Making Guitar:

a balance between
Science and Intuition

Jean Marie Fouilleul

guitarmaker
Guitars from its Origins……(Heavens?..)

1711 1823
 …to the Present Day
More strings…, an
instrument imagined
by its player
…M.Maccaferri

New soundhole-
design to enlarge
the top.
(M.Montassier)

2002
 Usual guitarmaker’s behaviour approach of their work

in feed-back
guitarmaker only
subjective
informations
intuition

model

good…?

musicians not so good..?

not so bad…?

bad…?
 Joël Laplane

• Science in service
with Intuition

• « my idea is to realize a
structure which vibrates as
longer as possible with a large
spectrum of harmonics »
Less traction on the top….

Strings are fixed

behind the
bridge, on an
inside-neck
Joël Laplane’s approach with scientists and musicians

in feed-back
guitarmaker
two types of
informations

intuition
Scientist analysis
model measures

comparison
good…?

musicians not so good..?

not so bad…?

bad…?
Jean-Luc Joie

• Science but no
intuition

• «I’ve seen the opportunity to

increase dynamic »

• « Wood is not enough to go

further »
 a bridge inspired by the piano

Jean-Luc Joie ‘s guitar

A new material

A new concept

A new design
Jean-Luc Joie’s approach with scientists and musicians

guitarmaker in feed-back
two types
of informations
Scientists :
analysis - measures

discussion comparison

new concept-design
model good…?

not so good..?

Musicians appreciations not so bad…?

bad…?
 Daniel Friederich

• A rigorous bench scientist

• « Intuition can precede the

reasoned knowledge, but gives
few chance of reproduction in
case of success . »
Measures on top and on neck imagined by D.Friederich
Measures of the braces : flexion
Measures on the finished guitar: neck and top flexions
 Daniel Friederich’s approach with scientists and musicians

guitarmaker
in feed-back
three types
reproduction comparison of informations

Scientists:
Systematic measures analysis

model
good…?
comparison
not so good..?
Musicians appreciations
not so bad…?

bad…?
 Daniel Friederich’s instruments

• Tradition in
aesthetic

• Sober

• Great quality of
realization
To a collective research approach
The groupwork-The main partners:

• UNFI : a french professional association of

instrumentmakers

• Vincent Doutaut : Ingeneer researches, ITEMM

(Europeen Institut of Formation for Musictrade)

• François Gautier: lecturer,LAUM (Acoustic

Laboratory of Le Mans)

• Jean-Loïc Le Carrou: p.h.d. student, LAUM

• Bertrand David: lecturer, ENST ( National

Telecom High School)

• Nicolas Dauchez: lecturer, LAUM

• Iris Brémaud: doctor,(Mechanic and Civil

Ingeneering Laboratory)
TEST FOR BRACING – CLASSICAL GUITAR TOP-J.M FOUILLEUL

A case with thick sides

Top Jaws Sides and Thick Back Testing

neck the top
Constant volume of the case
Easy comparison of different tops
Possibility to play the instrument
Example of collaboration, works on: « characterization of the guitar in low
frequencies »

« Helmoltz System »: a tool for assistance in

making guitar

F.Gautier , J.L Le Carrou ,

C.Thepenier
J.M Fouilleul
 Demonstration with “Helmholtz” Interface

Identity card of
the guitar

Datas’s acquiring

Datas ‘s filing
 To……. a « Home Acoustic Research Laboratory »

Informatic tools

Adapted to
instrument-
maker

Reasonable
price
 References and Publications

-« Different Configurations of the same Concert Guitar Characterized by Means

of Modal Analysis and Noise Transfer » Laplane J., Minsen E., Charron S.
Acoustica n°82

-« La Guitare à Travers les Spectres » M. Rosen, publication de l’Atelier de

Recherches Appliquées de l’ITEMM

-« La Guitare, Aperçus concernant le Fonctionnement et la Conception

Organologique de la Guitare, l’Examen et le Choix des Bois, des Réflexions »
Daniel Friederich , G.A.M n°92, Université Paris VI, 1977

-« Etude de Comportement Acoustique de la Table d’Harmonie d’une Guitare »

D.Douau (D.E.A d’acoustique) Université du Maine, juin 1983

-« Evaluation des Propriétés Acoustiques, Mécaniques et Structurelles des Bois

de Tables d’Harmonie de Guitares; Leur Influence sur le Timbre de l’Instrument »
D.Douau (Thèse dedoctorat), Université du Maine, 1986

-« Approche du Fonctionnement Mécanique et Acoustique de la Guitare »

J.C.Radier ( Thèse ) Université du Maine, Février 1985

-« Helmoltz: un outil de caractérisation des deux premiers modes de la guitare »

F.Gautier, J.L Le Carrou, E.Collin, J.Duffaud, C.Frisson ,juillet 2005; Journées
Professionnelles Facture Instrumentale « Mettre en Commun »
 Special thanks to:
V.Doutaut , F.Gautier , J.L Le Carrou