I can see that an archtop f-hole mandolin is directly analogous to an archtop guitar: arched top, floating bridge, string attachment at the tailpiece. But the analogy breaks down when it comes to a flattop mandolin, as you still have the floating bridge and tailpiece string attachment.
Has anyone, to the knowledge of this forum, built a flattop mandolin just like a flattop guitar, with a pin bridge, or other direct string connection to a bridge that is glued to the top? I would think that the top of this hypothetical mandolin would be less likely to sink, than on flattop mandolins I've owned and heard of; the string tension would be pulling up, not pushing down.
Obviously such a bridge would be a tiny, high-precision component; maybe this precludes such an instrument being attempted.
Thanks from this semi-ignoramus, for any replies.
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