We're re-visiting Marc Maingard today, with our Local Builder spotlight, hope you enjoy!
website:http://guitarsafrica.co.za/
youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCWLaEkMnG4ee-Xnt7OCUmaA
Rudi Bower created a excellent "hermeneutic" (method or theory of interpretation) critique of luthiery with specific reference to certain South African guitar builders. The interview with Marc Maingard starts on page 92, we've some quotes below from this great resource.
If you'd like to read it in it's entireity - click here
Guitartalk classified from 2016: https://community.guitartalk.co.za/d/25840-marc-maingard-hand-built-grand-concert-classical-nylon-string-guitar
Youtube interviews and talks
The video below is a real gem of a talk, if you have a hour to spare - it'll be well spent :thumpsup:
Marc and his son Nate perform together
Some clips of Maingard guitars from Guitar Gallery
Background (from his website and Rudi Bower's interview)
Marc was born in the city of Durban on 31 July 1949. Being from French parentage, he was at first given a catholic schooling, but, on his own insistence, was finally allowed to attend technical school instead. He started playing the piano when he was five years old and then took up the violin at the age of ten, playing in the Durban Junior Philharmonic at age thirteen. His first business was a surf board production and repair enterprise, whichhe ran while still at high school Maingard took up guitar playing at the age of nineteen, after a serious motor cycle accident had fractured his scull and left him with a damaged neck and spine, thus putting an end to his violin playing. By the end of 1970 Maingard was performing as professional guitarist.
Maingard’s guitar-making career began in 1972 whilst studying under local violin maker,Brian Lisus. Shortly after this, he spent some time in the south of Spain as musician and performer. He spent his days meeting and befriending various local classical guitar makers, while performing in the evenings. From 1972 to 1974 he worked for them without remuneration for the purpose of gaining experience, starting off by shaping necks and French polishing.
Whilst in the USA he worked with Santa Cruz guitar company making acoustic guitars and later with Jimmy d’Aquisto perfecting his jazz instruments. He also spent time with Martin, Gibson and Ovation and is now their sole authorized repair person in South Africa.
Excerpts from Rudi Bower's interview
‘The secret to a good guitar is the top, the selection of the top, the selection of the back and sides, the correct thicknessing of the top and of the back and the sides. Also, the selection of the braces and the correct scalloping and carving of the braces for tone. That is what I do.’
He currently produces 28 to 30 guitars annually, of which a third are classical guitars. Each guitar constitutes approximately eighty hours of labour. This is more than any other South African guitar builder. One of the reasons for this large output is his use of jigs,coupled of course with the help of his assistants. By using jigs and by relying on the help of his assistants, Maingard has time to focus on what he considers the crucial aspect in sound production, namely the soundboard. ‘I spend hours on the soundboard, tapping and listening and carving the braces’.
Tap tone, in his opinion, is relative to the stiffness, age and year lines of the wood. There are thus any number of reasons why a wood may have either a bright tone or a bass tone
Hope you enjoyed this brief intro to one of the world's great luthier's! If you can help us add more detail to this thread, please do!
