The contents of this issue are in
Big Red Book of American Lutherie Volume Seven
It is no longer available as a back issue
American Lutherie #79
Fall 2004

Well, we did it again! Hundreds of GAL members gathered in Tacoma Washington for our 17th National Convention/Exhibition. We've been doing this since 1975, and they just keep coming back for more.
Eight Concerns of Highly Successful Guitar Makers by R.E. Brune
Richard Brune, one of the GAL's Founding Fathers, has been making classic guitars since 1966. In this lecture transcription from our 2001 convention, he lets it all hang out and tells us the eight most important points to making a successful guitar. What's on the list? Get the issue and find out! But here's a hint. Wood is not even on the list!
2004 GAL Convention Coverage by Bon "Flying Caps" Henderson
GAL conventions are informative and inspiring. They give you a chance to see the wonderful new work of your peers, and to show off your latest. You can make valuable connections and hand-pick the wood you will use in the next few years. But the Convention is also just a whole lot of fun! In the photo, Harry Fleishman is leading the steel string guitar listening session. See the full convention wrapup in this issue.
Hands-on Archtop Mandolin Making, Part Five with Don MacRostie
by Peggy Stuart
We have finally arrived at the last episode of our five-part mandolin construction series. This one is all about sunburst finishing. We follow Don MacRostie as he sprays a stain burst on one of his F-5s, then Peggy Stuart does a full non-toxic burst on her A model with padded-on water stain and shellac.
Bridge Shaping and Roting Jig by Paul Woolson
Paul Woolson shows us a simple router jig for making a steel string guitar bridge. As you can see in the photo, his system allows for nontraditional shapes.
Tuning Machines for Slotted-Head Steel String Guitars by Todd Rose
Todd Rose is a big fan of slotted pegheads on steel string guitars. In this issue he takes an inventory of the available tuning gears with those long straight string posts, and finds some real beauties.
An Enhancement to the Outside Mold by R.M. Mottola
R.M. Mottola has a good idea: make an inside copy of the shape of the waist on your outside mold. Huh? Why? Read the article.
Product Review: Stew-Mac Dreadnought Brace Set by John Calkin
John Calkin test-drives the dreadnought bracing set from Stewart-MacDonald. That's right, he didn't just look at them, he built a guitar with them.
It Worked for Me by Dennis Russell, William G. Snavely, and Eugene Clark
Eugene Clark has very particular tastes in palette knives. This one, he says, is the best for lutherie. But here's the twist: It's sold as a grapefruit knife!

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