While my guitar gently sleeps.

rustneversleeps

We all know about guitars are said to “open up” with playing and age etc.I’am having thoughts the other way.Ive a decent guitar that sounded great and with volume.This guitar gets very little use now and it’s in the case most of the time.Played it today sounded like it was stuffed with socks.I changed strings not much better.Ive taken account of humidity as well.So do they get sleepy

ICBM

Yes.

If you can, keep it on a stand or a hanger not in the case - it will absorb natural vibrations from the room and follow humidity changes, and the sound will open up. Really...

richardhomer

ICBM said:

If you can, keep it on a stand or a hanger not in the case - it will absorb natural vibrations from the room and follow humidity changes, and the sound will open up. Really...

Most quality makers tell you to put your guitar in its case when not being played, yet my 25 year old well played Martin seemed to go off the boil after a lengthy period of incarceration.

A few days in the open seems to have done it the world of good....

camf

Honestly, you guys will do anything @ICBM says. You do know that all us Edinburgh Fretboarders all sit with him in a pub in Roslin and buy him a drink every time one of you believes one of these outrageous stories. We usually have to take him home in an ambulance.

camf

(I've just taken my J45 out of its case.)

ToneControl

I use a ToneRite

they rotate one around the store in Ivor Mairants, makes a big difference

TTony

Good to see you posting a new thread @rustneversleeps ;

rustneversleeps

TTony said:

Good to see you posting a new thread @rustneversleeps ;

As you know i’am trying (me best)

thomasross20

I always thought it was best to keep then in their cases (that's what it says be in my Larrivee booklet).......... Though now they're all out on stands, I guess I'll find out..  

richardhomer

camf said:

Honestly, you guys will do anything @ICBM says. You do know that all us Edinburgh Fretboarders all sit with him in a pub in Roslin and buy him a drink every time one of you believes one of these outrageous stories. We usually have to take him home in an ambulance.

@camf - I’ve just bought a Jensen Tornado because ICBM told me the one in your Princeton sounded good. Please don’t tell me I’ve been ‘had’

camf

Barman... another Pimms for @ICBM

Bridgehouse

No. No, it's not true

@ICBM keeps saying that I have to have a bloody Rickenbacker bass.

I categorically do not need a completely outdated anachronistic oddly shaped overpriced chunk of wood like that. 




I have plenty of Precisions that fulfil that perfectly.

camf

Barman... make that a double!

Bridgehouse

camf said:

Barman... make that a double!

Has he moved onto the Cool Aid yet?

thomasross20

Isn't it Kool Aid? Or is that not cool?

Bridgehouse

thomasross20 said:

Isn't it Kool Aid? Or is that not cool?

I'm glad I'm not cool. Or Kool.

thomasross20

Lewy

They certainly do go to sleep. I keep all my guitars in cases (except my little L'Arrivee parlour which seems impervious to environmental change) so I just make sure to rotate which ones I practice on. As I've only got three flat tops (apart from little Larry) it means they're never more than 2 days away from being played.

Resonators go to sleep too (whether they are in a case or not), but there are specific things you can do to wake them up straight away rather than having to play them for any period of time.

Phil_aka_Pip

Lewy said:

Resonators go to sleep too (whether they are in a case or not), but there are specific things you can do to wake them up straight away rather than having to play them for any period of time.

pray, tell.

CHRISB50

Yep my Lowden sounded dead if it hadn't been played for a while. After a few hours it was fine again. 

Lewy

Phil_aka_Pip said:

Lewy said:

Resonators go to sleep too (whether they are in a case or not), but there are specific things you can do to wake them up straight away rather than having to play them for any period of time.

pray, tell.

I used to play in a duo with a guy who had a collection of more than 30 pre-war biscuit and tricone Nationals. They were all out on stands but obviously didn't all get played that often. His routine for waking up one that hadn't been played for a while was:

- hold it vertically by the headstock end of the neck and tap the body and coverplate all over with your fingertips to dislodge dust that may have settled
- then detune slightly...not so much that any of the strings go slack, just enough to be able to...
- .....pull each string in turn out of it's bridge slot, and then slide it across the saddle to let it snap itself back in
- retune

You could definitely hear a difference before and after.