How long before a guitar “opens up”?

[merlin666]

I bought several new guitars and have played them for 100s of hours. They still sound as great now as when I first tuned them up. I hope they won't open up!

[Wild Bill Jones]

My experience is that different guitars are...well different. My Walker opened up a bunch in about a year of constant playing. My D 35 was a lot quicker than that. The Martin is Sitka,the Walker Italian Spruce. My Rockbridge changed dramatically when it turned about 10 years old. It has an Adirondack top.
Now get this. After 3 years of waiting I finally got my Daniel Roberts guitar around last Christmas (seems I always get myself the best presents. Dan says the top is supposed to be White spruce but could be Adirondack. He’s had the wood foe 20 years and forgot. The grain looks like Adirondack. The guitar was very very tight. I put on the ToneRite, no change. I left the ToneRite on for 3 weeks. Hey listen to this base! I have left the ToneRite on it for 5 months now and can’t believe the difference (yes I play the guitar too and yes the ToneRite is on it right now). Where originally the lower bout wouldn’t budge, now it vibrates like crazy - everywhere. The guitar has a great growl. I may be in love. Who knew? I would rather be lucky than good. Right now I’m lucky.

[Cool555]

Originally Posted by Wild Bill Jones

My experience is that different guitars are...well different. My Walker opened up a bunch in about a year of constant playing. My D 35 was a lot quicker than that. The Martin is Sitka,the Walker Italian Spruce. My Rockbridge changed dramatically when it turned about 10 years old. It has an Adirondack top.

Now get this. After 3 years of waiting I finally got my Daniel Roberts guitar around last Christmas (seems I always get myself the best presents. Dan says the top is supposed to be White spruce but could be Adirondack. He’s had the wood foe 20 years and forgot. The grain looks like Adirondack. The guitar was very very tight. I put on the ToneRite, no change. I left the ToneRite on for 3 weeks. Hey listen to this base! I have left the ToneRite on it for 5 months now and can’t believe the difference (yes I play the guitar too and yes the ToneRite is on it right now). Where originally the lower bout wouldn’t budge, now it vibrates like crazy - everywhere. The guitar has a great growl. I may be in love. Who knew? I would rather be lucky than good. Right now I’m lucky.

Great story! Thanks for sharing your experience about how and when your guitars open up.

Would be great to see pictures of your Daniel Roberts guitar...

[rokdog49]

Originally Posted by personatech

It took my cedar-topped Seagull less than a year to open up but cedar is known for that.

Same thing with the Larrivee Cedar and Mahogany I owned. After about six months, that thing opened up nicely,and it was noticeable.

[ruby50]

Originally Posted by Big Band Guitar

I wonder.

Does the guitar "open up"

or

Over time does our playing calibrate to the guitar subconsciously.

Making it sound better?

I am an amateur builder and even more amateur player with bad ears even. In November I finished an all-Allaskan Yellow Cedar guitar, top, back, sides, and neck.

The guitar changed it's tone A LOT every day for the first couple of weeks, and it is still changing 6 months later. This is the first guitar I have made that this has happened on. The trebles change, the basses change, and balance changes. At one point, the high 3 strings sounded exactly like my Martin 000-28, but not any more.

My so-called playing definitely did not calibrate to the guitar

Curioser and curioser

Ed

[Wild Bill Jones]

Originally Posted by Cool555

Great story! Thanks for sharing your experience about how and when your guitars open up.

Would be great to see pictures of your Daniel Roberts guitar...

I am having an issue attaching the image. Let’s see if this works. The Roberts has a 1-13/16 neck and a 25” scale. It is White Spruce over Honduran Rosewood.

[J. Scott]

For me it happens a few seconds after the case "opening up"😂😂😂😂

[Cool555]

Originally Posted by Wild Bill Jones

I am having an issue attaching the image. Let’s see if this works. The Roberts has a 1-13/16 neck and a 25” scale. It is White Spruce over Honduran Rosewood.

Thanks! Beautiful guitar you got there! Enjoy playing it in good health!

[Cool555]

Originally Posted by ruby50

I am an amateur builder and even more amateur player with bad ears even. In November I finished an all-Allaskan Yellow Cedar guitar, top, back, sides, and neck.



The guitar changed it's tone A LOT every day for the first couple of weeks, and it is still changing 6 months later. This is the first guitar I have made that this has happened on. The trebles change, the basses change, and balance changes. At one point, the high 3 strings sounded exactly like my Martin 000-28, but not any more.



My so-called playing definitely did not calibrate to the guitar



Curioser and curioser



Ed

Hi Ed, don’t sell yourself short. I’m sure your hearing is better than what you claim. Thanks for sharing.

It would be great to see some pictures of the guitars you’ve made...

[ruby50]

555

Thanks, but my ears are bad for sure. Here is that guitar. Click left and right, text below:

https://www.flickr.com/photos/ruby16...7688488198220/

It is a pre-1929 Gibson L body adaptation, X- braced and 13 frets with a long scale of 25.4". I have built a few to this body shape - makes me think I'm Robert Johnson for a minute. The last slide has links to my blues-playing-guitar-repairing daughter trying it out at 5 days old with a plastic thumbpick and bare fingers.

6 months in and the neck hasn't moved at all yet.

Still haven't figured out how to post a picture on this site.

Ed

[ishtar]

Originally Posted by Big Band Guitar

I wonder.

Does the guitar "open up"

or

Over time does our playing calibrate to the guitar subconsciously.

Making it sound better?

I think both. And there’s an ongoing relationship with my guitars. Sometimes we hit it off and there’s some overlap in the instrument’s resonance and my familiarity and playing skills at a given time that makes it more pleasing. Or not.

I think Bruce Cockburn mentions ‘funny sounds’ in a similar regard.


I can make some funny sounds with my guitars.

But I have appreciated my acoustic’s voice maturing. I think it will continue to impress me.

Opening up happens in my experience. And my familiarity and precision and melodic suppleness, hopefully keeps growing along.

[IndyHD28]

That’s a beautiful guitar.

There’s a big difference in break-in between a Spruce top (softwood) and any hardwood (Mahogany, Koa, Walnut or in this case MW).

MW has the same hardness rating as Mahogany so I would expect them to act similarly. I had an all-Koa guitar which is about 30% harder and after a year it was still stuck in a midrange rut so I sold it.

[Cool555]

Originally Posted by ruby50

555

Thanks, but my ears are bad for sure. Here is that guitar. Click left and right, text below:

https://www.flickr.com/photos/ruby16...7688488198220/

It is a pre-1929 Gibson L body adaptation, X- braced and 13 frets with a long scale of 25.4". I have built a few to this body shape - makes me think I'm Robert Johnson for a minute. The last slide has links to my blues-playing-guitar-repairing daughter trying it out at 5 days old with a plastic thumbpick and bare fingers.

6 months in and the neck hasn't moved at all yet.

Still haven't figured out how to post a picture on this site.

Ed

Beautiful guitar! :Up:

Thanks for the link to the pictures and also your labour in making the guitar. Just awesome! I marvel at the gift you guitar builders possess. I’m really bad at such things.

Do you sell the guitars you make or are they for your personal consumption?

[Cool555]

Originally Posted by IndyHD28

That’s a beautiful guitar.



There’s a big difference in break-in between a Spruce top (softwood) and any hardwood (Mahogany, Koa, Walnut or in this case MW).



MW has the same hardness rating as Mahogany so I would expect them to act similarly. I had an all-Koa guitar which is about 30% harder and after a year it was still stuck in a midrange rut so I sold it.

Thanks! I think it was you who told me about the link to “The Wood Database” in another thread to check the hardness of different wood. Very useful website!