James Johnson 1st Hour

Luthiers: Craftsman of Stringed Instruments

What are luthiers? A luthier is someone who makes or repairs stringed instruments, musical instruments such as a violin, guitar, or piano. Luthiers are distinguished into two categories; makers of instruments that are plucked or strummed and those who make instruments that are owed. How are wooden instruments made? !he process of creating a wooden instrument depends heavil" on the t"pe of instrument. #or e$ample the methods for assem ling a guitar ma" e different than the violin. !hough these instruments have different instructions oth have some similarities like the od" shape and concepts in sound design. !he common luthier toda" manufactures mostl" the entire string famil" which includes violins, cellos, violas, and dou le asses. %uitars and pianos are second most manufactured. How are violins constructed? !he procedure for making violins is a long and tedious process. #irst, locks of wood, t"picall" made out of &pruce, 'oplar, or Willow, are placed in violin molds made of Walnut wood. !hen ri s for the C bouts are ent into shape using a special iron. C bouts are then attached with glue to the violin mold and clamped into place. After the ( outs are in place, the rest of the ri ing is attached to the locks. A thin wooden lining is placed inside the ri ing to reinforce the violin when the mold is removed. Wood is then chosen for the top, ack )&pruce*, and scroll )+aple* of the violin. !he top and ack can e made out of one piece of wood or two pieces glued together. !he wood is ,arched, or carved into the correct shape. !hen a channel is cut along the perimeter of the top of the violin for the purfling to e placed into. !he purfling is placed into the channel and more arching is done to smooth the shape of the top and ottom of the instrument. A ass ar is then added to the underside of the top of the violin. !he scroll, where the pegs will e place, is then carefull" si-ed. An error as small as a millimeter can completel" change the feel of a violin. !he scroll is then carved into the desired shape. !he finger oard, commonl" made of e on", is carefull" shaved into shape. .nce pieces of the violin are finished, the instrument is carefull" glued. (lamps are placed along the instrument until the glue dries. !he violin is now complete, read" for sale. !he procedure for making violins can e adapted for construction of the entire string famil" including guitars. 'ianos follow a similar method with the e$ception of the od" shape. /t0s internal components consists of a heav" iron frame with hammer mechanisms striking the strings rather than eing owed. When luthiers design their instruments the" utili-e a common concept in considering the price of their instruments that applies to all wooden instruments regardless of their t"pe. !here are numerous factors that affect the price of an wooden instrument. !he primar" element that dominates the cost of instrument is the resources from which it is crafted from. !he factors that affect wooden instrument prices are the t"pe of woods used, the 1ualit" of workmanship, and the manufacturer. +ore e$pensive models with etter woods and cosmetic touches, such as fine inding, ma" cost upwards of 23.444. Wooden instruments have e$isted for the past two thousands "ears. /n those earl" da"s guitars were and lutes were the first to emerge and while these instruments were not designed for massive production the" were still popular. &ome of these instruments were even hand crafted out of wood and

animal intestines. !his was the original practice for making an wooden instrument. 5ach individual musical instrument was artfull" and creativel" handcrafted " its owner. /t wasn0t until the the turn of the 16th centur" when the powers of the world e$perienced the /ndustrial 7evolution that the manufacturing wooden instruments would change considera l", especiall" the acoustic guitar as we know it toda". Although modern wooden instruments can e manufactured easil" with the help of machines speciall" designed to make a wooden instrument in less time, there are still luthiers toda" that prefer the original process; handcrafting. /nstruments that are handcrafted sound etter than machine8made models ut are also highl" priced. !his is ecause the materials used in handcrafted models are uni1ue with higher 1ualit" in appearance and sound. (areers in music are not onl" availa le in performing or teaching ut also in a other areas and fields. 9eing a luthier is :ust one of man" careers in music. +usic can e applied as a career in music therap", contemporar" writing and production, film scoring, electronic production and design, and sound technolog".

A luthier's workshop