[rickc]

I've read in a few places now, where people refer to their guitars as being " played in ".
I have a fair idea that what this means is that the guitar is not brand spanking new, and that things have had a chance to settle a bit. But what exactly is it that needs to settle, in order for a guitar to be played in ?
I was aware that strings need some time to do their initial stretching and settling down so that they stay in tune etc. But a guitar is a solid object so what needs to be played in ?.
Maybe the wood needs to settle and acclimatise to local conditions ?
I've also read that acoustics, in particular, sound better when they have aged a bit. Is this because they are being played in, or does the wood naturally go through some kind of process over the years that eventually improves the sound ?
And then....Do differing tonewoods age differently, I mean would a ten year period change the tone of a rosewood guitar differently to the same ten years compared to a mahogany guitar ?
I guess what I am really asking is : When you play a new guitar in a shop, and like its tone etc... Will you be disappointed in ten years time if the natural changes in the quality of the wood ( and tone ) change in a way that you didn't expect.

Apologies for my being longwinded about all of this, but I can't seem to understand what processes are at work ?

[dadfad]

They probably mean, as you've already said, that the guitar woods, joints, glue, etc have had a chance to "open up." Woods actually become "ingrained" from certain vibrational... styles maybe the way to put it. Types of vibrations that cause the wood stucture to sort of... conform structurally or break grain-links... to them in a more conducive way to give those vibrations. Also glues will do the same thing, allowing more vibration in certain areas, etc. The finish likewise will allow more resonance as it ages (which is why old vintage acoustics with a nice "checker" on the finish is a plus regarding its value).

This above relates primarily to older upper-end guitars. Opening-up is not the same as wearing-out like you might find on a less expensive guitar.

This probably won't apply as much to many of the newer guitars of today as they become older. Newer-tech glues and finishes (epoxies, etc) probably won't "age" like the older nitro-cellulose laquers, etc. Whether that's a good or bad thing probably remains to be seen and likely will also depend on what the player is looking for.

But guitars do open-up (which I assume is what you meant by "played-in"). From my own experience for example an old well-cared-for Gibson J-45 or L-model will give superior response to a brand new identical model off the wall at a guitar shop. Some say it's because the older guitars have "opened-up" and some say it's because of superior woods and craftsmanship used back then. Myself, I tend to go with the opening-up thing more. In top-of-the-line guitars of today the quality and craftsmanship is probaly just as good yet the tones of the old classic vintage guitars (and I'm talking mostly about vintage Gibsons which is what I'm most familiar with) but the tone of the older ones is superior for some reason. I'd say that's probably from opening-up. Some guys I know swear by taking a brand new guitar and putting a speaker or small cassette player inside the soundhole (which has a recording of the musical style they intend to play on it) and let that cassette loop play for weeks inside the guitar (whenever it isn't being used) and that it will tremendously hasten the opening-up process. The sound will cause the sound-board to resonate in the same way as being played. I've never done it myself yet (it would take a cassette playing continually for two or three years at a very minimum to match the opening-up process of my best guitars.)

Just Saturday I went to a Guitar Center to pick up a few supplies for my annual musical-vacation I'll be taking soon. As usual I always check out the acoustic room. I played a brand new J-45 off the wall, and it was a great guitar, but nowhere near the tone and volume of my 1949 J-45. Several months ago I was in a Guitar Center and they had a Gibson Historic Re-Issue of the 1934 Gibson "The Jumbo" suppoosedly identical in every way. I played it and it was really an excellent instrument. I have an original 1934 The Jumbo (my main-acoustic), but thought I might buy the re-issue because sometimes I worry a little about taking an almost irreplaceable guitar (and worth probably $12,000+) out to some gigs, etc. So I played the re-issue a lot, got what I thought was a decent price and told the sales-guy I was going to go home and get my checkbook. He asked if I'd mind bringing my old original back for him to see, which of course I didn't! So I got back and we were in the acoustic room and I took it out and played a couple of things and he thought it sounded great, etc. Then I took the new one off the wall again and played a few things. Then the old original one again. Then switched again. By this time there was getting to be about ten or twelve guys standing around watching me play first one then the other. Same identical tunes first on the vintage then on the re-issue. Finally one young guy kind of summed it all up perfectly when he said "Man, that old guitar kicks that new guitar's fukkin' ass." And he was right (even the sales-guy agreed).

So for whatever reason there is an opening-up/playing-in, for better-quality acoustic guitars anyway (and it probably doesn't apply to electrics).