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Archtop Construction
Because of the arching, the top has only minimal bracing (either an x-brace or a pair of fan braces) and the back has no bracing at all. The archtop guitar is also different from other acoustic guitars in that the fingerboard extension of the neck floats above the top, it has a finger rest, and the strings, rather than attaching to the bridge, pass over a floating bridge and attach to a tailpiece (once again like a violin). Although some have round or oval sound holes, most have violin style f-holes.
Sample Music
Here are two songs played by Peter Swenson on my archtop guitar shown below, the second song has vocals by Suzan McQueen:
A Nightingale Sang
Lullaby of Birdland, Vocals: Suzan McQueen
Archtop Guitar Gallery
The instrument shown below has a spruce top, figured maple back and sides, figured koa body bindings, mahogany neck, and ebony head stock veneer, fingerboard, finger rest, bridge, and tailpiece inlaid with simple paua abalone shapes. The tuners are Schaller M-6 with ebony buttons.