 Some guitar makers like American Thomas Humphrey (who patented such a system in US patent 4,873,909), Italian guitarmaker Renato Barone, Frenchman Antoine Pappalardo, and the Canadian Fritz Mueller, make elevated fingerboard guitars.The primary advantage is to improve left hand playability on the upper frets, although the increased distance between the strings and the top is also advantageous for the right hand.The elevated fingerboard is visually unobtrusive from the front, and the instrument retains its traditional appearance.