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Trade Secrets: Making a paper template for a scroll

2026-02-06T09:55:00

6

A procedure that allows for accurate reproduction as well as being a stimulant to creativity

Precision is certainly important in a luthier’s work, but in my opinion it shouldn’t become a dogma that ends up dampening any hint of personality in the work. For this reason, too, for a new scroll for one of my instruments, I use a paper model as a ‘guide’. What may seem like a rough practice is actually very valuable, as it forces the luthier to pay more attention to the creative side of carving, rather than blindly reproduce a pre-defined, identical model with the sole aim of ‘getting to the mark’…

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