Materials Innovation in Acoustic Guitars
Challenging the Tonal Superiority of Wood
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 20486834 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Owain Pedgley (0000-0003-3557-7996, Owain Pedgley (educator), Department of Industrial Design, Faculty of Architecture, Middle East Technical University, Dumlupinar Blv. No. 1, 06800 Ankara, Turkey..), Eddie Norman (Eddie Norman (educator), Loughborough Design School, Loughborough University, Epinal Way, Loughborough, Leicestershire LE11 3TU, U.K..) |
| Year | 2012 |
| Volume | 22 |
| Pages | 17-24 |
| Publication date | 2012-12-01 |
| Open Access | No |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Leonardo Music Journal (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0961-1215 • E-ISSN: 1531-4812 |
| Publisher | MIT Press - Journals (PUBLISHER) |
| DOI | 10.1162/lmj_a_00087 |
| OpenAlex | W2097111498 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 1 |
| References cited | 3 |
The authors explore perceived sound properties of acoustic guitars built with foamed polycarbonate soundboards rather than spruce or cedar. The research seeks to establish the extent to which polymer acoustic guitars are an acoustically credible alternative to wood instruments. Data are generated through participation by members of the public (n = 320) in blind listening tests. Remarkably, participants are found unable to distinguish much beyond a 50% success rate whether sound originates from wood or polymer acoustic guitars. The findings challenge deeply rooted ideas about traditional material-instrument relationships and champion the use of design as a driver for instrument innovation and artistic engagement
Acoustics · Active listening · Archaeology · Champion · Guitar · Physics · Sociology · Communication · Diverse Musicological Studies · History · Music and Audio Processing · Music Technology and Sound Studies
| Citations per year | 0.33 |
|---|---|
| Citation span | 2023 - 2023 (1) |
| Highly cited | No |