Official Luthiers Forum!

I joined the Guild of American Luthiers last spring and have enjoyed the year but I see many mentions of the Association of Stringed Instrument Artisans, and I wonder if I should switch for 2016? Is it an east vs west kinda thing? Seems like GAL is more west and ASIA more east . Thanks
Ed

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Well I think they are talking again at least not in litigation. I am a member of both and like them both. The east\west thing is there, but from my observation the GAL covers a broader range of instruments.

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http://www.Harvestmoonguitars.com

ASIA was formed in a dispute between professionals and amateurs wanting to run the GAL. Tim Olsen (the GAL Prez at the time) wasn't having any of it. Dick Boak of Martin and other professionals (like me) left to start ASIA. The plan was to form at Symposium in 1988 (I think that's the year), and the gathering of luthiers was very excited. Tim Olsen actually tried to get a court order to stop the event and have Dick arrested as I remember. Anyway - after a few years ASIA petered out for one reason or another. Guess they have tried to resurrect it several times. I submitted articles to both organizations, but when I closed my shop in the early 90's I dropped out for the most part. Didn't really get seriously back into the scene until about 10 years ago.

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"Act your age, not your shoe size" - Prince

I subscribe to both periodicals. I can only attend ASIA events because the GAL events are always too far away for me.

Both are good.

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Another day, another dollar.

I like both but the GAL does cover other instruments that I am into. Overall I think it's the better of the two publications.

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Another day, another dollar.

Member of both

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Greg
http://garibaldiinstruments.com/

Been doing just fine being a member of neither..... I do miss Guitarmaker magazine however but beyond that not being a member of GAL or ASIS has not stopped me from building, selling guitars, repairing thousands of guitars, co-owning a very busy professional Lutherie shop and most of all having a great time!

The gatherings for GAL and ASIA can be fun for folks I am sure but there are other..... gatherings as well that you will never hear of on the forums. What happens there stays there too......

To be clear I am NOT recommending that folks don't join these organizations, far from it. I am however accurately indicating that I made the jump from hobbyist to pro some years back and neither of these organizations played any role what so ever in my development as a Luthier. Instead it was build and repair until the cows come home, baptism by fire and that's what got me to where I wanted to go.

Lutherie is very much a solitary endeavor and it's often been said that Luthiers don't get out much..... Many Luthiers skill sets don't expand much because of the solitary nature of what we do toiling endlessly by candlelight with sharp Blue Spruce chisel in hand.... As such ASIA and GAL represent a rare opportunity for Luthiers and aspiring hobby Luthiers to get out into the big light of professional scrutiny and information sharing and this is a VERY good thing!

My world has frequent contact with other Luthiers and of course we've got Dave Collins too so no educational deficit here for me....

I'm a member of both though I'm partial to GAL, mostly because it's only 85 miles from PT to the conference.

I've been a member of both for about 10 years but prefer the GAL quarterly - it usually has much better articles for my tastes.

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John Lewis
Wannabe builder owned by 2 crazy dachshunds

Pretty much the same here. I enjoy the magazines and support them because I want to. I get a nugget out of them every once in a while and one of these days I would like to go to one of the annual conventions.

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Steve Smith
"Music is what feelings sound like"

I've been a member of the GAL forever, or nearly. I did join ASIA for a while, in part because, as a Right Coast guy it was easier to get to the meetings. I've dropped out of ASIA in the past couple of years though.

Hesh wrote:
"The gatherings for GAL and ASIA can be fun for folks I am sure but there are other..... gatherings as well that you will never hear of on the forums. What happens there stays there too......"

Gatherings you never hear of?

Any such gathering has several components, some of which simply can't be disseminated in a magazine. Most of the formal presentations do end up as articles eventually, and those have included a lot of interesting and useful stuff over the years. There's some benefit in that respect in going to the meetings, since it can take some time for the articles to come out. Some things, like the 'shootouts' (comparative listening tests of guitars) can be nearly as useful, but don't lend themselves to publication. The other thing that happens at meetings is getting together with the other luthiers over lunch or whatever, and that's off the books for sure. Depending on where you are in your lutherie career, that can be the most productive time of all. Even us old guys can often learn a fair amount, if only because there's really no substitute for face to face communication. Maybe those are the gatherings you never hear of.

At the last ASIA meeting I went to Chris Martin wondered publicly why we need two luthier organizations. I've wondered that ever since the split. Maybe, like the AFofL and the CIO it's time we buried the hatchet. I'm not holding my breath, though.

Anyway, I've consistently found more useful information in 'American Lutherie' than in 'Guitarmaker'. Just my opinion.

I used to be a member of both, now only GAL imho they are more eclectic and cover articles on other instruments like ukes, violins etc. I resume my annual membership this weekend . I looked at their website and no notice of shipping out the winter issue which usually gets here by now.. My only caveat about the articles , is that they are IMHO political sometimes slanting to the left. I was also told by one famous e. coast luthier 45 yrs in the biz that he tried to write an article and was rejected by GAL . He had the opinion that only friends and acquaintances of the inner circle get published.Nonetheless he quit the GAL . My nod would go to GAL

Both. Went to the ASIA symposium this year and had a great experience.

Hey Ernie, there may or may not be an inner circle in the GAL, but it has no impact on who does or doesn't get published. I just wrote Tim the editor with some ideas, did some interviews, and articles showed up with my name on em.

You may see a bunch of the same names cropping up regularly, but that's mostly cause they're the ones who volunteer to write something. I'm pretty sure Tim's open to hearing from anyone.

I'm a member of both. Love the ASIA symposium, but prefer the GAL magazine.

Steve

Steve, I am quoting a very well known e. coast luthier who made that comment, about GAL, that was why he left. This is not my own personal opinion of GAL . (i/ve been a 2o yr member)I cannot divulge his name here . Political differences aside .I still support the GAL even though I may disagree with their politics. at times.I gladly pay the membership fee as I feel that continuity, being open to new ways of making instruments, tools, reviews and personal interviews with professional luthiers . will give future luthier wannabes the tools , resources and knowledge to further their education and improve our craft. One mans opinion. I have never spoken to Tim, but I agree with you. Most luthiers ,if they are pros are too busy building to write . Some find the time to do both.I am grateful for that . Cheers Ernie

Also a member of both, and prefer the GAL publication.
I've been to the last two ASIA symposiums, and I'm looking forward to the next.
Living on the east coast, travel to a GAL event is not something I can manage until I retire from my real job.

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A man hears what he wants to hear, and disreguards the rest. Paul Simon