[jricc]

Originally Posted by mikehartigan

A robot can, theoretically, make a 'perfect' acoustic ...followed by a thousand more exactly like it. Unfortunately, 'perfect' is not necessarily a good thing. Witness the 80's obscenity we called a drum machine. Because of its perfect sense of timing, it was the most sterile, uninspiring sound ever recorded for posterity (not counting auto-tune, of course). A drum roll evoked much the same reaction as fingernails on a chalkboard. Contrast that with something like a genuine leather jacket or a hardwood floor, in which the imperfections make it beautiful. And the fact that every one is unique is icing on the cake. Hand made guitars are the leather jackets of the industry.

That said, much, if not most of the magic in a guitar is in the fingers, not the instrument. Yes, the instrument must be of good quality, but I suspect a 'perfect' guitar built by a robot would sound just fine in the hands of Django Reinhardt, for example. The difference the average listener might hear would be a result of Mr. Reinhardt's diminished passion borne of the sterile sound that he perceives from the 'perfect' guitar. But that's all speculation.

Sadly, a fine hand built guitar is out of reach for many (most?) amateur guitarists. Thus, we have to settle for merely perfect. I'm fine with a spruce top glued to a plywood body (and, in Epiphone's case, it's not even perfect, but I digress). It's as close to a 'real' archtop as I'll likely ever own. And I'm happy with it.

Well said MikeHartigan.