Supplies
  
  • Stewart-MacDonald's Guitar Shop Supply -- Want new gears for your electric guitar? Want to replace the frets on your acoustic? Want to build a guitar, banjo, dulcimer, or fiddle from scratch? Check this site out. You can ask for their catalog, or just browse through their website and order whatever you need over the internet. Everything for the luthier.
  • Luthiers' Mercantile -- You want woods? You want luthier tools? This place has is all.

  • Allied Lutherie Ltd. -- There may be as many luthiers in Santa Cruz as there are in Healdsburg, but we don't have Lutherie supplies. Healdsburg has two of 'em: LMI (above) and Allied Lutherie. Allied is the one that's locally owned and operated.
  • Lark in the Morning -- This store can sell you just about any folk instrument from any country in the world. Their extensive web site is entertaining and educational.
  • Music Makers' Kits -- Not ready to build acoustic instruments from scratch? Start with something simple like a hog-nose psaltery and work your way up to harps and guitars. When you want to try it on your own, they also have parts.

  • Just Strings -- Juststring.com is an online store dedicated to ...uh, just strings. They have strings for balalaikas, charangos, theorbos, vihuelas, and zithers. Oh, and also guitars. Strings for anything here.

  • Concord Musical Supplies -- Mostly strings and parts for the violin family.

  • Rolin Music -- Everything for the violin luthier and fiddle maker.

  • Boulder Early Music Shop -- As they say, "The Boulder Early Music Shop is your source for Medieval, Renaissance, and Baroque music, instruments, and accessories."

  • The Martin Guitar online 1833 Shop -- Kind of a tourist thing, what with the clothing and novelties, but, if you want a Martin and can't afford it, they have inexpensive kits so you can make your own Martin Guitar. For the luthier, they also have parts and tools.

  • Renaissance Workshop Company -- This wonderful English shop has Medieval, Renaissance & Baroque musical instruments and kits. If you want to build any of these, kits are available. If you want to build completely by scratch, RWC has plans for everything from bagpipes to viols.
   
Organizations
And Museums
  
  • The Santa Cruz Art League -- A wonderful organization with gallery exhibitions, classes, a gift shop, and theater. Now 85 years young. Check out their new website for the calendar of events. Join, learn, exhibit, and have fun.
  • The Guild of American Luthiers -- I've been a member of this fine organization for 23 years. Their quarterly journal has helped me learn more about tone woods, building techniques, use of tools, and the development of artistic vision and creativity.
  • The American Musical Instrument Society -- This is "an International organization founded in 1971 to promote the study of the history, design, and use of musical instruments in all cultures and from all periods."
  • The National Music Museum -- If any shrine is worth a pilgrimage, it's this one in Vermillion, South Dakota. Their extensive and continually growing collection has something for every taste and interest, from prehistoric to futuristic, from home-made folk art to mass-produced instruments, from Joe Blow to Stradivarius.

  • Museum of Musical Instruments -- Here's an exciting virtual museum. As they explain it, "The Museum of Musical Instruments (MoMI) gives people a unique opportunity to examine, explore, and experience the finest examples of 19th and 20th Century musical instruments."

  • Metropolitan Museum -- This museum is one of the best in our country. This link takes you to the musical instrument collection section of their website. Some of the collection can be viewed here. To see the rest, you need to visit New York.
  • Musical Instrument Makers Forum -- This is, as their ad states, "an interactive web-based forum for the discussion of musical instrument design, construction, and repair; offering online instrument making courses."

  • Catgut Musical Instrument Society -- As they say it best, "The CAS brings together researchers in musical acoustics, violin makers, composers, string players, and lovers of the music they make. One of our primary interests is the application of scientific principles to the construction of instruments in the violin family."

  • The Cultural Council of Santa Cruz County -- "The Cultural Council of Santa Cruz County leads the community in advancing the Arts in Santa Cruz County, ensuring arts opportunities for all by providing programs and services that support artists, strengthen arts organizations, promote arts education in schools, and encourage artistic creativity and diversity."

  • Frets.com -- Frank Ford, of Gryphon Music in Palo Alto, has put together a great big website with an incredible amount of information for luthiers, musicians, and anyone who has an interest in stringed instruments. If you haven't heard about Frank, it's time you did.

  • The Galpin Society -- Over the pond in the U.K. is this well-established organization for the study of musical instruments.

  • Guitar Review -- Not an organization, but a really good journal on all aspects of the guitar. Lots of historical info.

  • The Association of Stringed Instrument Artisans -- This is a Professional Luthier Organization, which "was established in 1988 to help provide a sense of community and professionalism to the field of stringed instrument making and repair." Their GuitarMaker Magazine is well worth the dues.

  • International Society of Folk Harpers and Craftsmen -- "Founded by Roland L. Robinson, a harpmaker in Mt. Laguna, California, the ISFHC was intended to meet the need of the individual folk harper and builder for communication with his or her fellow artists. It began in 1980 out of the readership of the Folk Harp Journal and in 1985 it became a California nonprofit corporation." Rather annoying website design, but a worthwhile organization.

  • Lute Societies -- There are two lute societies, one here in the colonies, and one over the pond in the United Kingdom. In the U.K., it's The Lute Society. Here in the U.S., it's the Lute Society of America (at Dartmouth).

  • Localized Luthier Organizations -- In Arizona, there's the Arizona League of Lutherie. In California, there's the Sacramento Valley Luthier's Guild and The Northern California Association of Luthiers. In Texas, there's the Luthier's Interactive of North Texas. And in Washington, there's the Seattle Luthiers Group.
   
Publications,
Music Web Sites,
& Other Links
  
  • EverythingDulcimer.com -- This site contains hammered and mountain dulcimer club listings, events, how-to articles, great discussion, 300+ mountain dulcimer tabs, and pictures. You name it they've got it for anyone interesting in mountain or hammered dulcimers. Explore and have fun!

  • Jubilatores -- Founded in San Diego California and now in NW Ohio and the Great Lakes Region, the Jubilatores bring years of experience in living-history productions. They perform in authentic Medieval costumes, and with beautiful, museum-quality musical instruments. Their past performance settings include private homes, museums, libraries, universities, convention centers, and coffee houses. They are Society for Creative Anachronism (SCA) members.

  • American School of Lutherie -- Charles Fox, one of America's best luthiers, is also one of America's best luthery instructors. He has put together many exciting classes in all aspects of the craft, from the basics to the business of selling your instruments. Over the years, his "faculty" has included people like Jeff Elliott, Greg Byers, Cyndy Burton, Kenny Hill, Frank Ford, Grit Laskin, Cameron Carr, Rick Turner, Don Macrostie, Michael Lewis, Fred Carlson, Steve Klein, Larry Robinson, and John Monteleone.

  • Guitarnation.com -- The first virtual guitar festival and gallery. Interesting site, and really nice guitars from all over the world.

  • Dulcimer Player News -- This quarterly has been around since 1975 and "has guided players, builders, and dulcimer enthusiasts on their musical journey. Devoted to both hammered and fretted dulcimer with tunes, tips for beginners, reviews, instrument care and repair, interviews, festival information, dulcimer history, and more." A few articles are reprinted on the website.

  • Hayzee Guide to Folk Music Manufacturers -- As Dave Hayes says, "This website is dedicated to folk instrument manufacturers and makers of the world. This is a labour of love I am embarking on - I know it is a massive subject but being a musician myself it is something I have always wanted to do." And he did a wonderful job. (I'm in the banjo section.)
  • The Amazing McNasty Brothers -- I got some long-sought-after info from Tom McCormick on my old Rex mandolin. Check out his website, and his music, at www.amazingmcnastybrothers.com.

  • Woodfinder -- Need to find a piece of cocobolo or a slab of Japanese cherry? This site's search feature will locate sources for any type of wood.

  • Cakewalk Software -- You built your finest instrument and now you want to record it for posterity. Cakewalk has several software programs, from entry level to their new advanced Sonar digital multitrack recorder, that allow you to record your luthery masterpieces onto your computer.
  • Calculators -- You're building an instrument with a non-standard string length. How do you figure the fret spacing? And how do you know how wide to make the fretboard? The internet to the rescue! Fret calculator. Fretboard shape calculator.

  • Color Rosette Calculator -- Here's a nifty JAVA applet that allows you to design your own rosettes.