Technical Resources

.In the interest of sharing information...

This Technical Resources page has been made available to provide fellow luthiers with various supporting data and the most up-to-date information relating to The Ultimate Bluegrass Mandolin Construction Manual (4th edition), The Art of Tap Tuning (2nd edition), The Luthier's Handbook (2nd edition), The life and work of Lloyd Allayre Loar, and our ProSeries Drawings for the A1, A5, F4, F5, H4, and H5 instruments.
• All of these documents are free PDF downloads to be viewed or printed as needed. 
• See VIDEOS page (below) for brief instructional videos of various phases of instrument construction.
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The Ultimate Bluegrass Mandolin Construction Manual, 4th Edition:

• Benefits of longitudinal tone bars over X-bracing for A5/F5 - CLICK HERE

• Installing or replacing A- and F-style soundhole rosettes - CLICK HERE

• Assembling F5/F4/H4/H5 rims in body fixture - CLICK HERE

• Using twill tape to secure binding during gluing - CLICK HERE

• Virzi Tone Producer Installation - CLICK HERE

• The Virzi Tone Producer (video, comparison demo, 7:50) - CLICK HERE

• The Virzi Tone Producer - A letter from Lloyd Loar to Virzi, 10/10/22 - CLICK HERE

• Fret Scale Calculator (requires Microsoft Excel, Mac or PC) - CLICK HERE

• The story of the Launch of Gibson's F5-L Mandolin (1978)  - CLICK HERE

• Editorial correction, Pg. 39, Fig. 4.12 photo caption - CLICK HERE

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The Art of Tap Tuning, 2nd Edition:

• Introduction to voicing and tap tuning (VIDEO, 9.4 min) - CLICK HERE

• Tips for using StroboSoft for tap tuning (1.6M), rev. 7/28/22 - CLICK HERE

• How to use the Peterson 490 strobetuner for tap tuning - CLICK HERE

• Typographic error, Appendix C - Target Tunings, F-5, pg.57 - CLICK HERE

• Wolf notes; what they are and how they are created - CLICK HERE

• The Acoustics of Violin Plates, by Carleen Maley Hutchins (10/1981, PDF, 8.5M) - CLICK HERE

• Zen and the Art of Tap Tuning (the rationale for tap tuning, white paper, PDF) CLICK HERE

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The Luthier's Handbook, 2nd Edition:

• Selecting the right strings for your instrument -

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The life and work of Lloyd Allayre Loar:

• Edits, Additions, and Errata. Revisions and additional discoveries that were made after the first printing of The life and work of Lloyd Allayre Loar (June 2023) to keep readers up to date with the most current information about Lloyd Loar. Ver: Dec 31, 2023 (PDF) - CLICK HERE

• The life and work of Lloyd Loar, promotional video, 4 minutes - CLICK HERE

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ProSeries Drawings:

• Specifications for the original A5 "snake" peghead - CLICK HERE

• Optional oval hole in soundboard, and cross brace for A5 mandolin. (This optional drawing is not included in our ProSeries A5 Drawing set. You can download a PDF here or we will provide a printed copy at no charge when you order an A5 ProSeries Set (be sure to note your request for one in our COMMENTS field.) - CLICK HERE

• ProSeries sample drawing, #DF5, F5 mandolin end views (demonstrates drawing qualities and the details of part of one drawing) - CLICK HERE

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Strings for your instrument:

• Straight Up Strings catalog (PDF) - CLICK HERE

• FAQs (frequently asked questions), guitar strings - CLICK HERE

• FAQs (frequently asked questions), mandolin strings - CLICK HERE

• FAQs (frequently asked questions), mandola strings - CLICK HERE

• FAQs (frequently asked questions), banjo strings - CLICK HERE

• FAQs (frequently asked questions), resophonic strings - CLICK HERE

• String Tensions; What They Mean and How They Became Important (white paper, PDF) - CLICK HERE

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Instructional Videos:

• Over the past 20 years I have posted numerous short videos to demonstrate the various phases of instrument construction. These videos are provided with the hope of enhancing your luthierie skills. CLICK HERE to go to the Instructional Videos page.