Acoustic instruments from Nazareth guitar maker C.F. Martin are known for their distinctive sound and high quality. Part of the guitars' character comes from the woods that are used to make them, including varieties of spruce, rosewood and mahogany.
Now the company is experimenting with different woods for its new and current models, focusing on the top plate, or the main piece on the body of the guitar. But it doesn't want to sell these new models unless their sound is just as good as Martin guitars that are already in musicians' hands. “Our guitars have a sound that none of our competitors have and we want to preserve that,” research and development technician Albert Germick says.
So Martin is enlisting help from applied research labs at Penn State to develop customized software that will measure the sound quality of guitars made from new materials. The Ben Franklin Technology Partners of Northeastern Pennsylvania are contributing about $7,000 for the project. Germick explains that the use of this type of software is unusual in the world of instrument design. Normally acoustics technicians use it to eliminate or dampen noise, not to enhance it.
Martin plans to start testing its first batch of retooled instruments by the beginning of 2012 and hopes to have new models available for sale by the end of next year.
Source: Albert Germick, C.F. Martin
Writer: Rebecca VanderMeulen