Livewire! We just landed a brand new Sonic Replica from Galloup Studios that’s a force to be reckoned with. A copy of a particular ’39 D-18 in Bryan Galloup’s collection, this Sonic Replica is light as a feather (under four pounds), and oh so snappy and quick. See below for more info about the process behind their Sonic Replica project.

The Sonic Replica Guitar Project is a research initiative undertaken by Galloup Studios with the aim of reverse profiling vintage acoustic guitars. For a sonic replica model to be created, an actual example of the instrument must first be meticulously studied and reverse profiled within the Galloup Studios Department.

Once a guitar is considered appropriate for reverse engineering, each instrument undergoes a CAT scan to gather essential density information for reverse profiling. Subsequently, the instrument is inspected for not only standard specifications but also finish thickness, top thickness, and back thickness, ensuring accurate model replication. Additionally, each working model not only replicates exterior measurements but also replicates air resonance, top resonance, back resonance, and top deflection.

The project aims to emphasize that in order for a sonic replica model to exist, there was originally a vintage version of that guitar. To date, we have reverse profiled a 1937 D18, a 1939 D18, and a 1930 OM. The serial numbers for sonic replicas incorporate the actual serial number of the original instrument, followed by “SR” to denote Sonic Replicas.

As such, the Sonic Replica Project ultimately serves as a research endeavor where the derivatives are sonic replica models used to prove theories and measurements with fully functioning models. Thus, sonic replicas are not merely model guitars; they represent an ongoing research and development of the American vintage flat top guitar.