The spirit of a new born guitar

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Vince

Posts: 141
Joined: Oct. 21 2012
From: Germany

The spirit of a new born guitar

It is amazing how sound can change in a few hours.
In the morning I strung up a new maple blanca. I was a little bit disappointed how the trebles sound. But I learned that I have been patient especially with stiff spruce tops.
After that I went to church with my soon. Two hours later the guitar has developed extremely an the trebles sound much better.
I think it is a very good guitar and the sound will become better in the next month.
What do you think is the miracle behind this process!

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Vince
http://www.gitarrenbau-held.de/

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Dec. 21 2014 17:44:30

gerundino63

Posts: 1743
Joined: Jul. 11 2003
From: The Netherlands

RE: The spirit of a new born guitar (in reply to Vince)

quote:

After that I went to church with my soon.

There you have your answer!

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REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Dec. 21 2014 19:47:30

Tom Blackshear

Posts: 2304
Joined: Apr. 15 2008

RE: The spirit of a new born guitar (in reply to Vince)

quote:

What do you think is the miracle behind this process!

Spaniards always call it a miracle, to things in guitars that they don't understand. But there might be something to it.

There are many times I'm about to give up trying to improve the tonal aspects of a new build when something just happens beyond my control.

I don't have a problem with getting to a point of tonal improvement but to make it sing with the voice of angels is something that I always have to believe to be outside my abilities to grasp.

This is certainly a miracle with not knowing what happened. What else could it be?

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Tom Blackshear Guitar maker

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Dec. 21 2014 21:26:53

krichards

Posts: 597
Joined: Jan. 14 2007
From: York, England

RE: The spirit of a new born guitar (in reply to Vince)

quote:

It is amazing how sound can change in a few hours.

This is normal when you string the guitar for the first time. Suddenly all parts are under tension or compression and it takes time to settle.
This process continues for days, weeks and even months, changing at a slower and slower rate.

Its a bit like catching a wild horse and slinging a saddle on it. It takes time to get used to it.

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Kevin Richards

http://www.facebook.com/#!/kevin.richards.1048554

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Dec. 22 2014 6:36:15

Anders Eliasson

Posts: 5780
Joined: Oct. 18 2006

RE: The spirit of a new born guitar (in reply to Vince)

quote:

Its a bit like catching a wild horse and slinging a saddle on it. It takes time to get used to it.

Ahhhhh, thats what you do when you are not building.

I never try my new guitars just after stringing them up. They dont tell me much. I normally string up in the evening, the day after I tune up again and later that day the guitar will be ready to say its first word. (which is always "papi")

Its not only the new guitar that need to settle. The nylon trebles take a while to settle. They get thinner when they stretch and thinner means brighter and the first day they get a lot thinner.

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Blog: http://news-from-the-workshop.blogspot.com/

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Dec. 22 2014 8:21:53

Vince

Posts: 141
Joined: Oct. 21 2012
From: Germany

RE: The spirit of a new born guitar (in reply to Vince)

Sometimes it is very easy to make a guitar sound better.
A few years ago I build a very nice traditional blanca with Pegs and very lite cypress.
The guitar sounds poor and weak. A view days later I recognized that the gluing support block still was in place.
Today it is my best sounding guitar!

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Vince
http://www.gitarrenbau-held.de/

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Dec. 22 2014 9:08:11

estebanana

Posts: 9351
Joined: Oct. 16 2009

RE: The spirit of a new born guitar (in reply to Vince)

quote:

A view days later I recognized that the gluing support block still was in place.
Today it is my best sounding guitar!

That happened to me about 6 - 8 months ago. I had taped the bridge caul into the guitar and used alot of tape. It stayed in there after I took of the bridge clamps and I strung the guitar up with caul in there. I was like what the hell this sounds weird and went home for the night. Then the next day I tuned the guitar up and the thing began to rattle, *slap forehead* Then I removed it ant guitiar was great.

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REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Dec. 22 2014 10:47:35

etta

Posts: 341
Joined: Jan. 20 2010

RE: The spirit of a new born guitar (in reply to Vince)

For me the "tonerite" helps to awaken new guitars very quickly, and, also old ones that have not been played for a long time.

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Dec. 22 2014 23:21:23

Ricardo

Posts: 14797
Joined: Dec. 14 2004
From: Washington DC

RE: The spirit of a new born guitar (in reply to Vince)

quote:

ORIGINAL: Vince

It is amazing how sound can change in a few hours.
In the morning I strung up a new maple blanca. I was a little bit disappointed how the trebles sound. But I learned that I have been patient especially with stiff spruce tops.
After that I went to church with my soon. Two hours later the guitar has developed extremely an the trebles sound much better.
I think it is a very good guitar and the sound will become better in the next month.
What do you think is the miracle behind this process!

THis is normal with any guitar, new or old. The strings need to stretch. I know how to "speed stretch" strings, but the problem is the guitar sounds "dull" because the overtone harmonics are not adding up and sparkling because the strings are still settling down. Takes some hours, there is no way around it. I normally tune the guitar a half step sharp and keep it that way until it stays partly in tune, then I tune down to pitch before playing it.

I have learned that if you put a set of strings on a day before your gig, you can kill them in the show. If you let the guitar settle with no major playing (only tuning adjustments) for a full week, the guitar will "magically" retain a full brilliance through several shows. Again it's about the settling of the strings and their relative overtone harmonics that support each other in the high frequency range.

Ricardo

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REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Dec. 23 2014 15:17:03

Anders Eliasson

Posts: 5780
Joined: Oct. 18 2006

RE: The spirit of a new born guitar (in reply to Vince)

quote:

I have learned that if you put a set of strings on a day before your gig, you can kill them in the show.

This I have seen happen to many times. A gig with new strings is a musical suicide. The strings go out of tune all the time, the player gets nervous and stiff and the show is ruined.... I hate it. Playing a gig with new strings that hasnt been streched is being totally unprofessional.

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Blog: http://news-from-the-workshop.blogspot.com/

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Dec. 24 2014 8:20:30