E-minor7 Posted June 25, 2013 Share Posted June 25, 2013 Acoustic 6-strings opening up, always an intriguing topic. YES, they do 'break in', , , and some more than others. I follow GuitarLight when he says that a guitar is what it is and basically stays the same. Of course they do, but some will develop more power, thus f.x. more bass over time. A looser top, components that know each others vibe and learn to swing together, more volume are all factors that will emphasize deeper flavors and call out the potential of an acoustic guitar. Eventually it's true nature will find full blossom - still the fundamental identity is there to be felt'n'heard from the start. I personally think the Hummingbird is one model that in many cases has a lot of opening to do. More than once we have discussed if the thicker pick-guard plays a role here. . . You use the term 'love' about the Bird and that's a pretty serious word to bring up. If it's love, then there's no choice, is there – then again be sure it's not the famous H-bird craze. Sure the Sheryl Crow and the Bird are supposed to be the same thing, but maybe they aren't – exactly that is one of the big mysteries to me. Is there a secret bracing difference or do we once again have to zoom in on the guards – one thinner than the other – guess which. Nobody here is quite sure about these issues – does the flora-fauna motif play tricks on us, is it all in our heads. 5 or 6 years is a rather long time for a square shouldered Gibson. One are supposed to hear them. The Bird will come following - but perhaps slightly different sounding, , , dare we say more nectarish ;-) Sure we do – we are daring people here. SD1992 welcome. Point 1 - Go out and make sure if you want the G or the M sound. Then A/B til you faint – S.C. or Bird, D35 or HD ditto. (Have the feeling the latter will be somewhat boomey). If the inner arrow shows Gibson, then check how much the looks of the Bird plays in, , , and if you are able to use the word love as naturally about the S.C. as it came for the cherryburst flier. Yeps – maybe you should just let your heart lead you to the last little stage and then let your brain do the remaining minor move when you're ready. How for an exiting summer ahead – please keep us reported. E-minor7 – owner of both the Bird and the 35 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
E-minor7 Posted June 25, 2013 Share Posted June 25, 2013 Double post - Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BluesKing777 Posted June 25, 2013 Share Posted June 25, 2013 So I guess it's the Hummingbird then.... BluesKing777. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paganskins Posted June 25, 2013 Share Posted June 25, 2013 Have we determined whether the Sheryl Crow is the SCSouthern Jumbo or the SC-C&W. I'm not the right person to discuss specs, but the C&W is very close to a Hummingbird in looks. I think it was a C&W but seems to have gone from guitarguitar's used section so I presume sold. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zombywoof Posted June 25, 2013 Share Posted June 25, 2013 Poly is the big enemy for wood opening up, nitro is your friend. After 5yrs my SWD turned into pure honey, one day it just woke up and became righteous. Not totally true. There are two kinds of poly application - UV cured and catalyst cured. The UV cured poly such as Olson and Taylor uses is applied in a thin coat and does flex meaning the guitar will "open up" over the years. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chasAK Posted June 25, 2013 Share Posted June 25, 2013 Speaking from little experience in the acoustical realm, but my 08 j45 is a much much better guitar than when I bought it. It sounded good when I bought it and has gone from good the getting even better. I agree with not buying a guitar based on the hope of the future sound. Buy the best one, play it, and bond to it (make it sound good!). Zombywoof, thanks for the info on the ploy. chasAK Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MissouriPicker Posted June 25, 2013 Share Posted June 25, 2013 I figure if I like a guitar enough to buy it and a few months later I've really bonded with it and a few years later I still love-the-hell-out-of-it, then I doubt I give a rat's butt about whither or not the guitar has opened-up yet, will never open-up, etc., etc.. If I like the guitar, I like the guitar. Subjective views pale in significance beside the fact that I have a sweet guitar. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
E-minor7 Posted June 26, 2013 Share Posted June 26, 2013 I figure if I like a guitar enough to buy it and a few months later I've really bonded with it and a few years later I still love-the-hell-out-of-it, then I doubt I give a rat's butt about whither or not the guitar has opened-up yet, will never open-up, etc., etc.. If I like the guitar, I like the guitar. Subjective views pale in significance beside the fact that I have a sweet guitar. Okay, but speaking about it MP - how did your Bird open up, , , if it did. Can't remember you mentioning it - or how old it is for that matter. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
E-minor7 Posted June 26, 2013 Share Posted June 26, 2013 Have we determined whether the Sheryl Crow is the SCSouthern Jumbo or the SC-C&W. Quite sure it's the C&W - the S.C. SJ doesn't go 5-6 years back. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MissouriPicker Posted June 26, 2013 Share Posted June 26, 2013 Eminor7, my Hummingbird has always sounded good to me. It's about 8-years-old now. I really couldn't tell you if it sounds better now than when I bought it. It probably does, if one assumes time and playing it a lot has anything to do with it, but I like it for what it is anyways. I assume it's opened-up, but I really don't know or wonder about it. It just sounds good and it's very easy to play. If I like a guitar I don't spend time wondering if it's opened-up. Unless there was a sudden, obvious, and dramatic difference, I likely wouldn't notice it anyway..........There's an interesting thread on The AGF right now. Bob Taylor supposedly said that a guitar that is several years old and rarely played will open-up just as much as a guitar that is played a lot---or something to that affect. They're debating exactly what he meant. . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mountainpicker Posted June 26, 2013 Share Posted June 26, 2013 I like what milod said about the synergy of the player with the guitar because I believe in that woo woo aspect too. I believe it because I've experienced it myself and I can't deny it. Those that will deny it will never experience it because they deny it...a self fulfilling perception. It's the thing about them changing and opening up that is so dramatic. One day you're playing along and then, voila, there's a shift in what the guitar is putting out for the same amount you put in. It's the guitar, it's not me. From what I read here I don't hear vintage owners remarking on this phenomena. It's as if older instruments went through their "change" a long time ago and just are what they have become. We affect the guitar while it is affecting us. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SD1992 Posted June 26, 2013 Author Share Posted June 26, 2013 Lots of interesting posts in here - I agree that there is much more to how a guitar sounds than the wood that is made from etc. I am afraid I couldn't tell you what specific model of Sheryl Crow guitar I played, to my eyes it looked like a Hummingbird in a natural finish with gold hardware and a tortoise shell pickguard. Sounded great though. The Hummingbird sounded really nice, very clear and responsive but I thought it was a tad on the quiet side but that is probably because I was playing it against a D35 and an HD 35! I thought the Martins were a bit too bass heavy, but then you can get round that by playing softer. I still can't decide which one I like the best, they are both so different but both lovely instruments. Either way, will make a huge difference from my old 80s (or late 70s, who knows) rosewood Takamine! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zombywoof Posted June 26, 2013 Share Posted June 26, 2013 Since my youngest guitar is 50 years old I figure that down the road the only thing that will open up are the seams. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
onewilyfool Posted June 26, 2013 Share Posted June 26, 2013 Since my youngest guitar is 50 years old I figure that down the road the only thing that will open up are the seams. LOL Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
E-minor7 Posted June 28, 2013 Share Posted June 28, 2013 They are like people; going from being a raw juvenile to an adult, Hey wait a minute - that's me on the Board - I think that guitars are the coolest things made by the hands of men and women. For sure man, , , couldn't agree more. . . So good guitars do get better and great guitars get better too in my humble opinion. No doubt about it. . . And then, just play your way to a better sounding world. Trying. . . ☼ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
E-minor7 Posted June 28, 2013 Share Posted June 28, 2013 Eminor7, my Hummingbird has always sounded good to me. It's about 8-years-old now. I really couldn't tell you if it sounds better now than when I bought it. It probably does, if one assumes time and playing it a lot has anything to do with it, but I like it for what it is anyways. I assume it's opened-up, but I really don't know or wonder about it. It just sounds good and it's very easy to play. If I like a guitar I don't spend time wondering if it's opened-up. Unless there was a sudden, obvious, and dramatic difference, I likely wouldn't notice it anyway.......... Lucky you - just one happy harmonious Bird owner – bet you got a superb ex.✓ There's an interesting thread on The AGF right now. Bob Taylor supposedly said that a guitar that is several years old and rarely played will open-up just as much as a guitar that is played a lot---or something to that affect. They're debating exactly what he meant. . Okay, if Taylor is investigating this and is onto something, then alright. In fact I been wondering about it – of course the woods mature, dry out etc. without being played but, , , then he also picks a different path than Andrés Segovia, who claimed it takes a year before a player begins to set his mark'n'style in an instrument. And yes, #2 is more interesting than the also interesting ghost-developement – which is more like kind of maturing while sleeping. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Murph Posted June 28, 2013 Share Posted June 28, 2013 which is more like kind of maturing while sleeping. Point... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zombywoof Posted June 28, 2013 Share Posted June 28, 2013 A few years back I read an article about somebody who made two as identical as you could get violins. One they put away for a few years while the other had the heck played out of it. When they brought the two back in a room together nobody could tell them apart. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aliasphobias Posted June 29, 2013 Share Posted June 29, 2013 - and the room swelled with silence. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
E-minor7 Posted June 29, 2013 Share Posted June 29, 2013 , , , , nobody could tell them apart. Yeah, but then again they were violins and violins are strange fragile high whining small boxes for sissys and old people. A little scary though - after all we been through here, , , , and perhaps slightly boring too. We want folks and souls to blend into and seep through the instruments. . . . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.