Practical Acoustics

from his 2008 GAL Convention lecture

by Michael Cone

Originally published in American Lutherie #102, 2010



Nikola Tesla said, “Science is but a perversion of itself unless it has as its ultimate goal the betterment of humanity.” On the one hand it’s only a guitar, and the jury is still out on just how much better off humanity will be for having a better guitar. On the other hand, a musical instrument is the conduit between a musician and the divine, with the capability to inspire and transcend our ordinary, relative existence. This by itself certainly makes lutherie a worthwhile endeavor, and the application of science to this art and craft, an ultimate necessity.

By science, I mean repeatability, not theory. I mean the practical application of measuring, changing, remeasuring, and then seeing and hearing the difference. We’ve been doing the same thing for several thousand years: flexing, tapping, training our ears, training our guts. After twenty years or so, you pretty much know what you are doing.