I'm unsatisfied with the neck on my 1986 Dobro. Do you know where I can get a longer neck for it, perhaps one that feels similar to a '67 Gibson J-45?
Mike Wilson
Berea, Kentucky
Since you didn't mention which Dobro model from 1986 you own, it's a bit difficult to answer your question. However, a longer neck would mean a longer scale length (the frets would be much further apart) with higher string tension, and I doubt if that's what you had in mind. The necks on mid-'60s Gibson flattops were quite thin, so if the necks you see on current Dobro bodies similar to yours aren't what you're looking for, you'll be best served by an independent repairperson or luthier. O.M.I. made your Dobro, and a slimmer neck that would fit might be available from them. Contact O.M.I. at 18108 Redondo Circle, Huntington Beach, CA 92648; (714) 848-9823.
--Richard Johnston
I am a 15-year-old girl who plays acoustic guitar. I had been practicing a lot, but soon I mastered everything in my books. I still need work on practicing chords instead of countless exercises of reading music and such. Can you recommend anything for someone who really wants to learn to play guitar but doesn't want the tedious exercises I've played a thousand times?
Garnet Williams
Endicott, New York
Making the transition from learning the basics to playing real music is often a mystery to beginning guitarists. The best way to take your playing to the next level is to learn as many songs as you can. Learning songs will allow you to apply the chords and scales you've been practicing and provide you with a tangible goal. Choose a tune that contains a new technique you'd like to master, such as fingerpicking, barre chords, or walking bass lines.
Find songbooks with songs that you enjoy. Begin with books with "easy" guitar chords; you can work up to the note-for-note transcription books later. Also, read For Beginners in Acoustic Guitar. It focuses on developing a new skill each month, and most articles are supplemented with a song that utilizes the techniques presented. In addition, try to find a teacher who can teach you to learn songs by ear. If you can master that skill, you'll be able to teach yourself and to progress at your own pace. If you ever get stuck in a rut, just find a new song that inspires you and offers new musical ideas or technical challenges.
Once you've got some songs down, try playing them with other musicians or along with the original recordings. (If you're going to jam, it might as well be with the Rolling Stones or with Bill Monroe.) Playing with others will challenge you to move beyond simply getting your fingers in the right place; it will force you to keep up and to play in sync.
--Dylan Schorer
I need some insight into how one would go about learning how to build guitars. Since I don't know anybody who is involved in lutherie, I'm not sure whether one would go to a school of lutherie, become an apprentice, or figure it out for oneself. What is common practice? Any or all of the above? I have seen ads for a couple of schools in the pages of your magazine, but they are all in the U.S. I live in Canada and cannot afford the costs of relocation or foreign student fees. Are there lutherie schools in Canada? I would appreciate some sound advice and possibly an address or two.
Ira Quinsey
Montreal, Quebec, Canada
If you are really serious about this, think of your course of action as if you were going to go to college for four years and then go on to grad school for a couple of years. It's going to take a lot of time, and it is going to cost you some money, but if you make the commitment, you will learn a wonderful profession. I have noticed that too many would-be luthiers expect to become masters of the craft in less time than it takes to become a plumber. Not so! Get a background in woodworking, machine shop practices, music, psychology (you are going to have to deal with neurotic musicians), and business, and then expect to work a lot of 12-hour (oops, my wife says 16-hour) days.
Join the Association of Stringed Instrument Artisans (PO Box 341, Paul Smiths, NY 12970) and the Guild of American Luthiers (8222 South Park Ave., Tacoma, WA 98408) and get all the back issues you can of both organizations' periodicals. The latest American Lutherie magazine from the GAL has a very comprehensive list of lutherie courses and schools. Also check out last month's summer workshop listings in Acoustic Guitar and go back and read Simone Solondz' article on lutherie instruction in the November/December 1993 issue of Acoustic Guitar.
--Rick Turner
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