It would seem that my 4 1/2 year old J45 has shifted into another gear

[MapleManiac]

Granted, we've had perfect, dry weather lately. And I've been playing it a little more. But my J45 is sounding like it's never sounded before. Much more clarity and volume. It's always sounded sweet but it was a bit muddy and boxy early on. I almost gave up on it. Of course any thoughts of selling it were dashed when I hit it on my desk and gave it a crack on the top--which my dealer doesn't think is a problem. That crack was a blessing in disguise!

[dhanners623]

That's a great moment when it arrives. And then there'll be days when the humidity is perfect, the temperature is perfect, the strings are perfect, your playing is perfect and you remember why you picked up the guitar in the first place.

[QuestionMark]

Granted' date=' we've had perfect, dry weather lately. And I've been playing it a little more. But my J45 is sounding like it's never sounded before. Much more clarity and volume. It's always sounded sweet but it was a bit muddy and boxy early on. I almost gave up on it. Of course any thoughts of selling it were dashed when I hit it on my desk and gave it a crack on the top--which my dealer doesn't think is a problem. That crack was a blessing in disguise!

[/quote']

 

I swear my 1972 Gibson Southern Jumbo began sounding better after my strap unintentionally fell off causing the guitar to drop, which resulted in at least an inch long scrape on the lower bout on the top. A few years, I unintentionally dropped the guitar and the headstock broke...and I thought the guitar was a goner. However, an authorized Gibson repairman fixed it (claiming if I ever dropped the guitar again and the headstock were to break again, it would not break in the same spot he just fixed because he said he fixed it so strong). I swear, since that headstock fix, the guitar has an even richer tone than it did before.

 

I also have a 1957 Epiphone F79 (a pre-Gibson Epiphone, a pre F79-Texan) that sounded great. but used to take ten minutes of playing to fulling open up tonally. But, when I did some "major" hand held filing on it (for about five 10 minute sessions) to get remant pieces of an original wooden saddle out of the saddle slot and put the replacement bone saddle back into it...it was immediately significantly fuller in tone and hasn't needed any lead time until opens up since. I suspect my heavy filing loosened the top up on the guitar a bit or somethin'

 

So...what you're saying about the crack being a blessing in disguise...may have been more than you think. It not only made you keep your guitar, but it also may have somehow randomly contributed to changing and improving the tone...one never knows. On the other hand, in your case it could also simply be the guitar currently opening up with age.

 

These guitars can be strange beings, eh?

 

QM aka Jazzman Jeff

[sharon mk]

Here's another point that dosnt come to mind usually.

our hearing changes from time to time. less wax more wax different pressure , running nose and more...

so sometimes the guitar really sounds the same as always its just your hearing that picks it differently

And... dry J-45 do sound better (not too dry) . more highs in generals. and sometimes the very middy J-45 needs it.

[QuestionMark]

Sharon MK-

 

Yes...truth can be stranger than fiction with some guitars' sound...even, with all seriousness and kidding aside. There's other phenomenas (sp?) that occur. The acoustics of a room can impact how the sound is heard. I'm sure all of us at some time have tried a guitar (or every) guitar, in a Guitar Center for example, and realized that although they all sound different they all somehow sound REALLY great, but then realize it likely is the store's sound proof room acoustics and not the $99 guitar that is making it sound so good. Then, there is another phenomena...sometimes just getting used to a particular guitar's sound can make it sound really great. I've noticed this can sometimes occur when exclusively playing a laminated top guitar for say a week. One's playing and ear begins to so musically zone in how the guitar sounds that one can actually begin to think the $129 laminated top guitar must be the holy grail of all cheap guitars. Of course, then one takes it to a music jam where there are high end Martins and Gibsons and suddenly the previously thought dream of it being the holy grail of sound in laminated guitars suddenly goes poof...when its noticed that it now sounds weak or piercing or minus any bass or in some other way lacking in the tonal spectrum of a solid wood top guitar when so compared. Perception can definitely play a role.

 

But, this is not to diminish that sometimes guitars' sounds do indeed sound different in different humidities or in different rooms or, simply with age, do begin to actually improve tonally. Tops open up from use, constant string tension and glue drying on an instrument begins to cause an instrument to better vibrate and transmit sound as a whole unit, modifications or repairs (or lack of repairs...think Willie Nelson's guitar) and settling or wearing of lacquer finishes all can contribute to a guitar's sound. Just as changing strings, different string gauges, strings by different manufacturers can and I'm sure other variables.

 

These guitars can be strange beings, eh?

 

QM aka Jazzman Jeff

[macaibhistin]

We all need a little spanking once and a while!:)

[Taylor Player]

I have to agree that sometimes your guitars just sound better than others. I have been monitoring the humidity in my music room now for the last several years. I have actually found that when my guitars are right around 40% RH (either in the case or in the room) they sound "Best". I know that is a relative word, but I can hear the crispness of each string so much better when my guitars are at or very close to 40% RH. Living in MN, that means my guitars sound great for most of the year! When humidity increases, I put the AC on and bring my room to around 40%, life is good!