Tom Ribbecke, Rob Girdis, Steve Grimes, Jeff Elliott, GAL staffer Jon Peterson, and John Monteleone. Ervin Somogyi tested some spruce bracing stock by hanging weights on it and measuring the deflection. He was surprised by the results. The photo shows his test apparatus. Rich Mermer shows us how he builds the Maalaea Special, an acoustic lap-steel guitar similar to the old Weissenborn design.
Article includes a bracing diagram.
Bob Gernandt lives near the Great Smokey Mountains of North Carolina, and makes citterns, Irish bouzoukis, mandolins, and guitars. We meet him in this issue.