Tonerite Users: Share your tips

[kriso77]

Hi all,

I just picked up a Tonerite here on the forum. It's been running for about 5 days on a new Eastman E10-00 with an Adi top. I'll be running it on an Eastman E20SS dread with an adi top next, and likely on my year old Martin D18 after that.

What tips do you have in terms of time frame and intensity setting? I'm currently running it pretty low in hopes of sweetening the sound. At least that's what the directions suggest.

[Lillis]

A lot of thoughts on the tonerite are subjective but I would think the higher setting the better on a Adirondack top. I run mine about 3/4 power simply because it has the best vibration/low buzzing sound ratio. I’m not a real scientific guy

[Ralph124C41]

I've read somewhere that's it's best to alternate the power, say two days at max, two days at minimum, two days at the middle setting.

I don't know.

I paid $10 for a used one.

Maybe I paid too much ... no just joking. I used it on five of my guitars and I think I noticed a slight improvement on one or two of them.

I tried to sell it back to my Guitar Center for $10. The manager, who in the past has bought guitars, amps, speakers and pedals from me for a fair(ish) price, wouldn't buy it, although he did look up GC's inventory of used items and found a store that one. He just said it was such an odd item he didn't think it would sell at his store.

I still had the box.

However I also read that you can renew the guitar somewhat by rerunning the device.

One word of caution: It will kill or dull out your strings, which when you think about it is probably what you would expect to happen. So have other sets on hand.

[soma5]

I haven't been able to predict the level of effect on a given guitar. I use mine on any guitar that feels or sounds a little tight. I almost always use it set on the highest setting. I will play the guitar every 4-8 hours and I'm usually satisfied after a couple 4-hour sessions. I figure that if I can't detect a difference after that then it's not going to have an effect. Unlike many folks here, I find my ToneRite to be a valuable piece of equipment. I got it used on this forum many years ago and it's the older model.

[Pura Vida]

I purchased a used TR a few years ago, and I've used it regularly on most of my guitars with varying degrees of success. A while back, someone who worked for TR was posting here, and he suggested longer sessions (2-3 weeks, rather than a few days). He also suggested leaving it run uninterrupted, rather than taking it on and off, and varying the intensity levels during the session (i.e. one week low, one week med/high). I think the longer sessions are more effective, but it's hit or miss, depending on the guitar, body size, bracing, etc.

And yeah, I coordinate my sessions ahead of a string change, since it can deaden strings. Finally, place it as close to the bridge as possible w/o touching.

[Ralph124C41]

I've also been told/read/advised that the device is best used with new guitars as older guitars presumably have already been broken in and so the use of the ToneRite may produce little or no perceivable improvement.

That's one reason I haven't used it on my older Epiphone AJ500MNS and my Alvarez RD20S as these guitars are more than 10 years old and they sound to me very good already.

[mr beans]

I've used the ToneRite on probably close to 20 guitars over the years. Most of them were newer guitars and most of them benefited from the ToneRite.

After some experimenting, these are the steps that seems to work best for me:

1. On the highest setting for 5-7 days. This seems to loosen up a tight guitar. I recommend sensing the vibration level at various points of the guitar, but especially on the headstock at the beginning of this initial treatment and at the end. If the guitar was initially tight, there is likely to be a noticeable difference.
2. On a setting around the middle for another 3-5 days. This seems to help bring out the subtleties in the tone.
3. Sometimes I would put it on almost the lowest setting for a few more days.

When I've felt the urge to play the guitar undergoing treatment, I just pull the ToneRite off the guitar, play the guitar, and put the ToneRite back on when I'm done.

I've had a couple of newer adirondack topped guitars along the way (Blueridge BR140A and Recording King RD310). They were both very stiff guitars and took a long time to loosen up. I put both guitars through multiple treatments (3-4 each) and played them hard for many months. I think both of them were at the beginning stages of loosening up. When I would let either guitar sit unplayed for a couple weeks, they seemed to tighten up a bit. A bit of playing or a little time on the ToneRite would help them wake up again.

I didn't keep either guitar so I don't know if the re-tightening of the guitar was something that would pass. I didn't enjoy either guitar at the beginning.
Once it started loosening up, I enjoyed the strummed sound and the extra headroom, but fingerpicking on those guitars was a little too quiet for me.

Hope this helps

[Tico]

I like to hang the guitar when using the TR.
Then nothing touches the guitar's finish.

The TR vibrates the guitar.
I suspect there is some chance of the finish being burnished at the contact points if the the vibrating guitar is on a stand.
Suspending it also makes it easy to keep the AC cable away from the finish of the vibrating guitar for the same reason.

Sure, this might be overkill but it only cost one cable tie, available from Home Depot and WalMart.

TR Head M res.jpg

TR full med res.jpg

[blindboyjimi]

Originally Posted by Tico

I like to hang the guitar when using the TR.
Then nothing touches the guitar's finish.

The TR vibrates the guitar.
I suspect there is some chance of the finish being burnished at the contact points if the the vibrating guitar touches its stand.
Suspending it also makes it easy to keep the AC cable away from the finish of the vibrating guitar for the same reason.

Sure, this might be overkill but it only cost one cable tie, available from Home Depot and WalMart.

Attachment 42540

Attachment 42539

I did the exact same thing. I hung it in a spare bedroom closet away from everything where I keep my cases and turned it on high for 10 days. I used a shoelace around the D and G tuning pegs, but your way is much better!

I’ve used mine on about 15 guitars. It helps the most on guitars that just feel a bit tight and not necessarily just Adi tops. I figure it does no harm and it has seriously helped about 6-7, helped a bit on 3-4 and no benefit on the others. The TR sells used for $90-100 in a day or so so I used mine for 3-4 years and sold it for what I paid. I’ve moved my collection to all vintage and single luthier guitars that are much higher end and really wouldn’t benefit. But I got really crazy results on 3 middle range Martins and a Bourgeois.

[Smugdad]

In early November, I bought a new Taylor 322ce 12-fret with mahogany top and blackwood b&s. I followed Randy Schartiger's advice from his Youtube videos and let it run daily (basically 9-6) for a week, and the tone and volume both improved after that time. Since then, I run it about once every 2-3 weeks for a day. If I don't, it does start to "tighten up" a little bit; it's more apparent when I put a capo on the second fret for some reason. After I run the Tonerite it does open up that spot more. I don't notice that much difference on full open chords, or first or third fret capo settings. But it's really more noticeable on second fret capo settings. Before the Taylor, I did it on a Recording King adirondack topped dreadnaught and the Tonerite helped it out as well. Just one man's experience.

[godfreydaniel]

Tune to open D or open G, then alternate.

[Brushwood]

Even though he knew I had purchased a used one, Guille Chumpitaz, the executive director of ToneRite, was very helpful and informative with advice using it on my custom Taylor GS with an Adirondack top and Mahogany back & sides. This is a screenshot of what he wrote. (On a couple other guitars with different construction he suggested a two week treatment) :
IMG_2671.jpg

[s2y]

Use it for a few days. Evaluate. Use it longer if needed.

[BluesKing777]

My poor old TR just croaked! Owned it for years.

But not before it ran on my 8 month old Martin mahogany top OMC-15ME.

I have never had it deaden strings, but it most definitely deadened the Martin long lifes.

Anyway, tips?

Take it out to the garage, hang the guitar and put it on 11.....come back in a week.

Then play the guitar hard with metal fingerpicks, really bang it.

Play another guitar for a few days to give your ears a rest.

Then.........


BluesKing777.

[stephenT]

I remember the suggested 72 hr initial "treatment" and that's my approach w/ varied intensity. I make certain the TR butts against the bridge.

I've checked the gtr during the process, played 'em a bit and continued the process. I personally don't see any need for an "uninterrupted" session.