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Related studies and documents by LGRP:
Guitar neck stability and stiffness tests
An experimental LGRP-study to determine the degree of gradual deformation under stress (creep) of different wood species serving as classical guitar necks.
Jacky Walraet, Kristof Meeus. April 2017. /
Click THIS link to see or download the full paper (pdf).
Summary of main findings:
Compared to traditionally used species such as mahogany and spanish cedar, some of the non-tropical species we tested displayed a similar degree of stability and stiffness over time.
There were 4 mahogany samples and 3 spanish cedar samples in the test. These samples showed an average deformation of around 0,25mm or less (but did not exceed 0,30mm). Poplar, spruce, lime, walnut, cherry, maple and beech all displayed a similar amount of average deformation to that of the tropical species. The result thus far is that some of these non-tropical woods can be regarded, from a mechanical standpoint, as viable alternatives, although some of these woods, like cherry, maple and beech may be considered as 'to heavy' for classical guitars construction. On the other hand; the poplar, linden and spruce samples had about the same weight range as the spanish cedar samples and some cherry and walnut samples were close to the mahogany samples. / Click THIS link to see or download the full paper (pdf).
Similar academic study by UGent-Wood Lab
The above LGRP study inspired some researchers at 'Laboratory of Wood Technology (UGent-Woodlab)' to conduct a similar experiment using the same LGRP-measurement method and also using the LGRP-tension-setup (tuning key) plus a new one (permanent weight tension) comparing the two setups.
This study, named 'Monitoring the long-term stability of classical guitar necks: evaluating the potential of European-grown wood species in musical instrument manufacturing' compared the deflection stability of 17 wood species used for classical guitar necks under long-term string tension and varying humidity conditions, focusing on the performance of tropical woods and potential European alternatives.
A total of 250 samples were tested with an average of 15 samples per species.
The Leonardo Guitar Research Project and the Centre for Musical Instrument building (Cmb), was represented by Jacky Walraet who co-authored the paper together with Bingrui Chen (main author), Pieter Goovaerts, Stijn Willen, Victor Deklerck, Tianyi Zhan, Wim Van Paepegem, Joris Van Acker, Jan Van den Bulcke.
The study was published, june 2025 in “Springer Nature, Wood Science and Technology” (Q1 journal in the field of Forestry and Plant Science) and on “Research Gate” (academic social network)/
This is the LINK to the Springer Nature publication where you can find the 'abstract' and where paper is purchasable.
LGRP-partners , teachers and students involved in de LGR-Project can apply for the paper via mail (see contact) / Terms and conditions: "Springer Nature supports a reasonable amount of sharing of research papers by authors, subscribers and authorised users, for small-scale personal, non-commercial use provided that all copyright, trade and service marks and other proprietary notices are maintained. By accessing, sharing, receiving or otherwise using the Springer Nature journal content you agree to these terms of use. For these purposes, Springer Nature considers academic use (by researchers and students) to be non-commercial."
Related studies and documents by other researchers
Paper by Lincoln university.
"The effect of back wood choice on the perceived quality of steel-string acoustic guitars"
The Journal of the Acoustical Society of America 144, 3533 (2018);
Study by Samuele Carcagno, Roger Bucknall, Jim Woodhouse, Claudia Fritz, and Christopher J. Plack.
Conclusion: The results of our study indicate that steel-string acoustic guitars with backs and sides built using traditionally prized, expensive, and rare woods are not rated substantially higher by guitarists than guitars with backs and sides built using cheaper and more readily available woods. The poor ability of guitarists to discriminate under blinded conditions between guitars with backs and sides made of different woods suggest that back wood has only a marginal impact on the sound of an acoustic guitar.
link to the publication
Do endangered woods make better guitars?
See THIS article of Lancaster University about the same study (incl video).
Practical guide for experiments and research in musical instruments making.
Romain VIALA, Jérémy CABARET / Click this link for the paper (pdf)
Abstract
This document aims to provide elements to instrument makers for their exploratory and experimental approaches. It exposes accessible concepts and methods, which allow to best conduct experiments to achieve consolidated results. This is a summary of the procedure to follow - and not to follow - when we want to observe / ascertain a phenomenon and test ideas, hypotheses. This document can be a basis for disentangling the true from the false (or rather from what is not sufficiently founded to be considered as true). The elements are based on the scientific method which applies in all disciplines.
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