Do guitar get dull in the case ?

JohnW63

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I have a few too many guitars, and some do not get pulled out as much as they deserve. Yesterday, I pulled out my Walden. The first guitar I purchased, when I started on this " Let's see what OTHER guitars sound like, besides my Ovation " , quest that lead me to this , and other forums and guitar purchases. I hadn't played it in a while. I've been buying and playing a fair number of Guilds, these days. I know, a horrible situation to be in.

Now, to the point. I had put a new set of Martin Retro strings on the Walden, when they didn't work as I hoped on the D-55. When pulled it out. It sounded kind of dead. More muffled than I thought it did. I chalked it up to my ears changing over the years and I must have gotten used to better guitars. I left it out of it'd case and on the guitar stand. Today, it sound really nice. I remembered why I was happy with it, back when I bought it ( for a measly $250 + shipping ). It's a fun and expressive guitar with Cedar over Mahogany and is pretty light weight.

So, is being locked away in a case, make them close down, ( as apposed to "open up" ) and get dull and boring ? Does taking them out into the fresh air wake them up ? Or did my ears change over night.
 

merlin6666

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Indeed I don't think it's the case that matters but the lack of playing and vibrations. I have also found that guitars tend to sound lifeless if they are not played for several months, but after about 2 hours of vigorous playing they wake up again. A while a go l read about the physics underlying this phenomenon but forgot where.
 

fronobulax

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Indeed I don't think it's the case that matters but the lack of playing and vibrations. I have also found that guitars tend to sound lifeless if they are not played for several months, but after about 2 hours of vigorous playing they wake up again. A while a go l read about the physics underlying this phenomenon but forgot where.

What he said, although mine is definitely an opinion with very little to back it up.
 

davismanLV

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Never put 'em in the case and they're all in play rotation in different tunings and such so, I'm officially stating that I have no evidence for you. Sorry, John, I'm no help at all..... :encouragement:
 

Bonneville88

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Agreed... keep 'em out and within easy reach, they'll get played :joyous:
Very interested in reading about the "physics underlying the phenomenon" if anyone has
a link!
 

wileypickett

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What I find when I haven't played a guitar in a while is not that the guitar has become dull sounding, but rather that I need time to remember how to get out of the guitar what it's best at delivering.

Each guitar has strengths and weaknesses -- some want a lighter touch or a more aggressive one; some sound good playing single string parts, some sound better chordally.

Though it may seem like a guitar sounds better the more you play it -- and I do think there's something to that -- I also think we need time to "reacclimatize" ourselves to guitars we haven't picked up in a while. That's true for me anyway.

Glenn
 

Quantum Strummer

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I also find the main thing that opens up when I play a guitar for the first time in awhile is my own sensitivity to its nuances. Though the guitar may also be reacting to being played…

-Dave-
 

richardp69

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I don't claim to be a great player or to know a whole lot about guitars in general because truthfully, I'm not and I don't. I've never bothered to try to answer a question like this before because most everybody I know will swear on a stack of bibles that the more you play a guitar, the more it will open up or conversely, if you don't play a guitar it will close up and not sound as good as it could. I've not found that to be the case, at least not to my ear. I have way more guitars than I need and can play regularly. It just isn't in the cards. But, I can say, at least to my ear, and I don't care if it's Guild, Gibson or Martin, I just can't say that a guitar sounds appreciably better if you play it regularly. My gut tells me there is some logic to that argument but at least in my case, I don't believe it's true. My friends will read this and tell me I'm an idiot and I may well be but sometimes I think if people hear something said often enough then they truly believe that must be the case. Maybe it is, but like I say it's not for me.
 

gjmalcyon

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I notice this "sounds better after it is out of case and played for a couple of days" phenomenon too.

For me, it is most pronounced on the rosewood bodies (DV6 and F-47R) and least on the maple arch backs (F-40 and G-37). The solid mahogany guitars are somewhere in between, and the GAD's are less affected than the others.
 

Westerly Wood

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I also blame the Martin Retros, they are pretty dead in general IMHO.
I recently got suckered by D'addario marketing too re their Nickel Bronze strings. OH my, worst strings I have heard in a while.
Now I am on EJ17s, yes, I upgraded to Medium gauge. Figure quit with the subtle tactics...awesome!
 

dreadnut

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Depends on how long it's stashed in the case. My Guilds are ALWAYS in their cases when not being played. But they get played a lot, as in almost every day. I do think they open up some when they warm up to your body temp.
 

adorshki

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Depends on how long it's stashed in the case. My Guilds are ALWAYS in their cases when not being played. But they get played a lot, as in almost every day. I do think they open up some when they warm up to your body temp.

Yeah there're so many variables here, but I agree that not just body temp but ambient temps impact sound output, especially in the last couple of weeks, here.
The D40's really sounding great, as we come out of an over-extended spring period with lower than normal temps.
Was remarking to myself last Friday night, just listening to harmonics decaying, "Wow, this really does have a more crystal clear bell-like tone than the D25" (now that it's finally opened up).
Then realized it was also pretty darn warm for 9:00 on a Friday night (like 80 degrees), and was playing next to an open door.
 
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