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Abstract

For the purpose of making of a solid body of an electric guitar the acoustic- and mechanical properties of walnut- (Juglans regia L.) and ash wood (Fraxinus excelsior L.) were researched. The acoustic properties were determined in a flexural vibration response of laboratory conditioned wood elements of 430 × 186 × 42.8 mm used for making of a solid body of an electric guitar. The velocity of shearand compression ultrasonic waves was additionally determined in parallel small oriented samples of 80 × 40 × 40 mm. The research confirmed better mechanical properties of ash wood, that is, the larger modulus of elasticity and shear modules in all anatomical directions and planes. The acoustic quality of ash wood was better only in the basic vibration mode. Walnut was, on the other hand, lighter and more homogenous and had lower acoustic- and mechanical anisotropy. Additionally, reduced damping of walnut at higher vibration modes is assumed to have a positive impact on the vibration response of future modelled and built solid bodies of electric guitars. When choosing walnut wood, better energy transfer is expected at a similar string playing frequency and a structure resonance of the electric guitar.

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Authors and Affiliations

Anton Zorič
Jasmin Kaljun
Ervin Žveplan
Aleš Straže
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Abstract

Electric guitar manufacturers have used tropical woods in guitar production for decades claiming it as beneficiary to the quality of the instruments. These claims have often been questioned by guitarists but now, with many voices raising concerns regarding the ecological sustainability of such practices, the topic becomes even more important. Efforts to find alternatives must begin with a greater understanding of how tonewood affects the timbre of an electric guitar. The presented study examined how the sound of a simplified electric guitar changes with the use of various wood species. Multiple sounds were recorded using a specially designed test setup and their analysis showed differences in both spectral envelope and the generated signal level. The differences between the acoustic characteristics of tones produced by the tonewood samples explored in the study were larger than the just noticeable differences reported for the respective characteristics in the literature. To verify these findings an informal listening test was conducted which showed that sounds produced with different tonewoods were distinguishable to the average listener.
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Bibliography

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Authors and Affiliations

Jan Jasiński
1
Stanisław Oleś
1
Daniel Tokarczyk
1
Marek Pluta
1

  1. Department of Mechanics and Vibroacoustics, AGH University of Science and Technology, Cracow, Poland

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