News

Inside Frank's Cranks, Part 3

The crank handles start out as 3/4" x 3/4" x 7" long square acrylic (or hardwood) bars.  I get the material from the folks who supply artisinal fou...

Taylor’s New “V-Class” Top Bracing

We are very excited to announce the arrival of Taylor’s new V-Class series of guitars here at Gryphon. Named for the distinctive shape of the new b...

Inside Frank's Cranks, Part 2

  I see the handle bearing as the heart of my string winder crank.  It's critical to the stability of the action, making it effortless to turn the ...

Inside Frank's Cranks, part 1

Frank Ford -I've been making these string winders for a few years now, and here at the shop they've been a point of conversation over their various...

Adapting Waverly Tuners

Frank Ford -The patient is a venerable 1932 Martin OM-28  -  a guitar that has been known for decades as a holy grail of fingerstyle guitars. Unfor...

Back to the Future of Open-Back Banjos

Often regarded as America's indigenous instrument, the banjo has a complex history. That's not surprising when you consider that it's been a big pa...

New World Guitars

Kenny Hill has been building classical guitars since 1972. His New World Guitars brand was established in the early 2000s to bring easy-to-play, at...

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...