Thanks for your understanding!

On our way up, we made a stop in Lansing to visit Elderly Instruments.  I was in heaven, and my family was wonderful enough to put up with my need to see everything in the store, resigned to wait until my hunger to overcame my GAS.

Finally arriving in Big Rapids, we were so pleased that it had a Wal-Mart and indoor plumbing!  Actually Big Rapids is a nice town, and after three days of being there, I won’t mind the pace and the people for six months, in fact, I look forward to it.

The last morning in Big Rapids, we set off to visit Galloup Guitars.  Bryan Galloup, a former student of Dan Erlewine, runs one of the premier lutherie schools in the world, and made us feel right at home.  He gave us a tour of the entire facility, and answered the questions we had as we prepare to make the temporary move.  Bryan also pulled out one of his just-finished acoustic guitars and I gave it a few strums as he inspected a twelve-string on which he was getting ready to perform a neck reset.  I wished I had looked to see which model it was that I played, but it doesn’t matter, because it was a beauty.  The guitar was flawless and the quality of the wood was fantastic.  That only reinforced to me that I had made the right decision.  At the end of our time with Bryan, I told him that we passed through Athens, OH on the way back.  He proceeded to pick up the phone and called Dan Erlewine.  When he hung up, he told me that Dan would like to meet me, and to give him a call.

After talking to Dan on the phone, I told Ree and my parents that we were going to be driving all the way to Athens….TODAY!

We rolled into Athens at 10 that evening, and the next morning I called Dan.  He said to come right on, because he was in the midst of a shop upheaval.  He was on vacation, but this only meant that is was time for him to re-arrange and clean up his shop.  When we first walked in, I spotted the chair guitar that had been featured in the Fretboard Journal.  The electric guitar that went with the chair was hanging up, and had been replaced by a new acoustic Dan had put together.  I even got a chance to site down and give it a whirl.  It even has a chin rest!  It was fun, and a blast to play!

After showing us all of the rooms in his basement shop, he called Elliot John-Conry to see whether we could take a gander at the PLEK machine in town.  Unfortunately, Elliot was busy with some customers, so Dan decided that it was time to pop over to StewMac.  As we entered StewMac, we encountered a gentleman and his son with a 00 Vintage Gibson as well as two hand-made acoustics.  It wasn’t long before there was an impromptu jam session in the side meeting room.

Once the jam session was over, Dan introduced me to literally every one of the office staff in the place.  We met the president of the company, as well as Erick Coleman, who was once part of Dan’s Mod Squad and now partners with Gene Imbody as part of United Lutherie in Athens.  After the office tour, we made our way out to the warehouse, and oh what wares there are in there!  Dan proceeded to show us some of the new products that have been developed as well as inquiring as to how many of his repair guide he had signed (2015).  We then walked out the shipping doors, made our way back to our car, and took the ultra-secret back way to Dan’s shop.

As we came back into the shop, we had the pleasure of meeting Dan’s wife Joan.  We knew that we needed to be on our way, as it was getting to be close to twelve, and my parents were waiting back at the hotel with our things.  Had it not been for that, we may very well still be visiting with Dan.  It would have ben fun to help pitch in with the shop re-organization, but it just wasn’t possible.  Before leaving, I made sure that Dan signed copy number 2016 of his repair guide.  What a great visit!

I can’t say enough about the hospitality and treatment I received from Bryan and from Dan.  If this is Northern Hospitality, I am ready for more!!!

Click here to see pictures from the trip!

There were two long cracks along the lower bout of the soundboard that had separated from the braces underneath.  I used hide glue and a variety of clamps including rare earth magnets to create a seamless repair. You can still see the crack, but it came together nicely. I also placed a few cleats in strategic areas (where there were no braces) in order to reinforce the stability of the sound board. I did not have the time/facility to do a complete refinish on the front of the guitar, but I did as much as I could without sanding through the original finish.

You know the old adage “An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure”? This is certainly true in the world of guitars. Wiping your guitar off after playing is a great way to eliminate buildup. Get yourself a cotton instrument cloth and gently wipe down the fretboard and body after significant playing, and you will also help your strings last a little longer.

Cleaning a guitar isn’t rocket science, but it only takes using the wrong thing to ruin your guitar.You normally only need two things to clean a guitar. First, start with a soft, cotton cloth. You do want your guitar to be clean, but there’s no need to scratch it clean! The second is some type of solution, the safest of which is the moist breath treatment (kudos to Dan Erlewine). Fog up the fretboard, neck, or body with your breath and gently wipe, lifting the dirt away from the surface. If the problem is more severe, use saliva before moving on to another solution. I personally like to use naptha (white gas) to get at those really problematic areas. Naptha evaporates quickly and doesn’t harm finishes. On surfaces where there is no finish (i.e. ebony and rosewood fingerboards), I will use moist breath, saliva, or naptha only. For the most difficult fingerboard buildup, a razor can be made into a small scraper, but do this only if you are confident and experienced.

I have seen many “guitar polishes” and even furniture polish used to clean guitars. What most players do not realize are the chemical additives that these “polishes” may contain. Additives such as silicone can be harmful for your guitars finish, possibly causing streaking or blushing. When use a cleaning solution, I use StewMac’s Preservation Polish. It is not only a polish, but gently cleans the finish as well. It is also important to remember to take your time when cleaning a severely dirty guitar (especially a vintage one!), removing the dirt, not spreading it around or forcing it into the finish.

Well, the owner of the Ibanez was happy that his tuners worked, but what he really couldn’t believe was how good his bass looked. Here’s to moist breath!

If your guitar is made out of wood, it is continually reacting to the weather around it.  Typically, interior heating methods cause a lack of humidity.  This dryness makes you reach for the moisturizer while your poor, neglected guitar sits in the corner and suffers.  When you play your guitar, it seems to buzz a bit.  The fret ends scratch your fingers as you play.  If you have an acoustic, you might even see a crack that looks like it came from someone pressing on the soundboard. Unfortunately, my guitar playing friend, YOU are the culprit, and winter damage isn’t limited to acoustics.

So what can be done?  Since most of us can’t afford a room like the one at many music stores with humidity control, you have to find an alternative.

1. Give your guitar attention - play it!  That way you can monitor small changes in action height, “fret sprout”, neck relief, etc.
2. Keep it in its case - As nice as it is to leave your guitar out to gaze at it, leave it in its case when you’re not playing it.  The case will protect your guitar from unwanted temperature changes (Do you have your heater on a timer?).
3. Buy a humidifier - Once your guitar is nestled in its case, get a humidifier and use it as directed. Please also be careful not to overhumidify your guitar, which can also be detrimental.

These three simple actions will help keep your guitar in good condition, and will spare you from the freak out you may have when you find that your neck is twisted, the braces have popped loose, your soundboard is sinking, and…you get the picture.

1. Joey Burns (Calexico) - 60s National Airline - Who cares that is isn’t made out of wood? Have you seen Calexico live? The guitar isn’t one I would play everyday, but it has a great sound, and it’s nice to expand the guitar horizons. I think it would be a great choice when you want to play melancholy electric.
2. Billy Duffy (The Cult) - Gretsch White Falcon - My first reaction the first time I saw a Gretsch White Falcon: “Whoa! Did his other guitar break?” You know, the one with the locking trem and the pointy headstock. Nope, he was just breaking from the 80s pack. In the video “Fire Woman” it was interesting, but when I saw them in concert in 1988, it was amazing. You could hear the wood of the guitar, and those pickups weren’t made by DiMarzio - Hallelujah!
3. Jack White (The White Stripes) - Gretsch White Penguin - OK, it’s another Gretsch named after a white animal. I like the DeArmond pickups. Jack White gets a really compressed sound on the most recent album. How much of that is due to the pickups? Give me one, and I’ll let you know! This guitar is for that day when you want to turn it up and be loud. I saw one of these in Gruhn’s when I was there, it was awesome.
4. Dave Keuning (The Killers) - Fender Starcaster - The headstock is a little strange, but it’s got those Seth Lover “Wide-Range” Humbuckers in Fender’s attempt at an ES-335 body. How does it play? I don’t really know. The reports on CBS made Fenders aren’t the best, but I am willing to take a chance. Plus, friends will come over and say, “THAT’S a FENDER?”
5. Emmett Kelly (Bonnie ‘Prince’ Billy) - Eko - Will Oldham made his way to Jerusalem in early 2007. The sound was fantastic, and his guitarist’s Eko though a Fender Twin was great. This guitar was a double cutaway loosely based on a Strat, but certainly didn’t have that typical Strat sound (which I love). I loved the look and it made me want to look further than the big guitar manufacturers and take a chance.

What would you choose?

I grew up with great curiosity as to how and why things work. Ask my
sister what happened to some of her toys. After playing guitar for a
while, my curiosity overcame my fear, and voila!, I began to take them
apart. This led to more and more interest in the how and why, until my
dream of having someone teach me how to put together what I had taken
apart was realized.

My love of the guitar as an instrument, along with my curiosity, is
combined with an interest in history. I believe these three make for a
good basis for becoming a luthier. I am a student that will always seek
to be a master at the craft. I honestly don’t think I will get there,
but it will be fun trying….and perhaps a little frustrating as well.

If you ask me about guitars, I will have a hard time stopping, so the
website is a bit of an expression communicate with those that wouldn’t
otherwise get the chance to visit my basement and discuss luthiery and
guitars in general.