News

Santa Cruz Guitar Company

The Santa Cruz Guitar Company was founded in 1976 and was among of the first small workshops devoted to hand building acoustic steel string guitars...

Building New Banjos for an Old-Time World

Richard Jones-Bamman is more than just a close friend of Gryphon - he was a partner in the business for half a dozen years in the early 1980s, and ...

Koa Crunchtime: Ukulele Restoration

This koa Maui ukulele has a pretty significant top crack, and cracked back brace. First I’m going to glue up this crack, before it gets any worse...

1925 Gibson TB-5 Banjo

It’s rare that we find an original Gibson tenor banjo these days as most of them have been converted into five-string banjos. This is one of the ni...

Frank's Corner: Bridge Pins for 19th Century Guitars

With all the currently available choices in bridge pin material and style, why would I go to the trouble of actually making them myself?Well, I sup...

The Originality Quandary

“But is it original?”This question is raised about everything in, on, and around a vintage guitar, from tuners to tailpieces to all parts in betwee...

1933 Paramount Guitar Style D

In the 1930s, the banjo was fading as a force in popular music and many companies were making guitars with banjo necks in an attempt to keep sales ...

Hiscox Cases: Affordable Travel Cases for your Guitar

It's easy to find a guitar case that protects your valuable instrument but often the extra protection adds weight and bulk, making it awkward to tr...

Gryphon Stringed Instruments Celebrates 50 Years in Business!

Time flies when you're having fun, and for Frank Ford and myself the last 50 years have zoomed by along with our youth! Although we had worked a bi...

Crunchtime: 1967 D-28 Martin Guitar Structural Repair

I had this 1967 Martin D-28 on my bench a few months ago. It came in with clear packing tape over the damaged area trying to hold loose pieces in ...

Guitar Picks: The Cheapest Way to Change Acoustic Guitar Tone

Acoustic guitarists have a secret weapon for changing their tone: the simple guitar pick. This relatively expensive piece of plastic can do more to...

What is a "Torrefied" Guitar Top?

Players seek out vintage guitars not because they’re old but because they sound great. When I play an old guitar I notice that the notes just seem ...