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I am in the plans of building an acoustic archtop. Anyone built one and do you have pics and advice?

Get Benedetto's book, plans, and DVD's. That's a good start. If you want to ease into it build the rim set and neck from the book and get a laminated top and back from Acme Archtops. Several vendors including LMI carry acrylic templates for a 17" Benedetto archtop.

There are some good articles in back issues of the GAL journal on approaches to plate shaping, and RM Mottola has a nice article on deriving the contours of a plate.

http://liutaiomottola.com/PrevPubs/Arching/Arching.pdf

That should be enough info to get your first out the door. It was for me.

I look forward to the responses of some of the more experienced archtop builders here.

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It's not what you don't know that hurts you, it's what you do know that's wrong.

Search the archives here for ideas too. There's a few posts on carvings and hand planes etc. I posted a thread on the docubuild forum of an archtop I based on the Benedetto book and DVD. Its labeled Small Jumbo Archtop because I used the body size from the OLF small jumbo plan instead of the 17" Benedetto plan, which I also bought.

I use the DVD as a reference for things not specific to archtops too, like fretting and finishing. Though some of the same info can be found on youtube.

A pre shaped top is probably a good option if you want to skip all the labor of carving. But, honestly it isn't that hard even with hand tools. And if you choose softer wood for the back, I used flat sawn cherry, it goes pretty quick. and its a lot of fun.