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…
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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…
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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?”

Carbon fiber (sometimes called ‘graphite’) was introduced into lutherie largely via the vibrant guitar making scene in the Seattle area, which is a hub for aircraft construction. Carbon fiber is a material that is both rigid and lightweight, perfect attributes for both planes and guitars! Carbon Fiber also has impressive elasticity. When used to reinforce…
Read More “Why Use Carbon Fiber Reinforcement?”

When it comes to neck construction, stability is the name of the game! Even the subtlest movements away from a true, straight condition can negatively impact the guitar’s playing action. The neck has to withstand the effects of humidity, temperature, storage (sometimes, poor storage), string tension, age, and just the act of being played. Here…
Read More “Neck Wood: Building for Stability”