I went to a private party last night in a garage that featured a local bluegrass/country band. After the show I was talking to the 82 year old lead guitarist that was playing a 1993 Martin D-28. He told me that many years ago Martin had advised him to take his guitar and place it in front of a loudspeaker on moderate volume and let the guitar absorb the vibration for 2-3 weeks. He claimed that this would allow the wood to open up faster and enhance the tone of the guitar.
Based on everything I have read and experiened about the woods "opening up" and improving with age, this technique started to make perfect sense.
Has anyone ever tried this?
I've heard that before. I haven't done it though.
Get yourself one of THESE babies!
http://www.acousticguitar.com/Gear/advice/...vibration.shtml (http://www.acousticguitar.com/Gear/advice/vibration.shtml)
Round these parts we just toss our guitars in the back of a pickup truck.
A few trips to town loosens em up good. That is if the dog don't chew on'er.
I do it with all my guitars,Works for me :D
QuoteI do it with all my guitars,Works for me :D
What?....Chew on 'em? Dang Rob, you got good teeth for an old fella! ;)
It's all about fiber. :P
QuoteRound these parts we just toss our guitars in the back of a pickup truck.
A few trips to town loosens em up good. That is if the dog don't chew on'er.
I wish I could find the link to a Guild I recently saw on E-bay. It was being sold "as-is" and the description said something like this:
.....some type of marks on back of guitar, possibly teeth. Looks like a dog's teeth. Should be able to be repaired.......Then I scrolled down to the photos, and the back of the neck was CHEWED UP! I mean, probably 40-50 individual, deep tooth marks along the length of the back of the neck! :blink: :o Not exactly smooth!
Probably done by a blues player on a 3am gig.
;) Matthew,
If it's a good idea, then how come manufacturers haven't embraced it like blue jeans companies have 'prewashed jeans?' I think Larrivee is missing out on something here. You could 'pre-open' some of your tops, and create a whole new market segment. Hey, if Lee Iococa could go around for years stating that Chrysler invented a new market segment with the mini-van, Larrivee could do so with the 'Pre-Opened Top Guitar.' Let's see Martin top that ('top that' get it, ha, ha)
Heck, I'm tired of my job as Quality Manager at Merck if you need a new director marketing. I'm ready for the challenges of the great white north.
Andy
Heck, go to the neighbourhood garage band and just duct tape the sucker to a Marshall stack for a couple weeks. That oughta do her.
Do I recall in the Luthier section at AG that there was some input on this?
...About Hemholtz resonance and grain pores opening, etc.
It is intriguing. Though playing and listening as the guitar opens its voice to you is also really a nice process--"getting to know you..." :)
My guitars are always out on a stand where I can get to them and coincidently near the stereo speakers which is always on. I've heard that it's beneficial, I don't know. I *do* know that a guitar that stays in it's cases for 50+ years doesn't break in at all. Was consulted on a '50 Gibson archtop whose owner died in Korea. His parents kept it and never opened the case. I was the first to play it in 55 years. It still had it'd hang tags. It sounded like crap, even with new strings
QuoteHeck, go to the neighbourhood garage band and just duct tape the sucker to a Marshall stack for a couple weeks. That oughta do her.
In an earlier thread we concluded that the best way to open up a guitar was to toss 'er in the back of a pickup truck and drive up and down a gravel road for a while.. :lol: