Abstract
This work aims to improve our understanding of the resonance wood and to investigate the interactions between their physical-mechanical properties, natural variability, and the violin makers' ways of choosing their materials. In order to identify the luthiers' practices and opinions, a socio-technical survey was conducted. Physical, vibrational, and visual/structural characteristics of the resonance wood obtained from several provenances with a variety of quality grades were also determined. Finally, these two approaches were completed by a psychosensory evaluation to compare the measurements that we have conducted with the perception and qualification of wood by the violin makers.