STOP – READ THIS FIRST! We’ve created this list in alphabetical order to help you navigate through our articles and blogs and find items of interest to you. In addition, you can use the search box to the left to search by words or phrases. Our articles and videos are an accumulation of data covering years.…
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LMI has been a leading supplier of water-based finishes for over 20 years. In fact, we had faith in water-based finishes before many others -and perhaps before it was entirely warranted! In those days, water-based finishes were definitely a compromise in comparison to nitrocellulose lacquers.  We featured products that were thin enough for instruments (so as not to inhibit vibration)…
Read More “Water-based Finish Update”

Before using CrystaLac® Finishing Products it is important to read these instructions and be totally familiar with the character of CrystaLac® products and the use of waterborne finishes. DO NOT use tack cloths or stearated sandpaper with CrystaLac® products. FINISHING AREA AND ENVIRONMENT Provide a clean, ventilated, stable temperature environment in which to apply CrystaLac®…
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One of the densest of woods, Ebony is chosen for fingerboards for its resistance to wear, compression strength parallel to the grain, and for its blackness which provides a uniform contrasting background for inlay work. It also holds the fret tang well. Ebony seasons slowly compared to other woods, but once in service is very stable. Improved…
Read More “More about Ebony…”

  Here is a new shipment of Ebony. This time it’s been imported from India (we get different Ebonies from Cameroon (West African) and Indonesia (Macassar).  Indian Ebony has grown surprisingly popular, and at this time (June 2018) we are out of stock in some sizes. For those waiting to place their orders, we humbly ask…
Read More “New Ebony!”

Tool Recommendations  What sort of tools will I need to build a guitar? LMI is often asked this question. Unfortunately, there is no simple answer. A huge range of options exist. For example, luthier Boaz Elkayam was once asked by the Swiss army knife company to build a guitar using nothing but a Swiss army…
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It’s time for Woodworking 1A! The basic facts about completing a good glue joint should be well ingrained in the mind for anyone doing this work, but for those few who fell asleep during class, or who are just jumping into lutherie, here are some vital facts that you need under your belt when building…
Read More “What makes a good glue joint?”

  The Ukulele came to Hawaii via Portuguese immigrants who came to the islands to work the large cattle ranches. Cowboys, of a sort, they brought their traditional small stringed instruments (the machete, the cavaquinho, the timple, and the rajão) which inspired the construction of the first ukuleles. Originating from a small archipelago in the middle of the Pacific Islands,…
Read More “April is Uke Month!”

There are plenty of places to buy wood. Though we are confident that our wood processing is second to none, what really differentiates LMI from the others is our emphasis on information, resources and help for our customers. This goes for seasoned, professional luthiers and beginners alike. Of course, if you are just starting out,…
Read More “Where to Begin?”

We have experimented with carrying “wood substitutes” in the past but never had much success. Clearly, times have changed as these two great products are selling briskly, and finding their way into a wide variety of guitar maker’s shops. There are two main reasons for their popularity. The first is that both product lines are…
Read More “Man-made Alternative Fingerboards”