BYO “making of a maccaferri” series

AndyW

Cologne based luthier Marko Dujic has videos on his construction of a Gypsy guitar. apologies if this has already been posted.

https://m.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLqpAtrZjm7o0PhH9n77lPdbiSBCUQ_ioH

billyshakes

This is neat to watch. For those builders out there, it doesn't appear to me that he has put in the pliage, and it doesn't seem that he has "bent" the top to fit the sides. In fact, it looks to me like he just laid the top onto the body and glued it in. Did I see that correctly? How does this method affect the sound vs. the pliage or bent top method of construction?

Thanks in advance for the knowledge.

Bones

I have not watched it yet but it's possible to have the pliage taper off a bit towards the edges so you don't have to bend it so much to mate up with the sides.

Buco

In this video it kinda looks like the board where he's joining the two halfs has a belly

https://youtu.be/bFSGPs5Wdzk

billyshakes

Yeah, I rewatched the 3rd video and saw that backing board is carved out. Then he uses those long screw machine clamps to press the braces (which are curved) into the top, getting the arch that I wasn't seeing the first time around. I didn't realize at first this was how it was done, but then saw another set of videos that filled in the gaps.

I've linked that series of videos below. Part 4 shows him shaping the braces. This guy has a CNC machine, which probably makes a lot of this easier. The linked video is Part 6, which is the one linked, and it clearly shows the top bending.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uIDvKv-j5t0&list=PLtoC5TIxpwGXMtAgpbDG95CsvrefCg1aB&index=6

MarkoDujic

Thank you very much for watching and discussing my videos. For everyone who wants to know how i did the pliage(and yes! of course there is one, and even a better one) here are some pictures for you. And please feel free to ask questions about the construction.

Marko

Buco

Thanks for coming over @MarkoDujic

billyshakes

Yes, welcome! Always great to have luthiers contribute to the BYO discussions.

Gouch

Excellent thread

Bones

Cool yes please describe how you use your fixture for the pliage. Thanks for the pics too.

Gouch

Such great stuff, really appreciate the detail.

The top braces appear in the picture(s) above to be arched to support the desired top-doming radius in the critical center of the top, with a change to near-flat when closely approaching the sides. In the brace profile animated picture, there looks like a slight re-curve* toward the perimeter as well, but I can’t see it in Marko’s picture of the real domed top from a side angle.

Having built quite a few carved top archtop guitars and mandolins, and also having built some “solid, press-fit” archtops, Marko’s arching method looks great, but I do have a question (and am 100% fine with a no-answer if it’s secret-sauce):

IF there’s a re-curve happening on the top perimeter, the +/- traditional approach is carve it into the top, from the top, thus thinning the top at the perimeter, to free up top movement. But if Marko has a “press-fit recurve” going on underneath, wow that’s surely a well-considered innovation that I’d like to know more about.

*if I’m not seeing that correctly, I retract my entire post.