The Art of Luthiery

A paper tracing the guitar from Hawaiian lap steel origins through the Delta Blues, the solid-body electric revolution, and the Japan/US lawsuit era of the 1970s. The technical side covers pickup physics, neck joinery, and construction process; the cultural side covers why any of it matters — from Robert Johnson to Chuck Berry to the trade policy debates that followed Japanese manufacturers undercutting American brands on quality. Notable luthiers like Yuriy Shishkov (who built guitars secretly in Soviet Russia before becoming a Fender Master Builder) and Paul Reed Smith (who cold-sold instruments to touring musicians at shows) get their due as well.

Course: Technical and Managerial Communication