I sent my Texan back

[Wayne]

I tried an IB Texan for a week. The guitar was very well made and played perfectly. NO QC issues at all, and it was gorgeous too. I just couldn't handle the tone, it was too bright and brash even after I changed to my favorite strings and wailed on em for a few days. It obviously was going to remain bright and brash for a long time. I'd love to try one that has been played for a few years but I couldn't wait that long on mine...

[dhanners623]

Sorry to hear that. I'm wondering if this would've been an instance where an investment in a Tone-Rite would've been helpful.

[Red 333]

Sorry to hear that. I'm wondering if this would've been an instance where an investment in a Tone-Rite would've been helpful.

 

David, I don't know if you ever vist the Beat Gear Cavern, a forum about The Beatles and '60s instruments, but there's a recent thread there about the ToneRite. One forum member (a professional musician as well as professional guitar and amp tech) used the ToneRite and heard immediate results with one of his new guitars. Another forum member who lives close to him confirmed the change in his guitar's tone. Naturally, the thread is filled with quite a few sceptical, even scoffing posts, too, from people who don't believe the gadget could possibly work. Still, it's antecdotal evidence that the ToneRite may work, at least in some instances.

 

Red 333

[frenchie1281734003]

Sorry to hear that Wayne, your one obviously had a much different tone to my one, which is actually well balanced & mellow. However I do own a 1980 Daion Heritage 78, the one with the Brass nut & saddle, which really does fit that discription.

 

I guess it just goes to show, that you have to go out and play as many guitars of the same model as possible, because they do vary, particularly acoustics.

 

Steve

[dhanners623]

David' date=' I don't know if you ever vist the Beat Gear Cavern, a forum about The Beatles and '60s instruments, but there's a recent thread there about the ToneRite. One forum member (a professional musician as well as professional guitar and amp tech) used the ToneRite and heard immediate results with one of his new guitars. Another forum member who lives close to him confirmed the change in his guitar's tone. Naturally, the thread is filled with quite a few sceptical, even scoffing posts, too, from people who don't believe the gadget could possibly work. Still, it's antecdotal evidence that the ToneRite may work, at least in some instances.

 

Red 333[/quote']

 

I'm not on the Beat Gear Cavern, but I guess I should go check it out.

 

I was going to get a ToneRite to break in my IP'64 Texan, but decided not to when I concluded I really liked the sound that came out of the guitar as it was. But after playing it side-by-side with my 12-year-old J-45 some, I'm getting more hip to the difference age makes so I may just go ahead and invest in a ToneRite.

[Ship of fools]

I think this article is what you might be talking about, and I understand that it would work on a newly constructed guitar but would not really do anything for an older guitar.

But I guess its all in the ears of the beholder, me I am still a bit skeptical about what it might or can do.

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/04/05/technology/05tonerite.html?partner=rss&emc=rss

Ship

[dhanners623]

Not to turn this into one of the thousands of ToneRite threads out there on various guitar discussion boards, but I've heard some guys will use the ToneRite to bring old and/or seldom-played guitars back to life. I know my guitars sound better after I've played them a couple of hours. You can only play one guitar at a time and there are only so many hours in a day, so using a ToneRite to inject some played-in life back into a guitar makes sense, at least to my layman's ears.

 

But back to the Texan. That really is a bummer about it not sounding good. Mine sounds great. I will say, though, that it could be luck of the draw. There were no stores around me that carried it, so I had to order it from Musicians Friend.

 

I would have much rather gone down to my local guitar store and test-drove a couple before buying, but at my local Guitar Center, they told me the Texas was a "special order" item and I wasn't in the mood to wait several weeks for one to come in.

 

Not having the IB'64 Texan in stores may be a marketing problem on Epiphone's part. Then again, I have no idea how many of them are rolling off the assembly line. Speaking of which, does anyone know how big the production run has been, and how long it might last?

[charlie brown]

Not to turn this into one of the thousands of ToneRite threads out there on various guitar discussion boards' date=' but I've heard some guys will use the ToneRite to bring old and/or seldom-played guitars back to life. I know my guitars sound better after I've played them a couple of hours. You can only play one guitar at a time and there are only so many hours in a day, so using a ToneRite to inject some played-in life back into a guitar makes sense, at least to my layman's ears.

 

But back to the Texan. That really is a bummer about it not sounding good. Mine sounds great. I will say, though, that it could be luck of the draw. There were no stores around me that carried it, so I had to order it from Musicians Friend.

 

I would have much rather gone down to my local guitar store and test-drove a couple before buying, but at my local Guitar Center, they told me the Texas was a "special order" item and I wasn't in the mood to wait several weeks for one to come in.

 

[b']Not having the IB'64 Texan in stores may be a marketing problem on Epiphone's part. Then again, I have no idea how many of them are rolling off the assembly line. Speaking of which, does anyone know how big the production run has been, and how long it might last?[/b]

 

 

Interesting....the guitar shop (family owned) that I buy from, has (or had) Two (Natural, and Sunburst)

IB Texan's, in stock. Both were very nicely balanced sounding, great playing, and looked to be nicely made

and finished, as well. So...???

 

CB

[Wayne]

Hey I think your Texan sounds great too, thats why I bought one! Mine was not a bad guitar by any means, just not the mellower tone I was hoping for. It was well balanced. Someone else may love it. I was told by several stores that more cherry sunbursts are coming this month, though I dont know how many. To me it had the

 

Ironically I got more of the sound i want from what my research told me would not give it...I love Blueridge's but everything I read and heard about their slopes said they are bright, so I held off buying one for 6 months. Finally I caved in. Well mine arrived yesterday and I could not be more pleased. I don't know that it sounds like a Gibson, but at the moment I dont care. I'd have to play more J-45s to know, it doesnt remind me too much of othr Gibbys I own or have played but it is sweet and mellow and warm to my ears. I could not hope for a more pleasant sound straight out of the box, and it will only get better. Definitely no Toneright needed on this baby, just lots of playing which it will eagerly get. YMMV of course

[Zork]

I've seen them, I've used them and they work. Not only to open up new guitars but wake up guitars that have not been played for long periods. This is well known in the concert violinists realm.

 

If you live in Mpls. I know the Podium has them and I think they use the ToneRite as a service where you can have them do it.

 

331-8893.

[charlie brown]

Well, Wayne....you were wise to send it back, if it just didn't "speak to your needs." No reason

to keep something that just isn't what you'd hoped for, regardless. I hope you do find another

"Texan" or other model that does meet your standards. That's what it's all about, really.

Good luck, to you. ;>)

 

CB

[Wayne]

I just want to add to this ancient thread that I played my second IB Texan this week and it was like night and day compared with the one I returned. It sounded exactly like I expected/hoped the other one to sound. I must have got a real lemon. I'll be going back to play this other one again real soon...

[bill67]

It seems to me a guitar starts sounding good after about 15 minutes of play,About that tone rite,If you take it off the guitar would sound good,But if the guitar set for two days would it sound good or would you have to use the tone rite for a while before you started playing it again for it to sound good.

[dhanners623]

And to update my contribution to this old thread, I did finally buy a ToneRite and stuck it on my IB'64 Texan. It improved the tone and volume. Not hugely, but enough that I could tell there was a difference and there was no doubt the guitar sounded better than it did before.

 

Then I had the poly finish sanded down to reduce its thickness and that turned the guitar into something else entirely. It's just a really good guitar now and I love the tone, volume and playability.

[bill67]

And to update my contribution to this old thread, I did finally buy a ToneRite and stuck it on my IB'64 Texan. It improved the tone and volume. Not hugely, but enough that I could tell there was a difference and there was no doubt the guitar sounded better than it did before.

 

Then I had the poly finish sanded down to reduce its thickness and that turned the guitar into something else entirely. It's just a really good guitar now and I love the tone, volume and playability.

How did you sand it down? Did you just sand the top

[Wayne]

And to update my contribution to this old thread, I did finally buy a ToneRite and stuck it on my IB'64 Texan. It improved the tone and volume. Not hugely, but enough that I could tell there was a difference and there was no doubt the guitar sounded better than it did before.

 

Then I had the poly finish sanded down to reduce its thickness and that turned the guitar into something else entirely. It's just a really good guitar now and I love the tone, volume and playability.

 

 

Why did you do that? I liked the way yours sounded before on Dallas after Midnight. Thats the reason I bought the Texan in the first place. This one I tried a few days ago sounded quite like yours, and I'm at a loss to understand how it could sound so incredibly different from the one I owned briefly. It cant be just strings, but I'll ask anyway-what kind were you using on that recording of Dallas after Midnight a year or so ago?