Thread: Q on an acoustic guitar

Hi Ben, you will get a few reply's to this post that I am sure of.
the answer is in your head.
Think about it.

Originally Posted by woodturner777

Hi Ben, you will get a few reply's to this post that I am sure of.
the answer is in your head.

Originally Posted by woodturner777

Think about it.

I assume the answer is yes. But how much space?

The short answer is yes. The maths is well described by Benade but the most approachable source is David Hurd's "Left Brained Lutherie".

The volume of the box determines the pitch at which the strings resonate best. Part of the trick of making a good instrument is getting that volume in the part of your instruments register that players want it. It is the reason why various instruments are sized the way they are.

Of course the answer is yes. The volume of the soundbox determines the Helmholtz resonance frequency, and the maths for that is well known,. The actual frequency that you end up with is also influenced by the stiffness of the top, back and sides. This frequency most certainly does influence the sound, and it is something all music instrument makers should pay attention to if they want to make consistently good sounding instruments. What the optimum volume is you need to aim for, is really a matter of trial and error and ultimately experience since it is not so simple, Remember that every piece of wood is different, and the differing stiffnesses will affect what frequency you end up with. Good sound is also very subjective, you can't measure it like you can measure a frequency.

Peter