Has Your CF Guitar Opened Up?

[seannx]

Unlike wood guitars in the general forum, ones made with carbon fiber aren’t expected to change over time, “open up”, be affected by heat, humidity, etc.

What I have noticed with mine is that unlike my solid wood instruments, humidity sure doesn’t change the sound, and I really like that aspect. And as I’m not hopefully waiting them to “open up”, they’ve showed me how much difference various material and brands of strings, pick composition and thickness, practice, and playing technique, and general awareness over time has resulted in them sounding even better than when I first got them.

There was a recent post in the general forum about how to demonstrate or validate the anecdotal “opening up” phenomenon through recordings, and subsequent comments about how hard it would be to keep all the variables (strings, pick, recording equipment and environment, playing, etc.) constant to be able to isolate improvement and changes from aging wood components.

My RainSong keeps sounding better and better, and the clarity and accuracy of its tone has taught me a lot about how picking technique, playing over different areas relative to the sound hole (from slightly forward to close to the bridge), and the process of learning new songs play a huge role in that.

Getting that first carbon fiber guitar has made a big difference in my acoustic guitar enjoyment, as it's transferred to my wooden guitars sounding better, too, along with my Emerald X20.

I think it would be interesting to have someone who had tried to keep as many variables constant in recording one of their solid wood guitars multiple times to demonstrate that “opening up” could be experimentally validated, do the same with a carbon fiber guitar that they had purchased new.

[Captain Jim]

There is something to that "opening up," and I expect my Emeralds to sound even better long after I'm gone.

I think you are onto something with strings, picks, and techniques making any guitar sound better. I also think it has a lot to do with training our ears - we do a significant amount of traveling still, and only one guitar gets to come along. The last half dozen trips or so, I have rotated which. Playing just that one guitar for a few months at a time makes my ears and hands consider that one "the favorite."

This has been a long-standing discussion on the forum. Most people say that carbon fiber is not going to change. I believe that cf will change, with time.

I've worked with plastics and epoxies and know from experience that they do change. I suspect that everything erodes with time and that some things erode more slowly than others.

You put your finger on the essential of proof, Sean, when you talk about the difficulty of testing. Controlling all the variables over a long period of time is difficult. Wood changes in a relatively short period of time and so we can anecdotally see/hear/report changes. It could be that the 2nd or 3rd owners of a given CF instrument would hear something quite different than what was heard by the first owner.

[al_az]

So my Emerald x-20 6 string finally opened up. I bought the guitar last year and it honestly just never really impressed me. It sounded 'tight', it just didn't have the resonance and overtones of my emerald 12 string. I had tried multiple different brands of strings (all 11's or 12's), I put in a bone saddle. I had kind of come to the conclusion I just had to except it for what it is. Well, I recently watched a few youtube videos discussing string gauges and realized I had 10's on the 12 string so why not try a set of 10's on the 6 string. I have never used 10's on any of my acoustic 6 strings, not sure why, just never have. So I ordered a set of Thomastik-Infeld Plectrum 10-41 strings. Wow!!! The guitar 'opened' up. Now it seems much more responsive and resonant. I swear I feel the top move more. Now I play fingerstyle with a thumbpick so I certainly can't generalize my results to other styles but needless to say I am pleasantly surprised.
Like the OP states, so many variables are in play

[esimms86]

Originally Posted by al_az

So my Emerald x-20 6 string finally opened up. I bought the guitar last year and it honestly just never really impressed me. It sounded 'tight', it just didn't have the resonance and overtones of my emerald 12 string. I had tried multiple different brands of strings (all 11's or 12's), I put in a bone saddle. I had kind of come to the conclusion I just had to except it for what it is. Well, I recently watched a few youtube videos discussing string gauges and realized I had 10's on the 12 string so why not try a set of 10's on the 6 string. I have never used 10's on any of my acoustic 6 strings, not sure why, just never have. So I ordered a set of Thomastik-Infeld Plectrum 10-41 strings. Wow!!! The guitar 'opened' up. Now it seems much more responsive and resonant. I swear I feel the top move more. Now I play fingerstyle with a thumbpick so I certainly can't generalize my results to other styles but needless to say I am pleasantly surprised.
Like the OP states, so many variables are in play

Not to be a naysayer but, did it really “open up”? A few days ago I swapped out 12-56 Nanowebs for 10-47 PB D’Addarios and I’m loving the sound. Of course, the extra light gauge strings are great for fingerpicking (which is what I’m into lately), and the Nanowebs had probably been on for too long.

[al_az]

Originally Posted by esimms86

Not to be a naysayer but, did it really “open up”? A few days ago I swapped out 12-56 Nanowebs for 10-47 PB D’Addarios and I’m loving the sound. Of course, the extra light gauge strings are great for fingerpicking (which is what I’m into lately), and the Nanowebs had probably been on for too long.

Of course it didn't open up. That was my whole point, the difference in gauges is all. I should have put in smiley faces I guess

[tbeltrans]

I have bragging rights. My McPhersons are going to sound like old growth quarter sawn Brazilian rosewood when they open up in 10,000 years.

Tony