News

New World Guitars

Kenny Hill has been building classical guitars since 1972. His New World Guitars brand was established in the early 2000s to bring easy-to-play, at...

Building New Banjos for an Old-Time World

Richard Jones-Bamman is more than just a close friend of Gryphon - he was a partner in the business for half a dozen years in the early 1980s, and ...

Koa Crunchtime: Ukulele Restoration

This koa Maui ukulele has a pretty significant top crack, and cracked back brace. First I’m going to glue up this crack, before it gets any worse...

Frank's Corner: Bridge Pins for 19th Century Guitars

With all the currently available choices in bridge pin material and style, why would I go to the trouble of actually making them myself?Well, I sup...

The Originality Quandary

“But is it original?”This question is raised about everything in, on, and around a vintage guitar, from tuners to tailpieces to all parts in betwee...

1933 Paramount Guitar Style D

In the 1930s, the banjo was fading as a force in popular music and many companies were making guitars with banjo necks in an attempt to keep sales ...

Crunchtime: 1967 D-28 Martin Guitar Structural Repair

I had this 1967 Martin D-28 on my bench a few months ago. It came in with clear packing tape over the damaged area trying to hold loose pieces in ...

Guitar Picks: The Cheapest Way to Change Acoustic Guitar Tone

Acoustic guitarists have a secret weapon for changing their tone: the simple guitar pick. This relatively expensive piece of plastic can do more to...

What is a "Torrefied" Guitar Top?

Players seek out vintage guitars not because they’re old but because they sound great. When I play an old guitar I notice that the notes just seem ...

Collings Guitars

Ask the typical guitar picker about high-quality fretted instruments made in North America and the brands you’ll hear will probably be household na...

Gibson K-2 Mandocello restoration

This is a Gibson K-2 Mandocello from 1920. These were built much like their little brothers in the A style Mandolin family – with one small brace b...

A Smiling Skull From a 1940’s Decal Haunts Two Guitars

My favorite uncle gave me his home-repaired guitar when I was in college. A black paint job hid the Bondo he’d used to smooth out damage from a det...