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TL:DR - is there a better/smarter/easier/more convincing way to light this?

I've taken on the challenge of photographing a friend's guitar collection.

I don't anticipate difficulties with most of it. I'll be doing some 'catalogue' shots; square on, then in tight to pick out details, and then some 'artistic' shots; at odd angles, against 'fun' backgrounds etc. - however I decided to start with the tough one.

A 1930's Regal Dobro - essentially a curved, engraved, box made of chromed steel.
Let's assume for now that I can't take it outdoors & emulate the Dire Straights Brothers in Arms cover [& if only this Dobro was as simple a form as that one, but it's not]; that it's studio, black background.

I have 4 lights to play with. 2 speedlights in soft boxes & 2 constant video lights, with optional extra diffuser clipped over.

This is what I have so far...

This is lit using...

• One video light high over the head, which is also providing the highlight on the top right of the neck.


• The other slightly behind to the right, giving the 2 highlights on the side of the body at the right.


• The 2 speedlights are to the left, both in softboxes; one in close at 45° & is responsible for most of the 'white' reflected in the body; the other at maybe 15°, further out & attempting to cover off the right-hand hump in the 'resonator' [the circular bit that looks like a speaker]
  

The shadowing in that area is partly the softbox surround & partly just darkness from the rest of the room.

Quick phone snap to try show just how much movement there is in that area

The only way I can think of to flatten out the light a bit without losing the shape would be to try surround it all in white sheets, then fire the flashes into those instead of just through the softboxes - but I cannot think of a practical way to actually achieve that.

So, any hints as to lighting or, heaven forfend, is it getting towards 'good enough' as it is?

Phone snap of the setup, from a metre camera-right so both speedlights can be seen - heavily punched up in Photoshop so you can see what's going on. 'Scuse the mess ;)

Create a light box. This will be a snow-white chamber made from bed sheets or better, Styrofoam board (Home Depot R-Teck 4’X8’ R-3 insulating sheathing #320821 $12.58). Buy some ¾” PVC white pipe and fittings. Construct a framework with the PVC pipe and apply the bed sheet or Styrofoam to make a white chamber. Place the object to be photographed inside. Light the translucent chamber by aiming at the outside walls of this diffusion tent. This lash-up will be devoid of shadows.

The mirror finish guitar should be placed inside a curved cyclorama so there is an even white reflection unbroken by black "gaps" caused by flat sheets of background.

This can be done with a normal white bed sheet or two hung from a round "shower curtain" type rod. The ends must be placed deeper into the set than the edges of the Dobro so the curved face picks up only the white background to allow the engraving to be uninterrupted.

Take the shot through the smallest opening you can manage. A hole between two sheets would be better than a vertical gap between them.

Here is the top view:

This is opinion-y, but too answer-y for a comment: I would say a nice complement to what you already have there might be some experimentation with bringing the softboxen in as close as you can. This simultaneously makes for a larger, softer source on the one hand, but can actually look less flat due to more dramatic light fall-off across the contours, and the fact that at close angles the contours themselves can contribute more variation in angles towards the light.

If you can stick the video lights in the boxes it'll make it easier to see the effect you're getting from different positioning (the recent availability of cheap, high-CRI constant light sources is something I'm really starting to appreciate).