Murphy Custom Guitars
Handcrafted Acoustic Guitars
Drogheda, Co Louth, Ireland.
Tone
Medium body guitar with Wenge Back & sides and Wenge cutaway bevel
The Sound coming from a guitar usually starts by the the plucking/tapping of a string. This then vibrates down the string, to the saddle, then the bridge, excites the top. This then moves the air inside the soundbox, pumping air in & out the soundhole (like an air piston).
The difference in sound between guitars is mainly due to difference in either size, shape, amplitude and the frequency of its modes.
To modify the sound of a guitar you would need to change one or more of these characteristics (size, shape, amplitude or frequency of its modes).
We all probably have witnessed the difference in sound in guitars of different size and shape (like the difference between a parlour size, dreadnaught or jumbo guitar). It also requires a momentous change in the size, shape and bracing to adjust the amplitude of a mode. Even if you did make large enough changes to alter the ampliude of the modes it wouldn't sound like a guitar anymore - it would a new type of instrument.
But this doesn't explain why a guitar of the same make/size/model can sound different. I think we have all experienced this in your local music shop then trying out new guitars.
This only leaves the frequency that the modes of a guitar vibrate at & what can we do to alters these Frequencies to give us a better more consistant sounding guitar.
I approach guitar building a little bit different than the majority of the guitar manufacturer's that you have become accustomed to today.
There are a number of processes/techniques that i use to control the modes of vibration of a guitar, so I can consistently produce a truly responsive instrument.
None of your mass produced guitars that you see in your local guitar store will carry out these massively important steps. This is why your typical guitar can vary so much.
A lot of these processes and techniques that I use, have come together from years of studying the research from master luthiers like Trevor Gore, Gerard Gillet, Ervin Somogyi, Alan Carruth & Mark Blanchard. Their continuous research of what makes some guitars better than others and their willingness to always share their findings with the guitar making community.
Some of the processes/techniques I use are:
Modal tuning/voicing is essential to how i achieve consistent acoustic performance from all of my guitars.
This is a method of measuring how easy the guitar top moves from the movement of the string. More movement = More sound.
Plate Thicknessing Based on Material Properties:
Every top and back panel is tested for its stiffness and is thicknessed accordingly.
This is a major breaktrough in the shaping the guitars sound.
The type of lacquer on your guitar is more important than you think.
If you wish to read in more detail about the above proceses, please select one below.