THE APPLIANCE OF TONE SCIENCE

Eddie Green has worked in the aerospace industry for many years, contributing to the construction of jet fighters such as the Jaguar, Tornado and Lightning, as well as specialising in stress analysis at English Electric and BAE Systems. But he’s also a keen luthier, at one time working at Fylde Guitars with Roger Bucknall. It’s a rare combination you have to admit. Furthermore, Eddie is also the author of The Mechanics And Construction Of The Acoustic Guitar, so who better to ask for a wholly individual view on the inner workings of the humble acoustic guitar?

Whereas acoustic guitarists might spend hours in deep conversation about the effects of the different timbers and methodologies of the world’s guitar builders, as well as the usual talk of strings, nut materials, scale length and so on, Eddie’s attention is focused more on what he calls the ‘acoustic path’ – that is how a guitar produces tone from the initial vibration of a string and how those vibrations travel through the instrument’s body to produce the tones we know and love. We began by asking Eddie what he believes lies at the heart of an acoustic