make and do wrote:
In terms of vintage hollowbodies and acoustic guitars: the fact that the wood is old and "settled" probably adds to the warmth/depth of the
tone, or is that assumption not necessarily the case?
It's not to do with settling, it's to do with ongoing changes in the residual sap in the wood and the wood itself. It also varies from wood to wood. Spruce topped guitars (which is still the vast majority of solid wood flat tops) take some years to get to what most people consider to be their best. Cedar topped guitars have a much shorter "playing in" period, but they don't change as much after that.
It's hard to separate the myth from the science - though the wood must dry out some with age. Some folks say that the crystalline structure of the residual sap continues to change and that they align themselves as the guitar gets played and the top is made to vibrate. I have yet to meet a serious dealer or luthier who will tell me that two guitars of the same age, kept in the same location, but one being played whilst the other just lies it's in case will sound the same. There are tales of hill billies in the Appalachians "conditioning" their guitars by leaving them leaned against a hi-fi or radio speaker with music playing all the time.
I do believe that my Morgan (now in it's 9th year, spruce top, rosewood back and sides) sounds better now than when I bought it. That's partly down to the bone saddle and nut I had fitted, but even before then it had changed from the time I bought it. My Larrivee (a year younger) is also moving along nicely it seems to me.
I have played some old Martins. One in particular (a 60-something D28) really had a great sound to it. But then I have heard a very recent Martin "golden era" re-issue that sounded pretty good, and I've played some brand new Lowdens that were amazing.
A good flat top will sound good from the get go. It may improve or mellow or whatever, but they don't start off sounding crap and then magically get magical.
