Played in

The widely reported sense that a solid-wood acoustic guitar responds better after years of being played, opening up and losing a tight, stiff quality.

Players describe the change as more warmth, more sustain and a quicker response to a light touch, and it is usually attributed to the wood losing moisture and the structure gradually loosening as it is vibrated for thousands of hours. Measured changes in stiffness are small and variable, and much of the improvement that players notice may also come from a good setup and from their own familiarity with the instrument. The effect is more often claimed on solid tops than on laminates.

Example: a well-used older dreadnought is often described as having a depth and ease that the same model straight from the factory lacks.

Played in

See also