The future of the guitar? Discuss..

  • Thread starter Thread starter muttley600
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Placement of the rebar is critical, though, to attain the proper resonance.
 
The future of my guitar is that I'm gonna go throw it in the truck in an hour and head off for my early gig.
I'm gonna drive on concrete, at least part of the way, so that material is gonna have an impact.
 
Zaphod B said:
Placement of the rebar is critical, though, to attain the proper resonance.
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I'll put you forward to the research team as an adviser. I turned em down for allergy reasons.

I'm allergic to crack pot academic ideas.:)
 
We all know that the future of guitars involves robot tuners, on-board effects, outlandish body styles, composite body materials and ugly finishes.

Oh wait, I've just been informed that this is actually the present state-of-the-art of American guitars. Maybe concrete would be an improvement?

Maybe Gibson and Rainsong could collaborate with the British academics and come up with the carbon/graphite-reinforced concrete robot tuning guitar in the Dusk Tiger finish. Maybe even a reverse-V body style. Top seller, I tell you. Instant classic!
 
Despite concrete being one of the most widely used building materials in the world, there just isn’t much data about its acoustic or sonic properties, claims Goodier. And sound can be vital to a building, whether it’s a concert hall, recording studio or even an office.

‘At the moment a civil engineer will build a structure and an acoustic expert will hang things from the walls that will do the job, and the two disciplines don’t really overlap,’ says Goodier.

‘No one really looks at concrete except for deadening sound. The effects of air bubbles, the surface, the density, the elastic modulus – how can they contribute?’


Read more: http://www.theengineer.co.uk/100589...ptype=newsletter&cmpdate=051110#ixzz14QKikJpt
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I mean, these are all good points. I don't see this turning into a good guitar, but how concrete functions acoustically is certainly a valid concern.
 
Tadpui said:
We all know that the future of guitars involves robot tuners, on-board effects, outlandish body styles, composite body materials and ugly finishes.

Oh wait, I've just been informed that this is actually the present state-of-the-art of American guitars. Maybe concrete would be an improvement?

Maybe Gibson and Rainsong could collaborate with the British academics and come up with the carbon/graphite-reinforced concrete robot tuning guitar in the Dusk Tiger finish. Maybe even a reverse-V body style. Top seller, I tell you. Instant classic!
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I'm on it.

Would you like a silicon case with Teflon lining for that?
 
DrewPeterson7 said:
I mean, these are all good points. I don't see this turning into a good guitar, but how concrete functions acoustically is certainly a valid concern.
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It functions in a similar way to natural stone depending a lot of variables in the make up. There is already quite a bit of info on the elasticity, absorption and acoustic reflection of concrete. It's use on a guitar is just raising the profile of the University and the guy seeking the backing and funding for wider research agendas. More power to him for that. It isn't easy getting backing..

As has already been pointed out. Weight alone would make it unsuitable. Remove too much of that and it no longer has the structural integrity you'd need. You then introduce other materials and bang goes the guys abstract. I think he already knows this though.;)
 
I think you're right. :D

I actually remember someone making a guitar out of stone over at Jemsite.com a while back, more as an art piece than an instrument, but it was designed to be playable. IIRC, the guy concluded it sounded a heck of a lot better than he'd expected, even if it was absurdly heavy when done.
 
I saw some stone laminated electric guitars at NAMM that were pretty amazing.

If you're gonna play rock why not play it on a rock? :D
 
While I am not familiar with the academic literature, the statement that acousticians do not consider the acoustic effects of concrete structures cannot be correct. Indeed, it is common to see concrete products designed specifically for diffusion in concert halls. I take the "deadening sound" statement to mean isolation from external space, not acoustic treatment within the hall.

If the guy actually believes that, he ought to visit my local auditorium to see the concrete diffusers . . . if the data for those don't exist (I don't know, but I find that hard to believe), he ought to work directly on that problem rather than building concrete guitars :rolleyes:
 
Hard rock guitar !

It's the only guitar Jimistone could endorse !
 
"researchers at Loughborough University" :rolleyes:


Someone tell these guys that the cure for cancer is still up for grabs, among other serious research.
 
miroslav said:
"researchers at Loughborough University" :rolleyes:


Someone tell these guys that the cure for cancer is still up for grabs, among other serious research.
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I'll do that right after you tell the guys at NASA.
 
muttley600 said:
I'll do that right after you tell the guys at NASA.
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:D

I think NASA is going with the plan that the cure is out in space, and maybe with ET. ;)

But hey...not any less important than researching the habits of worms. :)
 
muttley600 said:
I'm off to get a cement mixer and some concrete.

http://www.theengineer.co.uk/1005891.article?cmpid=TE01&cmptype=newsletter&cmpdate=051110
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Cheers for that, it made an interesting read.

While a concrete guitar would not neccesarily be overly practical, [i assume it would be heavy] it would be interesting to see how this develops.

I wonder if they are going to attempt an acoustic or a solid body. It would be interseting to see what kind of acoustic response concrete yields.

If they attempt to build an acoustic I wonder how they would create strength in such a thin sheet of concrete.
 
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