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I stumbled onto an interesting page describing bent strips used to make an arched top. My searching hasn't turned up much. Can anyone point me to more info on this ? I wonder if there would need to be bends on two axes to make to make this work.

This is the technique used mostly by French and English gamba makers of the Baroque period. They're called staves and tops were made out of 4 or more bent pieces, not totally unlike a lute bowl. The German makers usually carved a 2 piece bookmatched top. Google "viola da gamba" and seek gamba makers, there's plenty of info out there. After the top is completely assembled there is still a fair amount of clean up and scraping to do.

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Laurent Brondel
West Paris, Maine - USA
http://www.laurentbrondel.com/

Multiple piece tops or backs ain't new, flat or carved, Seems like a lot of bending, jointing and clamping just to get around a few hours of carving and a few more bucks of wood. It takes me 2 days to joint and completely hand carve a top or back, or about 8 -10 hours total. As such, I see no time advantage to multiple bent piece tops.

Then there is the aesthetics of its look, and in MHO

If I was gonna laminate then it would be 3 ply, not edge jointing...at least that way you still have the "look" not to mention structural strength.

The only time I joint a top or back is if it needs to be wider and then only as a absolute last resort...unless of course its a bowl back, but thats a different kind a nightmare.


thats my take

blessings
the
Padma

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I assume that bent staves can be made thinner than a carved top, for equal strength, since there is no short grain on the recurve. It may also sound different, bass gambas typically have more overtones and resonance, and much less power, than an equivalent sized cello.

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Laurent Brondel
West Paris, Maine - USA
http://www.laurentbrondel.com/

Thanks all. It seems that the bends on some of the pieces would be complicated as the archtop is not a simple bowl, traditionally. Maybe it could be I suppose, which would simplify construction. I will be diving into an archtop project soon and am just wondering what all of the options are. I am amazed at how many ways there are of building a guitar. I have been studying this stuff for a while, and am still finding building methods about which I didn't know.