Nitty Gritty
Is the tone really in the wood and do old guitars really sound better because the wood has dried out? The answers are yes and no. Contrary to popular belief, the seasoned wood used for guitar building doesn’t actually continue to dry out in the sense that all the moisture evaporates off. Even after kiln drying, the water content does vary to some extent, and it tends to fluctuate with atmospheric conditions.
Few would dispute that vintage and modern acoustic guitars tend to sound different. Different doesn’t necessarily mean better, but for some players ‘vintage’ equates to tonal nirvana. Is there a way to build ‘vintage’ tone into brand-new guitars? Advocates of roasting or torrefying wood believe there is, and the science may back them up.
Setting electric guitars off to one side for the moment, if you compare a pre-war Martin with a newly built replica – or even 10-year-old replica – there will be noticeable differences in sonic
