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I bent these sides (for my second build ) a couple weeks ago, and now I am going to start assembling. In the mean while they sprung back a little. They still fit in the mold without problems and the spreaders of course are stronger than wood.

I was wondering if it's OK to use them as is or should I rig up the bending iron again.

Is perfect fit a must? My first guitar was bent near perfection but it took me a loooong time of fiddling around. I did not have a mold though.

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Build log

I would not hesitate to use them just as they are. My sides always spring back some.

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Lance@LuthiersForum.com

It is very important to have no more springback than you can force into the mold without side brakage I know thid for a fact

But seriously you look fine with what you have there. In some respect i like having some spring back. That way when I put the side in the mold it centers on the waist vall well while I get my spreaders in place

Thanks. So as long as I don't feel the need of using a hammer to push them in, I'm fine

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Build log

I asked the same thing to my teachers about a year ago...

the aswer was... "No, isn't a must, but a perfect fit it's better"...

and they told me, based on body lute construction experience, that an instruments without tension sounds better...

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everything you know is wrong

With all due respect YEA, YEA,YEA! heard it many times before Once the back and top are glued to the assembly the stress in the sides is normalized. Unless you have a joint failure that stress is no factor. now if there is a joint failure then the stress in kinetic again but just personal opinion the stress free bent sides is not a reality. Wood and most materials will always want to return to their natural state unless you re-arrange their molecular structure.

I totally agree that the stress isn't an issue but I disagree on the reason. As discussed in another thread recently, the lignen that holds the wood fibers together is somewhat "plastic" and will relax over time so that the sides will eventually want to retain their shape, or pretty darn close.

I grew up in the south and saw a lot of abandoned shacks out in the tobacco fields. Over the years, they look like they melt into the ground, roofs and walls sagging in huge curves. Take a bent rafter out of one of those and it stays bent and will never straighten out on it's own.

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http://www.chassonguitars.com

I had some basket-case guitars that pretty well proved to me that over time, wood will relax into and retain a new shape. These guitars had bellied tops, warped necks and torsional distortion in the upper bouts etc. Some had cracks in the tops that caused distortion. They were garage-sale specials that I'd bought for my "education" awhile ago, to take apart or get back in playable shape. The ones I took apart gathered dust for years in our old barn/shop and never changed back to their original shape.

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formerly known around here as burbank
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http://www.patfosterguitars.com

This is true That aged into a shape wood will retain that aged shape. but we were not speking of aged shape we were refering to new construction.