ParlourMan Posted October 20, 2011 Share Posted October 20, 2011 So, I know this is always a divider this one, but anyway here goes..... I've posted several times about just how much love I have for my Woody Guthrie model, my intial purchase saw me recieve a model where the pickup seemed not to be working, my dealer overlooked my request to have exactly the same model repaired and sent back, instead I was sent a completely new one. No big deal, it was just as nice.... with one caveat... It amplified beautifully, but when played and quietly fingerpicked I could hear a small creak/sqeak sometimes down at the bridge end, I've been through all the checks on the braces, the pickup cables the lot, figuring it would go away as the guitar lost its 'newness' but after some months I could still hear it, I didn't fancy returning it for yet another new model, especially as I had dinged it slightly and some play marks are more than visible on inspection. Anyway, enter the Tonerite, I had a chance to borrow one for the last 7-8 days, so I took my most budget friendly Gibson (The Woody) and ran it full blast on the tonerite throughout each day and put it down to a about a third of the power overnight as when it's on full-pelt it creates an audible hum, so with the guitar having it's daily workout for the previous week I unplugged it on Monday night there, the outcome in my own personal experience: The buzz/squeak/sound that was driving me mad has gone, strummed had always been fine, it could only be heard while fingerpicking, so after an hour or so of fingerpicking I hadn't heard the sound that plagued me. I tried it Tuesday and last night also, the sound that annoyed me has definitely gone... so I again went through the process of checking the nut, bridge, braces, all sorts, no change in anything detectable but whatever that squeak was has been cured.... On to what it claims to do, alter the tone in a pleasing manner, well, to be honest, the tone of the guitar had always been pleasing and still continues to please, I have noticed a very slight change in the sound, nothing huge, but just a small amount of change, what I have noticed however is that playing the guitar with a very very light touch is more resonant than it used to be, so as a previous skeptic I have to say that after a week it not only cured a problem I couldn't find, but it changed the resonance from the guitar using the softest touch I can use. S I have to say it was a positive experience... Anyway, I spoke to the owner of the unit briefly last night to update him on my findings and said I'd be curious to see if it made any change to the Keb Mo model and that I would maybe borrow it again sometime, or get round to buying one, he told me to hang on to it for a few weeks to do the guitars I wanted to do, so I set about the Keb Mo with it as of this morning. Just as I was about to post this account it dawned on me I hadn't taken any serious recording of the before and after, so I have no way to prove the alteration other than to say I wanted to post that I thought it was another 'snake oil' product, however it's certainly done the trick for me on the Woody model. I'll report back in a week on the Keb mo, it suggests the first spin-round-the-block is between 72-144 hours anyway so a week seems a nice amount to generate some kind of audible result. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EuroAussie Posted October 20, 2011 Share Posted October 20, 2011 Interesting, thanks for the report PM. Always wondered myself if there something behind it, and if it wouldnt hurt trying one out. Im curious if the subtle change in tone will continue once your stop using it or continue as a permanent feature. Dont suppose you could send it over to Prague for a couple weeks once done .. ? ;-) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ParlourMan Posted October 20, 2011 Author Share Posted October 20, 2011 Exactly the same questions I'm left with EA, I suppose the only way for me to tell would be in very controlled recording circumstances... All I can say is that by really digging in and pushing the guitar I'm not convinced there is a massive difference, but when played quietly or more soft & gentle the difference is very noticeable. ....and the annoying sqeak sound is gone, I had gone through as many checks as I could, even wondering if it was coming from my forearm resting on the NOS finish, the bracing, all sorts... I could see no structural faults at all and it wasn't always happening so a tough one to diagnose, but playing the same routines in the same manner that always squeaked a little, I can now hear no squeak. On this case alone it makes it a worthwhile exercise. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BluesKing777 Posted October 20, 2011 Share Posted October 20, 2011 The mouse that was living in your guitar obviously couldn't stand the vibration from the Tonerite and took off! BluesKing777. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ParlourMan Posted October 20, 2011 Author Share Posted October 20, 2011 The mouse that was living in your guitar obviously couldn't stand the vibration from the Tonerite and took off! BluesKing777. Yeah, mot probably ;) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigKahune Posted October 20, 2011 Share Posted October 20, 2011 . A year or so ago we had a rash of these ToneRite trials. Some saw improvement, some didn't. I'm glad to read of your apparent success PM, and am curious to read your upcoming post on the Keb Mo. . I'm still on the fence. My last experience with a new Gibby was my 08 J200. I liked the way it sounded when new, but was looking for it to "open up" a bit. After about a year I began noticing better sustain, resonance and more complex overtones. That kept building for about a year, after which point the sound is now stable (more or less typical for a lot of Gibbies). Very nice. Without a ToneRite. If ToneRite really lets you skip that wait, that would be something worth paying for. . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ParlourMan Posted October 20, 2011 Author Share Posted October 20, 2011 I must admit, me too BK, one question I still have is because it has 'fixed' my squeak issue, am I hearing a change or am I just elated that the one small issue I had with the guitar is now fixed, who knows, however I definitely can hear a change in the soft playing of the guitar, how real that is can't be substantiated now as there are no previous recordings at a good level of detail and accuracy. The same for the Keb Mo as it has started now, again it will only be a self-assessment. I do admit to thinking it was pretty much nonsense beforehand, however I can't deny its had a great effect on that squeak that drove me wild... What I may do is give it some months to settle down, ask again if I can borrow the unit for a week again and take some after 1 treatment recordings, then measure after a second. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MissouriPicker Posted October 20, 2011 Share Posted October 20, 2011 I've never used a ToneRite. Just read about it. Like many readers, I've read that the use of Tonerite does nothing and I've read about miracles occuring. I have nothing pro or con to add to this, but I do have a question that I have not yet received a definite answer on. Do the changes made by a ToneRite last a long time? The impression I've gotten is that the effects are temporary--that the process must be repeated routinely to keep the changes that might happen. Does anyone know for sure? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ParlourMan Posted October 20, 2011 Author Share Posted October 20, 2011 I've never used a ToneRite. Just read about it. Like many readers, I've read that the use of Tonerite does nothing and I've read about miracles occuring. I have nothing pro or con to add to this, but I do have a question that I have not yet received a definite answer on. Do the changes made by a ToneRite last a long time? The impression I've gotten is that the effects are temporary--that the process must be repeated routinely to keep the changes that might happen. Does anyone know for sure? I'll try to answer you in a few months. ;) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MissouriPicker Posted October 22, 2011 Share Posted October 22, 2011 Thanks Parlor. I'll be looking-forward to hearing what you think. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
G McBride Posted October 29, 2011 Share Posted October 29, 2011 Ok guys, I finally decided to buy a ToneRite and try for myself. I have a J45 undergoing the treatment now. I will also use it on my J45 Historic, SWD and a Japanese copy of a 200 that I have owned for many many years. I think it can not hurt and maybe it will keep the wood more vibrant and alive than just sitting and getting stale and hard. I'll post some opinions in a month. I think the tonrite should at least simulate the guitar being played in and broke in at the very least. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BluesKing777 Posted October 30, 2011 Share Posted October 30, 2011 Yes, I used the Tonerite on a couple of new guitars. It took the newishness out of the Gibson Blues King, but the star performance was on an Epi EL00 which it improved greatly. I had also put bone nut, saddle, pins on the Epi and with all the new wood and stuff etc, it just made everything really harsh sounding. The Tonerite treatment worked to smooth out this harshness somehow. If you keep playing the treated guitar, you would not really have to treat it again, but if you ignore it.... Tonerite works! It is for brand new guitars to break them in a bit - you still have to play the $$#$#$% out of it! Perfect for old geezers that don't want to wait 3 years for the said new guitar to smooth out a bit. Totally worthless on old guitars - not needed. BluesKing777. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CaptainCook Posted October 30, 2011 Share Posted October 30, 2011 I had never heard about that kind of device and I'm highly intrigued. I'm also having some squeaking/buzzing problems with the unwound/plain strings of my new Aaron Lewis Southen Jumbo (basically some harsh overtones, as a luthier told me). Could you please listen to the following sound example and tell me if this is the kind of buzzing that might go away after using the Tonerite? http://www.box.net/shared/kum83yf4fj9xfx3pxx16 Thanks a lot! CC Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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