Breaking in a guitar..how long?

[Stow]

What the hell are you guys talking about!?

My new R7 sounds great NOW!
Will it continue to get better? Yes
Did I get used to it? Yes

Way too much thought involved in this thread, PLAY THE GAWDDAMN THING!!! PLEASE.

Its only a discussion about breaking in a guitar, some guitars are good players and some not some good..so they need a bit of tweaking and a LOT of playing to get to where you want them When I got my R7 new it was perfect from the mo I got it out the case! It sounds and plays a million times better than my R9, as I said before some guitars just play better than others. I think its all down to the necks on the R7s..

 

[C-4]

Dave TV and Silverburst 82: While I agree that some people may not be as "in tune" with these minute things as some others, I have been playing guitar since 1955, and have been around some VERY qualified experts in this, both at the Kalamazoo Custom Shop for Gibson and others who all got me to be in tune with these things and become aware of them. I heard this when I first got my new 1964 Super 400 back then and many other arch-top guitars and as well with the many LP's and other guitars I have had over the years. It really does exist and happen. Some are just more aware of it then others are, I guess.
Stephen

 

[dez]

Within 2 or 3 gigs usually.

 

[Brownsound]

Dave TV and Silverburst 82: While I agree that some people may not be as "in tune" with these minute things as some others, I have been playing guitar since 1955, and have been around some VERY qualified experts in this, both at the Kalamazoo Custom Shop for Gibson and others who all got me to be in tune with these things and become aware of them. I heard this when I first got my new 1964 Super 400 back then and many other arch-top guitars and as well with the many LP's and other guitars I have had over the years. It really does exist and happen. Some are just more aware of it then others are, I guess.
Stephen

Welll its good to know that a solidbody will benefit from the same effect of becoming a bit more open and resonant just from playing it. I always felt that older solidbodies...especially mahogany ones had a warmer tone that I couldnt seem to get in my new guits. That said, as much as I pay attention to the tone I get out of my amps and how most of the components affect sound Im betting I couldnt tell one elctric guitar string brand from another. I can with accoustic but Ill be damned if I can with my electrics.

 

[82 Silverburst]

C-4, I never doubted that anything with moving parts breaks in. However, with guitars it is much more apparent with an acoustic type.
And when a thread starts heading down the snake oil path I can not contain myself. IMO if you are so focused on these minute details, you are spending way too much time listening to your instrument and not enough time making music with it.

So I'll leave you with a quote from Frank Zappa, that I apply to myself when I know I am spending WAY too much time analyzing. "Shut up and play yer guitar"

 

[lure555]

I’ve always joked that I like new guitars because I want to be the one to teach them how to be guitars. I notice that with a new guitar the parts don’t vibrate harmoniously with each other. There could be weird little rattles, an overall “stiffness” to the instrument. Also, the highs tend to be a bit more harsh and bass a bit sterile. If I don’t play a new guitar exclusively, it can take about two years for it to settle, or break, in.

 

[Wizard1183]

I have noticed on at least two Gibsons I bought brandnew that the tone still improved after 2 - 3 years and these were axes that were played a lot! So keep listening even long after it's been broken in.
I'm breakin' in my LP Special DC faded right now, it doesn't fit like a glove yet.

Is it really the guitar breaking in? Or your tone getting better from playing the shit out of it?

 

[RocknRollShakeUp]

I’ve been playing since the late 80’s and this is the first time I’m hearing about needing to “break in” a guitar. It may need to acclimate to environmental factors and then set up, but that’s about it.

 

[Bob Womack]

Hmmmm... I understand a sound improvement with an acoustic guitar over a year or so. I don't experience sound improvement with solid body electrics, though. Now, playability? I certainly notice that.

After I've had the guitar for about a month and have an idea of how it plays, I take it to my luthier/tech who does a thorough set and fret dress on it. The guitar almost always comes back feeling dramatically different. He levels and crowns the frets, sets string height and relief, sets intonation, rounds the frets ends so that they feel played-in, and rolls the fretboard edge with a pencil to remove any sharpness and make it feel played in.

Those factors maximize playability and make the guitar feel far more comfortable. It is all measurable and/or documentable stuff.

Bob

 

[83Custom]

I’ve been playing since the late 80’s and this is the first time I’m hearing about needing to “break in” a guitar. It may need to acclimate to environmental factors and then set up, but that’s about it.

Exactly. People seem to make things up in their head and subsequently believe it to be fact.

A guitar needs to be set up correctly. For some, the stock set up works perfectly for them. Others may need the action higher or lower. Or a truss rod adjustment. Some may like the feel of a slightly sanded neck as opposed to one which is brand new. None of this is “breaking in” a guitar.

Nothing needs to be “broken in” on a guitar anymore than a basketball needs to be bounced many times before using it.

 

[renderit]

A good guitar breaks YOU in.

That said, after every few months you adjust this and that.

I suppose that could be settling in.

 

[El Gringo]

It takes time , some guitars take longer than others .Once it happens it's magical

 

[Wizard1183]

It takes time , some guitars take longer than others .Once it happens it's magical

 

[FenRx]

I’ve always joked that I like new guitars because I want to be the one to teach them how to be guitars. I notice that with a new guitar the parts don’t vibrate harmoniously with each other. There could be weird little rattles, an overall “stiffness” to the instrument. Also, the highs tend to be a bit more harsh and bass a bit sterile. If I don’t play a new guitar exclusively, it can take about two years for it to settle, or break, in.

I for one am glad I waited 19 years for your joke

 

[charliechitlins]

i put mine in front of the speaker. it breaks-in the guitar even without playing it everytime i use my stereo system. i can feel the neck vibrating while listening. anyone do this too?

I have a buddy with a great set of ears.
Recording engineer, mastering...
He has a custom made solid body that he said sounded stiff.
He faced against a 4x12 Marshall stack in his studio, got it howling and left for the night.
He said, after that the finish was checked and it rang like a bell.
It was a damn good sounding guitar.

 

[lure555]

I for one am glad I waited 19 years for your joke

I aim to accommodate.

 

[LyleGorch]

As soon as my grubby hands touch it.