Historical Perspective
The technique of hand bending instrument tops has been successfully used for well over 300 years. Luthiers in both 17th-century England and France were known to bend spruce tops for the viol de gamba, a violin-family instrument about the size of a guitar.
Among these builders were the distinguished Richard Meares of London and Michel Colichon of Paris. The practice of bending both front and back plates of the viol is still used today in Europe by a handful of skilled makers.
previous chapter
