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Can guitars die?   You are logged in as Guest
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Georg

Posts: 405
Joined: Feb. 5 2006
From: Germany

Can guitars die? 
I know of two different opinions about how guitars sound when they become older:

1) Spruce top: They get better
Cedar top: They get worse.

2) Guitars with spruce top have their deadline, too.

Some talk of about 70 years for a spruce top.

Which one is right?

I don't mean the fact that spruce top guitars improve after the first years, but i talk of the long run. Does this make sense?

I think of this, since there are a lot of very old guitars sold at very high prices. If the second opinion is right, then this would be completely irrational, wouldn't it?
  REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE |  Date Nov. 14 2006 11:04:47
 
nogawyks

 

Posts: 21
Joined: Mar. 8 2006
From: Arizona, USA

RE: Can guitars die? (in reply to Georg) 
My point of view is that at some point, guitars no longer are being purchased as a musical instrument but more as a collector's item. At that point the price is no longer set by its musicality but more by its demand. Where that point is, I would say depends mostly on the guitar itself. As evidence, I point to the really old guitars that people typically put in a glass case to look at, not to play.
  REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE |  Date Nov. 14 2006 14:00:46
 
Rain

Posts: 475
Joined: Jul. 7 2005
 

RE: Can guitars die? (in reply to nogawyks) 
I own a classical guitar that is 19 years old, and yes its dying. Its a spruce top and the first to go were the basses.
  REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE |  Date Nov. 14 2006 15:20:34
 
Ramón

Posts: 440
Joined: Feb. 23 2005
From: La Jolla, Ca

RE: Can guitars die? (in reply to Georg) 
One of my instructors has a '57 (??) Archangel Fernandez, cypress and spruce....

U N B E L I E V A B L E..........

The clarity and separation is astounding, and - except for maybe a Ruck Concert Double Top Classical - is the loudest guitar I've ever heard. It almost sounds amplified.... I almost fell over dead when I heard this guitar played.

50 years and no signs of dying in that beauty. Besides, many violinists play 100 year old Strads' in concert, so....
  REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE |  Date Nov. 14 2006 15:45:54
 
Miguel de Maria

Posts: 3532
Joined: Oct. 20 2003
From: Phoenix, AZ

RE: Can guitars die? (in reply to nogawyks) 
Nogawyks,
whereabouts are you in AZ, and do you play out?

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  REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE |  Date Nov. 14 2006 16:57:20
 
nogawyks

 

Posts: 21
Joined: Mar. 8 2006
From: Arizona, USA

RE: Can guitars die? (in reply to Miguel de Maria) 
Hi, Mike. I'm in east Mesa close by Falcon Field. I don't play anywhere except at home mostly because I am not too good yet and would be embarassed to let people hear me.
Wayne
  REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE |  Date Nov. 14 2006 17:33:40

Dikoha

 

Posts: 8
Joined: Feb. 5 2006
 

RE: Can guitars die? (in reply to Georg) 
Hola,

tengo una guitarra flamenca blanca de Ramirez del ano 1971.
La tapa del cedro rojo y suena un canon!! Me parece que no va a morir nunca, cada dia mejor.

Saludos



DIKOHA
  REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE |  Date Nov. 15 2006 18:51:43
 
Escribano

Posts: 6415
Joined: Jul. 6 2003
From: England, living in Italy

RE: Can guitars die? (in reply to Dikoha) 
quote:

Me parece que no va a morir nunca, cada dia mejor

Como yo y mi español. Espero

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  REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE |  Date Nov. 15 2006 19:02:33
Guest

[Deleted] (in reply to Georg) 
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  REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE |  Date Nov. 15 2006 21:13:52
 
Exitao

Posts: 907
Joined: Mar. 13 2006
From: Vancouver, Canada

RE: Can guitars die? (in reply to Dikoha) 
quote:

Hola,

tengo una guitarra flamenca blanca de Ramirez del ano 1971.
La tapa del cedro rojo y suena un canon!! Me parece que no va a morir nunca, cada dia mejor.

Saludos



DIKOHA


"Hello
I have a 1971 Ramirez blanca
the top is red ceder and it sounds like a canon!! It seems to me that it will never die and get better every day"

quote:

Como yo y mi español. Espero

Ojala!
  REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE |  Date Nov. 15 2006 21:52:03
 
Georg

Posts: 405
Joined: Feb. 5 2006
From: Germany

RE: Can guitars die? (in reply to Georg) 
Thanks for all answers, especially to nealf.
  REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE |  Date Nov. 16 2006 12:47:54
 
Jim Opfer

Posts: 1876
Joined: Jul. 19 2003
From: Glasgow, Scotland.

RE: Can guitars die? (in reply to Guest) 
quote:

(or as Jimbo and tk would say "for investment" )


Hi Nealf,

Not quite what I said
I play and enjoy my Reyes as often as I want.
  REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE |  Date Nov. 16 2006 18:56:41
 
Jim Opfer

Posts: 1876
Joined: Jul. 19 2003
From: Glasgow, Scotland.

RE: Can guitars die? (in reply to Exitao) 
quote:

I have a 1971 Ramirez blanca
the top is red ceder and it sounds like a canon!!


Hi Exitao. I have a 1968 Ramirez spruce top and as you say, sounds like a canon.

Beautiful refined quality to the voice and the guitar seems alive and extremely responsive.

Definately not suffering from old age.
  REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE |  Date Nov. 16 2006 19:01:26
 
Ricardo

Posts: 14822
Joined: Dec. 14 2004
From: Washington DC

RE: Can guitars die? (in reply to Georg) 
Would be hard to test my theory since time is such a factor, but I would suspect that the "death" or long life of a guitar has not so much to do with how much it was played, as with the way the guitar is taken care of. For example is it polished, and tuned, kept in the case, watered and loved like a plant, braces and glue joints checked every so often, etc.

I will say that I have experience first hand, guitars of all price ranges, tend to sound BETTER or open up faster (spruce top at least is my experience) when they are played A LOT, espeicially by a good or heavy handed player.

And I have always heard about this, but find it hard to believe, that CEDAR does not open up at all. Even if it is played hard? I used to have a Cedar top ramirez, but it was older than me. I never really liked the sound of that anyway. But I am taking this "born opened up" thing at face value, but would really like to see a test. I would bet that if you get 2 of the same Cedar guitars, (same make and sound more or less), give one to a collector to put in a glass case, and the other to an experienced player, that the Cedar guitar that was played will sound BETTER and more "open" than the one in the case, after a year or two. But that is just my guess, I would really be surprised if they sounded the same after that long.

Ricardo
  REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE |  Date Nov. 18 2006 7:15:54
Guest

RE: Can guitars die? (in reply to Dikoha) 
yes i also have 1973 jose ramirez every day i love it more and cant leave it from my hands here it is my guitar picture its attached but actually you ve to treat your guitar kindly as long as it makes you happy as long as you must take care of it .

Attachment (1)

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  REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE |  Date Dec. 29 2006 0:18:39
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