Stringed musical instrument

A musical instrument of the stringed kind including, a sound box having top and bottom plates which are spaced apart, a string supporting bridge positioned over the top plate and having one of two opposite ends connected to said top plate, said one end being adjacent the string of said instrument of highest pitch, a sound post extending between said top and bottom plates and having a lower end connected to said bottom plate, an opening in said top plate, a connection between an upper end of said post and the other said end of the bridge such that said end is supported by the upper end of the post, said connection being effected through said opening and arranged so as to not impede movement of the top plate towards and away from the bottom plate, a bass bar connected to the underside of said top plate and extending transverse to said bridge, said bass bar being located so that said one end of the bridge is located between the bass bar and the sound post and is spaced from the bass bar, and a tension member extending across the undersurface of said top plate in substantially the longitudinal direction of said bridge and having each of two opposite ends secured to said top plate at locations beyond the ends of said bridge.