Home made FishRite..we will see..

[Scuzzo]

Yea I know it's probly hoax and foolishness.. but what if it ain't. All I did was buy a fish air pump Walmart.. 10 bucks.. and take some double sticky tape and split a road bike tube 25c.. (Cyclist !!!!)and attach a bit to the underside do the pump.. and use the rest of the tube to tie it on the strings.. the top has a nice constant vibration.. it's not terribly loud.. we will see where we are in 6 days.. the caindate is my Yamaha 730 . I may post a photo of it but it's just it's just as junk as you would expect.. but it's secure ... so it may or may not work.. I can always take the pump back to the mart.. who knows..

day 1. the guitar seem to be more lively the notes seem to have a bit more bloom and the die off is not so abrupt.. the guitar seems to be heading toward an all solid wood tonal quality.. too hyperbolic... there seems to be somthing happening though.. not sure yet but i can feel the vibrations transfer down the neck now... before it was a very muted effect

day 2. more of the same seems to have a bit more sustain and the notes seem to come from in the guitar more then on top of the guitar.. if that make sence.. the notes seem to vibrate up the neck more.. what ever it is doing it seems to be doing something good to the tone.. its a shame the strings will be pre aged... but its worth the experiment. it sounds less laminate... thats the best way i can describe .. less compression and more bloom.

Day3. The guitar sounds better. Lets be real, it's a Yamaha 730, spruce top lam back and sides,, I don't expect it to have the sustain of an all solid guitar. But it sounds best it ever had, more sustain. I ran it through a bunch of stones tunes.. it sounds like the same guitar but some how much better,, more clarity and vibrant tone more complex overtones ?notes have more trail.. something good is happening to this guitar I shall continue.

Day4. not much change today.. of at least that i can tell. it sounds very good so we will keep going... its not causing any harm... perhaps a tad more open quality to the tone... but the cumulative amount over the last 4 days has been quite noticeable.

day 5. the is a better sence of projection. and the volume has increased. the guitar is sounding much less stiff.. words i would use. lively,, the experiment is a 100 percent success.. and those who dont believe it... great... dont care.. im very very happy with the out come.. i can even notice the fish pump is causing the top and neck to vibrate more then when i attached it on day one..... i would say the body is becoming more pliant what ever its doing its doing it quite well...

Day 6. It's doing fine. I am convinced there is something good happening. I compared it to my Garrison G20e.. and where as before I would say the garrison ,which is a much finer instrument.. had a really complex pallet, and character to its sound,, in every aspect was a better sounding instrument. After pump the Yamaha is really starting to develope a very musical character to it.. and in some aspects it's sounding as good or better than the G20e.. which is a cedar top with all wood birch back and sides.. I would have never said that before.. there was a wide gap between the two. But that gap has narrowed.. placebo..? Perhaps.. but ... it's doing good things,, that fish pump and bike tube time machine.. lol

Day7. i did a simple decibel test with phone app. my Garrision cedar top G20e vs my Yamaha FG730.. the garrison avg around 63 with simple bunch of open chords.. and some melodic stuff.. and the Yamaha avg was around 70 same distance from phone.. same stride with the thumb on the strings.. the interesting thing was that the trail of the chord was longer.. and fade over a longer distance.. it may be working... its a goofy test,, granted.. lol but there is more sonic information from the strings now.. all that entails ... mho
__________________

[edward993]

I'm all about "hacks" and alternative solutions. Been a gear head since I was 9yo taking apart my Schwinn Stingray and progressed to motorcycles, cars, and of course music. To tinker is to learn! But your initial inclination is correct IMO: the premise is hokey form the get go. Yeah, tonerite defenders, flame on.

Play your guit, enjoy the tone, and get lost in the music. These tone "aids" are better for folks who like to banter on the net as opposed to those who spend time playing their beauties!

Edward

[cc132]

I'm agnostic on the ToneRite and certainly think $150 for a vibrating motor is ridiculous, but doesn't the concept logically follow the idea that guitars "open up" from being played?

I wonder if folks would be more receptive to a spinning wheel with picks sticking out that would strum the guitar over and over and over for days at a time.

[Scuzzo]

Yea,, but a 10 buck lottery ticked and even if it is placebo.. if it makes me vibe with my guitar better.. then I think it's worth the quackery.. I'm coming at it as pure experiment.. and if it's just a sugar pill.. seems like a very low risk gamble.

[cc132]

Originally Posted by Scuzzo

Yea,, but a 10 buck lottery ticked and even if it is placebo.. if it makes me vibe with my guitar better.. then I think it's worth the quackery.. I'm coming at it as pure experiment.. and if it's just a sugar pill.. seems like a very low risk gamble.

I had a typo in my last comment. I meant to say "doesn't it logically follow the idea that guitars "open up" from being played" rather that does it. Totally changes the meaning.

What I'm saying is that it makes sense to me that vibrating a guitar might do the same thing that playing it does. The guitar doesn't know whether it's being played by a human or buzzed by a machine, it just knows it's shaking.

[Scuzzo]

Originally Posted by cc132

I had a typo in my last comment. I meant to say "doesn't it logically follow the idea that guitars "open up" from being played" rather that does it. Totally changes the meaning.

What I'm saying is that it makes sense to me that vibrating a guitar might do the same thing that playing it does. The guitar doesn't know whether it's being played by a human or buzzed by a machine, it just knows it's shaking.

yep that dose change the meaning quite a bit.. lol.. the fan pic idea seems cool pun...


i dont know.. i just did less then 24 hrs in this experiment and i can tell something is going on.. the neck seem to have a bit more life.. i can feel the vibs a bit more clear when hitting a chord or pick out a melody.. perhaps this is seasoning the guitar? it worth it so see if its hokum or not.. i know my yamaha 730 sounds a litte bit better just one day in.. we will see.. i think i will keep an update ever day as a journal...

day 1. the guitar seem to be more lively the notes seem to have a bit more bloom and the die off is not so abrupt.. the guitar seems to be heading toward an all solid wood tonal quality.. too hyperbolic... there seems to be somthing happening though.. not sure yet but i can feel the vibrations transfer down the neck now... before it was a very muted effect..

[Rudy4]

Regarding the process of "Aquatonement"...

Since this type of process is generally performed on new instruments it's much more likely that any actual change in tone is related to the finish fully maturing over time and the glues used still being in the process of fully hardening, which can take a while.

Just my opinion, though.

[Scuzzo]

day 2. more of the same seems to have a bit more sustain and the notes seem to come from in the guitar more then on top of the guitar.. if that make sence.. the notes seem to vibrate up the neck more.. what ever it is doing it seems to be doing something good to the tone.. its a shame the strings will be pre aged... but its worth the experiment. it sounds less laminate... thats the best way i can describe .. less compression and more bloom.

[zombywoof]

Just take the guitar and place it in front of your stereo speakers with the bass turned up.

[rstaight]

This will be interesting to see the outcome.

This appears to be having some effect. But the pump only vibrates at a set frequency and I would expect a change at the frequency.

But what about the effects outside of that frequency. When playing you are subjecting the top to a wide range of frequencies.

Maybe this is part of the reason we have seen varying degrees of success reported with the Tone-Rite.

I don't know just thinking while eating my lunch.

[MJScott]

Originally Posted by zombywoof

Just take the guitar and place it in front of your stereo speakers with the bass turned up.

Finally a voice of reason!

[Scuzzo]

Originally Posted by zombywoof

Just take the guitar and place it in front of your stereo speakers with the bass turned up.

because there is just something really off beat and cool about taking a aquarium pump and attaching it to a an acoustic guitar in hopes of adding years to it.. will it work? dont know.. but being an electric guitarist we are always tweaking stuff.. new pups pedals, amps.. but as an acoustic player.. all ya get to do is put new strings on.. for 10 bucks its a good story to tell if it does mellow the sound... and if it does not work at all... well its still a good story...

"remember that fool who tried to age his acoustic guitar by tying a fish pump to the strings with an old road bike tube?"

still a pretty funny story.. lol

[RogerHaggstrom]

Take a picture of your set-up. With the pump strapped on the top and not on the strings, it will be more effective and don't kill the strings.

What you are reporting is exactly what I would expect, more volume, longer sustain and a "better"sound

My pet theory is that the vibration "synchronize" the whole guitar. The wood throughout, as well as the glue seams keeping the parts together. Every part of the guitar is forced by the vibrations to move in the same direction at the same time, this will decrease the internal friction. The same force from the strings will move the top/bottom further, increasing the volume, and the vibrations will live longer - better sustain. The "better" overall sound is just another artifact coming from less inner friction.

[Scuzzo]

well strings are shot.. but i did move the apparatus to over the pickguard.. i guess its doing the same job but i am able to provide more downward pressure so a better contact surface.. but it looks really stupid.. lol... but heck.. might work... i will throw up a photo of Bessy a bit later... but man is she loud now.. hahah

[Rudy4]

Overheard in a club...

"He plays well enough, but it all sort of sounds like an aquarium pump running..."