Steps for applying Cardinal Pore Filler and Nitrocellulose Lacquer Step 1– Sand bare wood with coarse-grit sandpaper (180-220) Clean off the surface with air or solvent on oily woods. Step 2– Stain wood if desired Step 3– Seal wood with Cardinal’s Vinyl Sealer 2059-CLE18773. Color/Stain may also be added to the sealer.…
Read More “Cardinal Musical Instrument Coatings Nitrocellulose Lacquer Finishing Process”

What we call ‘bearclaw figure’ is a rare phenomenon among woods as a whole, but is not too uncommon in Spruce. The source of this nickname is obvious; the wood appears to have been scratched by the claws of a bear. Of course, the behaviors of our Ursidae family friends have no real impact on…
Read More “Defining and Photographing Bearclaw Figured Spruce”

Our ukulele wood offerings reflect the four main ukulele sizes. Unlike many of the guitar size designations, the uke sizes do not refer to specific factory models —such as the Martin Dreadnought. For this reason, you will find small variations in what one person and another call a ‘soprano’, for example.  This goes for the…
Read More “Ukulele Sizes”

Tonally and structurally, the guitar’s bridge is a delicate and critical fulcrum. The bridge of a standard acoustic guitar with medium gauge strings is being pulled by about 200 pounds of tension! Obviously, for a luthier striving to build a guitar with a light, responsive top, this is a fact that can not be tip-toed…
Read More “Repair Shop’s Bread & Butter”

Your body is built, the neck is on and now it’s time to install your tuners. Beginners beware! What should be an easy enough procedure can turn into a nightmare if you don’t take steps to make sure things go well. Here are a few tips to guarantee success and move you effortlessly towards the…
Read More “Tuner No-Nos”

Until recently, the tuners for steel string guitars came with only a narrow range of options with regard to the gear ratios. Typically, you would find them somewhere between 12:1 and 16:1. This meant you had to turn the button 12 times (or 16, as the case may be) to get the post to rotate…
Read More “Tuning Machine Ratios and Gotoh’s Innovations”

Traditionally, a luthier’s peghead shape remains consistent from one instrument to the next. It is his or her thumbprint, a marker that can be seen and identified from a far-away seat in the concert hall. Keep in mind that this tradition took root in the classical milieu where a brand or name is not typically…
Read More “Peghead Design”

Some might find it far-fetched, but there are many established luthiers who give serious credence to the idea the headstock is an important part of…tone production! The idea is, if there is significant mass and weight, and if the peghead is constructed solidly (usually this means laminated), then it will not move too much. Too…
Read More “Headplates—Do they affect the tone of the guitar?”