[vmorrissette]

I've heard that acoustic guitars begin to sound better with age. I was just wondering if this was true, and why. Thanks.

[MakoMako]

Only certain guitars, too my knowledge, sound noticably better with age. Solid-top guitars are the ones that are most creditted with this feature, and there are many who have the guitars and years to prove it. My friend has a 20year-old guitar that sounds better than anything new in the local store.

I'm not positive as to why, it involves the wood though, that's all I can offer. I'm certain someone can give a much better insight into this. But I'll just say that 'yes' they do sound better with age.

[adds]

Think of it the same as breaking in a new pair of shoes. As has been said only solid tops get better if you are playing plywood crap it will alway stay the same. There are also other things though which makes those old vintage guitars sound better. Everone wants that old vintage sound and they think its just cos its old but its not always the case. Guitars were also made different back then. Companys made compromises to the sound in order to make the guitars more solid. They wanted to give you life time warrentys and they couldnt justify that building them the way they did. Your vintage stuff was much more delicate. Scallop the braces and the guitar just cant take the knock it can un-scalloped. It also takes less time which it another issue. Basicly when you add a thickness, dont pay as much attention to the bracesing ect it reduces sound quality. They do say that after around 50 years a top starts to die it gets all played out and the sound quality reduces. How much truth in this im not sure. Ive played some old guitars that sound really good. Ive played some that sound bad to.

[stuartmerenbloom]

Hard to explain from a "scientific" viewpoint. The older some guitars get, the better they sound. I can tell you that my 30+ year old Gianini sounds better than the thousand dollar classical guitars on today's market. Think of them as a fine wine that mellows with age:)

[dadfad]

I've heard that acoustic guitars begin to sound better with age. I was just wondering if this was true, and why. Thanks.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

It's possibly true of high-quality guitars, which is why the old high-quality vintage guitars sound so good. I've also heard it said that they sound so good not only because of age, but because of the quality of the woods used to build them back then, which is no longer around to be had at any price.

Guitars (good ones) however do learn to "breathe" and as they are played their finishes and glues and structures sort of "open up" and become in-grained in certain ways. I have heard it said by a few (who know their guitars) that a similar thing can be accomplished by placing your guitar in a closet with a recording of the kind of guitar-work you intend to play on it and leaving it to play next to the guitar for several hundred hours will do the same thing. That the body will resonate as if it's being played and the same "opening-up" and in-graining will take place. I don't know myself because I play already-vintage high-quality guitars.

But a good guitar will definately get better with Time.

[adds]

I've heard that acoustic guitars begin to sound better with age. I was just wondering if this was true, and why. Thanks.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

It's possibly true of high-quality guitars, which is why the old high-quality vintage guitars sound so good. I've also heard it said that they sound so good not only because of age, but because of the quality of the woods used to build them back then, which is no longer around to be had at any price.

Guitars (good ones) however do learn to "breathe" and as they are played their finishes and glues and structures sort of "open up" and become in-grained in certain ways. I have heard it said by a few (who know their guitars) that a similar thing can be accomplished by placing your guitar in a closet with a recording of the kind of guitar-work you intend to play on it and leaving it to play next to the guitar for several hundred hours will do the same thing. That the body will resonate as if it's being played and the same "opening-up" and in-graining will take place. I don't know myself because I play already-vintage high-quality guitars.

But a good guitar will definately get better with Time.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I think the woods are still there. To a lesser extent but they are still around. High quality woods like brazilian rosewoods will all be old stock now its section 1 on the CITES act. It was all chopped down years ago. I personly think its alt more to do with the way most companys build them now than the wood. Good woods are still out there.

[bink2112]

I love the sound of a good old guitar player playing a good old guitar