MEASURING AND UNDERSTANDING THE GYPSY GUITAR

We present measurements made on the gypsy guitar. Our goals in performing such measurements are to help understand the factors behind the specific tonal characteristics of this landmark stringed instrument. The gypsy guitar, made by Selmer-Maccaferri and Busato, possesses a unique, bright, non-linear shiny tone. Starting with the improvisational mastermind of Django Reinhardt, the sounds of this instrument live to this day. We explore measurements made on a monochord and on a Selmer-Maccaferri copy guitar. We discuss analyses of the measurements in both the spectral and time domains. From the measurements made, not only does the construction of the guitar play an important role in the guitar’s sound, but the gypsy-style picking technique used to achieve high-volume sounds without amplification, and the gypsy vibrato used to sustain and color a note, highly influence the guitar’s sound.