Here's where I get to thank my friends and plug their businesses.

Rodgers hand-built tuning machines are simply the best and most attractive on the market. When you order your next classical or flamenco from me, be sure to visit their site.

I apprenticed with Alan Carruth for 3 years before starting my own business. Al is a really fine teacher and a really nice guy. I owe him a great deal.

Eliot Fisk is also a great teacher and friend. He is a superb concert classical guitarist and one of my most valued test drivers.

A great number of the photographs on this site were created by Stewart Woodward. You can see his portraits of beings without woody skin at http://www.visualtalent.com.

The Guild of American Luthiers (GAL) was formed over twenty years ago to promote the sharing of knowledge among instrument makers. They publish a quarterly magazine, American Lutherie, and hold triennial conventions. The web site has much useful information, links to schools and suppliers, and a page of luthier jokes.

The Association of Stringed Instrument Artisans (ASIA) began ten years ago to promote professionalism among stringed instrument builders. They publish Guitarmaker, a quarterly magazine, and hold Symposia where members can attend workshops and show instruments to the public.

The Catgut Acoustical Society is the foremost organization in the world for the study of stringed instrument acoustics. The site has many articles from their semi-annual Journal and links to other relevant sites.

The Musical Instrument Makers Forum presents ongoing discussions about everything under the sun that pertains to instrument making. It's a great place to go for quick answers to those knotty questions and civil discussions about almost anything instrument related.

The 13th Fret hosts arguably the liveliest acoustic guitar discussions on the Web. The sheer volume of posts on this site makes for some pretty rapid turnover. The moderator is very good at weeding and pruning. You will need to visit often because topics just fly by and are gone like so many shooting stars.

This site was designed and coded by Paul Norman. Paul is a luthier by day, making “stringy but tasteful” 12-string resonator guitars (Forbidden Fruit Guitars). Tools used to create this site include Macromedia Dreamweaver® and Fireworks®, Adobe Photoshop®, and a 733MHz Macintosh® G4.