Luthiery Links

We hope our Inside Jim's Shop section will become a useful resource for luthiers and aspiring luthiers as it grows. In addition, we offer here a small collection of links to some of our favorite online sources of information about guitar building. For a more comprehensive list, visit AG: The Acoustic Guitarists' Annotated Guide to the Internet.

Frets.Com — A Textbook for Musicians and Luthiers: This huge site is the work of luthier Frank Ford, and it lives up to its subtitle. It offers encyclopedic coverage of many aspects of acoustic guitar building and is copiously illustrated. A highlight are many images from inside a guitar, taken with a small remote camera. A must-see site for any aspiring luthier, or anyone with a serious interest in the acoustic guitar. The site is available on CD-ROM for faster browsing.
Guitarmaker/ASIA: Association of Stringed Instrument Artisans: ASIA is the leading professional association for luthiers in North America; Guitarmaker is their publication. This site offers membership information about ASIA; subscription and tables of contents for Guitarmaker (including information and order forms for back issues), links to member sites (suppliers and luthiers), and information about the annual ASIA Symposium. Jim is a proud member of ASIA and has given presentations at several ASIA Symposia.
MIMF: Musical Instrument Makers Forum: "The MIMForum is the only web-based interactive forum for the discussion of musical instrument design, construction, and repair; welcoming builders of all instruments at any skill level from expert to wannabee. Anyone can participate in the discussion forum; only registered users can access archived discussions and participant-contributed files and plans in the MIMForum library. The MIMForum hosts commercial ads for luthiers and parts and tool suppliers, and free classified ads to registered participants."
The Sacramento Valley Luthier's Guild: The Sacramento Valley Luthier's Guild "is a non-profit organization dedicated to the sharing of resources related to luthiery. The purpose of the guild is to provide networking and promotion for local luthiers... Members of the guild span the gamut from hobbyists to professionals..." Their web site archives their newsletter, has photos of members' instruments, and provides collections of links and other info of interest to luthiers.
Famous Guitar Maker Internet World Headquarters: This site features an extensive regional list of electric and acoustic luthiers, lists of schools and study programs for luthiery, and supplies various other information of interest to guitar builders. It also hosts a wide variety of other topical lists of 'net resources of interest to guitarists.
Leeds Guitarmakers Workshop: The Leeds Guitarmaker's School is a world-class academy of fretted string instrument technology in Leeds, Massachusetts, USA. Inaugurated in 1995, Leeds offers "hands-on basic and advanced courses, workshops, tutorials and seminars in steel-string, classic, archtop, and electric guitarmaking and fretted technology." This web site describes the school and its staff, provides a course catalog, and provides some guitarmaking tips and links to other web sites of interest.
William R. Cumpiano, Guitarmakers: Besides being a guitar builer, luthier Willaim Cumpiano is also a serious and devoted teacher of luthiery. He has received a number of teaching and documentation grants, listed at his web site. His site offers articles on luthiery and guitar care, and descriptions of the various hands-on guitarmaking workshops he offers.
Stewart-MacDonald's Guitar Shop Supply: Stewart-MacDonald is one of the best-known suppliers of tools, parts, and print and video instruction for building and reparing electric and acoustic guitars and other stringed instruments. Long-time Guitar Player Magazine columnist Dan Erlewine is on the staff and offers free tips in the free catalog that you can order from this web site. Although the catalog is not available online, you can order online, and the site is worth revisiting as they archive tips and trade secrets online.
Luthiers Mercantile International: A California-based "supplier of fine woods and tools for stringed instrument makers." Among their web offerings is a downloadable PDF version of their catalog, well-known for the many repair and building tips included among descriptions of product offerings. They offer extensive wood and inlay supplies; photos of many wood and inlay samples are on the site. LMI also hosts information about the Healdsburg Guitar Festival.
John Pearse Strings & Accessories: Jim proudly ships his guitars strung with John Pearse strings (typically phosphor bronze light gauge).