GUITAR MAKING

THE LUTHIER'S HANDBOOK, A Guide to Building Great Tone in Acoustic Stringed Instruments. Siminoff.

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.

THE ART AND CRAFT OF MAKING CLASSICAL GUITARS, Manuel Rodríguez.

Rich in beauty, sound and history, Manuel Rodríguez and Sons' classical and flamenco guitars have been lovingly hand-crafted in Madrid since 1905. The company's remarkable creations are just as acclaimed today, capturing the 2000 Player's Choice Award from Acoustic Guitar magazine for its nylon-string model. New from Hal Leonard and for the first time available in English, The Art and Craft of Making Classical Guitars presents master luthier Manuel Rodríguez's thoughts on the history of the instrument he loves, and how the guitar attained its prominent position among musical instruments. Filled with fabulous historical photos, priceless memorabilia, abundant diagrams and more, the book covers topics such as the art and development of the guitar, materials used in construction, and much more. Essential for all admirers of the guitar. 168 pages.

THE GUITAR PLAYER REPAIR GUIDE, 3RD REVISED EDITION. Dan Erlewine. DVD

Moltissimi suggerimenti, consigli, segreti per la regolazione e la cura del vostro strumento, come i famosi tubicini di plastica che Stevie Ray Vaughan usava al ponte per proteggere dalla rottura le corde; tutti i trucchi e le misure della Lucille. 

Series: Book
Publisher: Backbeat Books
Medium: Softcover with DVD
Author: Dan Erlewine
This expanded edition for beginners to experts is a step-by-step manual to maintaining and repairing electric and acoustic guitars and basses. Players learn how to set up a guitar and keep it in top form by mastering basic maintenance. Features an essential DVD that makes guitar maintenance easier than ever. New features include set-up specs of leading players; stronger coverage of guitar electronics, including pickups and wiring diagrams; and expanded coverage of acoustics. 322 pages

Book/DVD pack. Newly expanded edition of this indispensable step-by-step manual for maintaining and repairing electric and acoustic guitars and basses. Learn how to adjust your own truss rod, install tuners, close and glue cracks, replace a nut, make finish repairs, wind your own pickups, and much, much more. Content is now highlighted based on skill level: Basic, D.I.Y., and Deep. New features include stronger coverage of guitar electronics, including pickups and wiring diagrams and expanded coverage of acoustics. DVD features segments on: how to evaluate any guitar before buying, how to set your own intonation, how to install strings without damaging your guitar, more. 

In my boundless optimism, I expected clues to sonic miracles. I was talking to Bob Ezrin, who produced Alice Cooper, Lou Reed, Pink Floyd, Kiss, Peter Gabriel and many others, and, in the process, conjured some of the hippest guitar sounds ever blasted across the airwaves. Surely, there must have been some voodoo in his microphone selection, his mic placement and his choice and manipulation of preamps, compressors and other arcane signal processors. But Ezrin made it clear that everything started with the guitar itself. "An excellent setup is at the center of every good, complex guitar recording," he said. "The pickups must be in good shape, the electronics must be as clean as possible, and the fretboard must be buzz-free." At a time when the quality of inexpensive, off-the-rack guitars can be downright awesome, we tend to forget how a beautifully set up instrument-more specifically, one tailored to a player's every ergonomic desire and technical idiosyncrasy-can enhance a guitarist's tone and performance. Perhaps we also forget that some guitars have souls that influence our playing in mysterious ways. (Just ask Clapton about Blackie, or B.B. King about Lucille, or Brian May about his Red Special.) The lesson here is just because you can easily replace an instrument that's broken, cranky or sickly, it doesn't mean that you should. In some cases, a few simple repairs can bring a guitar back to life-or even make it better than ever. And don't forget the whole concept of hot-rod ding. With a little guidance and tech savvy, you can swap pickups, futz with wiring and enlist some other tricks to make a cheap guitar rage like a cornered panther, or turbocharge a fine guitar until it's something truly magical. As Ezrin revealed, it all comes down to the guitar and what you do with it. And that's where Dan Erlewine becomes your guru, mentor, coach, visionary, taskmaster, guide and, most likely, savior. Dan knows more about guitars and guitarcraftthan pretty much anyone left standing on this planet, and decades of his wisdom, tips, and techniques are encapsulated in this musthave book-which should now and forever be your guitar-repair bible. Dan has been a vital and much-respected member of the Guitar Player family for many years, writing the seminal "Repairs & Modifications" column, as well as the "Repairs" column and the innovative "Mod Squad" feature (which profiled Dan's youthful shop crew pimping out various guitars) during my tenure as editor. Dan has also produced several how-to DVDs, and is currently developing a series of video repair guides for Guitar Player's Web television station, GPTV. To quote a cliche, "Dan is the Man." But that's the whole truth. And after this book inspires you to transform your guitars into the easiest-playing, best-sounding machines you've ever plugged into an amp, you'll probably build a little shrine to Dan Erlewine in your music room, rehearsal space or home studio. Yeah, you'll be that thrilled with your instruments, and the man deserves it. Now, read on and start making your guitars play better and sound great. Guitar Player

... serious problem. Most acoustic guitars with problems suffer from sharpness and need to be compensated by adding to the string length. Occasionally, though, flat- ness caused by over-compensation isfound on acoustics on which the bridge has been installed out of position. Don't expect the guitar you buy to have perfect intonation. Tweaking the intonation needs to be done to suit the the individual player's needs, governed by the factors mentioned here. When setting intonation, we try to get a stri ng to play the same note when fretted at the 12th fret aswhen played open, only an octave higher. In theory, the distance from the nut to the 12th fret isthe same asfrom the 12th fret to the saddle. The 12th fret octave is the halfway point of the scale (scale length equals the measurement from the nutto the 12th fret, times two). In practice however, the string length must be increased to compensate for the sharpness that results when the string is pressed down during playing. The mathematical distance of the scale is based on a straight line from the nut to the saddle's center, but when you press the string down it becomes stretched, and goes sharp. This isa basic explanation of the need for compensation. Add in the factors below, and you'll see why the seemingly simple job of setting the intonation can cause you to tearyour hair out before you finally take the guitarto a repair shop, so they can teartheir hair out! The closer the strings are to the fingerboard, the less compensation is needed, since the strings go sharp lesswhen pressed. However, guitars with lighter strings generally need more compensation than heavier ones, since asstring tension decreases (going from heavier-gauge strings to lighter), the compensation need increases.Therefore, the lighter the strings and the lower the tension, the more need for compensation. So, perhaps one cancels out the other. Confusing, but you can prove it for yourselfby trying this test: Using an electronic tuner, check your guitar's intonation on the low Estring at concert pitch. Retune the string to D.lt will intonate sharper, which indicates the need for more compensation, or added string length. That's why the modern electric player, who uses .010 strings or lighter, often searches far and wide to find a repairman to set the intonation.
Wound strings need more compensation than plain ones. Because of their extra weight and slower, low-pitched vibrations, wound strings need more clearance from the fingerboard to avoid buzzing. The extra clearance isgained by raising the string height from the fingerboard for wound strings. This increase in heigh causes the strings to go sharp more than the unwounds when depressed. This iswhy bridge saddles slant toward the bassside on steel-string acoustics or electrics. I like the term "speaking length" of a string. Franz Jahnel's comprehensive Manual of Guitar Technology refers to the mathematical string length asthe "true" length (the measured distance from nut to bridge saddle), and the actual vibrating length asthe "playing” or speaking, length. A string, especially a wound one, doesn't actually start vibrating, or speaking, until it gets a certain distance from the nut orthe saddle. So, part of the string's length (in terms of sound) isalways lost-another reason for compensation. Notice that c1assicaI guita rs have sadd les with no slant. Why? The wound strings have a stranded core rather than a solid one, and sharp out at a rate similar to that of the solid nylon treble strings. Classical strings have a more even tension acrossthe fingerboard than steel strings. Therefore, they require close to the same amount of compensation per string, and in general are more uniformly spaced from the fingerboard in terms of height. You may find saddles that have been slightly filed off-center (compensated) under the Band G strings some classicals. Instruments with longer scales need less compensation than shorter-scaled ones, because the longer string must be tighterto reach the same pitch. Thus the longer string is lessapt to be sharp when fretted and needs lesscompensation (the higher the tension, the lessa string goes sharp).The two most common scales are long and short. Long scales are 25-112" or thereabouts (these include Strats, all their clones, and many Gibsons; Martin uses a 25.4" and guild a 25-518",but we lump them all together as long scale): short scales are 24-314" or thereabouts (Gibson Les Pauls, ES-335s,smaller Martins at 24.9",etc.).Classical guitars have long scales.There are many other scales, but only a few really common ones: a "medium" 25" scale is used ...

This Repair Guide is the leading step-by-step

1 Cleaning and care

basic basic

Supplies 1

Cleaning the finish

Cleaning the fingerboard

Avoiding cracks, dealing with humidity

2 Installing strings

basic

Installing strings on electrics

Installing strings on acoustics 1

Installing strings on c1a~sicals 1

3 Neck evaluation and truss rod adjustment

basic

Neck evalution

d.i.y.

Truss rod adjustment

Understanding relief

Pro-quality straightedges

Typical neck adjustment scenario

deep

Rescuing a broken truss rod

4 Setup and action

basic

What is a setup?

d.i.y.

The basics of setup

Setting up an electric guitar

Setting up a guitar with tremolo

Setting up an electric bass

Setting up a flattop acoustic

Setting up an archtop

Setting up a classical

deep

Low action and the blues

Setups for pro players: Stevie Ray Vaughan and Jeff Beck

John Mooney's slide

Albert Collins

BuddyGuy

B.B.King

5 Intonation and compensation

basic Understanding compensation

d.i.y. Setting intonation

Adjustable bridges (electrics)

Non-adjustable bridges (acoustics)

deep Buzz Feiten Tuning System

6 Tuning machines

Tuner basics

d.i.y. Installing tuners

Steinberger tuners

Tuner repairs, broken mounting screws

Damage from over-oiled tuners

deep

Rotted plastic knobs

Making new tuners look old

Reconstructing rotted knobs

7 Electric guitar bridges: non-tremolo

basic

The manyTune-O-Matics

TonePros and Pigtails

Steve Rowen on T-O-M hardware

d.i.y.

Slotting Gibson bridge saddles

Adjusting an ABR-1bridge radius

Bridge posts and tailpiece studs

De-rusting metal bridge saddles

8 Electric guitar bridges: tremolos

basic

Setting up your tremolo system

d.i.y.

Floyd Rose installation and setup

Kahler installation and setup

Fine-tuning a Strat tremolo

The Trem-Setter

Roller nuts

deep

String benders

9 Acoustic guitar bridges

basic

Fitting flattop bridge pins

Evaluating acoustic action

d.i.y.

Replacing a bridge saddle -

Archtop bridges

Fitting an archtop bridge

10 Acoustic body repairs

d.i.y.

Clamps and glues

Closing and gluing cracks

Gluing loose braces

deep

Reattaching loose bridges

Bridge pad problems

Neck resets

11 Necks

basic d.i.y.

Fender guitar neck shapes

Fender bass neck shapes

d.i.y.

Installing bolt-on necks

Fret buzz in the high registers

deep

Broken pegheads

12 Fretwork

basic

What to expect from afret job

d.i.y.

Loose frets

Fret files

Compound radius fingerboards

Fret dressing

Refretting:

Choosing yourfretwire

Hammer-in method

Compression fretting

Martin bar-style fretting

The glue-in method

Bound fingerboards

Vintage Fender fretting

Fret slots and tang size

deep

The neck jig

The Plek machine

13 Nut replacement

basic

About nut replacement

d.i.y.

steps for replacing a nut

Tools

Removing the old nut

Roughing in the blank

Cutting slots, finishing up

String spacing

14 Bindings and pickguards

d.i.y.

Loose bindings

Shrinking Strat pickguards

Regluing an acoustic pickguard

15 Guitar electronics

Tools and supplies for electronics

Soldering technique

Using a multi meter

Caps and pots

Switches

Shielding

Acoustic guitar amplification

Seml-hollowbody wiring

Pickup replacement

Pickup repair

Rewiring, modifications

Wiring diagrams

deep

Wind your own pickups

6 Finishing and finish repairs

d.i.y.

A basic finishing schedule

Spraying necks and bodies

Finish repairs

Supplies for finish repairs

Fixing chips

Fixing dents and scratches

Touching up color

deep

Faking an aged finish

17 Shipping a guitar or amp

How to pack a guitar

How to pack an amp

18 Tools

basic tool list

d.i.y. tool list

deep tool list

sharpening chisels and scrapers

19 Resources and schools

Training for a career in lutherie

Lists: schools, suppliers, organizations

Index

Garrone Mario, LA COSTRUZIONE DELLA CHITARRA CLASSICA. 116 pagine, in italiano.

Mario Carrone è pervenuto alla liuteria in età non più giovane, forte della sua preparazione tecnica e della grande esperienza acquisita nei processi industriali di progettazione e di lavorazione. Ha dunque portato nell'arte di costruire la chitarra, non soltanto il suo formidabile bagaglio tecnico- scientifico, ma anche una mentalità e uno stile di lavoro basati sulla volontà e sulla capacità di prospettare i problemi in sintesi essenziali e concrete, e di escogitare, per ciascuno di essi, soluzioni dimostrabili e quindi ripetibili. Libero da ogni remora psicologica, egli ha sempre operato mescolando una sbrigativa condotta da imprenditore con la salda convinzione che tutti i misteri che avvolgono la macchinachitarra sono dissipabili; e, in questa sua convinzione, ha saputo, quando occorreva, frenare la sbrigatività e addentrarsi umilmente nell'esercizio della pazienza. Era du nque natu rale che un Iiutaio come lui non trovasse nulla di straordinario nello scrivere un manuale per la costruzione della chitarra, e che lo facesse semplicemente ignorando le difficoltà che avrebbero fermato molti altri. Inoltre, e non secondariamente, Carrone aveva avuto da un editore l'incarico di scrivere il libro. AI di là della sua buona sorte, e da accreditargli come non piccolo merito, sta il fatto che, se egli non era, forse, l'unico liutaio capace di non scomporsi dinanzi a siffatta richiesta editoriale, era – al meglio delle nostre conoscenze – l'unico in grado di interpretare il lavoro che ne sarebbe seguìto come un divertimento (come, in fondo, egli interpreta tutta la sua attività di costruttore di chitarre). Analogamente ai liutai, anche gli allievi- liutai e i chitarristi si possono (almeno rispetto all'argomento qui trattato dividere in due categorie: quelli che leggono e quelli che non leggono, ciascuna specie potendo esibire, a sostegno del proprio atteggiamento, una serie di ragioni più o meno convincenti e onorevoli. È del tutto prevedibile che un manuale come questo non debba incontrare i propri, potenziali lettori, tra i liutaistregoni, tra i loro allievi apprendististregoni e tra i chitarristi che di Iiuteria non si interessano. Ma la quantità di liutai-non-stregoni e relativi alunni, e di chitarristi che hanno la pretesa di capire com'è fatto e come funziona l'arnese che essi tengono in grembo per l'intera vita, sembra in continua, inarrestabile crescita. Non sappiamo esimerci dall'esprimere la nostra calorosa approvazione per questa piega assunta dagli eventi: i liutai alla Mario Carrone dovrebbero avere un futuro (anche tra i chitarristi), e i loro manuali una vasta e attenta schiera di lettori, non soltanto e non necessariamente liutai. Se non credessimo che così potrebbe essere, o che così sia, perché mai avremmo dovuto esporci nello scrivere queste righe?

Ben poco è stato scritto fino ad oggi sulla costruzione della chitarra
classica e non molto sulla liuteria in genere.
Molti anni fa, quando iniziai ad occuparmi di liuteria, decisi subito di
non seguire la normale "routine" di apprendimento, che prevede tempi
più o meno lunghi passati nella bottega di un liutaio esperto, oppure la
frequenza di una scuola di liuteria.
Scelsi piuttosto di sviluppare un mio metodo di costruzione, partendo
dalle scarne notizie che riusciia raccogliere dalle riviste italiane ed estere
e da qualche libro specifico sulla costruzione della chitarra.
A volte si inizia una attività per gioco o per curiosità e soltanto dopo un
certo tempo ci si accorge di come essa diventi parte della nostra vita,
concedendoci soddisfazioni che non riceviamo invece dal lavoro di tutti i giorni.
Infatti, dopo un primo periodo passato a costruire vari strumenti in modo
tradizionale, mi accorsi che la chitarra classica mi permetteva di esprimere
meglio le idee che avevo in mente da tempo: continuai quindi a
lavorare con passione crescente a questo strumento, trasformando
quello che era iniziato come un gioco nello scopo principale della mia vita.
Ho poi perfezionato un mio metodo di costruzione volto più all'innovazione
continua che al risparmio di tempo, allargando i miei interessi alla
scoperta e al successivo studio dei fenomeni acustici che si verificano nello strumento.
Con questo manuale mi rivolgo a tutti gli appassionati di liuteria, ai
chitarristi desiderosi di conoscere a fondo il loro strumento, ed anche ai
liutai professionisti, i quali potranno trovare molte informazioni utili
sull'acustica degli strumenti musicali, sui sistemi di costruzione e
sull'incatenatura delle tavole armoniche.
Sarò infine ben lieto di esaminare ogni eventuale osservazione che
potrebbe essere formulata dai lettori, in vista di successive edizioni di questo volume.
Mario Garrone

AI MIEI CARI Gianarosa, Oscar ed Eugenia
RINGRAZIAMENTI
Esprimo la mia viva gratitudine a tutti gli amici che mi hanno aiutato e incoraggiato nella stesura di questo manuale:

- Innanzitutto, al chitarrista-compositore Angelo Gilardino, che mi gratifica della sua amicizia da molti anni e che mi ha seguìto con pazienza fin dall'inizio della mia attività.

- A Sandro Francese,amico di gioventù e tecnico elettronico abilissimo, che ha costruito gran parte delle apparecchiature necessarie ai controlli di qualità dei miei strumenti.

- AlI'ing. Bruno Pizzigoni, docente universitario di grande valore, che ha approfondito i problemi connessi con la tastiera della chitarra, risolvendol i brillantemente.

- AlI'ing. Claudio Francese,che ha realizzato integralmente il software e parte dell'hardware per la creazione e la visualizzazione dei grafici relativi alle curve di risposta ottenute con il computer.

- AI dotto Francesco Rossi,che con passione, abilità ed infinita pazienza, ha realizzato tutte le fotografie inserite in questo libro, seguendo la costruzione dello strumento durante i mesi occorsi per il suo completamento.

- AI tecnico Gino Repetto, che mi ha assistito nella soluzione dei problemi relativi all'impiego del legno con grande competenza e amichevole collaborazione.

- Infine a mia moglie Gianarosa, per le ore che le ho sottratto a causa di questo hobby, diventato ormai parte importante della mia vita.
Mario Garrone

Capitolo n. 1
NOTIZIE STORICHE - MORFOLOGIA E NOMENCLATURA DELLA CHITARRA.
Capitolo n. 2
NOZIONI DI ACUSTICA APPLICATE AGLI STRUMENTI MUSICALI
Capitolo n. 3
LA SCELTA DEI LEGNI
Capitolo n. 4
IL LABORATORIO DEL LIUTAIO
Capitolo n. 5
UTENSILI ED ATTREZZI
- Utensili elettrici
- Utensili a mano
Capitolo n. 6
COME COSTRUIRE LE FORME E GLI ATTREZZI SPECIFICI
Capitolo n. 7
IL MANICO pago 41
Capitolo n. 8
LE FASCE E LE CONTROFASCE.
Capitolo n. 9
IL FONDO
Capitolo n. 10
LA TAVOLA ARMONICA E L'INCATENATURA
Capitolo n. 11
L'ASSEMBLAGGIO
Capitolo n. 12
LA FILETTATURA
Capitolo n. 13
LA TASTIERA
Capitolo n. 14
LA FINITURA DEL MANICO
Capitolo n. 15
L'APPLICAZIONE DEI TASTI
Capitolo n. 16
LA LEVIGATURA
Capitolo n. 17
LA VERNICIATURA
-IL TAMPONE
-LA GOMMA LACCA
-RACCOMANDAZIONI IMPORTANTI
-VERNICI ADDITIVE
Capitolo n. 18
IL PONTICELLO
Capitolo n. 19
MESSA A PUNTO E MONTAGGIO DELLE CORDE
Capitolo n. 20
I CONTROLLI DI QUALITA'
- ACCORDATURA DELLA CHITARRA
SULLA PROFILATURA DELLA TASTIERA DELLA CHITARRA, Bruno Pizzigoni.
Bibliografia 

THE ART OF TAP TUNING How to Build Great Sound into Instruments. Roger H. Siminoff. DVD e libro

Series: Book
Medium: Softcover with DVD
Author: Roger H. Siminoff

This book explains the secret ingredients needed to obtain the very best tonal qualities when building acoustic string instruments. It includes an exploration of the tools and equipment needed, the methods to excite tones in the instrument, how to make the necessary changes, and how to achieve consistency and repeatability. The text focuses on tap tuning as it relates to mandolins, guitars, banjos, violins, ukuleles, dulcimers, pianos, and more. The DVD includes demonstrations of the acoustic phenomena described in the text. 48 pages.