ToneRite Test 1 with my Martin 000-28 Norman Blake.m4v

[JYZProductions]

slightly louder but more fully balanced i find, I wonder what this could do for hollow bodied electrics (floyd rose equipped)

i can imagine if the guitar goes to sleep it'll go back to the same way the wood was before, you look kind of like the creator of the simpsons was my first idea but great playing blue grass isnt my thing but very fluid and everything a good player shows

[psp777]

what if you don't like the sound it creates? - haha! no seriously what a unique device. Great review Great playing

[MrMgoslett1]

I don't like it when he looks at me.

Top marks for the Tonerite though

[bevanmcg]

Yep ! much more depth and resonance to my ear ! wow !!

[PestVic]

definately can hear the lows better :) I want this thing now!! haha

[cast390]

Is the change permanent after treatment or are future treatments required over time?

[adamschlenker]

@cast390 The idea with this is that the vibration simulates years of being played, which in the long run nothing completely replaces time and playing...so I look at it like if you had a guitar that you had played a lot for a number of years then put it away. It would "go to sleep" but wouldn't go back to sounding "new". All in all, an instrument that doesn't get played is not going to sound as good as it could...

[cast390]

@adamschlenker I know what it does,if you know please answer my question

[adamschlenker]

@cast390 I thought I did. All I know about this product is based on my two tests...I'm not associated with the company so I don't know what their research shows. My opinion is a guitar will go to sleep if not played. You can not undo playing or using this devise but one way or another you have to maintain your instruments...I suggest that folks play their instruments. The Tone Rite web site says you should use it as needed...

[WiseBoyPro]

Try the tese playing at the same tempo and the same performance with the same pick so the sound pressure level stays canstant then see if the meter clips.

[pjmuck]

This is perhaps a dumb question, but I'm left handed and wondering if the ToneRite is a "righty-specific" device (i.e. left side of device needs to go over lower strings). Thanks. Great sound/playing, BTW.

[adamschlenker]

@pjmuck Thank ya much. It would fit fine on a left hand guitar the "feet" are evenly space to go with general string spacing...

Adam

[somekindonut]

Are you aware of the back of the guitar being up against your body as you play? I recently realized this is a factor when I am playing my 000M...

[hlias201]

I thought i was hearing some "banjo" sounds, you are a guitar player but that guitar, in the way that u are playing, it's like hear a banjo, greetings from venezuela and sorry if i have a mistake in my english.

[adamschlenker]

@hlias201 I know what you mean and thank you. Adam

[kdrake777]

Great demo and playing! I actually prefer the sound before the device, brighter and more articulate. It did get warmer but I think a bit muddy and too much midrange.

[GigglingGirI]

Sorry no it's not louder at all, it's you that played it louder.

[jacobgershowitz]

definitely an awesome device! i can hear the opening up of the sound on your instrument.

[iruvdabrackpeople]

well i mean im not saying you're lying im saying this product is fake and i appreciate your demonstration of the product with out bias

[martinmaniad35]

Hi, adam-thanks for sharing! great sound. can't go wrong with norman blake! i'm a big fan!

[adamschlenker]

@martinmaniad35 Thanks, Mr Blake is great. I was listening to Live At McCabe's earlier today great stuff!!

[iruvdabrackpeople]

in all honesty the reason why the mic redlined is if you look close in both vids he is closer the second time and honestly i heard no difference in fundamental tone i mean this thing is a 150 hoax as far as im concerned i mean he is a great musician and the guitar is beautiful but the product is a lie

[adamschlenker]

@iruvdabrackpeople If you read through some of the discussion you find that I've said this before. The mic is on a stand and not in frame so the viewer has no way of knowing how close I am to it. I purchased this devise out of curiosity, I'm in no way affiliated with the company so what you get here is my honest opinion about my experience. That opinion is that nothing replaces playing but if you have a bunch of guitars that don't get played this may help out.

[fedexnman]

nice playing by the way ..

[fedexnman]

its true guitars sound different/better as they age , yes by playing , but also by climate changes /conditions, glue drying, string age/gauge changes/ truss rod turns etc etc.. not having used a tonerite , i cant comment on the video . if you owed a guitar shop , you could rent it out to people and see if they see a difference , i imagine its a subtle tone difference and does seem to be a interesting product though ..

[dawg469]

thanks so much for this!

first off:

U PLAY GREAT!!! wow, just beautiful...

well done test too

thanks again!

[adamschlenker]

@1212surface If you read through my comments you'll find that I believe there is no substitute for actual playing time and this devise best serves someone with a lot of instruments that do not get played much, in my opinion...

[draigo69]

Good vid to start ,,, but then the 2 comparisons are different tempos , so it makes it difficult to actually hear any difference , thanks for the post mate , but maybe next time make your comparisons based using identical tests ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,Aw­esome technique though, flat picking was second to none ............

[hardinmichael1981]

what we need are some double blind trials where the testers do not know which guitars have received the TonRite treatment and which have not.

thats the SOUND... OF SCIENCE!

[alphasxsignal]

You are playing way diffrent for each test. Sorry not a good test.

[19fenderman60]

Great playing by the way! Good stuff !

[adamschlenker]

@19fenderman60 thank ya much

[Pan3405]

@adamschlenker Yes.. You're playing with feeling and understanding of the type of guitar..

[wammybarsolo21]

i know thats a 000 but it look just bigger than a normal one hahaha... thanks

[adamschlenker]

@wammybarsolo21 You callin' me short?!?! ;>)

[19fenderman60]

@adamschlenker Are you using the 3rd generation model in this video?

[adamschlenker]

@19fenderman60 I think it's a 2nd Gen.

[sjpetry]

I think the reason the guitar got louder is because you were playing harder.

[UtzChips2009]

Look at the angle in which he is holding the guitar at the beginning, as compared to the angle at 4:50 when he tries it again. The guitar is about at a 40-45 degree angle to his stomach. It appears he has the guitar up against his body more in the first demo compared to the 2nd. Just look at where his guitar sits on his knee on the 2nd demo compared to the first. So........the back is resonating more just because of how he holds the guitar.

[lazycrewband]

thank you for the video

useless device.

[RAPGordon]

Thanks for doing this Adam. I have a Martin 000-28vs which still feels 'tight' after a couple of years - very much like your guitar in the early part of the video. I do think that there was a smoothness to the range after the treatment which is something I think my guitar has still to get to, probably in 10 years at this rate. I might try the toneright instead. Very helpful thanks again

[arrisstuff]

Does it work on electric?

[adamschlenker]

@arrisstuff I have no experience with it on electric but I would guess it wouldn't do much. The way they describe what it does is to release tension in the joints. Since an electric guitar (unless your talking about a hollow body) doesn't really have many glue joints I can imagine it would have much impact.

[kontolraksasa]

@adamschlenker Wow, i was a bit skeptical, but when you did the clip comparison, after your guitar underwent the tonerite treatment, the tone was definitely rounder, and overall its livelier.

[kdlkg]

i think tonerite is an overpriced device. its just a vibrating device that cost $200.

[slownoman]

@kdlkg Bullshit. It costs about 150. There are capos in fairly wide use among players who actually play a guitar and not just post fecal material on line, that cost about that much. I've used this device on four guitars that were great to start with (I've played professionally since 1965). the TR improved them all, some more than others. It is not a miraculous transformation. A shitty guitar is gonna sound shitty before or after. But, ironically, a really good guitar gets better. Live with it.

[hardinmichael1981]

@slownoman I guess the important question is could this make a shitty guitar sound shittier? could it do any damage to a guitar if used as directed? I have a Yamaha Classical and a Godin 5th Avenue Kingpin. They're not the greatest guitars in the world and they're not the worst. New players would be surprised what difference a set of high quality strings and picks make. I will never go back to plastic picks. They sound like... uh.. PLASTIC.

so could the device do any harm to an instrument?

[nihk83]

toward the end of the video, when you a/b the guitar, it looks like you are recording from different distances... this can have a difference on how the microphone picked up the frequencies and amplitude of the sounds coming from your guitar.

[adamschlenker]

@nihk83 You can not see the mic in the shot so there is no way for the viewer to know what the perspective is between mic & guitar. I can tell you I was sitting in the same place & the mic stand was in the same spot on my desk. The camera is built in to the lap top, whether it was in a different spot or I cropped the shot differently would not make a difference here...

[nihk83]

@adamschlenker  ok, that makes sense, thanks for the video.

[MultiParasite]

Hey, whats up? Does that have a standard scale?

[adamschlenker]

@MultiParasite the Blake has a 24.9 scale length.

[TheApplescout]

@adamschlenker what year is this because iits pretty damn nice



[adamschlenker]

@TheApplescout Elaborate. What year is the guitar, when the video was shot???

The Martin is an 2007 I believe. I shot the video about 8 months ago according to the post. Otherwise it's 2010, at least for a few more weeks ;>)

Thanks

Adam

[WhomDoYouServe]

@adamschlenker Oh man, your question back to TheApplescout just made me laugh out loud!!! I'm cryin'!!!

[adamschlenker]

@godbyone Andy, I didn't take it as negative. I have had a bunch of varied conversations about this product. I do think there is some validity to it but it is so subjective. I can say that for best results you have to play the guitar yourself before & after...thanks Adam

[adamschlenker]

@godbyone I'll be the first to say this is very subjective & there are about a million variables...but don't base it on the camera shot, the mic was on a stand not on the camera...I tried to cut down on the variables on the test on the D18...but then It had NO effect on the D18 :>)

[loondoo]

Great Picking! It definitely sounds fuller and louder, not sure if it's the microphone or volume settings being different, but the basses sound deeper and overall the sound is more full. This may have convinced me of the ToneRite's benefits...thanks!

[Folkman55]

Nice pickin. Enjoyed it much. What I heard was more energy in the second cut and it didn't come from the guitar. It was from you. It'shard to pull off an experiment like you did. I will say you did it about as well as could have been done. I'm not convinced that Tone Right makes or wakes a guitar up. A good cleaning, strings (JP of course) and personal energy let the music out. If ever in Washington DC area, look me up. I'm with the Mill Run Dulcimer Band. My email: davecaouette55@yahoo.com.

[adamschlenker]

@Folkman55 Thanks Dave. It is all very subjective isn't it! I do get to DC from time to time. I have family there. I'd be up for some pickin'

Adam

[jwlloyd76]

Clean pickin' brother.  I like it.

[mitscan]

You are a fantastic picker. Scary good. I didn't come for the ToneRite, but just because I love listening to you on that Norman Blake! It's a beautiful thing.

[adamschlenker]

@mitscan Well thank ya much!! It's great to hear you enjoy my playing. If there is anything I can do for your playing feel free to ask.

Adam

[deborahkauffman09]

wow, what an amazing device, I'm gonna get one cause I can't play well and I've got a D-28 just sittin around...

[ltsultan]

thank you very much man!

[markgeelong]

Thanks for taking the time to put this together, awesome guitar work.

Mark

[barzoman2]

NO deference at all No any change at all

the only change is that the 2nd test was closer to mic which cause louder sound thats it any studio Engineer can tell that

[tman916x]

what do you think of the tone rite? I was thinking about buying one come round time for my next paycheck. Also does it improve the tone to a certain degree or is it the more it's on an instrument the more the instrument's tone improves?

[adamschlenker]

@tman916x I think that the best way to open up the sound of a guitar is to play it a lot. If you have instruments that don't get played much then it's nice to have one of these around. I don't believe that constant use would lead to constant improvement.

So if you have more guitars than you can keep played in & some money to spend I say pick one up but if you have time to play & $ is a concern, then pass it by.

Adam

[tman916x]

@adamschlenker Alright since I've only got two guitars and I'll play them both daily so thanks a lot for the info, I think I will pass on the tone rite.

[americanboy64]

your awesome on an acoustic

[adamschlenker]

@americanboy64 Thank Ya much.

Adam

[MicroGuyChannel]

Enjoyed the video. I noticed that the guitar now seems to play faster too. The tempo of the guitar seems much better.

[Wmacgregor]

Thanks, Adam, this is about the best demonstration of the Tonerite I've seen and has convinced me to try it on a new OM-28 Marquis. I've read in some forums about guitars "going to sleep." Do you use the Tonerite on an ongoing basis or is the series of treatments a "one shot deal?"

Again, thanks for posting this. I love your playing!

[adamschlenker]

@Wmacgregor Thanks much! There instructions say to do the first long treatment then "as needed" after that. I'd say that if the guitar has been sitting for a while, use it for a bit to keep it awake.

[StandardMeasurement]

Hey Adam-I enjoyed this video, experimentation is always fun regardless of the outcome.. Thanks for sharing your experiment here- a somewhat brave endeavor in a setting that can often play host to baboons. I wonder how the before/after would have faired using a Decibel meter.. and say pulling the string straight up to the same height from rest in mm or inches on the before/after. Stress relieving of metals is a common industry practice and vibration is used- wiki-able subject.

[adamschlenker]

@StandardMeasurement Thanks. Yea this kind of thing is an open door to some conversations not worth having but it has also lead to some great ones as well.

You raise some interesting ideas. Maybe someone will run with them & we'll all see what happens.

NIce to meet you

Adam

[StandardMeasurement]

@adamschlenker I'm trying to find a used digital Db meter for some home brewed before/after. I just got a new(to me)guinea pig yesterday.. Red Label FG that I will end up modifying and I was curious about projection bf/aftr. I will see if I can produce consistent results. with string raised to 1, 1.5, and 2 inches from rest. It would be nice to measure tension as well, not just height.

[adamschlenker]

@StandardMeasurement I'm intrigued to say the least. Keep me posted on what you find out.

Adam

[adamschlenker]

@StandardMeasurement  Thanks. Yea this kind of thing is an open door to some conversations not worth having but it has also lead to some great ones as well.

You raise some interesting ideas. Maybe someone will run with them & we'll all see what happens.

NIce to meet you

Adam

[adamschlenker]

@StandardMeasurement Thanks. Yea this kind of thing is an open door to some conversations not worth having but it has also lead to some great ones as well.

You raise some interesting ideas. Maybe someone will run with them & we'll all see what happens.

NIce to meet you

Adam

[MrBoombalitsy]

I have a Fender acoustic, nothing fancy. I just started trying to flatpick. What kind of strings should I use?

[adamschlenker]

@MrBoombalitsy If your new to playing stick with light gauge till your hands get ready for mediums which is what most flatpickers use.

As to brand, I only use John Pearse.

[Rottmad]

I wonder; will it work on nylon strings?

[adamschlenker]

@Rottmad my best guess is that it would do whatever it does regardless of the string type since its really only vibrating the wood...

[fingerpickerguy]

Great video. Very well done. Thanks for taking the time to share that.

[MrDaveGunter]

Exceptionally well done, man.

This falls under the category of truly solid research -- great guitar, too! I have one of my sweet old guitars -- A Brazilian rosewood/German spruce Prairie State that has been "asleep for a loooooong time due to recently repaired damaged -- on the ToneRite right now. Tried her after 72 hours and also noticed a difference in overall balance and some lift in volume.

Saw your post and decided to slap it on for a few more days.

Thanks

[adamschlenker]

thank you very much.

I have to say I did not try it until the week was up but I am pleased with the results. Once I can put my D18 down long enough I'll try it on there as well.

By the way, sounds like a great guitar you have there. What ever the tonerite doesn't do, you'll get to do yourself through pickin!

Adam

[MrDaveGunter]

Yep, pickin' is the ultimate path to right tone. I have been a fan of Norman and his playing since the very early years. Even got to meet him when we hosted one of his shows with Nancy back in the 80s. A nice man.

[adamschlenker]

I can't think of anyone I'd like to sit & pick with more than Mr Blake. He never loses sight of the song, thats a hard thing to accomplish.

Good to meet you

Adam

[DAVIDDAMIENR]

I'm looking forward to heraring more of this "Test" and more of your wonderful playing.

I'll try to check out your Web Site on Bluegrass Guitar Lessons Sometime ... I don't now much about Bluegrass Guitar or Music except that I like how it sounds. I've always been more into Jazz that other styles but I'm always listening and discovering GREAT players and Music.

Continued Success,

David

[adamschlenker]

Thanks David,

Not all of my lessons will have a bluegrass theme. The only constant will be acoustic music/instruments.

I'm working on a series thats designed to help players move around the fretboard better, using "landmarks". That may have some points of interest to you as a jazz player.

[alwayslooking4space]

It does seem more balanced.

[adamschlenker]

yea, I wish you folks could hear it in person. It really has smoothed out considerably.

[DAVIDDAMIENR]

Getting around the Fretboard is Always a Challange in ANY style of Music.

Jazz is VERY Chromatic and the Harmonic Structuers are Dense so it's not an easy style to play on Guitar. Many of the Melodic Lines come from Horn Players and that doesn't translate well onto Guitar. We practice a lot of Chromatic Approaches, Arpeggieos and 2 Octave Modes and Scales.

I look forward to enjoying more of your Video's and your Music.

Thanks for sharing your Artistry here on You Tube.

David.

[DAVIDDAMIENR]

It sounds Brighter.

Your playing a lot faster on the 2nd recording and your attack is different so play it again at the same tempo and give it a sound.

DDR

DDR

[adamschlenker]

Knowing that the audio on this video would not transfer all the details, I spent my own time with the Blake before shooting the "verdict" segment. It is one of my main performing instruments so I know it well. I stand by my observations in regards to the increased balance in tone.

I hear more top end also. To my ears in the room the more balanced tone allows for more of everything to be heard.

[DAVIDDAMIENR]

Yeah, I agree. I thought it sounded Louder, Brighter and Warmer.

It's hard to say if that's the Guitar or your Playing when the same song is played at different tempos but the sound is VERY different on the side-by-side recordings.

I would NEVER Argue with a Picker from West Virginia .... I've been to McDowell County and I a have Bluegrass Friend there Alan "Cathead" Johnson and I know how GREAT West Virginia Musicians Are. They're some of the BEST Musicians in the World.

David

[adamschlenker]

David,

You're point is completely valid & for the D18 treatment I'll pick something very specific to play for the before & after.

thanks

Adam

[scuber2]

@DAVIDDAMIENR

I agree totally