussion w/ Ted Megas and Tom Ribbecke: The Archtop Guitar: Three Perspectives on the Present and Future

Friday, June 13th
Workshop: Archtops, A Low-Stress Approach

Michael Gurian is a major supplier of custom parts to guitar manufacturers worldwide and a builder of steel string guitars. He is also a pioneer of the American guitar making boom. Michael built his first guitar, a classical, in the early 1960s. In 1965 he moved to a three-room shop in Greenwich Village with two assistants. By the time he lectured to the Guild's 1979 convention in Boston, he was running a major guitar building and lutherie supply operation. The company suffered a devastating fire later that same year, but quickly rebuilt. His current workshop is located on a barge docked in Seattle. His talk at this summer's convention will cover the basic applications, uses, and materials available for making as well as applying purfling, binding, and rosettes.

Friday, June 13th
Workshop: Life and Work of Tom Humphrey

Elliot John-Conry has worked in Dan Erlewine's repair shop for 13 years since he was 14.  When not working for Dan he is EJC Guitars.  Aside from guitars his interests include cars, rock 'n roll and Irish music.

Thursday, June 12th
Workshop w/ Erick Coleman: Electric Guitar Hardware Upgrades, Choices, and Setup Tips

Jason Lollar is a 1979 graduate of Roberto Venn School of Lutherie where he learned to wind electro magnetic pickups from Bob Venn and Semi Mosely. Jason’s company,  Lollar Guitars and Pickups Inc., is one of the leading boutique electric guitar pickup manufacturing companies in the US,  manufacturing a full line of stock design replacement pickups and one of a kind designer pickups for special applications. Lollar supplies pickups to Larrivee, Collings, National, Breedlove and Nash among many other guitar builders. Jason is author of Basic Pickup Winding (out of print) and co author of Getting a Bigger Sound with Bart Hopkin.

Wednesday, June 11th
Workshop w/ Erick Coleman: Guitar Electronics

Graham McDonald has been building musical instruments for almost 30 years, specializing in instruments of the mandolin family. He has written two books on instrument construction, The Bouzouki Book, published in 2004 and The Mandolin Project, getting its first public outing at the Convention this year. He is a longtime GAL member, an American Lutherie author, and a past GAL Convention lecturer.

Saturday, June 14th
Workshop: Ladders to Lattice - Evolving the Mandolin Soundboard

Ted Megas eventually combined his backgrounds as a guitar player and a furniture maker by becoming a guitar maker. He chose to specialize in archtop because it was the guitar that he enjoyed most and that offered the greatest challenge.

Thursday, June 12th
Panel Discussion w/ Steve Grimes and Tom Ribbecke: The Archtop Guitar: Three Perspectives on the Present and Future

Veronica Merryfield is self taught, making her first instrument at age 17 when she wanted a headless fretless bass but didn't have much money. She moved to Canada from the UK in 2004. Veronica only builds to commission and prefers unusual designs and particularly designs to solve playability issues players may have due to physical limitations, injury etc.

Friday, June 13th
Panel Discussion w/ Harry Fleishman and David Minniweather: Electric Basses and Electric Upright Basses: Transition and Innovation in Bass Design

After graduating Roberto Venn in 2002, Brian Michael was hired at Gryphon Stringed Instruments in Palo Alto CA where he currently works as a repair luthier. The typical work day includes restoration of vintage guitars of all kinds, as well as installing pickup systems. When he's not at Gryphon, he builds custom solid body guitars in is garage/shop under the name Michael Guitars. He also performs and records with two San Francisco Bay Area based bands, Claymation Horror Show, and The Careless Hearts.

Thursday, June 12th
Workshop w/ Frank Ford and Dan Erlewine: Structural Guitar Repair and Acoustic Guitar Pickup Installation

Besides being a luthier, Guild member David Minnieweather is a musician. In fact, this pastor's son, his three sisters, two brothers, and his parents could form a fine gospel group without any outside help.

Friday, June 13th
Panel Discussion w/ Harry Fleishman and Veronica Merryfield: Electric Basses and Electric Upright Basses: Transition and Innovation in Bass Design

Prolific and innovative guitar maker, captain of industry, lutherie answer man, Guild author and speaker, "Halfling" inventor, gizmo R + D specialist, teacher, musician, festival sponsor, comedian… Tom Ribbecke has done it all. Twice.

Wednesday, June 11th
Workshop: Fitting Archtop Braces the Easy Way

Thursday, June 12th
Panel Discussion w/ Steve Grimes and Ted Megas: The Archtop Guitar: Three Perspectives on the Present and Future

Roger Siminoff has been designing, building, playing, researching, and writing about acoustic musical instruments for more than five decades. Born in Newark, New Jersey, Siminoff founded and was the technical editor for Pickin’ Magazine and Frets Magazine. Roger was a consultant to Gibson for 16 years where he championed the F5-L mandolin project and instituted a deflection tuning process. He designed string-winding tools for Gibson’s and Fender’s string divisions, built carving machines for Santa Cruz Guitars, and has consulted to numerous other manufacturers. Roger has six domestic and three foreign music-related patents, has authored hundreds of articles on musical acoustics, and is the author of eight books on luthierie topics. His latest book, The Art of Tap Tuning de-mystifies the process of tap tuning and has been a source of enlightenment for many builders. Siminoff is also well known as a historian on the life and work of both Lloyd Loar and Orville Gibson. Roger lives in Arroyo Grande, California where he builds mandolin parts and kits. For more on Roger Siminoff, his parts business, or to explore his research on Loar and Gibson, visit his web site at www.siminoff.net.

Friday, June 13th
Workshop: Understanding Tap Tuning

Fan Tao directs R & D at J. D'Addario and Company, where he works on bowed and guitar strings. He collaborates with Norman Pickering on violin acoustics research, is an accomplished string player, and holds electrical engineering degrees from Caltech and Princeton. Mr. Tao is a trustee of the Catgut Acoustical Society and a director of the Violin Society of America, and is also co-director of the VSA-Oberlin Acoustics Workshop.

Sunday, June 15th
Lecture: Strings: The (Often) Forgotten Accessory

Neil Andersson is a guitarist and founding member of the jazz group, Pearl Django. In addition to nine CDs with Pearl Django, he has released two independent disks, "C'est si bon," and "Malibu Manouche" with guitarist Peter Pendras. Neil also has an Masters in fine arts and shows regionally.

Wednesday June 11
Concert: Neil Andersson - guitar; Peter Pendras - guitar; Chuck Deardorf - bass

www.malibumanouche.com/

Julia Banzi (flamenco guitar, viola, percussion) lived Andalusia, Spain where she studied flamenco guitar with some of Spain's finest guitarists including Manolo Sanlúcar, Isidro Muñoz, Felipe Maya, Juan Maya "Marote" David Serva & Rafael Morales. She is one of the few female flamenco guitarists worldwide. Julia holds a Ph.D. in ethnomusicology and is especially interested in constructing historical ethnographies — that is, seeking ways to understanding how the long past influences and shapes present musical changes. She is a Rotary Ambassadorial Scholar and currently teaches guitar at Reed College in Portland, Oregon.

Tarik Banzi (Multi-instrumentalist). Tarik traces his roots back to Al-Andalus, Spain (711-1492). He was born to one of the old Andalusian families in Tetouan, Morocco and grew up immersed in the Andalusian musical tradition. He later lived in Madrid, Spain where he studied Fine Arts and moved in flamenco and jazz music circles. While finishing his doctoral studies in Fine Arts, he was collaborating with flamenco and jazz masters such as Paco de Lucia, Manolo Sanlúcar, Enrique Morente, Jorge Pardo & Carlos Benavent. Tarik composes and performs on the oud (parent of the guitar), the darbuka (clay or metal drum), the ney (reed flute), bass, banjo and percussion.

Friday, June 13th
Concert: Guitar and Oud

Jim Buckland is Professor of Guitar at Presbyterian College and Converse College in South Carolina. He received his training at the University of Toronto, the University of Akron, and the University of South Carolina. He was the first guitarist to graduate with the Doctor of Musical Arts degree in guitar performance, and his doctoral research on the nineteenth-century terz guitar earned him the Dean's Award for Distinguished Graduate Endeavors.  Dr. Buckland is not only a performer and educator, but also a luthier. He builds in the nineteenth-century style, using original tools and techniques, following the work of Guadagnini, Fabricatore, and Stauffer.

Thursday, June 12
Workshop: 19th-Century Lutherie Techniques

Thursday, June 12th
Concert: 19th-century guitars

Classical guitarist Travis Johnson has led a distinguished career, winning top honors in national and international competition, recording an album of his music and amassing awards from institutes and foundations.His accomplishments are especially remarkable because Travis is just 15 years old.

Friday, June 13th
Concert: Classical guitar