Even though I pride myself somewhat on my rib bending skills, I found out immediately that the wood has ideas of its own. Newsflash: The wood won! A day after I had lovingly bent my ribs hewing closely to the pre-drawn lines, and glued them to the blocks, I came into the studio to find the outline magically changed.
The challenge now is to come up with an instrument which follows classical lines and looks harmonious, if not exactly as I planned ... Watch this space!