Guitar_stringer

Taken to extremes, such as these examples, yes they do tend to muffle some sound.

The Guild archtop pickguard, looks like an art deco design, similar to John D'Angelico's New Yorkers.

I dunno.

I said "properly built guitars". I've been building guitars for over 35 years, i know utter nonsense when I hear it.

Not always as simple as that. Some laminates make solid tops sound lame. Plus, solid tops generally require more care. In a properly built guitar, this is utter nonsense.

Solid Spruce is just that, solid. Everything else is multi-ply (plywood).