THE LUTHIER'S HANDBOOK, A Guide to Building Great Tone in Acoustic Stringed Instruments. Roger H. Siminoff.
INCLUDES : STRING GAUGE CALCULATOR
LIBRO MANUALE DI ACUSTICA DEI LEGNI E DI LIUTERIA PER CHITARRA ACUSTICA.
CALCOLATORE PER DETERMINARE IL GIUSTO SPESSORE DELLE CORDE.
Series: Book
Publisher: Hal Leonard
Medium: Softcover
Author: Roger H. Siminoff
An essential item for the instrument builder, The Luthier's Handbook explores the secrets and science behind making good-sounding acoustic stringed instruments. Renowned author Roger H. Siminoff brings to the table more than four decades of luthiery experience and shares the time-tested philosophies, tips and technology of the craft. As the ideal complement to other books on building instruments, this text describes the structural and acoustical attributes of air chambers; what to listen for when tap-tuning; selecting a good piece of wood; placement of the braces and tone bars and how to tune them; how to select the right strings; what to consider in bridge design concepts; and much more. Includes a free String Gauge Calculator for determining the right set of strings. 96 pages.
SIMINOFF
THE MYSTIQUE:
I am a hardcore sailor. And while I sail a fairly modern
sailboat with the latest electronic gear, I have dreamt of the
great crossings of Columbus, Balboa, Erikson, and the rest.
I ponder their bravety, their fortitude, and that certain charm
and splendor that accompanies such heroic and fearless
acts of long ago. And, I wonder how they connected with
their vessels and understood their whereabouts in the
absence of today's modern technologies.
The craft of lutherie boasts such connection. It calls upon
the introduction of modern tools while carrying the
mystique of leather aprons, handmade chisels, smelly
hide glue, and the hands of artisans like Stradivarius,
Guanari, as well as the more contemporary work of
Gibson, Martin, and others.
As sailors learned from the rutters (diaries) of sailors
before them, we have learned from the rutters
(instruments) of these great craftsmen. We evaluate their
measurements, count their grain lines, test their finishes,
and listen to the musical wonderment of instruments
hundreds of years old. Not only do we love how old
instruments sound, we love how old they smell.
It is often suggested that technicians of yesteryear
seemed to do a better job than we can today ... that they
had some secret sauce that made their instruments
sound sweeter. What did they know that we don't? How
did they learn to do that? Who did they learn it from?
And, the most commonly asked question; why does that
"pre-war" instrument sound better than any of those
made today?
THE REALITY:
Maybe one should ask, "what did it sound like then?" As
my friend Mike Longworth of C.F.Martin used to recount,
"we have never learned to make a new instrument that is
100 years old!" Age, and the contribution that time and
years of playing make to an instrument is one of the major
dividing lines between today's lutherie and yesterday's.
The truth is, we have more knowledge about wood and
finishes today than craftspeople did 100 or more years
ago. Our tools are better as are our measuring devices.
Our adhesives are better and our finishes are better and
more durable. The ability to season wood correctly greatly
exceeds what was done in the past by stacking, stickering,
sealing, air drying, and keeping fingers crossed. And, with
today's modern machining and CAD/CAM devices, we can
hob out a neck or body, gang-saw perfectly aligned fret
slots, and build production instruments almost faster than
the wink of an eye.
THE VISION:
There are a lot of wonderful books on instrument
construction and maintenance authored by some of the
best luthiers (and good friends) in the business. I'm guilty
of authoring four. The Luthier's Handbook is not about
making good instruments, but about understanding the
science behind making instruments that sound good. My
goal here is to go behind the scenes and talk about the
philosophy and technology involved in this craft including:
why we choose certain woods, howto select a good piece
of wood, where to put the braces and tone bars, how to
select the right string gauges, whatto listen for when taptuning,
howto tune the components, and more.
My primary focus in this text is on issues which are
acoustical or structural in nature - I'll leave the
cosmetics and instrument design up to you. For example,
I am concerned about the height and weight of the bridge
as it relates to transferring and driving the strings' energy
to the soundboard. While the design is certainly tied to the
bridge's functionality, in this book, I am only concerned
about selection of wood and shape as it relates to
acoustical properties and providing the right leverage or
torque. I talk about finishes from a strictly acoustical
standpoint - whether you choose dull or matte, sunburst
or plain, tinted or clear, is up to you. If your instrument
has a tailpiece, I speak about how it works and not how it
is engraved or plated.
You can build the instrument, I want to help you think
about it. I want to share my experiences of more than 40
years with you. All you have to do is read, think, and, I
hope, build better instruments.
CHAPTER 1
ZEN AND THE ART OF BUILDING ACOUSTIC STRINGED MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS
There are many steps to building instruments and a life
full of opportunities to learn to use them. Practice and
devotion to the craft will help you achieve the knowledge
expected of a luthier.
The great philosopher John Locke, said that "knowledge
was the agreement or disagreement of two or more
ideas." The length of time you spend practicing and
focusing on your craft will develop wisdom (knowledge
plus experience). And, if you have the gift of creativity
and the art of sensitivity, you are clearly on your way to
plateaus of satisfaction and achievement beyond your
wildest dreams.
Whether you build only one or many instruments, you
will learn processes that take you from A to Z. You will
learn to select the right materials. You will learn
techniques and tricks. And, you will learn - from trial
and error - how to work each step through until you
arrive at the desired destination. You will, I hope, learn
from your mistakes and failures. These become the real
tools and secrets of your trade.
But it is not the knowledge and wisdom that will make
you a great luthier. Rather it is the application of this
knowledge and wisdom that become your fingerprint,
your signature. In the final analysis, it is how you apply
the combination of your skills that will herald what people
will see in you through the instruments you build.
Beyond these traits, there is another piece that others will
not see. There is a component of the real you, should you
choose to accept the challenge, that speaks to how you
wear the inner garb of luthier, and how you personally
accept the challenge of devoting your life to being a true
instrument maker.
I know of some luthiers who approach their craft almost
spiritually. They attempt to maintain the greatest presence
of mind and rationality when they are building an
instrument. Their approach to instrument construction is
not just mechanical, but sensual as well- with all of their
senses invited to take part in the process. Their beliefs on
how parts work, and how parts fit, and their reverence for
wood is, to say the least enlightening. To them, the
instrument is not just a bunch of pieces glued together,
but instead an imaginary entity being contained by sides,
top, and back - each of which plays an important role in
unifying the whole. Each corner is not a joint, but the
union of two planes. Each line has a purpose. Each curve
has a thought. Everything has a wholeness, beginning
from the builder's complete vision, continuing through a
finished instrument, and ending with a glorious tone.
I think there is much to be said for having a feeling - a
sense - of what do and how to do it, in addition to the
mechanical knowledge of the craft itself.
While an industrial design student at Parsons School of
Design, I remember being exposed to the idea of feeling
art from the inside of the piece as well as from the
outside. A chair, for example, wasn't just a nice form to
look at; it has an internal meaning and shape, too. You
may have seen sculptors who worked as hard on the
inside of the piece as they did on the outside. Their art
has no boundaries; it is not just outer shapes, but an
entire multi-dimensional piece of sculpture.
When I was living in New Jersey, I had the pleasure of
knowing Keith Ferris, a highly respected artist who
specialized in renderings of Air Force and Navy aircraft.
His work is superb. I remember watching him begin a
wall-size piece of art of several aircraft. His first lines
were those of the superstructure and struts. Then he
penciled in the fuel tanks and innermost components of
the plane. Finally, he covered all of that line work, hiding
it forever under his paint as he completed the picture of
the planes' exteriors. He knew his aircraft were right -
because everything inside them was in place.
To those luthiers I mentioned previously, creating the truss
rod pocket, slot, and filler strip, and gluing in the truss rod,
is as important a procedure as polishing the sound board's
face, even though the rod will not be seen once the
instrument is completed.
The creative process has no boundaries. There are no
rules, there are no guidelines. Anything goes - at least
in the realm of thought. The truly creative work we see in
luthiery comes from free-thinking craftspeople who have
learned the thrill of allowing their minds to take them
away from their textbooks, workbenches, and tools to a
place where they can think, envision, and dream,
returning only when they are ready to create.
For the creative luthier, the mind takes great risk. Their
work is typically unconventional, untraditional, and
possibly unmarketable. They spend a great deal of time
pursuing the infinite aspects of their instruments so ...
An essential item for the instrument builder, The Luthier's Handbook explores the
secrets and science behind making acoustic stringed instruments. Renowned author
Roger H. Siminoff brings to the table more than four decades of luthiery experience
and shares the time-tested philosophies, tips, and technology of the craft.
The Luthier's Handbook includes expert advice on:
Wood selection
Tap tuning
Bridge designs
Bracing and tone bar configurations
Soundboard design and construction
String selection
Truss rods
Tools and fixtures
Much more ...
"When you're in the music business for any length of time, you have the opportunity
of meeting the 'best of the best' ... people like Roger Siminoff. As a designer,
musician, and luthier always looking to make stringed musical instruments better,
Roger has a rare talent for doing just that. Having worked on many projects with him,
I can't say enough about his thoroughness and intuitive skills. As a writer, he expresses
ideas from his heart but with a complete understanding of the subject matter."
Bruce J. Bolen
V.P. Marketing Development
Fender Musical Instruments
Preface
Chapter 1 - Introduction
Chapter 2 - How It Works
Chapter 3 - Woods
Chapter 4 - Structure
Chapter 5 - Bridges
Chapter 6 - Sound boards
Chapter 7 - Truss Rods
Chapter 8 - Strings
Chapter 9 - Tailpieces
Chapter 10- Finishes
Chapter 11 - Tuning The Assembly
Chapter 12 - Wrap Up
Index
About the Author
Italiano
English
