48 hrs of Tonerite on maple

[vindibona1]

I thought the Tonerite application on my 814ceDLX was pretty successful last week, so I wondered what it might do on a 2011 614ce (with maple back and sides). Could it do anything to a guitar that's been played 6 years, I wondered?

After 48 hours I took the Tonerite off to see if I noticed anything different in the sound. Well... More projection. The bass and trebles balanced out the mids appreciably. I was very pleased with the sound. Before these past weeks I could have only imagined what the phrase "opened up" meant in this context.

While I know the ears can fool us, I have the 814 hanging right next to the 614 and I think the 614 had as much or more projection. It was fun to play. Easier to make music. I expected the strings to be dead, but they're as lively as I when they just settled so I'm glad for that.

Frankly I was surprised to get any result at all. The Tonerite was just there so I thought I'd throw it on the 614 for giggles. I'm going to have to give the 814 another treatment. No gigs until 10/6, but I'm pretty certain I'm playing the 614 then.

Just thought I'd share.

[1neeto]

Originally Posted by vindibona1

I thought the Tonerite application on my 814ceDLX was pretty successful last week, so I wondered what it might do on a 2011 614ce (with maple back and sides). Could it do anything to a guitar that's been played 6 years, I wondered?



After 48 hours I took the Tonerite off to see if I noticed anything different in the sound. Well... More projection. The bass and trebles balanced out the mids appreciably. I was very pleased with the sound. Before these past weeks I could have only imagined what the phrase "opened up" meant in this context.



While I know the ears can fool us, I have the 814 hanging right next to the 614 and I think the 614 had as much or more projection. It was fun to play. Easier to make music. I expected the strings to be dead, but they're as lively as I when they just settled so I'm glad for that.



Frankly I was surprised to get any result at all. The Tonerite was just there so I thought I'd throw it on the 614 for giggles. I'm going to have to give the 814 another treatment. No gigs until 10/6, but I'm pretty certain I'm playing the 614 then.



Just thought I'd share.

Cool stuff. I always thought that Tonerite was nothing but a placebo gadget. Even the whole guitar opening up the more you play it I always thought that it’s just you as a player that opens up with experience.

[McCawber]

I've used my Tonerite on all my guitars, including a 4 year old D-18GE and a then 45 year old D-28. It had virtually no impact on the D-28, but I felt that there was a slight improvement on the newer guitars with Sitka tops. The most improvement was in the GE with the red spruce top. I've since used my Tonerite on two newer red spruce topped guitars and that after several days they did tend to "open up" a bit.

I lent the Tonerite friends at Janet Davis Music (when it was still in business) and they tried it on some of their guitars and noted similar results. Red spruce seems to be a bit tighter on new instruments and would seem to respond to the Tonerite treatment more significantly than Sitka. It did not seem to have as much impact on my D-28 Authentic as my other red spruce guitars. I'm thinking the torrefaction process (not sure how to spell that) on that guitar might have a similar result.

[vindibona1]

Originally Posted by McCawber

I've used my Tonerite on all my guitars, including a 4 year old D-18GE and a then 45 year old D-28. It had virtually no impact on the D-28, but I felt that there was a slight improvement on the newer guitars with Sitka tops. The most improvement was in the GE with the red spruce top. I've since used my Tonerite on two newer red spruce topped guitars and that after several days they did tend to "open up" a bit.

I lent the Tonerite friends at Janet Davis Music (when it was still in business) and they tried it on some of their guitars and noted similar results. Red spruce seems to be a bit tighter on new instruments and would seem to respond to the Tonerite treatment more significantly than Sitka. It did not seem to have as much impact on my D-28 Authentic as my other red spruce guitars. I'm thinking the torrefaction process (not sure how to spell that) on that guitar might have a similar result.

I wouldn't think it would work so well on a guitar of the age of your D28. I have a '72 D35 and have no intentions of trying on that one. It sounds great the way it is. As they say, "if it ain't broke, don't fix it". I do have an '81 MIJ Epi that I want to try it on though. It's really good as is, but if I can squeeze a little something more out of it that would be cool.

That 614 of mine though... I've had 814 envy for the longest time, but given the circumstance of the last two days I'm not even sure what to think. The 614 has begun to sound like everything I could have hoped for and more...

... And to those folks at Taylor (and elsewhere) who say that they like the darker (fake rosewood) look better than the amber flaming maple of the older models... They wouldn't know gorgeous if it came up and bit them on the posterior.

P.S. I had put this up for sale on CL... Retracting my ad. No longer for sale. I'd have regretted selling it.

[colins]

That 614 is a real eye catcher! Definitely a keeper, especially if the TR helped it open up.

Col

[ii Cybershot ii]

Yea i don't like that they stain the maple now! Glad to hear the tonerite helped the maple loosen up.

[SpruceTop]

Originally Posted by vindibona1

I thought the Tonerite application on my 814ceDLX was pretty successful last week, so I wondered what it might do on a 2011 614ce (with maple back and sides). Could it do anything to a guitar that's been played 6 years, I wondered?

After 48 hours I took the Tonerite off to see if I noticed anything different in the sound. Well... More projection. The bass and trebles balanced out the mids appreciably. I was very pleased with the sound. Before these past weeks I could have only imagined what the phrase "opened up" meant in this context.

While I know the ears can fool us, I have the 814 hanging right next to the 614 and I think the 614 had as much or more projection. It was fun to play. Easier to make music. I expected the strings to be dead, but they're as lively as I when they just settled so I'm glad for that.

Frankly I was surprised to get any result at all. The Tonerite was just there so I thought I'd throw it on the 614 for giggles. I'm going to have to give the 814 another treatment. No gigs until 10/6, but I'm pretty certain I'm playing the 614 then.

Just thought I'd share.

Careful there Vindibona1 or you just may start a run by AGFers on ToneRites!

[Athens]

Originally Posted by ii Cybershot ii

Yea i don't like that they stain the maple now! Glad to hear the tonerite helped the maple loosen up.

I'm with you. I was disappointed to see the stain when they introduced the new 6xx series.

[rokdog49]

Originally Posted by SpruceTop

Careful there Vindibona1 or you just may start a run by AGFers on ToneRites!

Nahhh...I'll just keep beatin' on mine.

[Truckjohn]

Before I moved - I used to take the guitars I built over to my buddy's music store and leave them there for everybody to play.. Since he had no money in it and I wasn't worried if they got scratched up - he often encouraged folks who just wanted to come kick the tires and play a guitar to play them... I also OK'ed him using them for lessons when they forgot their guitar.... I just wanted to get feedback from players and see how my builds stood up head to head with the Martin's and Taylor's in his shop..

Holy cow! After 2 weeks of heavy daily play like that - they blossomed to have this huge sound. They sounded good when I took them in.. But WOW did they sound fantastic after that... Like a completely different instrument... Huge full resonant voices...

The advantage I can see with a Tonerite is that it doesn't leave belt buckle scratches, dents, and pick wear all over the thing...

[Mr Fingers]

This interesting topic always yields responses that include intriguing, reasonable reports and, equally, obvious BS. I sometimes think that the main effect of the Tone Rite is to make the user listen more carefully! But, ultimately, this is a physical process that either changes something about a physical object -- the guitar -- to create a difference, or it doesn't change it. I would think that studies of glue joints, or wood structure (at the cellular level), etc. would be the best way to determine if we're talking about physics or placebos. Ears are incredible, but not for the comparisons usually used -- one person. a single guitar. I wouldn't be surprised to learn that musical vibrations can cause some kind of favorable alignment of particles in curing wood (or the curing the finish on that wood!), or that parts glued together settle into place a bit better over time, if vibrated. But I wouldn't be surprised to learn otherwise, too. Since the Tone rite, like torrefication, seems to offer an attractive possibility, I'm surprised that the big companies haven't done more research. Or, maybe they have, and choose not to release it.

[vindibona1]

Originally Posted by Athens

I'm with you. I was disappointed to see the stain when they introduced the new 6xx series.

That whole dark stain thing seems contradictory to Taylor's message: "Maple is the tonewood of the future" they say. So they make an incredible maple product that competes with rosewood and other species... yet they do everything they can to hide it instead of shouting from the rooftops "You don't need to worry about CITES because we have a product that not only is environmentally friendly but is acoustically superior". You would think that Taylor would be doing everything in their power to delineate this superior maple product so guitar shoppers could spot it from the end of the store. Were it me, I'd be promoting its attributes, not trying to hide them. Another example of paving paradise and putting up a parking lot.

Originally Posted by Mr Fingers

... I wouldn't be surprised to learn that musical vibrations can cause some kind of favorable alignment of particles in curing wood (or the curing the finish on that wood!), or that parts glued together settle into place a bit better over time, if vibrated. But I wouldn't be surprised to learn otherwise, too. Since the Tone rite, like torrefication, seems to offer an attractive possibility, I'm surprised that the big companies haven't done more research. Or, maybe they have, and choose not to release it.

Here's what it's all about: INCREASING RESULTANT HARMONICS. When we talk about sustain, we generally describe only a single dimensional event. But sustain happens both at the fundamental level and the overtone level. Train yourself to listen for the overtone and the resultant harmonics and how present they are and how those elements of the sound decay. The increase in sustain reported isn't primarily from the fundamental but from the overtones and resultant harmonics. So, it stands to reason, if you free up the overtones and RH's so that there is more presence in them, then consequently it would lead to the perception of increased loudness from those elements, but it would stand to reason that they would automatically increase the time that the strings would vibrate providing what we hear as sustain. I know that I can hear overtones and RH's persist seconds after the fundamental is no longer sounding. And I think THIS is the benefit of an opened up guitar...

...I was just surprised that my 614 would open up so much with only 72 hrs on the Tonerite. I was also pleased with the way the bass response opened up as well. This guitar is so much better balanced than before and project much better as well, even with two week old strings that suffered Toneriting. I don't have any intention of changing strings at this time, even though it's reported that the Tonerite is a string killer. I'm just going with what works.

[Groberts]

Once you use the Tonerite, do you need to use it again? If not, it makes sense to 'rent one' and treat your new(er) guitar and help it with a jump start. Yes? Then, I would guess it mostly just sits idle. Or am I missing something?

This question is genuine. I'd love to try a tonerite, but seems like it might go unused more than its used.

[00-28]

Originally Posted by vindibona1

...I was just surprised that my 614 would open up so much with only 72 hrs on the Tonerite. I was also pleased with the way the bass response opened up as well. This guitar is so much better balanced than before and project much better as well, even with two week old strings that suffered Toneriting. I don't have any intention of changing strings at this time, even though it's reported that the Tonerite is a string killer. I'm just going with what works.

Maybe it's the dead strings you're hearing as an improvement.


..................Mike

[vindibona1]

Originally Posted by 00-28

Maybe it's the dead strings you're hearing as an improvement.
..................Mike

I can't tell if you're joking or serious. But au contraire mon ami. The strings are anything but dead. I expected them to be, but they are not.