Oval Hole Archtop Model1

This instrument has a really cool story behind it. Years ago a fellow-builder friend of mine asked me to build him an archtop... long story short we decided to build each other something cool and exchange them. The rules were simple:

• I build an archtop for him (Morelli Guitars) and he builds a nylon string for me
• We both have to use the woods we each chose to include. I chose amboyna burl and he chose black & white ebony
• Until the builds were finished that's all the information we're allowed to share with one another

I will soon be posting a video of the grand reveal on our youtube and will link to it here.

The archtop that came out of this exchange was especially fun for me as it was a platform for prototyping and innovation since it was going to a friend and I had almost total control over the specs. I was really excited to be able to experiment with new bracing ideas, oval holes, finalize my bolt-on version of my all-access acoustic heel, and utilize my 3D printer and carbon fiber to get some details that otherwise wouldn't have been possible.
Photo credit: Filippo Morelli