ToneRite device?

Michael Bauer

Those same guys I referred to "heard" the difference between cream and black plastic bobbins as well…or convinced themselves they did. Only they didn't, because stuff like that can make no difference whatsoever. But lots of gear gets sold because people convince themselves they hear stuff that isn't there.

Again, I'm not saying these things don't work, but it's relatively easy for a company to measure sonic (at least volume) differences before and after if they want to. If it works, why not do it? if they are not forthcoming when asked, as Al did, I'll leave my money in my wallet until I see the proof.

kevingcox

What with the tone measuring equipment available today it should be a relatively easy test. I mean, using fairly simple and free plugins you can EQ your practice room/home studio.

I remember hearing about an old school archtop player (maybe someone here knows the story) who would basically start beating on his guitar (that is, playing it really hard) about 2 hours before a show to get it warmed up. Apparently he played in Montreal at a jazz festival and the band leader kept asking him to play lighter because he was so much louder than the horns. On an archtop. I forget who told me that story, maybe someone on here, but there is apparently something to be said for getting things humming.

Al Watsky

You can open up a guitar in 30 minutes.
So if you have the 30 minutes go for it.
Dealers use them when they have a deal going and need to demo the guitar live for a prospective buyer.
It gets the guitar going, warms it up, then you can give it to the player and know its awake.
Its especially important for arch tops .
They need a bit of a kick start due to the carved tops.

bopster

Study released on Tonerite:

http://www.savartjournal.org/index.php/sj/article/download/22/pdf

Jazzaferri

It may seem off topic but in realit it's not.

Why does a roomful of pendulums started at slightly different times over time come to swing in synch.......

There is still lots of stuff science still can't explain or explain well. I recall reading a translation of an ancient Tibetan text that dealt with a concept that seems to be very much the same as the recent hypothesis in theoretical physics that we actually are part a multiverse.

bopster

Nice food for thought @Jazzaferri.

In my day job as a speech therapist, the field has the mantra of "evidenced based practice", but no one would throw out methods that work just because they are anecdotal. I agree with you completely.

rimm

noodlenot

i was always a bit skeptical of TR, but maybe it was because of all the marketing parlance. supposedly helps to "play in" or "open up" an unplayed guitar (i´ll take Al´s and other folks´word for it), but no voodoo happening to "help you achieve vintage tone now".
you can (and many folks actually do) use an aquarium air pump for the same effect. try searching google for "aquarium pump tonerite" or poorman´s tonerite. here´s a link that could be helpful :

http://www.luthiersforum.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=10101&t=28635&hilit=tonerite+air+pump

best,
Miguel.

Buco

Either you think it helps or you don't and that's that. There was never a consensus in the field of audio on the effect on speaker wires and various tweaks and it's likely there never will be one.

One thing is that these tests take human ear as a constant instrument with precisely controlled variables, or at least I never read any mention of it.
But human ear is non-linear, as remarkably precise as it is. But that's the physical part of it. Than there's a role of brain and hearing, that influences how we hear.
How does a researcher account for that?

Imagine you being instantly transported from a meditation room to a live rock concert.
How will your ear react?
And than compare your sensation of what you hear to someone standing next to you just loving it and enjoying every second of it.
What will be the response of you and that person next to you if a researcher asks about the sound intensity, decibel level, timbre, levels of distortion etc?

As far as measuring devices being able to measure and plot out the musical instruments and the way we hear all of the various qualities we look for in a musical instrument I know nothing about that.
But I'm curious if they can make a difference between the note A played on a sax and the same note played on on a trumpet?

Lastly, do we know this research specifically used Tone Rite or some other similar device?

Jazzaferri

A good sound spectrum analyzer can easily display the difference between a sax and a trumpet ...or even two different acoustic guitars.

The played in sound phenomenon MAY be occurring in a realm not measured by such gear or it may be that the difference is so slight that the machines can't pick it up.....truth be told....we just don't know enough yet.

@stuart ...great find....kinda cool how the holdout on the right synched in opposition first and then came over.