Official Luthiers Forum!

Hi there!So i am curious.In old mandolins and bouzoukis they make a burn mark about 1cm behind the bridge. I understand that they make it so as to prevent top sinkage. But i have thought of something else. Is it possible that burning the wood at that point can prevent moisture absorption at that point?So the instrument is playing better?

The scorch mark is from "pliage", which is where the wood is heated over an iron to actually bend the wood to give the wood more of an arch. Sometimes it is lightly cut to introduce the arch instead. (It also helps with the string break angle to to the tailpiece.) Selmer guitars sometimes used the same hot pipe technique. Take a look here:

https://bumgarnerguitars.com/2014/04/03/pliage/

On some bowl-back mandolins you can see the crease where the pliage was done, as there is actually quite a sharp bend there.

It's really unlikely that it has anything to do with moisture transfer.

cheers, SteveG

Word of the day "Pliage". Thanks, I'm going to start using that one.

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Hutch

Get the heck off the couch and go build a guitar!!!!

I just used it nudiustertian conversation.

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The name catgut is confusing. There are two explanations for the mix up.

Catgut is an abbreviation of the word cattle gut. Gut strings are made from sheep or goat intestines, in the past even from horse, mule or donkey intestines.

Otherwise it could be from the word kitgut or kitstring. Kit meant fiddle, not kitten.

What the heck, and there's more. nudjwhodiwhatsis

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Hutch

Get the heck off the couch and go build a guitar!!!!