Playing Music to Your Guitar?

dtaylor
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Sat Sep 29, 2012 7:38 am

Has anyone heard the theory that you can develop your guitar's sound (opening it up) by putting in front of your speakers when you're not playing. That way you can supposedly artificially speed up the ageing process.
It should work on any guitar but I have a new one and it has a lot of opening up to do, wonder if anyone has tried it?

Dean.


dennisg
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Sat Sep 29, 2012 9:32 am

Dean,

This question comes up (in one form or another) about every three months in various guitar forums, and there's just no definitive answer. Some people will swear by your method of sitting a new guitar in front of music or buying a contraption called a Tone-Rite. Both methods are used to vibrate the wood -- the thought being that vibrating wood somehow ages it. The problem, as some have pointed out, is that there's no evidence that the wood wouldn't have aged anyway in the given time period. In fact, you can take two seemingly identical guitars, lock them in a warehouse for a period, and they will age at different rates.

Bob Taylor has said that he thinks the most effective technique to age a guitar is actual age. He has noticed a change on the molecular level to wood that has been aged (even on guitars that haven't been played or subjected to vibrations) that he believes accounts for the opening up of the tone.

It's a controversial topic, and you'll get as many advocates of vibration therapy as you will detractors.


dtaylor
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Sat Sep 29, 2012 9:57 am

Thanks Dennis, I've certainly noticed a big difference in my first guitar from new over the four years I've had it, from there being serious dead spots. It's a joy to have a guitar develop over time but it would be nice to get the benefit the easy way.
It seems there are a lot of folk who know a lot about wood and luthiery who swear by the effect of artificial vibration, though the empirical evidence is scarce. MIT might have something to say about it in the future apparently.


willem
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Sat Sep 29, 2012 3:50 pm

I knew people who sang into there guitar and then the strings began to vibrate.....


wrench
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Sat Sep 29, 2012 5:27 pm

I couldn't agree more with Dennis' comments. I think the problem with researching a concept based on age is simply time itself. Realistically, it would take 75 years or so to collect accurate data on the subject. A scientist in another forum did some research on the vibration-based methods to accelerate the aging process, and found the effects to be true, but temporary. Guitars did sound better after exposure to external vibration, but after resting sounded as they did originally.

I don't think anyone even knows what causes aging. Vibration, oxidation, exposure to light? Time itself? Here's how Yamaha cooks up artificial aging.



familyman4
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Sat Sep 29, 2012 5:33 pm

I remember reading the article in "Wood & Steel" approxamtely a year ago about Bob Taylor's opinion. He actually had a video discussion about it too. Anyway, I would look up the exact date for you but figured you might want to just go to taylorguitars.com and search it.

Good memory Dennis....

Bart


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neverfoundthetime
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Sun Sep 30, 2012 8:42 am

Very interesting subject. I love the way my Takamine 12 string has aged... been with me 23 years now. Personally, I want it to age in my arms and vibrating on my own chest. My guess is that the structure of the wood is changing as it ages. At a guess, its the way the wood is "drying" out although we may not really be talking actual moisture here. Oxidation sound about right to me Dan, we certainly could use science telling us exactly. The Violin builder here in Baden (Switzerland) I mentioned a while back has bettered the sound of a Stradivardi (in blind tests) by chemically altering the wood he uses... I think it was the actual cellular structure that was changed.


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neverfoundthetime
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Sun Sep 30, 2012 8:43 am

... by the way Dean, how's that BSG baby coming along in your arms?!


dtaylor
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Sun Sep 30, 2012 9:33 am

Chris, I can feel the potential in it, it's the guitar I want to have for the rest of my life and enjoy its development along the way.
I'm just trying to learn something now, and I'll put up a video when it's ready.

I heard years ago that Stradivari had used wood that had been sodden from being floated down the river and that is what affected the cellular structure to make the sound so exceptional.


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neverfoundthetime
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Sun Sep 30, 2012 4:25 pm

... can't wait to hear!!!


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