Why do older guitars often sound better than newer ones? Some credit finishes: lacquer (old) vs. polyurethane (new.) Some blame humidity, or the lack thereof. In fact, it’s the actual playing of the guitar that ages it. The vibrating strings literally rattle the sap away from the wood grain at a molecular level, freeing the wood to increase in resonance. It’s been said that the more you play a particular note, the more your guitar responds to that frequency.
And, so it is with my 70+ year old Martin O-17. It originally belonged to my dad and, after his passing, I inherited it. I like to think that he laid the groundwork ahead of me; that his favorite passages “rearranged” the grain for me like cutting a pathway through a thicket. When I play it now its seasoned tones turn back the years and I’m a wide-eyed eight-year old again watching daddy play his blues and believing with all my heart that I could do the same someday!
To hear this fine instrument please go to Spotify and stream my cover of the Stephen Foster classic, “Hard Times” from my new CD, “Big House Down.” Or, for best sonic quality, buy the song off Amazon, Apple Music, iTunes or CD Baby.
