Posted on 09/23/2014 3:55:11 AM PDT by nikos1121
As musicians, we go to extremes to get the best possible sound from our instruments.
Don’t think this quest is limited to guitar players. A quick Internet search shows drummers burying their cymbals in the back yard to achieve a darker timbre, or a community theater in California letting anyone in off the street to come play their new grand piano to help log the 100 hours of time needed to properly break it in.
The ToneRite follows in similar footsteps, except you don’t need a shovel or to allow strangers on your property. It’s a device the size of a bar of soap that sits on your guitar strings and vibrates a frequency into your instrument to speed up the breaking-in process.
I truly believed the science behind breaking in an instrument, but in a fast-food-eating, high-definition, instantly streaming culture, I asked myself, "Will this work?" Big thanks to my friend John Cannavo, who offered up his beautiful Gibson J200 as our guitar sacrifice.
First we recorded a sound clip of the Gibson before we put on the ToneRite. No nonsense, just open chords and harmonics on a Shure 57 into my computer. Then we left the ToneRite sit on John’s Gibson for a week straight. The manual suggests a minimum of 72 hours to hear results but recommends 144 hours for the better results.
After a week’s worth of use, we recorded a follow-up clip; same guitar, same chair, same pick, same mic, everything. Two things stood out; first the guitar was much louder, I used significantly less preamp gain to record the follow up clip and also you will hear a fuller sustain.
(Excerpt) Read more at guitarworld.com ...
The D-18 Authentic arrived today, along with the Tonerite. I’m still at work, but I couldn’t resist to hook the device up. If rests just ahead of the bridge, and you get a very sustained humming vibration throughout the guitar that you can feel with your hand. I mean if a guitar ages with play, then this is really an artificial way to simulate that. I am quite sure that it will make a difference esp a dull guitar.
I hope using the hummer inspires you!
Haha. Okay...but it this thing works for me, I’ll “loan” it to you to put on that guitar of yours that sounds like mud.
I guess the question is does playing the guitar age it.... or does time age the wood? When I was a kid they told us to set new guitars in front of our 1970’s style stereo speakers. I dunno.... The guys at Harmony Central are mixed on the effectiveness of the Tonerite. A little mixed... most just think its not worth the money. But who knows.... I guess it can’t hurt.
I would have used the money you spent on the Tonerite for another large condenser mic instead :) You can’t ever have to many microphones.
True, but I paid only $133, that’s a fraction of the cost of all the guitars I own. I’m fully going to try the device for the 30 days and go from there. I have five acoustic guitars. I play one everyday for at least 15 minutes, weekends longer, but haven’t performed for several months now, so guitars just “sit.”
True!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
But they’re getting older while they sit :)
You got your 2000? D-41 new from Martin? That guitar clearly should be well opened by now.
I’ll never sell it for any reason. It is awesome....
The one I learned to play on an old borrowed Aspen I now loathe due to the narrow neck and difficulty tuning it on the bottom two strings. I bought an Epiphone PR 350 and that's when I improved considerably. After I got decent with it my wife bought me a Takamine F 400 aka a lawsuit Martin 12 string. I know a real good shop in East Tennessee where I got it used for a bargain. Someone had strung it wrong and the store had just took it in on trade and hadn't fixed it yet. The store is also a Martin dealer but no way for me to ever get that kinda cash. LOL. But well known pros do buy their Martins there. It's north of Knoxville and been there for decades.
I can pick one of my guitars up sometimes and play and it sounds out of whack kinda flat. I check the tuning which is usually fine and put it down. I can come back in about an hour and it sounds fine. Nothing was changed on the guitar itself. I know it's my own hearing doing it. I do believe that it is mostly technique more than anything that can actually change the sound. But there's just too many possible variable factors that make it difficult to play the exact same way each time and get the exact same sound. I would say it would matter whether a person uses a pick or not also. Change picks it changes tone level. I would assume any way. I don't ever use a pick except when tuning.
You’ve probably seen this video. If not, you will appreciate you guitar even more. I know that there are probably better guitars out there, but you and I have the signature guitars. The D-41 is a guitar that I never ever thought I’d own.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lxR_cvJoci8
I agree with everything you say here. Many people are discouraged because they start off on bad guitars...that are hard to play and hard to tune...then that one comes along and you take off.
I think I’m done with any major guitar purchase, but I love having them around me.
My D-18 Authentic came in yesterday. It’s a Mahogany body. I love it right out of the gate.
And this one. I know everyone has their own way of doing this but this is the way I do it.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GIzVdvzn8d8
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