Guitar sounds worse with time

[neilca]

I bought a Ibanez AW50JR 3 months ago. I compared the sound to my Martin DJR-10e and though hardly a comparison, the Ibanez sounded tolerable for a beater guitar.

Today the lows sound muddy and the overall the guitar sounds like I put towels in the body. I changed the strings but no improvement.

Do some guitars get worse over time? I have seen where solid tops get better with time, what about the reverse?

[printer2]

Has the humidity changed?

[Mikesr1963]

If it does not have a Tusq nut and bridge make that upgrade.

[neilca]

Originally Posted by printer2

Has the humidity changed?

The guitar has been inside with air conditioning. I did take it outside a couple of Saturday nights for pickin and drinkin : )

[neilca]

Originally Posted by Mikesr1963

If it does not have a Tusq nut and bridge make that upgrade.

Tusq or bone? I could find bone pieces on ebay, is Tusq better? I have also seen brass nut and saddle, wouldn't that brighten things up?

[Mikesr1963]

You can buy Tusq products pre-cut. Just measure and pick the match. You see their detail on StewMac but can order a number of other places. Dan Erlewine recommended.

[John Arnold]

That is not normal. I would check for loose top braces, particularly near the bridge.

[IndianHillMike]

Originally Posted by neilca

I bought a Ibanez AW50JR 3 months ago. I compared the sound to my Martin DJR-10e and though hardly a comparison, the Ibanez sounded tolerable for a beater guitar.

Today the lows sound muddy and the overall the guitar sounds like I put towels in the body. I changed the strings but no improvement.

Do some guitars get worse over time? I have seen where solid tops get better with time, what about the reverse?

Various things (pitch of the top, back, air cavity, etc.) can change in the first few months of a guitars life as things settle in. Potentially one of those pitches has migrated too close to another and things are conflicting. Did you replace it with the same tension strings? Sometimes a top can be over torqued with mediums and moving to lights will free things up a bit if it's sounding muddy. Similarly I would try different brands or mixed tension sets (like D'Addario bluegrass strings, for example). I'd also check the nut/saddle to make sure both are well fit and flat. The saddle slot and the saddle should be flat and fully in contact -- I ever so slightly bevel the edges of my saddles to ensure that they are not getting hung up on anything. You could also play around with placing magnets on the bridge or various parts of the top to see how it affects the sound (essentially changing the pitch of the top to see if it is conflicting somehow).

Good luck!

[Mirosh]

Anyone else seeing a saddle in place of the nut in that photo?

[Skarsaune]

Originally Posted by Mirosh

Anyone else seeing a saddle in place of the nut in that photo?

It’s what the package says, for sure.

[LiggettGuitars]

This may sound like an overly simple question but... have you changed the strings since getting it yet?

[neilca]

Originally Posted by LiggettGuitars

This may sound like an overly simple question but... have you changed the strings since getting it yet?

I had just changed the strings to ultra lights before posting. Sound didn't change. I have purchased a set of bone saddle and nut made for the Ibanez. We shall see what that does.

[John Arnold]

Nothing wrong with changing to bone, but I don't see it as a solution, unless the nut and saddle are very poor quality plastic.

[neilca]

I was talking to my race car/guitar buddy last night and he compared it to an ignition system on the race car. An ignition system won't make you more horsepower but, it can cost you horsepower if it doesn't operate well. So the bone won't make the Ibanez a better guitar but, perhaps the plastic is part of the muting. I hope he is right.

[redir]

Originally Posted by neilca

I had just changed the strings to ultra lights before posting. Sound didn't change. I have purchased a set of bone saddle and nut made for the Ibanez. We shall see what that does.

Did you change to ultra light strings from a different string gauge?