Old guitars not played, how long to open up again?

[Blasted Coyote]

After a well-played guitar sits for many months, how long would you expect to play it before it's "free-ed up", back to good tone?

I'm buying a 50+ year-old guitar who's seller says to expect some playing time before it sounds it's best again. How long would you expect this to take, a few hours or less?

I'm wondering if this is his way of setting me up for a poor sounding guitar that may need more than some regular playing to open up it's tone.

What do you think?

[Von Beerhofen]

Based on the thread topic I was hoping you'd know the answer. Based on my oldest guitar my experience is that it took less then a few days before I was thinking it sounded better, but it could have been my imagination or the new strings I put on. Anyway it sounds great again.

Ludwig

[Mr Bojangles]

That's assuming that guitars actually do "open up". I say if it sounds good to you now, buy it. If it doesn't. don't hope for a magical event.

[Blasted Coyote]

I'm more asking about the affects on storing old guitar's (stiffening etc.). If a guitar is affected, I'm guessing an older guitar will not take much regular play to get it's pre-storage tone back, maybe a few hours? Or just minutes?

[flaggerphil]

34.57945 hours. More of less.

[Mbroady]

Can't say how long it would take to "re-open" but if it does not sound good when you get it don't expect to like it once it has been played for a while. That's my opinion based on my experience.

[Blasted Coyote]

That's what I'm thinking. If it doesn't sound good after a few hours, it's probably time to box it back up.

[ChalkLitIScream]

Its quite a risk that. You should love the sound of a guitar now, and fall even more for it if it gets better with age. Dont buy a mediocre guitar in hopes of it sounding good later one.

[Blasted Coyote]

Originally Posted by flaggerphil

34.57945 hours. More of less.

[Lee Callicutt]

FWIW, I've a Wechter 000 with a tuner that went South. Parked it for a year waiting for the right deal on a new set of tuners. Three days on now and it's starting to sound the way remembered.

[ii Cybershot ii]

I've noticed that my guitars sound different each day simply based on my own ears hearing things differently for some reason.

However to answer your question from my experience, it should only take one playing session. What I've noticed, unscientifically, is that when a is guitar sitting unplayed it's temperature is "cold", and when you play it for 20 minutes, 30 minutes, an hour, etc, it literally warms up. I find that everything resonates better when it's warm, strings are easier to bend, etc. Plus my own hands and muscles are working better after an hour or so. Makes sense in a lot of ways. That's my experience.

[Blasted Coyote]

Originally Posted by ii Cybershot ii

I've noticed that my guitars sound different each day simply based on my own ears hearing things differently for some reason.

However to answer your question from my experience, it should only take one playing session. What I've noticed, unscientifically, is that when a is guitar sitting unplayed it's temperature is "cold", and when you play it for 20 minutes, 30 minutes, an hour, etc, it literally warms up. I find that everything resonates better when it's warm, strings are easier to bend, etc. Plus my own hands and muscles are working better after an hour or so. Makes sense in a lot of ways. That's my experience.

That does make sense. Thanks!

[merlin666]

I have several guitars that did not get played for years or even decades. A couple of hours hard playing was enough to warm and wake them up again.

Too many variables to answer your question. The real answer is they'll take however long they need to depending on your environment, playing, luck and plain ole roll of the dice depending on the particular guitars in question.