This unique archtop has required the most detective work, and I'm still learning more each year.
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In Buffalo, New York, between the 1930s and 1940s, luthier Carmino (or Carmelo, or Carlo, or Carl Jr., depending on your source) Gugino built about 250 instruments that featured high quality conventional building, combined with very unconventional design ideas. Certain innovations include necks that screw on to the body, asymmetrical bodies, and an archtop that has a detachable neck/body joint/bridge piece that is removable from the body (see photos above and below).
Though Gugino made his living in other fields - owning a pasta factory, a furniture factory (Dinaire Furniture, founded in 1946 and sold in the late 1990s), and designing a bank building - his interest in woodworking inspired him to build guitars in his spare time. Apparently he held several guitar-related patents. His most unique design was for the "neck through the body" archtop, best described by Scott Freilich as "The neck slid into a channel running the length of the guitar on the top and had the tailpiece connected to its end." Theoreticallly, you can remove the body and still play the instrument (but I must confess I never took mine apart to try it).
Though my Gugino archtop is now back with the Gugino family I have fond memories of playing it and composing with it. It was a beautiful and curious instrument with a unique feel and balance and I hope someday to own one again.
Interesting to note: I have done some additional detective work and have found that Robert Taylor cites Gugino as a reference in his 1999 guitar neck patent. You can view the full 1938 Carmelo Gugino Stringed Musical Instrument patent here
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Sources: The Blue Book, Scott Freilich (owner of Top Shelf Music in Buffalo), and the (no longer active) Dinaire Furniture website.
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