Cittern or Mandocello?

[Adam Tracksler]

Just got my archtop for conversion. Pondering making it a cittern (5 course CGDAE) or should I just make it a mandocello??

Opinions? Plusses/Minuses??

It needs a neck reset, so the neck is coming off, I can make it smaller, or not....

Thanks in advance,
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[Unseen122]

The 8 string is probably a better idea as 10 strings would need some sort of reinforcement so the top doesn't cave in.

[EdSherry]

In my experience, most archtop guitar necks are a little wide for an OM or mandocello (8 string), but work fine for a cittern (10 string). Avery is probably right that a 10-string will exert more pressure on the top tnan an 8-string strug comparably, but one could use lighter strings to compensate somewhat. I don't know whether it's easier to rebrace the top or to reshape the neck. I do know that there are formulas to determine how much down-pressure the bridge exerts on the top (though I don't know what they are); as I understand it, a lot of it depends on the "break angle" of the strings across the bridge.