CuteCube² Guitar - Play-in System for String Instruments

[whiteox]

. After using the CuteCube on the Smith the tone went from "boooooooooooooooooooom" to "booh-dooh-dooh-dooh" in those places. Priceless [/QUOTE]
see he admits his tone went to dooh dooh. WAIT I thought that was the opposite effect he was going for.

 

[bassfunkman]

I just went back to the original post and actually clicked on the link. The German site sells this amazing device for a steal at 179 Euro, which is, what, something a little over $200 US?

So what I'm trying to figure out is what it does that you can't do with a bit of foam padding, a rubber band, and a vibrator. Seems easy enough to make a poor man's CuteCube, no?

I bought the ToneRite ToneRite before the CuteCube. The ToneRite is basically a vibrator, the tone of the bass was dead as a doornail after treatment. I was really mad, because it took the bass a long time to come back.

 

[bassfunkman]

@bassfunkman

At what point do you think the effect of this device reaches its maximum potential, i.e. how long before a bass can't be "broken in" any more and will no longer be improved by wearing the vibrator?

Depends on the bass. Might be also how old the wood is. My experience is between 2 weeks and 2 month. Brand new instruments take longer. To wake up a treated bass you haven't played for a month for a live gig or studio session takes 1-3 days.

 

[jmverdugo]

Again, I'm not trying to prove the magic cube works but that the technology could work. In this case it is not impossible to prove a negative premise, mechanical vibrations is a very well known field, it is very known how it works, there is a whole industry dedicated to create, control, measure, monitor and analyze vibrations and its effects on solid bodies. I'm not discussing the validity of the OP experiment, I think it proves nothing. My only point is that the technology to make a device to "age" something by inducing vibrations exists and it is nothing new. There are even softwares that can tell how long can a specific piece of a given material can last under certain vibration.

 

[bassfunkman]

This is actually interesting...?
I listened to the files on my mastering system and could hear a pretty significant difference after treatment!
I critically listen to music for my day gig and I don't fool easily.
I think I may get one of these.

Man, a second opinion would be super

 

[bassfunkman]

The sub-$20 ones are 3w, the $200 one is 20w. I don't know if it makes a difference sound-wise, but at least there is a reason for some of the price difference.

Don't know if 3w will do any...

 

[bassfunkman]

Honestly, with 5 minutes in my chosen recording software I could subtly 'improve' a number of aspects of recordings...some quick application of a couple plug ins, a bit of multiband compression, a hint of Maxxbass...

With just someone's word that they're not, I certainly don't believe that they're not.

Not in my wildest dreams would I have doctored up any of the before/after recordings. Now that would be just dead wrong!

 

[mongo2]

 

[bassfunkman]

Maybe I'm missing it, but I still haven't seen where the manufacturer claims thus is to improve a bass. The page I saw just claimed you could play mp3s using the table as a speaker.

I don't think the manufacturer has any idea what it does for instruments. Looks like George Forester somehow figured it out himself.

 

[bassfunkman]

All I see in this thread is this:

View attachment 581164

I haven't read one logical or scientific explanation of why it would not work, just burn the witch for saying or doing things we don't understand.

I mentioned in a post on this thread, vibrations do affect the way materials behave, it is a fact, vibrations can prematurely age materials. So in theory this could work. So, maybe the OP test is flawed, that doesn't mean this thing doesn't work. Don't get me wrong, there is also a good chance it doesn't work but not because it's a bad idea but because it is not well implemented. I'm also not going to run a buy one of these, not a chance, but I just think people is being too defensive and with a "you don't fool me attitude", forget for a second that this is for sale and focus on the technology.

Can somebody explain why it would not work?

Well, I don't have no idea what really happens. Actually never thought about it either. I just love the results

 

[callofcthulhu]

Depends on the bass. Might be also how old the wood is. My experience is between 2 weeks and 2 month. Brand new instruments take longer. To wake up a treated bass you haven't played for a month for a live gig or studio session takes 1-3 days.

Ok...

Let's say that I play a bass approximately every other day, would you think that I would reap any benefit from affixing the device to the bass during it's "off" days?

 

[bassfunkman]

I'm actually amazed this thread isn't closed. The claims for this product remind of a thread about the kickstarter project to fund a space elevator.

So the cube is a small MP3 player that sends vibrations to the wood in your guitar to improve its sound.
No one actually is there to watch him make the recordings.
What's to say he isn't 1. first recording the bass guitar with EQ flat and then 2. recording the bass guitar through a 10-band EQ pedal and then 3. making claims the tone has improved?

One last time, I respect the music and musicians way too much to waste anybodies time with fake results. One who would do so should look up "Karma" in the dictionary.

 

[bassfunkman]

Ok...

Let's say that I play a bass approximately every other day, would you think that I would reap any benefit from affixing the device to the bass during it's "off" days?

How many years have you been doing this on this particular bass? Can you get more specific on "every other day"?

 

[callofcthulhu]

How many years have you been doing this on this particular bass? Can you get more specific on "every other day"?

Let's say it's a 3 year old bass and for the past 3 years I've practiced on it for 3 hours every Monday, Wednesday, Friday, and Sunday. Would you expect to hear a difference if I started attaching the cutecube on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays?

 

[mongo2]

Let's say it's a 3 year old bass and for the past 3 years I've practiced on it for 3 hours every Monday, Wednesday, Friday, and Sunday. Would you expect to hear a difference if I started attaching the cutecube on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays?

Here's what you do...while practicing, attach the cube to the bass, run the songs you're playing through the cube while you play along and eventually the bass will be able to play the songs by itself.

 

[Iridescentone]

I have a few general questions...

1) If the vibrator treatment alters the sound, why is it assumed that the change will always be "better"?
2) Why is a "stiff" bass (OP's words) a bad thing that needs to be "loosened up"? Many builders go the extra mile to ensure their necks will be extra stiff, vis a vis multi-lammed construction and graphite stiffening support rods? The general concensus is that stiffer is better.
3) If Yamaha has already explored this treatment, but it hasn't caught on, why is the Cube gizmo supposed to be any more effective?

Related aside;

This vibration theory plays into the myth that beat up, old basses (especially Fender, for some reason) play and sound better than pristine examples of the same vintage and same model. In my experience the opposite has been the reality. The clean, seldom played ones sounded better than the fagged-out beaters. I call BS on the "beaters are better" myth.

 

[Baird6869]

I absolutely want to have a beer with bassfunkman.

That is all.

 

[bassfunkman]

Let's say it's a 3 year old bass and for the past 3 years I've practiced on it for 3 hours every Monday, Wednesday, Friday, and Sunday. Would you expect to hear a difference if I started attaching the cutecube on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays?

Well that would be about 1870h of constanly playing the bass over three years. Pretty well played in already. You'll probably get a good gain running it for two weeks in between your strictly scheduled 3h practices. But why do you never play on Tuesdays? In case you have another bass that you only play every 3rd Thursday of the month containing 31days for 1:27h you get more significant results on that one.

 

[ggunn]

Again, I'm not trying to prove the magic cube works but that the technology could work. In this case it is not impossible to prove a negative premise, mechanical vibrations is a very well known field, it is very known how it works, there is a whole industry dedicated to create, control, measure, monitor and analyze vibrations and its effects on solid bodies. I'm not discussing the validity of the OP experiment, I think it proves nothing. My only point is that the technology to make a device to "age" something by inducing vibrations exists and it is nothing new. There are even softwares that can tell how long can a specific piece of a given material can last under certain vibration.

Apples and oranges. Prove that this specific application does anything that the OP says it will and I'll listen. I hold a couple of technical degrees and I am no stranger to materials science, and in my opinion this is hogwash. Spend your money however you want but I'm not buying it.

 

[bassfunkman]

I have a few general questions...

1) If the vibrator treatment alters the sound, why is it assumed that the change will always be "better"?
2) Why is a "stiff" bass (OP's words) a bad thing that needs to be "loosened up"? Many builders go the extra mile to ensure their necks will be extra stiff, vis a vis multi-lammed construction and graphite stiffening support rods? The general concensus is that stiffer is better.
3) If Yamaha has already explored this treatment, but it hasn't caught on, why is the Cube gizmo supposed to be any more effective?

Related aside;

This vibration theory plays into the myth that beat up, old basses (especially Fender, for some reason) play and sound better than pristine examples of the same vintage and same model. In my experience the opposite has been the reality. The clean, seldom played ones sounded better than the fagged-out beaters. I call BS on the "beaters are better" myth.

With "stiff" I mean that the notes don't response fast. Also dynamic range to really get phrasings across. And areas on the fretboard (with perfect setup by a pro luthier) where you have weak notes.