In the case of our Massari archtop, the innovative qualities of a combination of carefully considered features are greater than the sum of their parts.

First, there’s the wood-on-wood tailpiece design, similar to those found on viola de gambas, which we feel offers the most honest and direct transmission of the strings’ sound. Then there is the bevel that takes the place of a cutaway, and of course our reversed finger rest, which we now use on all our archtops. Traditionally, the pickguard, which is really more of a finger rest for most modern players, was shaped in a way that partially covered the treble-side f-hole. We solved the problem by turning the shape around, which also corresponds with the appearance of the tailpiece.

Also worth noting are the ebony-bound f-holes, as well as the solid bridge, which offers a large contact surface to the top, leading to a huge improvement in tone.

Again, it’s in the way of how features are combined that leads to an innovative concept.