The True Science of Tone | Acoustics Engineer Tom Nania

Life With Strings Attached

We talk a lot about tone – but what's the science behind the sound of our stringed instruments? To tackle this topic, I can think of few better people to talk with than Tom Nania.

As well as his work as an acoustics engineer with D'Addario, Tom is a member of the Violin Society of America’s Oberlin Acoustics Workshop. Prior to joining D’Addario, he also worked as a luthier and acoustics researcher specializing in archtop guitars as a co-proprietor of House of Luthiery. In 2021, the Violin Society of America published Tom’s work, “Archtop Guitar Dynamics", and he's currently curator of the archtopproject.org, an online resource for the acoustical analysis of historical archtop guitars.

As a lifelong musician turned maker, and having graduated from Indiana University in 2013 with a Bachelor of Science in Physics and Astronomy, Tom’s background in acoustics began as a collaborator with the PICO group, an astrophysics particle detection experiment located at SNOLAB in association with Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory. That same year, Tom attended Bryan Galloup’s School of Guitar Building and Repair, and Tom and Bryan have continued to collaborate since, most recently with Project Dreadnought.

I wanted to lay out the scientific concepts key to understanding instrument acoustics – and to dive deeper into some of Tom's fascinating projects – with the hope of starting to develop an understanding of tone based in science. There's a lot here to explore, and I hope you enjoy coming on the journey with us.

Patreon members will also get access to the exclusive bonus content as part of this episode, exploring the business of guitar.