String instruments naturally produce inharmonic partial spectra.

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. The temporal envelope of the simulated guitar sounds was chosen in accordance with measurements on solid body guitars. — Professor Dr.-Ing. Hugo Fastl, Professor Dr.-Ing. Eberhard, Psychoacoustics- Facts and Models, 2044

Categorization

• QUESTION: The chapter presumably resolves whether inharmonicity is preferred by listeners — worth checking the experimental result at Figure 16.48.
• XREF: connects to: Real strings produce inharmonic partials whose deviation grows steeply with thickness — David M. Howard, Jamie Angus, Acoustics and Psychoacoustics, 1095