The results of the guitar study at Lancaster University have been published in The Journal of The Acoustical Society of America. This page will provide a short introduction to the study and present its main results. If you want to see all the results and read their discussion in detail you can download a copy of the article by following the link below:\n

Carcagno, S., Bucknall, R., Woodhouse, J., Fritz, C., and Plack, C. J. (2018). Effect of back wood choice on the perceived quality of steel-string acoustic guitars. J. Acoust. Soc. Am., 144(6), 3533-3547. doi:10.1121\/1.5084735\n

You can also download a copy of the raw experimental data on the OSF project webpage.\n

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1. Introduction\n
2. Methods\n
3. Results\n
4. Conclusions\n
5. Photo Gallery\n\n

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   Introduction\n

   The steel-string acoustic guitar is one the world\u2019s most popular musical instrument. Unfortunately, some of the most prized woods for guitar backs (e.g. Brazilian rosewood) are from unsustainable sources, a problem highlighted by organisations such as Greenpeace and the Global Trees Campaign. Guitar manufacturers are also well aware of this issue and have taken a range of initiatives to address it, such as using different and more readily available woods as a substitutes for the traditionally used tropical hard woods, and researching into new materials for guitar construction, such as high-pressure laminates. The challenge is to find woods that are sustainable and cheap without compromising on the sound quality and playability of the instrument. Although acoustic guitars are routinely compared in guitar magazines, these comparisons are susceptible to many different kinds of bias, including factors such as perceived brand quality, price, and visual appearance.\n

   Using an interdisciplinary approach, the current study evaluated the impact of different back woods on the acoustic characteristics of a guitar, as well as the perceptual effects of back wood choice on the playability and sound quality of acoustic guitars assessed by expert players using a controlled, \u201cblinded,\u201d experimental procedure.\n

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   Methods\n

   The Guitars\n

   Six handmade Fylde Guitars guitars built on commission from our lab. All the six guitars were based on the same model (Falstaff model), and were built to the same dimensional and material specifications, except for the back and side plates. The woods used for the back and side plates of the six guitars were: Brazilian Rosewood, Honduras Mahogany, Indian Rosewood, Maple, Sapele, and Claro Walnut. These six woods cover a wide range of prestige among players, availability, and price. A picture of the six guitars still unfinished is shown below.\n

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   Laboratory Tests\n

   The acoustic characteristics of the guitars were assessed by measuring the their input admittance at the bridge. This measurement provides a “fingerprint” of the vibrational characteristics of a guitar that will be reflected in the sound it produces.\n

   We ran several perceptual tests. The most important ones were a blinded rating test, and a blinded ABX discrimination test. Guitarists were tested in a dimly lit room while wearing welder’s goggles during these blinded tests, so that they could see their fingers on the fingerboard to play each guitar accurately but could not identify the wood the guitar was made of.\n

   For the blinded rating test guitarists played each guitar for a few minutes and rated it on a 1-5 scale for its overall sound quality and playability (as well as a number of other attributes).\n

   For the blinded ABX discrimination test guitarists played first one of a pair of guitars (guitar A), then the other guitar (guitar B), and then they were given again one of the two guitars to play, and had to decide if it was guitar A, or B.\n

   Online Tests\n

   Two perceptual tests similar to the ones that we ran in the lab are available online. The results of these online tests have not yet been analysed or published, and you can still take part in them (whether you’re a musician or not). This will give you a chance to listen to the different guitars and test your ability to tell them apart. These tests are based on recordings of the six guitars made by a professional guitar player. You can click on this link to take part in the online tests.\n

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   Results\n

   Bridge Admittance Measurements\n

   The figure below shows the input admittance of the six experimental guitars. The bridge admittance of a guitar of a different make and model, a Yamaha FG-403MS, is also shown for comparison purposes (note that you can zoom into selected areas of the figure and remove\/add traces by clicking on the respective entry in the legend).\n