Laminating Classical Guitar Sides
I showed my guitar to the Maestro (Andres Segovia), pointing out that I was not looking for kind words, but rather his most severe criticism to help me to excel in my work. Jose Ramirez III, Things About the Guitar , 1990 About six or seven years ago, I laminated a set of guitar sides, East Indian rosewood with Alaska yellow cedar veneer, using Titebond, an external mode and a seemingly unlimited amount of clamps. When the glue dried I removed the sides and was shocked to discover the sides “sprung in” (the opposite of “spring back”!) nearly one inch at ends of the bouts. It took some pressure and more than a few clamps to hold the sides in place on the guitar top while I glued the kerfing blocks to top and sides. Even if I had used an external mold many clamps would have been involved. I never gave up on the idea of making or using laminated sides, they are stiff and can help improve the sound of a guitar. A guitar is similar to a banjo in that the top is attached and anchored to stif