Are guitars naturally "tuned" to certain pitches?

[philoffline]

I've been getting to know my D-50, which is my first really good acoustic. I've noticed that when I play a single G note and then mute all the strings, a faint, distinct sustaining overtone sticks around for a while. This does not seem to happen at other pitches, just G. It's most noticeable on the lower strings, in a quiet room.

I know that break-in over time (or in front of your amp) is supposed to encourage resonance at certain frequencies, the ones you play most. And I've heard of luthiers tap-tuning the carved tops of fiddles and mandolins to pitch (usually A). Does the design of flattops encourage particular tones? Or is it just a fluke, and good luck that it happened to be G?

[jeremy3220]

Yeh guitars and I guess all air chambers have a resonant frequency; this is mainly determined by the size of the guitar but also the looseness of the top (sound board and bracing).

[philoffline]

I guess what I meant was, was this guitar intentionally built to resonate at G, or is it just luck that it's not, say, halfway between B and B-flat?

[jeremy3220]

I guess what I meant was, was this guitar intentionally built to resonate at G, or is it just luck that it's not, say, halfway between B and B-flat?

No factory guitar is built to resonate at a certain frequency. They would have to tune/voice each guitar for that and thats something Larrivee (or any large manufacture) doesn't do. Dreads naturally end up being around F, F# or G I think. Chances are that most of the D-50's are somewhere around your's.

On a side note - I think even most builders who do indiviually voice their tops don't aim for a certain frequency.

[Bug]

To further the question, if the soundbox was resonant at a slightly off frequency, would this be noticable in the sound? My first inclination is no, since there are times that I've tuned my guitar off pitch (no tuner was available) and didn't notice any difference in quality.

[philoffline]

My guess is that none of it is really noticeable anyway, once you start banging on the strings. It's like the difference between NOS carbon comp. and metal film resistors in a tube amp... Maybe it adds "mojo," but not the kind you can actually hear. (At least I can't.)

[ST]

There is a Wolf Tone that some acoustic instruments have. I notice it most when I amplify my instruments. It seems to be the note most likely to cause feedback, or the "note" of the feedback, even when I am not playing that note. It is the note at which the body seems to naturally resonate.

It is rarely an issue unless I am running amplified - and loud.

[goa]

I'm no luthier, but believe tuning is part of the process, at least for high end instruments. 

"As final proof of the hand-tuning process, Loar gave his signature on a label inside the instrument attesting that "The top, back, tone-bars, and air-chamber of this instrument were tested, tuned and the assemble(d) instrument tried and approved ___(date)___." [http://www.siminoff.net/pages/loar_contributions.html]

GOA

[jeremy3220]

To further the question, if the soundbox was resonant at a slightly off frequency, would this be noticable in the sound?

Since most aren't tuned to a certain note to begin with, the chances are pretty slim that it would be right at concert pitch.

[drathbun]

Lennon's Gibson J-160e resonated so well in A that when Paul hit the A open note on his Hofner bass, the J-160e started howling and fed back. You can hear that famously first recorded feedback at the beginning of "I Feel Fine".