Just to reinforce what Bruce wrote, I haven't had any real concerns with using ToneRites on structurally robust factory-built guitars, though some company's designs (like Larrivée's parabolic bracing) seem immune to them. But I have used ToneRites on guitars and been pleased with the results.
With lightly built custom guitars, however, I've proceeded cautiously. Bruce's friend and colleague Howard Klepper built his version of a Gibson Advanced Jumbo (which he dubbed "the KJ") for me, and that's such an alive guitar that I only put a ToneRite on it for a few days. Then I stopped, never to repeat the procedure on that guitar.
I did the same thing last autumn when my special order Martin Custom Shop 00-21 arrived: I "ToneRited" it for ten days, and that was it.
One of the things I dislike about using a ToneRite is the way it kills the strings. While the gadget's other attributes might be debatable, (and you can find endless pages upon pages of AGF participants arguing whether it works in the archives here,) no one contests that the strings get dull-sounding after you use a ToneRite on a guitar for a few days.
Once I figured that out, the times I've used a ToneRite have been when the strings were almost ready to be changed anyway. No point in ruining a brand new set of strings using one.
Anyway, to circle back to my main point, the more lightly built the guitar, the more sparing you should try to be when using a ToneRite. If you like the sound of the guitar where it is but think you should try using a ToneRite to make it sound "better," proceed with caution.
Hope that makes sense.
Wade Hampton Miller
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