With no sound hole to work around, bracing is much freer. Below: endoscopic view of the inside.
“Carlevaro” Model In the early 1980s, the Uruguayan guitarist and composer, Abel Carlevaro, impressed by the innovative talent of Manuel Contreras, put in an order for a guitar of his own design, inspired by the concept of a grand piano. He envisioned a guitar with the upper side of the body straight instead of curved, and with the soundboard separate from the body and devoid of a sound hole, so that its entire surface could vibrate. Manuel Contreras, in his quest to fulfil these criteria, came up with a rather complex system of construction which gave the guitar a ‘floating’ top, connected to the
guitar’s sides with just a few wooden pegs. The “Carlevaro” model was completed in 1983, to Abel Carlevaro’s satisfaction. Manuel built several Carlevaro guitars in the 1980s, with variations on the basic design, such as the inclusion of a sound port (in the style of an openwork lute sound hole) or modified bracing on the underside of the guitar’s top. This particular model doesn’t have the typical Contreras sound; it has a ‘lighter’ voice, especially well-suited to Renaissance and Baroque music. Ed.: Since the death of Manuel Contreras this model is no longer listed in the catalogue.