Lately I've been thinking on building an archtop bass guitar, something like an upright but 34 - 35" scale length and a body size not too much bigger than a regular archtop jazz guitar. The idea is having a similar sound, but in a more standard easy-to-carry scale. Definitely fretless. Probably f holes. Would tapewounds give it the sound I'm looking for, or nylon would be better? About the top bracing... I'm still thinking, not sure if X or A bracing, or a more upright format as the bass bar and soundpost (which is definitely giving me the sound I'm looking for but I'm affraid that it's not going to have enough sustain). I guess this is a question for the luthier forum. I found out that Bobby Vega plays something similar made by Ribbecke guitars, so this is a good starting point. Below some pictures and a video.
Found somewhere around internet:
The strings are physically longer, due to the tailpiece, making the feel a bit looser. The Bobby Vega Bass has an X braced, solid carved top which is flatter on the bass side and more highly arched on the treble side. It has a solid carved back and a 34" scale neck. The built in bridge pickup is custom made for us by Kent Armstrong.
Body Size: 17” Lower Bout
Body Depth: Taper from Neck 3.75” to Tailblock 4.5”
Back and Sides: Western Bigleaf Maple
Top: Western Red Cedar
Bracing: Spruce X Bracing
Binding: Black ABS
Neck: Birdseye Maple
Fingerboard: Ebony
Width at Nut: 1.5"
Width at 12th Fret: 2.125"
Scale: 34”
Nut: Bone
Frets: 24
Strings: D'Addario Nickel Wound Super Long .45-.105
Hardware: Ebony
Pickup: Kent Armstrong Floating Pickup
Finish: Nitrocellulose Lacquer
