CONFESSIONS OF A LUTHIER ...
String Theory
This issue, Alex Bishop dwells upon the importance of choosing the right strings for the job, and sets about finding the perfect formula
One thing I love about the craft of guitar making is that it occupies an interesting space where the boundaries of art and science cross over. A luthier must be able to cover a lot of ground in order to build instruments to the highest degree. Disregard the artistic elements of lutherie at your peril, for your craftsmanship and eye for design will be called into question. But ignore the science and your beautiful creation simply won’t work.
Lately, I have been delving into some of the more technical aspects of my work. Here in Bristol there is a strong traditional folk scene so a lot of diverse folk instruments pass through my workshop, and I recently found myself challenged with some intonation problems posed by a beautiful but troublesome Scandinavian cittern. Just like the 12-string guitar, this instrument makes use of pairs of strings tuned in octaves as well as unison, but in this instance some pairs were combinations of nylon and steel strings.