Colder temperature = better tone?

[Kwlsky]

Hello all. I live high up in the northeast where it is still pretty chilly, but we stopped making fires this week due to the damp conditions and bad draw out the chimney(we heat our house exclusively with a wood stove). So now the house sits at about 60-62 degrees until the weather warms up. 

Anyway, These last couple of days when playing my J15 and J185 quilt, I have noticed a definite increase in resonance, sustain, and overtones, even on the maple J185 - that guitar is killer. I am positive it's not my imagination. There's a definite difference.

I have hygrometers close to every guitar so I know humidity is the same 50-55%. Strings are the same, same picks, same chair I sit in........all the same.  I don't remember this happening during all of the other early springs, but maybe I just didn't catch the change.  Am I crazy to think the 10 degree drop in temp. is improving the tone of my Gibbys?  Anyone have an opinion on this, or similar experiences with their acoustics?

[QuestionMark]

I play a number of outdoor gigs and am aware that various weather factors contribute to how sound travels.   Now, whether that improves or takes away from the sound, like all tonal matters is likely subjective.  But, there does seem to be some sweet spot at certain temps or maybe it’s humidity or maybe barometric pressure (disclaimer:  barometric pressure is something I still do not claim to comprehend).  It does seem like sound sometimes travels better through in certain weather conditions.  It also may explain why sometimes an instrument seems to be in a better mood and sound (and play) better during those moods or visa versa.).   Maybe someone else can expand on this.

 

QM aka “ Jazzman” Jeff

[jedzep]

It's probably that your guitars are just slowly coming down from the dry high of being in a wood heated space, changing in small increments, still tight and bright.   My wood heat in upstate NY gives me a relatively high dry acoustic play time through the worst of winter, but I'm keeping my fire up and running through this little cold spell.  Last week was warm like early summer, but the crisp tone stayed on as the house temp dropped.  In a week or so, the stove will be shut down, but my lively spruce tops will stay that way until humidity rises.  As soon as my AC's fire up, I'm back to nice dry tone.

[Kwlsky]

Thanks for the responses. Could it be that I'm hearing a more wet tone?  I remember reading that a dryer tone is more desirable, but man these guitars have never sounded so good. I haven't even thought about the barometric pressure. It's been wet lately, which would mean a low pressure front, and maybe that combined with the cold livened up the resonance? Man, I hope this positive change doesn't go away.

[jedzep]

Clean out your stovepipe and fire up.  You might be able to prolong the vibe.

[jedzep]

I'm one of the outliers that leaves his guitars out on wall hangers, believing the flexing of wood over certain humidity ranges is good for tone maturation, though never near the room where the wood stove resides.

Edited April 27, 2022 by jedzep

[Kwlsky]

My guitars hang on the wall as well. So easy to grab and play when the mood hits. I do have a humidifier next to them and monitor the humidity. If they ever cracked I would never forgive myself. They are in a different part of the house than the stove. If I knew what condition combination that is making these guitars sing, I would absolutely try to reproduce it.

[Kwlsky]

14 minutes ago, jedzep said:

Clean out your stovepipe and fire up.

The pipe is due for a good brushing. 

[Holiday Hoser]

My guitar always sounds better after I "brush" my pipe.

[Kwlsky]

Ha! My guess is that the colder wood takes on a more dense quality and therefore a more complex and sustaining tone.(?)

 

[E-minor7]

8 hours ago, Kwlsky said:

Ha! My guess is that the colder wood takes on a more dense quality and therefore a more complex and sustaining tone.(?)

Yes, the logic isn't hard to follow. So the opposite is that the damp warm months make the guitars lazy-hazy. Worth giving a thought, , ,  and people do.

Personally I have more than once noticed my acoustics sounding real good during summer. Not only the vintage over-dry ones, , , basically the lot. 

Then again - is the hearing better when heat has massaged the entire organism loose and the blood now runs like vivid streams in there. Doctor !

[QuestionMark]

In my outdoor gigs, I find the sound from my amp carries different depending on the  weather, causing me to have to sometimes turn it up, sometimes turn it down…even though I am playing in the same location spot from a different week.   Sometimes it seems like the air doesn’t let the sound waves carry very well and sometimes the air carries sound waves really well…even when there is no wind in either scenario.  
 

So it’s probably a matter of the instrument itself (including its wood, it’s strings, tension, maybe which pitch is being produced responding to the climate as well as how the sound itself travels in terms of different locations’  acoustics depending on the climate.  With the climate involving variables such as different temperatures, humidity, barometric pressure (and, of course, wind if it’s outdoors).  All of this impacts the reverberation of the sound…thus, why a versatile amplifier or mixer will often have a reverb adjustment setting to compensate for the acoustics of a setting depending on its structure and stability.  It’s a whole science or art of sound that climate undoubtedly has some role in.   Not that any of us really want to deeply delve into that aspect (rather if you’re like me you’d just like to play the damn thing.  But, there are sound engineers who understand all that stuff and know how to equalize the variables to maximize the sound being heard.)

Just my perspective.

QM aka “Jazzman” Jeff

 

 

 

[zombywoof]

I have never been much for overthinking my guitars.  I always figure it ain't them.  It is me.  There are just those days when I am in the pocket and my fingers do things I did not know they could.  Other days, not so much.  

[jedzep]

Boy, if that ain't the truth, z!

[Murph]

I consider 62 perfect.

40 is uncomfortable.

80 is uncomfortable.

So, when everything is perfect, your guitar sounds it's best, and everything is literally, perfect.

I'm in!

 

[fortyearspickn]

I'm not a scientist,  but I watch them on TV.

Ever notice how sound is muffled when it's snowing?   Even when it's foggy out?

I'm assuming when it's 95% humid,  sound from an amp/guitar/banjo  doesn't carry as far as when it's 40% RH.  

Now as for guitars sounding better ....   I'd guess thin slices of wood expected to vibrate and/or project sound have a sweet spot re. humidity and temperature.  I'm pretty sure that I actually do play better when they sound better.  Temp and hydration for me:  Two cold beers. 

[Raul Rehlmann]

On 4/27/2022 at 5:55 PM, Kwlsky said:

 stopped making fires this week due to the damp conditions

house sits at about 60-62 degrees until the weather warms up.

Top sinks when dry

damp conditions yields opposite effect.

there is an ideal string height over sound hole. you may now be closer to this ideal. one possible factor.

measure string height change in damp then dry

[E-minor7]

9 hours ago, fortyearspickn said:

Ever notice how sound is muffled when it's snowing?   Even when it's foggy out?

This must be taken seriously and my answer is NO.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                               But are you saying that the dried out wood during winter, which some mean generates a clearer voice, is contradicted by the basic weather-acoustical conditions when it snows.

                                And that we all have to come to terms with a straight 1 + 1 = 0 situation every time flakes begin to fall   ❄️❄️       ❄️   ❄️      ❄️

[fortyearspickn]

No - of course I'm not saying that your guitar will sound different when it's snowing or foggy out.  I'm saying sound doesn't carry as far -  like across a football field -  picking up where Question Mark left off in his first line referring to amps and outdoor gigs.  

But I'd not bring a good guitar out in a snowstorm.  

[E-minor7]

29 minutes ago, fortyearspickn said:

No - of course I'm not saying that your guitar will sound different when it's snowing or foggy out.  I'm saying sound doesn't carry as far -  like across a football field -  picking up where Question Mark left off in his first line referring to amps and outdoor gigs.  

But I'd not bring a good guitar out in a snowstorm.  

Nono, never read that - just doodled up a picture of the two opposite factors meeting somewhere in midair. .  

Acoustic guitar in the snow ~ we leave that to Stephen and Martin. 

Photo - Henry Diltz

[Kwlsky]

On 4/29/2022 at 4:37 PM, Raul Rehlmann said:

there is an ideal string height over sound hole. you may now be closer to this ideal. one possible factor.

measure string height change in damp then dry

This makes good sense. I'm going to do this.