In a message dated 03/01/02 3:52:33 PM, fordpiano@lycos.com writes: <<<<" Not really Phil since acoustic guitars work on the principle of a sound >chamber and as such the thickness of the chambers enclosure is not all that >critical.">>>> JB <<"I'm not sure I buy that. That chamber wants to resonate at a certain frequency. Around that frequency I would think that the guitar's sound is strongly influenced by the chamber, but away from that frequency the sound would be more influenced by the soundboard (top) and rim (ribs I think the guitar guys call them). ">> I don't know what they cals em but dey is dere huh? Of course the chamber wants to resonate at a certain frequency......'all' musical instruments have a native resonant frequency at which they seem to come alive..guitars are no different in this respect. The tone chamber (and I'm getting out of my limited knowledge here as I know very little about pianos and nothing about guitars) is dependent on being enclosed and in being activated by the guitar's top(soundboard). If you were to remove the guitars back panel the volume would be drastically reduced without regard to rim/rib stiffness/rigidity properties. <<"You think that could be because there's no bridge and the string's energy is only being dissipated by the air? I bet a regular acoustic guitar would have pretty good sustain if you took off the bridge. Of course, you wouldn't be able to hear it.">> I'm not sure what you mean by this Electric guitars do have a bridge...don't they. The bridge is where most of the tremolo attachments are hooked up to. As to the acoustic part I am not sure I follow your reasoning... a piano would not have very good volume if you didn't install the bridges either.......your point??? <<"Right. But I think the question is would it have longer sustain or more useful volume if the rim was heavier and stiffer?">> Well the answer is......it depends on the construction techniques and materials doesn't it? For instance a pure balsa rim would have very little comparative volume when paired up with one which used a honeycombed balsa construction and both would pale beside one with Laminated rosewood construction...all other things being equal. The guitar top and tone chamber would still play the major role in the volume and tone production in all three cases though...wouldn't it??? ------------------------------ To comment on Ron O's post re: moulded backs/rims on guitars.... I have seen several very good examples of these molded thingees and some of them were very good sounding dohickeys!!!! One in partcular was a Martin XE...... something or other and this was one of the best sounding acoustic guitars I have ever heard. If I played better I would get one for myself. ---------- To comment on the tone bar anaology......it ain't one because the tone bar is in and of itself the producer of tone and projector of tone whereas the piano sound board does not produce the sound it merely projects what is produced by a separate mechanism, i.e. the string. Jim Bryant (FL)
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