String instrument inharmonicity may be not merely unavoidable but perceptually desirable

Evidence

It is well known that string instruments usually produce slightly inharmonic spectra. The question is now whether this is a physical fact which can not be avoided or whether the inharmonicity adds to the sound quality of tones in a musical context. In order to address this question, experiments were performed in which strictly harmonic spectra as well as slightly inharmonic spectra of the strings of an electric guitar were synthesized. — Professor Dr.-Ing. Hugo Fastl, Professor Dr.-Ing. Eberhard, Psychoacoustics- Facts and Models, 2044