Measuring a Gypsy Guitar

MichaelHorowitz

Wow...here's the work of Gypsy jazz guitarist/academic Nelson Lee.

We present measurements made on the gypsy guitar. Our goals in
performing such measurements are to help understand the factors
behind the specific tonal characteristics of this landmark stringed
instrument. The gypsy guitar, made by Selmer-Maccaferri and
Busato, possesses a unique, bright, non-linear shiny tone. Starting
with the improvisational mastermind of Django Reinhardt, the
sounds of this instrument live to this day. We explore measurements
made on a monochord and on a Selmer-Maccaferri copy
guitar. We discuss analyses of the measurements in both the spectral
and time domains. From the measurements made, not only
does the construction of the guitar play an important role in the guitar’s
sound, but the gypsy-style picking technique used to achieve
high-volume sounds without amplification, and the gypsy vibrato
used to sustain and color a note, highly influence the guitar’s sound.

Pretty cool paper!