Meeting Notes

On August 12, aboard the Gurian Instruments Barge, in the last regular meeting of their tenth year, the Seattle Luthiers did something that would have seemed unthinkable not long before: following the usual potluck and some chit-chat, they elected a slate of officers and collected the first dues from members.

In an atmosphere of heightened parliamentarianism established by multiple calls-to-order and adjournments, the members first ratified the selection of their Treasurer, Sam Krause (in braid at left). There followed a discussion about banking requirements, which Sam explained could be minimal. The odds-on favorite for President was Jeremy Vreeland, but Michael Gurian, asked whether he would like the office himself, in a most un-Caesarly gesture accepted it immediately, possibly before it had actually been offered. Jeremy (facing camera in dark shirt) was now a shoo-in for Vice President, as was Annett Mateo, far right, for Secretary.

Dave Krause (to Sam's right) explained his vision of director-like positions for members who would advise, help out, and serve as a pool for future officers. Dave was promptly selected for one of these positions, as were Matthew Anderson (also the new Webmaster, obscured by palm tree) and Bob Hamm, who prefers the title "Indirector."

Michael (furthest from camera in green shirt, for those who may not be acquainted) had several announcements waiting. There is already a program for next month, Kevin Almeida talking about inlay techniques, both manual and automated. Michael also talked about the need for establishing a mailing list for those not served by e-mail, and about getting announcements out early and often. He also reaffirmed his faith that suppliers would now be pleased to offer discounts to members.

Almost without controversy was a decision to exempt officers from the imposition of dues. After that, the evening's technical program began, with a little adjustable Corian® sled for sawing braces, a fixture for using a router to shape bridge wings, a mold with pop-off end-block extensions, a jig for bolt-on necks. First and simplest: Jay Hargreaves' protective tape, which allows one to confine one's worst errors to a small area.

That was about it for official business, but Sam and Dave invited the membership for a sail aboard their boat the following Sunday. Those interested should contact them for details.

The meeting was called to order by squeezing the hanged rubber chicken (between Bob and Jeremy, above) and ended with a celebratory ringing of the ship's bell. But what has really changed?

It was always two overlapping groups, really. Michael Gurian had been meeting for some time with established local builders when, in the fall of 1998, he heard that a small number of amateurs were finding a way to get together. The two groups immediately began holding their meetings jointly, but for all the participants to have the same goals would be asking a lot. It would be an oversimplification to say that the distinction is between commerce and communication; but it should be clear that it was not a need for structure that led to the recent changes within the group.

From an e-mail list of about two hundred with no formal leadership, the Seattle Luthiers have become an association of a dozen, more than half of whom have have at least one official position. They lack the legal ability to do many of the things that most other associations can do, but at least now there is a selection of people responsible for those things that do not get done. There is no mechanism for making decisions based on the will of the majority of either the membership or the directors, and none for resolving disputes; and none for relieving anyone of the joint and several liability which they may have assumed for any act of the association.

Still, it is to be hoped that many others will join, from the ranks of those who have expressed interest, or who have participated in the past, or have just been following the discussion. Or those who have recently become interested in lutherie, or become aware of the group. Dues are thirty-five dollars a year, good until the anniversary of their payment. Visitors are allowed to attend their first meeting or event for free. If all goes as planned, the group should soon be a powerful force for good in the lutherie universe.

Also to be hoped is that the new management will provide opportunities for the exchange of information among those who do not wish to become full members immediately. It may be remembered that of the four luthiers who answered David Haxton's invitation of August 3, 1998, one was present at the meeting this week to write his check.

In July, following a hectic month of multiple gatherings and the G.A.L. convention, no meeting seemed necessary.

A deputation of four experts from Stewart-MacDonald, led by Erick Coleman, attended our June meeting on Tuesday the 10th. En route to the next week's G.A.L. convention in Tacoma, they joined maybe sixteen locals, from the most original to the very newest, sheltering from the late-spring weather in what we might begin calling the Sound Guitar workshop.

The theme was New Gadgets, and there were examples of Stew-Mac's Nut Slotting Gauge, Neck Relief Gauge, Tuner Bushing Press, and the "Incredible Voyage" style Scissors Jack, with its seriously strong magnets, none yet seen in the print catalog. There were questions and answers too, and talk of other gizmos.

One question was answered quickly enough. A frequently-touted benefit of membership in the new, improved Seattle Luthiers is the inevitable discount offered by vendors. Apparently, however, at least one supplier, though experimenting with accomodating active builders on an individual basis, may not be quite ready to honor the SLG membership card. Of course as long as no such cards actually exist this may be something of a moot point.

It began quietly enough, a late-Spring potluck aboard the Gurian barge. Attendance hovered at around a dozen as members arrived and departed, some by bicycle despite cool temperatures and light showers. Then, well into the evening, Resolutely Temporary President Rick Davis called the meeting to order by squeezing a rubber chicken hanged beneath a café umbrella, made a couple of announcements, and called for old business.

A brief review of actions taken at recent meetings, including the decision to collect dues and the search for officers, rekindled the familiar discussion of the group's need for more or less structure. In particular, former President For Life David Haxton, in his first appearance of the year, lamented the loss of the group's signature informality and the substitution of process for leadership. The familiar arguments were again made on both sides (sometimes by the same person -- one highly-undervalued solution would see the creation of two rival lutherie gangs with overlapping membership), one faction concerned that the group would not prosper unless the changes were implemented, the other fearing that it would not survive to see its tenth anniversary if they were.

At this point Future Officer Jeremy Vreeland suggested dividing into small groups and jotting down desires and goals. The results were not discussed but they provided a great distraction nonetheless, and after a time everyone wandered over to another table where there was some wood to look at.

The aforesaid announcements? Meetings or workshops before and after the June G.A.L. meeting, featuring, respectively, Dan Erlewine and Tom Ribbecke. Also, that Sam Krause has reconsidered and would accept the position of Treasurer, but no other. It was after ten before many of us left.

In a mellow but momentous meeting Arpil 8, the Seattle Luthiers took another step toward formality. By unanimous vote of those present, the group will become a dues-paying organization with officers and a structure. The question of the subscription level was quickly settled -- membership will cost $35 per year, at least initially. The question of officers went quickly also, everyone agreeing that the honor should be accorded someone else; and thus even those who were careful not to attend may still have some risk of serving.

Venue for the meeting was again the Fremont shop of Rick Davis and Cat Fox, and the two had an informational agenda as well: a hands-on wood-bending demonstration, with examples of different types of wood for practice. Besides the tools at hand (heated pipes and Rick's side-bender), Brent McElroy had brought his bending machine, and so both screw-thread and over-center lever-and-spring approaches were represented. There was advice about temperature, moisture, the area to heat, thickness and composition of material, alignment in the device (Brent's end-pegs and perforated top sheet seeming to make the job easier), and some anecdotes about jobs gone wrong. Cat astounded the crowd (and lived up to her reputation) by bending a sample freehand to match a plan, in seemingly no time at all.

March was the month for the make-up meeting at Mike Lull's Guitar Works in Bellevue. Your editor was unable to attend, but the lack of comment suggests that this March 11 gathering went off more smoothly than the one scheduled for last October. Readers are invited to submit their own accounts.

The January potluck drew about sixteen, two of whom (Pat Macaluso and Dave Ardon) brought instruments to look at. Also for viewing (for those whose hands were still clean enough) were two lavish picture books with good evidence of Michael Gurian's involvement, early and late, in music and instrument building in Spain. The new roof of the barbeque area, festive for the recent holidays, did a good job of keeping out the winter torrent but not such a good job of keeping out its tumult -- for a time conversation was difficult. Nonetheless there was political speech, prompted by the concurrent New Hampshire primary, and then a protracted discussion of ethnology and oud building.

After a time, take-charge guy Rick Davis took the floor with a report on the progress of the group's voyage of self-discovery. Well in advance of the deadline, about sixteen questionnaire replies had already been received. Early results revealed few surprises: those who replied by e-mail seemed comfortable with electronic communication; those for whom meeting location is inconvenient are most likely to live out-of-state. Radical dissatisfaction has yet to manifest itself.

The climax for most was the ever-popular barge tour, ending down in the hold where big billets of exotic wood come to await their musical makeovers.

On the night of December 11, as two dozen luthiers gradually assembled on the lido deck of the Gurian Instruments barge, over in the corner by the koi pond newly widowed founding father David Haxton rang the big old ship's bell, said to have belonged to the vessel Miles Standish, spoke a few words about the history of the group, and explained that his own participation would be limited in the future.

Whither then the Seattle Luthiers? The question has been voiced frequently in recent months (though perhaps not always in those exact words) by some who believe that potential is being wasted, or who tire of seeing all the work being done by the same few individuals, or who are simply dissatisfied with dinner attendance. Should we abandon our traditional "lemming" management style? Are eager participants thwarted by an inadequate notice system? Or are there already way too many members? Would collection of dues provide for an enhanced web site, increasing member satisfaction (mostly by increasing instrument sales)? Didn't somebody used to write minutes of the meetings? How about a printed publication?

Clearly there was a need for an expert (that is, a guy from out of town), and Rick Davis discovered that he had volunteered to lead us through this period of great opportunity. A first planned step is a questionnaire directed to the current membership, probably following the winter holidays.

The evening's agenda also called for a talk on lutherie technology led by Mr. Gurian himself, and there was some discussion about what volume of work would justify an investment in CNC machinery, what tooling is good for what kind of work, etc.; and, for smaller shops, the practicality of outsourcing specific jobs. Still, among such a diverse group, there were also familiar, basic questions (adjustable workbenches, thicknessing wood by hand) and answers (dental chair bases, toothed plane irons). Familiar also, and welcome, were the cookies brought by Jay Hargreaves.

But if only for the sake of completeness, it should be noted that this was not the first meeting in December. A week earlier, in a testament to the efficacy of the notice-giving system, sixteen members milled around the locked gate of the Gurian dock's boatyard. The prevalence of apple caps and, eventually, with the realization that the host was not present and the organizers had forgotten to attend, some truculent rhetoric, gave the gathering the look of an old-time trade-union rally. A passing local provided advice concerning the unavailability of jobs until spring but the possibility of liberating a couple of outboard motors if entrance could be gained. After a while Jay Hargreaves arrived, bearing not cookies (due to a flour shortage at home) but a pan of tasty-looking bars. Paper napkins were located and an impromptu tailgate party ensued in the parking lot of the Locks, providing, perhaps, an alternate view of the future of the Seattle Luthiers.

The Seattle Luthiers' dinner meeting of Tuesday, November 13 at the Sea Garden Restaurant was the first of their tenth full year, but, unfortunately, far from their best-attended, as a late e-mail followed by lack of notice on the Web page seemed to discourage all but half a dozen. It was hoped that the next month's program with Fletcher Brock would generate more interest.

Misunderstandings were to blame as attendance at the October meeting was a bit sketchy, including that of its scheduled presenter Mike Lull.

The September meeting was a late-summer potluck aboard the Gurian Instruments barge, with its new Crystal Palace amidships offering protection from such elements as there might be, and as much heat from the grill as is likely to be needed in any weather.

Skies were clear, as it happened, and it may be that the expected fine weather, along with some other scheduled events, kept some away; but there were at least sixteen, allowing for some turnover late in the evening, and that doesn't count the avian attendees, whose plumage was greatly admired by the humans present.

Besides the great food the entertainment included examples of computer-controlled inlay and an expedition to the remote reaches of the Gurian hold to sort through some koa and practice talking like pirates.

August was the month when there was neither a meeting nor an announcement.

July was the month when there were two gatherings: the first a Fourth of July party aboard the Gurian barge, and the second a Music Party there on the 27th.

June was the month when it was announced that there would be no meeting.

"Cats and Dogs." What does the phrase call to mind? Precipitation? Altercation? To the luthier it may suggest the new shop in Fremont where may be found both Catherine "Cat" Fox of Sound Guitar Repair and Rick Davis of Running Dog Guitars.

And found there they were on the evening of May 8, promising to discuss all matters pertaining to stringed instrument construction and repair; but not by your editor, who, neglecting to consult the schedule, missed the event entirely, and can only imagine the style and wit that entertained the audience gathered there. Fortunately, it seems likely that the two will be appearing together regularly.

The regular April dinner meeting of the Seattle Luthiers took place on Tuesday the 10th at the Sea Garden restaurant in Seattle's picturesque International District. One popular subject was the power of the computer in shaping parts, and appropriately a recent example of a laser-cut oud rosette appeared for examination. Shown too for the first time was a small guitar by Jay Gordon, who also produced comparative samples of composite reinforcing material from hobby-shop and luthier-supply sources. Besides the high cost of everything, other evergreen topics included finishes and the famous Hammond Ashley walnut cache, apparently liquidated at last.

Michael Gurian reported that the previous weekend's gathering to honor the late Heather Barrett had been both heart-warming and very well attended.

There were only eight of us (though to the quiet family at the next table that may have seemed plenty). Such a good time was had by all of those present that they could only attribute the low attendance to a problem with getting meeting notices to all members. This supposition prompted a discussion about how to discover everyone's preferred means of communication. Those readers already on the mailing list can expect to hear from a representative soon. Those not are left to savor the paradox.

A balance of no-shows and last-minute arrivals resulted in a perfect press-fit of eleven around one of the upstairs tables at the Sea Garden February 13, comprising three first-timers, one second-timer (Rick Davis, recently of our Vermont chapter) and some very familiar faces. There were no new instruments displayed, but Brent McElroy's restoration project brought cheers. Discussion included diet, allergies, parrots, cedar and some tall and possibly true Alaskan tales.

Sadly, Michael Gurian noted the passing of Heather Barrett, a seemingly essential presence at Gurian Instruments. Michael is planning a celebration of her life in April. His barge was said to be the likely venue for the March meeting as well.