People will do all kinds of things to chase a certain sound. IME you can 99% of that vintage fender sound by pulling a brand new Fender off the rack, and playing with your EQ accordingly.....but were in DB so I'll shut my mouth now.
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Double Bass ToneRite
- Thread starter Steve Freides
- Start date
People will do all kinds of things to chase a certain sound. IME you can 99% of that vintage fender sound by pulling a brand new Fender off the rack, and playing with your EQ accordingly.....but were in DB so I'll shut my mouth now.
as a long-time member of the acoustic guitar forum, i'm not only aware of tonerite, but also of how controversial it is among acoustic players.
the thing is this - even if they work, and i'm skeptical, why not buy a guitar or bass you like the tone of NOW? that way you don't have to worry about whether aging it by putting it in front of a loud speaker, vibrating it or using a tonerite works. i'm actually not always a fan of the vintage stuff at hollywood guitar center and other local stores. i find newer acoustics can sound fan-freaking-tastic, where some old guitars sound more worn out to me. but for those who want a vintage or broken-in tone, why not buy used and get the real thing?
btw, a few years ago i bought a custom acoustic made for me by the luthier. when it arrived, i found the sound very tight and didn't care for it. i put it up for commission at a local high end guitar store, but within a few weeks the finish fully dried and it sounded like a whole nother guitar. this happened without a tonerite, and is the only time i played a guitar that was too new to sound its best, but it wasn't because of the wood.
the thing is this - even if they work, and i'm skeptical, why not buy a guitar or bass you like the tone of NOW? that way you don't have to worry about whether aging it by putting it in front of a loud speaker, vibrating it or using a tonerite works. i'm actually not always a fan of the vintage stuff at hollywood guitar center and other local stores. i find newer acoustics can sound fan-freaking-tastic, where some old guitars sound more worn out to me. but for those who want a vintage or broken-in tone, why not buy used and get the real thing?
btw, a few years ago i bought a custom acoustic made for me by the luthier. when it arrived, i found the sound very tight and didn't care for it. i put it up for commission at a local high end guitar store, but within a few weeks the finish fully dried and it sounded like a whole nother guitar. this happened without a tonerite, and is the only time i played a guitar that was too new to sound its best, but it wasn't because of the wood.
I don't know if this thing is horse hockey or not. I hear guys talk about basses opening up over time, however how often do we really hear our own instrument in it's acoustic glory? For me I rarely hear it. There are occasions when other people in the band are fiddling on it, but they aren't exactly bass players. My bass is a little over a year old, and it's had the bah-jesus played out of it since I picked it up.
So does it sound any different than the day I picked it up?.....I have no idea. I can tell you that I notice a positive audible difference in it after practicing for an hour or so. I think that's typical with gut strings though. They seem to really come to you after they warm up.
I think it would be really cool if someone did an actual experiment with one of these do-hickeys in a controlled environment (same bass, same mics, same room, etc.) over an extended period of time. It wouldn't be difficulty, only time consuming really.
So does it sound any different than the day I picked it up?.....I have no idea. I can tell you that I notice a positive audible difference in it after practicing for an hour or so. I think that's typical with gut strings though. They seem to really come to you after they warm up.
I think it would be really cool if someone did an actual experiment with one of these do-hickeys in a controlled environment (same bass, same mics, same room, etc.) over an extended period of time. It wouldn't be difficulty, only time consuming really.
I can't say if it's me or the instrument, but I'm also a classical guitarist and once a week, I play for 30-45 minutes for the coffee hour at church. (I'm the organist but the organ is kind of loud, and in the wrong room, for entertaining for coffee hour.) I swear the guitar opens up every time I play it for more than a few minutes, so I'd say this business, if it happens at all, happens on many levels.
I have heard far more experienced bassists say the same thing about an upright - it "opens up" after you've played it for long enough at any single session, although I have a hard time imagining how it would happen for my all-plywood bass. The guitar I have, OTOH, is a higher-end instrument.
-S-
I have heard far more experienced bassists say the same thing about an upright - it "opens up" after you've played it for long enough at any single session, although I have a hard time imagining how it would happen for my all-plywood bass. The guitar I have, OTOH, is a higher-end instrument.
-S-
I've definitely perceived that phenomenon. My old German flatback, which I kept strung with gut and set up with a tall bridge, "opened up" in a really pronounced way. My last band once rehearsed in a local park because it was such a nice day, and I brought that bass. I was barely audible for the first few songs, but after two hours of hard playing that sucker was ROARING.
I am with you and have read through the Great Tonerite Debates over there.
If the device actually causes the instrument to change I would assume that that 50% of the time it might not be a good change. A guy I know that likes to fish once told me, "There are lures that catch fish and lures that catch fishermen." Which do you think the tonerite would be?
I have noticed sometimes that when starting a session I have trouble being heard without pulling too hard, but after an hour or so it seems like I'm getting a lot bigger sound with less effort.
I do NOT attribute this to the instrument "waking up". Rather, I believe it's due to my body and reflexes getting properly aligned with the response of the instrument. Despite the known variableness of the big wooden box, I think I am still way more variable than it is.
I do NOT attribute this to the instrument "waking up". Rather, I believe it's due to my body and reflexes getting properly aligned with the response of the instrument. Despite the known variableness of the big wooden box, I think I am still way more variable than it is.
- Aug 1, 2005
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- Private Inventor - Bass Capos
I think a big factor is your ears waking up and adjusting. I very often find my sound - and everyone else's - to be quite poor at the beginning of a gig. After awhile, everything sounds okay. This is just everyone getting used to the room and the mix, and probably has little to do with the instruments themselves.
So, nobody actually tried this tonerite on an upright bass? Im willing to give it a go. It costs about the same as a set a strings and I dont think it will make any harm really.
I have clamped a cheap $20 aquarium bubbler up on a bass bridge for several weeks for the same effect. It was noticeably improved, but it’s the kind of thing you have to try for yourself.
cool! I will probably try to make a before and after when I receive it. After trying a couple of bass guitars with A.R.E from Yamaha I think definetly there are something to gain with this artificial aging effect.
Good point here. Otherwise, how can I explain my carbon fiber cello sounding better after a good run of scales to warmup followed by some lyrical passages. As many years went by, and I steadily improved as a player, the initial sound out of my double bass and wood and cf cellos got better. Seems it is mainly me “opening up” more quickly and maybe not the fiddles as much. And that is a good thing since I rarely get to warm up much before starting a gig. No Green Room for You!
I bought a tonerite several years ago. I just had my new bass and little time to practice, so I thought it was kind of a replacement 
. I like the sound of my bass and didn't expect some improvement, but I thought it wouldn't hurt if the wood is beeing vibrated regularly. In the meantime I play a lot, so it's sleeping in a drawer 
if someone is interested, I'll put it low-priced in the classified section, but it's the european version voltage. PM please.
. I like the sound of my bass and didn't expect some improvement, but I thought it wouldn't hurt if the wood is beeing vibrated regularly. In the meantime I play a lot, so it's sleeping in a drawer if someone is interested, I'll put it low-priced in the classified section, but it's the european version voltage. PM please.
So I tried that, but then I noticed the cat was eying my bass hungrily.....That and there was that faint odor of fish.
(Challenge time for @Don Kasper)
I would put it on every night, but the wife hates the sound it makes on the bass. Says it’s like nails on a chalkboard to her and she can hear it through the walls across the house, lol. Like a distant chainsaw… works great for vacations, though!
If we are in tune with other instruments, the bass sounds "opened up". Being in tune is a great way to open up the sound.
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