2017 Convention Schedule
(see detailed descriptions of each presentation below)

Wednesday, July 19
1:00pm Registration and check-in

2:30pm Workshops (concurrent):
• Erick Coleman and Evan Gluck, A Thousand or Less Repair Tips
• Stephen Marchione, Fitting Bars and Braces with Hand Tools
• Robbie O’Brien, Five Basic Steps of Guitar Setup
• Science and Technology Seminar

7:30pm Concert: John Doan, Homage to Fernando Sor - A Musical Tribute to the Father of the Classical Guitar

Thursday, July 20
8:30am Lecture:
• Dan Erlewine. Training the Next Generation

10:30am Workshops (concurrent):
• Michael Bashkin, Multi-piece Headstock and End-graft Overlays
• Classical Guitar Listening Session with Jeffrey Elliott, moderator

1:00pm Workshops (concurrent):
• Chris Herrod, Talking about Tone
• Stephen Marchione, Shaping Necks with Hand Tools
• Ted White, Mandolin Acoustics: Practical Workshop Techniques

3:00pm–6:00pm Exhibition (open to registered participants only)

8:00pm Concert: Darol Anger, fiddle

10:00pm Open Mike Music (off campus)

Friday, July 21
8:30am Lecture:
• Michael Bashkin, Tropical Hardwoods: Global Perspectives and Outlook

10:00am Group Photo

10:30am Workshops (concurrent):
• Greg Byers, Classical Guitar Sound: Seeking Quality and Consistency
• Charles Rufino, Setting a Violin Neck Like a Professional
• Steel String Guitar Listening Session with Mike Doolin, moderator

1:00pm Workshops (concurrent):
• Kerry Char, Adventures in Vintage Guitar Restoration
• Mike Doolin, 7-String Guitars and the $400 Laser CNC
• Jason Lollar, Pickup Design Principles and Small Shop Practices

3:00pm–6:00pm Exhibition (open to registered participants only)

8:00pm Concert: Michael Partington, classical guitar

10:00pm Open Mike Music (off campus)

Saturday, July 22
8:30am Lecture:
• Robbie O’Brien, Build a Classical Guitar in a Week

10:30am Workshops (concurrent):
• Evan Gluck, When Your Business Hits a Bump
• Charles Rufino with Stephen Marchione, From Good to Great: Refining Your Work Before You Finish
• Ukulele Listening Session with Nathan Ching, moderator

1:00pm–5:00pm Exhibition (open to public)

7:30pm GAL Benefit Auction

Sunday, July 23
9:00am Lecture:
• Jay Lichty and Corrie Woods, Making Variety and Customization Work in a Small Shop
10:30am Lecture:
• Federico Sheppard, Guitar Maker without Borders

2:00pm–5:00pm GAL Headquarters Open House

Presentation Descriptions

Wednesday, July 19, 2:30pm – Workshop: A Thousand or Less Repair Tips
Erick Coleman and Evan Gluck
A discussion and demonstration of guitar fixing techniques, tools, and problem solving ideas for things that can throw you for a loop, plus tips for speedy everyday repairs.

Wednesday, July 19, 2:30pm – Workshop: Fitting Bars and Braces with Hand Tools
Stephen Marchione
This demonstration shows you how to lay out the position of the brace, work it to size, chalk-fit it, glue it, and tune it.

Wednesday, July 19, 2:30pm – Workshop: Five Basic Steps of Guitar Setup
Robbie O'Brien
You have built your guitar, but now you have to make it playable. The five steps presented in this workshop will make the difference between a beautiful- looking instrument and an instrument that can be beautifully played. Learn how to do it right!

Wednesday, July 19, 2:30pm – Workshop: Science and Technology Seminar
The Science and technology Seminar will feature a number of short (approx. 30 minute) presentations on topics of science and technology in lutherie. These include reports on recent research by the researchers as well as descriptions of practical technical approaches to lutherie design and construction. See full synopses here.

Thursday, July 20, 8:30am – Lecture: Training the Next Generation
Dan Erlewine
Dan Erlewine discusses the importance of realizing when it’s time to take on help in the shop rather than going it alone, and how training serious apprentices is a good way to go about it.

Thursday, July 20, 10:30am - Workshop: Multi-piece Headstock and End-graft Overlays
Michael Bashkin
Bashkin will demonstrate marquetry and inlay techniques for making ornamental headstocks and end-grafts with hand-tools. He will also present shop-made tools and jigs that assist in the creation of these pieces.

Thursday, July 20, 10:30am – Classical Guitar Listening Session
Moderator: Jeffrey Elliott
Hear your guitar in a brief performance by a professional in a concert hall setting. It’s an opportunity to test your objectivity, and glean cause-and-effect impressions of how various tone woods and top bracing designs influence the sound.

Thursday, July 20, 1:00pm – Workshop: Talking about Tone
Chris Herrod
Luthiers need to be able to skillfully discuss tone. In this talk and the ensuing discussion, we’ll work to understand the mysterious ambiguities that underlie our experience of sound and our ability to communicate about it. This understanding can deepen your perception of tone and help you better communicate with clients.

Thursday, July 20, 1:00pm – Workshop: Shaping Necks with Hand Tools
Stephen Marchione
This demonstration shows you the shaping of a neck from the use of templates for roughing out to the final shaping and relif adjustment.

Thursday, July 20, 1:00pm – Workshops: Mandolin Acoustics: Practical Workshop Techniques
Ted White
Practical workshop techniques for the measurement of structural acoustics of stringed instruments will be demonstrated. The implications of these measurements will be discussed with a view as to what makes a better instrument. And data will be presented from some Loar signed mandolins for comparison.

Friday, July 23, 8:30am - Lecture: Tropical Hardwoods: Global Perspectives and Outlook
Michael Bashkin
Traditional tonewoods for guitars have become more expensive, less available, legally restricted, and arguably lower quality. Bashkin will discuss the big picture of tropical wood supply, the role of the guitar making community, and what options exist for future generations of luthiers.

Friday, July 21, 10:30am – Workshop: Classical Guitar Sound: Seeking Quality and Consistency
Greg Byers
Beyond the woodwork, luthiers are primarily focused on two interlocking enterprises: To reach for ever increasing quality of sound production, and to reproduce that quality consistently from guitar to guitar. Byers will present an approach to this endeavor that he has developed through the years for his classical guitars.

Friday, July 21, 10:30am – Workshop: Setting a Violin Neck Like a Professional
Charles Rufino
Let a classically trained violin maker show you how they do it, all with nice sharp hand tools.

Friday, July 21, 10:30am – Steel String Guitar Listening Session
Moderator: Mike Doolin
Hear your guitar in a brief performance by a professional in a concert hall setting. It’s an opportunity to test your objectivity, and glean cause-and-effect impressions of how various tone woods and top bracing designs influence the sound.

Friday, July 21, 1:00pm – Workshop: Adventures in Vintage Guitar Restoration
Kerry Char
"Restoration" can be a confusing and sometimes intimidating word. Kerry will share some attitudes and approaches to vintage instrument restoration that might demystify some of the voodoo that surrounds this topic. He'll bring some completed projects and explain the work that he performed on them, as well as demonstrating a few techniques.

Friday, July 21, 1:00pm – Workshop: 7-String Guitars and the $400 Laser CNC
Mike Doolin
Mike will discuss 7-string design and construction, available hardware options, and making pickups. He'll also play video examples of 7-string music, and even play a bit himself. He'll then demonstrate an affordable laser CNC, capable of cutting inlay, templates, plate outlines, and leather guitar straps.

Friday, July 21, 1:00pm – Workshop: Pickup Design Principles and Small Shop Practices
Jason Lollar
This presentation examines design variables and practical methods of construction used for making magnetic electric guitar pickups, including how different materials and various design aspects affect tone and output. We will look at specialized tooling available and examine considerations involved in one-off custom work compared with limited-quantity production.

Saturday, July 22, 8:30am – Lecture: Build a Classical Guitar in a Week
Robbie O'Brien
This lecture not only emphasizes working efficiently but also shows every step of Robert O'Brien's classical guitar building process. You will certainly come away with some new ideas and perhaps even a couple of “Aha!” moments as Robert presents building a guitar from a box of lumber to a finished, playable instrument.

Saturday, July 22, 10:30am – Workshop: When Your Business Hits a Bump
Evan Gluck
This presentation carries on from Gluck’s talk at the 2014 GAL Convention, “The Business of Doing Business,” and focuses on what happens when things don't go right. When should we say yes to a job? When should we say no? How can we discover the blind spots that may be holding us back in how we conduct business? Plus an introduction to an interactive tool that has contributed to Gluck’s continued success in customer relations.

Saturday, July 22, 10:30am – Workshop: From Good to Great: Refining Your Work Before You Finish
Charles Rufino with Stephen Marchione
The angels are in the details. Take a close look at the last little things to do when you are makeing a fine violin, acoustic guitar, or electric guitar.

Saturday, July 22, 10:30am – Ukulele Listening Session
Moderator: Nathan Ching
In recent years the “diminutive” ukulele has surpassed all in retail sales. More and more accomplished musicians are using ukes to perform and record. And for good reasons; compact size and ever-improving tone are just two. In the listening session we will explore the various styles and sizes.  Expect to see some made of rare exotics, as well as others of cookie tins and cigar boxes.  Kimo Hussey will make them sing. Or quack.

Sunday, July 23, 9:00am – Lecture: Making Variety and Customization Work in a Small Shop
Jay Lichty and Corrie Woods
Why does the phone keep ringing with people wanting these crazy, one-off models? Join Jay Lichty and Corrie Woods of Lichty Guitars as they share tips and techniques for creating multiple models and styles of guitars and ukuleles. Learn why that works for them and how, through Corrie’s unique style of marketing, they go about finding them homes.

Sunday, July 23, 10:30am – Lecture: Guitar Maker without Borders
Federico Sheppard
Regarded as the 'Don Quixote of the Guitar' by none other than Jose Romanillos, Federico’s presentation will describe his challenging journey from steel-string guitar maker to Spanish guitar maker, his far-flung pilgrimages to visit luthiers in many lands, and the development of a new guitar center in a remote village in Spain host to the world's best guitarists and guitar makers.