William Cumpiano about flat tops

"I may have overstated my endorsement of completely flat tops. It is true that I said that you can make a splendid guitar with a flat top, and that a number of expert luthiers that I know follow that technique. Because of this, I even endorse their use during the short courses taught at our guitarmaking school.
I would like to note however, that to use completely flat or slightly domed soundboards is a matter of personal approach. I continue to use a 3/32" to 1/8" dome on my own soundboards because I believe that in the long run it results in a more stable top, i.e. one that is less liable to deform under tension over long spans of time."

William R. Cumpiano

Cumpiano is co-author of the book Guitarmaking