While on the subject of violins

There are a few good books on stringed musical instrument making I would recommend. One of them is out of print, and about violin rather than classical guitar making. It can still be found in the second hand book market. Good information on violin building traditions, history, tools, methods, glues, finishes, providing insight into a way of life which is rapidly disappearing in the modern world.

Violin Making as it Was and Is by Ed. Heron Allen, Ward Lock and Company, London. 1884. Complete with patterns for violins by Stradivarius and Guarnarius. On the classical guitar, read Antonio de Torres, Guitar Maker - His Life and Work by Jose Romanillos, published by The Bold Strummer, Westport, CT. Jose Romanillos is a remarkable guitar maker in his own right, and his book not only catalogs all of Torres known instruments but also provides important historical insights into the life and times of the man whose instruments inspired many of the great builders of our time.

Also recommended, for information on finishes, particularly the violin finishes of the old Italian builders, is The Varnishes of the Italian Violin Makers of the Sixteenth, Seventeenth and Eighteenth Centuries and Their Influence on Tone by George Fry, F.L.S, F.C.S, Stevens and Sons, Ltd. Chancery Lane, London. The material is not directly applicable to guitar making because french polishing technique features strongly in the guitar world, but worth a read for information on the relationship of varnishes to sound. Many people have spent much time researching and attempting to recreate the old Italian varnishes and George Fry probably knows more about the subject than anyone.

Making Master Guitars by Roy Courtnall has good basic information on construction techniques. There is no literature which directly addresses the important area of top and strut tuning techniques. I'll have something to say about this area later.