Is this a scam?

[acidrock]

http://www.tonerite.com/main.html

Sounds a little too good to be true.

 

[ggunn]

Yes. Scammalamma dingdong.

 

[muttley600]

There has been quite a bit of research on playing in methods which is essentially what this thing claims to do. As a luthier and acoustician I have not seen a single paper that is of merit. The stuff they put up as supporting evidence is scant to say the least and doesn't even touch on the research that has been done in the past. Save your money and put it towards some lessons or new strings you'll get more improvement in tone from either of those options.

 

[acidrock]

Don't worry,I'm not going to buy it.If it worked I think most manufacturers would use it.I just didn't want to dismiss it because it's the first I've ever heard of it.
I've been reading things about "breaking in" and aging of guitars and this came up.

If you'll be so kind as to give me your credit card number, I

Hey,I left you a twenty on the dresser!




J/K!

 

[muttley600]

There is some evidence that guitars and violin family instruments "play in" or improve with age. It has never been shown to be down to actually being played. Current thought on it is that is down to a combination of the instrument settling in under tension (short term) and the effects of timber creep and the resins in the spruce crystallising (short term). In my opinion and experience it is more pronounced in European spruces but that is only an opinion. Most believe it takes between 10 - 25 years to peak then it drops away a bit and holds there. Frankly I think a good instrument is a good instrument and the supposed effects of age are very minor, my opinion again as it is impossible to quantify any of this.

 

[Tadpui]

I have to call bullshit on "playing in" an instrument in the way that's mentioned on that website.

I will agree that an instrument's character will change over time, but that's due to factors other than it having been played over all those years. Aging wood, aging finish, environmental factors all would have an effect on an instrument over the years. Even the wear and tear caused by being played will change its character.

But there is NO WAY that simply having the vibrations/resonances from playing would have ANY effect on an instrument. No way, no how. It'd take a remarkable demonstration to convince me otherwise. Total bullshit.

 

[Purge]

You guys are all nuts. This clearly works. Didn't you check out the graph? It plainly shows how, after 7 weeks, the sound quality goes from a 6.5 to almost 9!!!!! When people provide that kind of foolproof empirical evidence, how can you keep naysaying like that?!

[/fucking sarcasm]

 

[Victory Pete]

That seems to be an outlandish claim. I do feel though that an old guitar that has been played alot will improve its sound because of being played. The belief is that the guitar is "exercised". I imagine the wood becomes use to vibrating a specific way and becomes more resonant. I have an 11 year old HD-28 that definately sounds better now, I did change the nut and saddle to bone which accounts for some of the improvement. I have read articles by Larry Cragg, who is Neil Youngs tech, who supports this theory.
VP

 

[ggunn]

That seems to be an outlandish claim. I do feel though that an old guitar that has been played alot will improve its sound because of being played. The belief is that the guitar is "exercised". I imagine the wood becomes use to vibrating a specific way and becomes more resonant. I have an 11 year old HD-28 that definately sounds better now, I did change the nut and saddle to bone which accounts for some of the improvement. I have read articles by Larry Cragg, who is Neil Youngs tech, who supports this theory.
VP

No offense intended, but IMO it's PSMJ (pseudo scientific mumbo jumbo).

 

[Victory Pete]

No offense intended, but IMO it's PSMJ (pseudo scientific mumbo jumbo).

No offense taken, we all have our beliefs and opinions.

 

[ermghoti]

You guys are all nuts. This clearly works. Didn't you check out the graph? It plainly shows how, after 7 weeks, the sound quality goes from a 6.5 to almost 9!!!!! When people provide that kind of foolproof empirical evidence, how can you keep naysaying like that?!

[/fucking sarcasm]

The graph is more hilarious that that. If you don't play the instrument, it gets rated exactly the same in perpetuity. If you use the goofy product regularly, it steadily improves. If you use it for one week only, it immediately and drastically improves, and then declines. So, apparently, playing-in will heal over time.

Retards.