What's the difference between a flat top and

[Steve_R]

an arch top,? (other than one being flat and the other not?)
I think these Mid-Mos look very simple but beautiful wood and workmanship. What kind of sound should expect from a flat top compared to an arch top?

[odeman]

Simple, the flat tops tend to have a more trebley sound - good for folk, celtic and classical types of music. The good ones seem to sound brighter than carved tops, which are best suited for bluegrass and jazz. They have a "woody" bassier tone. If Orville Gibson hadn't developed the arch top mandolin, Bill Monroe wouldn't have been able to invent the "Bluegrass Chop" and we'd all be strumming away in folk and mountain music bands.