Electronic Device to Break in Stringed Instruments

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Pgh_flamenco

Posts: 1506
Joined: Dec. 5 2007
From: Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

Electronic Device to Break in String...

Has anyone heard about the ToneRite? I know people used to put small speakers on their electric guitars and let the speaker vibrate the wooden body for months on end to break in electric guitars but I wasn't aware of a device for sale that does this.

http://tonerite.com/

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/04/05/technology/05tonerite.html

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Apr. 6 2010 6:44:34

Ron.M

Posts: 7051
Joined: Jul. 7 2003
From: Scotland

RE: Electronic Device to Break in St... (in reply to Pgh_flamenco)

Or maybe place a "Pure Earth Spiritually-Charged Crystal" in the case?

I'm always pretty suspicious of gizmos like this unless I can personally test them... or witness a controlled experiment myself.

I find stuff which appeals to "instinctive" or "intuitive" human logic, always a bit iffy myself...

Buy it for a bit of fun if you have the dough, but don't be surprised if the results are disappointing.

In my experience these kind of products usually carry a disclaimer based on "subjective" results...ie "If you don't notice an improvement then your money back, however results will vary widely depending on how the product is used and what it is used on and no claims can be made against this..."

cheers,

Ron

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Apr. 6 2010 8:00:15

gj Michelob

Posts: 1531
Joined: Nov. 7 2008
From: New York City/San Francisco

RE: Electronic Device to Break in St... (in reply to Ron.M)

quote:

but don't be surprised if the results are disappointing.

There are similar devices to "age" wine and wood, and even Bill Clinton obliged such whim to age his appearance -back in the days- by having the famous NY hairstylist Fekkai, whiten his hair.

Time is the sole device I trust. My new German Vazquez Rubio sounded dull when i first recieved it. German confidently assured me that it would take no less than six months to "open up". These last few days, six months later in fact, it sounds so cogenially awesome I have finally fallen in love with it.

I agree with Ron, being old school about certain things: whether it is a meat-bolognese sauce (requiring 12 hours on a low flame), a good cigar in your humidor, a Silver Oak cabernet or a flamenco guitar, time will reward patience tenfold.

On the other hand, those accelerated overgrown vegetables some formers manage to genetically manipulate have lost their fragrance, the flavor only time and attention can develop. Hence, my humbe take is: keep your guitars, "Organic"....

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gj Michelob

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Apr. 6 2010 8:29:28

edguerin

Posts: 1589
Joined: Dec. 24 2007
From: Siegburg, Alemania

RE: Electronic Device to Break in St... (in reply to Pgh_flamenco)

With the short life-span of most electronic devices in mind the thread might be
electronic device, to break (with)in stringed instruments ...

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Ed

El aficionado solitario
Alemania

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Apr. 6 2010 9:04:58

Patrick

Posts: 1189
Joined: Jul. 7 2003
From: Portland, Oregon

RE: Electronic Device to Break in St... (in reply to Pgh_flamenco)

Guys...don't be too fast to discount something you may not be aware of and its possibilities.

I am experimenting with the unit as we speak and will write a full review soon.

I was very skeptical as you all are, but I did a bunch of investigation before buying one. You can find something like a hundred pages on the Collins guitar forum about the Tonerite. You better have several hours to read all of it…it’s a bunch of info. It seems two camps have broken out. The first group is the ones that have used the unit and swear by it. The second group is the ones that say it can’t work and is a total waste of time and money, but of course they haven’t even used it.

Many in the Violin community have had great success stories. There is also a bunch of info on the Mandolin Cafe forum. It seems mandolins really respond to the unit.

The folks that designed it are just working with existing studies done in the past that utilize vibrations to open a musical instrument up. The first thing you have to agree on is the concept of an instrument “opening up”. If you don’t agree with this, a Tonerite is not in your future.

I have had it running on my Aaron Green negra for about two weeks. Is it a totally different guitar? No…but I can tell you; something is definitely going on to the positive. I ran it on my DeVoe for several days and didn’t notice any difference, but I didn’t really expect to, as this guitar is five years old and well played.

The thing is built like a tank and should run forever. They have a 30-day money back guarantee with no questions asked. According to the folks at Tonerite, they have not had one returned.

I have read several threads on various forums and they all start out the same way. Someone says, “Have you used a Tonerite”? After that, everybody lambaste the thing as a Pipe Dream and a waist of time. Then someone comes in with good solid information, and things start to drift in a different direction, but of course, there will always be nonbelievers, but that’s their right.

To be totally honest, if this thread hadn’t started, I was likely not going to say a thing about it, as I knew I was going to open a big can of worms, and I don’t have the time or patience to deal with it. But now that it’s started, I will be more than happy to share what I can.

More to come in a couple of weeks.

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REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Apr. 6 2010 13:39:24

GuitarVlog

Posts: 441
Joined: Mar. 19 2009
From: San Francisco Bay Area

RE: Electronic Device to Break in St... (in reply to Pgh_flamenco)

I chatted with James who works with Eric Schoenberg at his guitar shop. They've been testing the Tonerite since they received a sample at the LMII Guitar Festival.

The verdict is that it works on some guitars but not all, and it works to varying degrees. In general, if the instrument already has the potential to open-up well (like a good luthier-built instrument), then the Tonerite will probably accelerate that process. If the instrument has limited potential (like a factory-made instrument), then the Tonerite will deliver little or no results.

There's a question that the Tonerite raises with regards to its effect on the longevity of the guitar. Its vibrations are supposed to mimic the effect of playing-in the instrument. Guitars are technically machines and supposedly reach their peak after 30 years of regular use. It's unclear whether and to what extent the Tonerite will accelerate wear on the instrument. We may not care anyway since we probably replace our instruments well before 30 years have passed.

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The Guitar Student Journal

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Apr. 6 2010 14:41:32

Patrick

Posts: 1189
Joined: Jul. 7 2003
From: Portland, Oregon

RE: Electronic Device to Break in St... (in reply to Pgh_flamenco)

Here are the links to the Collins site:

http://collingsforum.com/eve/forums/a/tpc/f/94760485/m/941101681

http://collingsforum.com/eve/forums/a/tpc/f/6681010672/m/664108661

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REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Apr. 6 2010 14:58:00

HemeolaMan

Posts: 1514
Joined: Jul. 13 2007
From: Chicago

RE: Electronic Device to Break in St... (in reply to Pgh_flamenco)

Brad, former owner now consultant from strings by mail, uses one on his guitar and he is quite happy with it.

I might buy one for mine because i can definitely feel and hear the difference in my castillo after i play it for a few days consistently.

It would be ideal for me because i take long stretches of time without playing that guitar because i am busy playing electric or mixing for something or at school.

I do like the way my guitar sounds on day 3, and for 150 bucks, it will probably ebay for 120 if i dont like it! lol.

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REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Apr. 6 2010 19:21:33