Tonerite?

I've seen the ToneRite bashed on here and on guitar forums...usually by folks that haven't seen or tried one. I find it baffling how staunch a stand a person will take on something they've never tried.

I bought the guitar model ToneRite a few months back to see if it worked as they claimed. You get a lengthy return time so I saw nothing to lose. I used it on a Yamaha FG730S which is laminated rosewood back/sides, and solid spruce top. To my ears, I heard a noticeable difference in volume, sustain, and overall tone.

I tried the same thing on my Kala solid Acacia Tenor and experienced the same results. I tried it on my Fender Pa'ina solid mahogany and didn't notice any discernible change.

The differences I noticed were not such that you'd say it sounds like a whole different instrument, rather that it built on the tone the instrument already displayed.
 
It seems what they do is vibrate the strings constantly to simulate playing. Studies have shown that the wood of musical instruments actually change physically with playing (over time). This effect is minimal to non-existent in laminated woods, however. We know this effect as "opening up" and it's very evident with old and vintage instruments.

First, is what energy needs to be transfered to an instrument to successfully play it in? The ToneRite® uses a specific set of frequencies that we have found to be successful in acoustic instruments. To generate this energy the ToneRite® simply needs to be plugged into the wall. There are no buttons or fuss, it's simple.
Second, is how can that energy be efficiently transferred such that the smallest amount off loss occurs via sound and heat? The ToneRite® has been specifically designed from the ground up with efficiency and safety in mind. The material used is extremely good at transferring energy and insulating heat. By using proper advanced mechanical engineering the ToneRite® feet have been designed for maximum efficiency. The result is safe, quiet, and efficient vibrational energy transfer.

Would this work? Assume you practice 1 hour a day. Probably you're like me, you play some, look through books, open song sheets, tune a bit, have a sip of wine, and so on. An hour of practice really means 30-45 minutes of actual play, the rest just mucking about. Using a Tonerite for 72 hours straight would simulate something like 100-144 hours of actual play. If you practice 5 days a week, that's equivalent to 20-30 weeks of play.

So it could work. Each wood will be different, and will respeond to the action of the Tonerite differently. So 72 hours might make a discernible difference on one, and not another. One might take a second, third or even fourth treatment to 'open up' so much it can be heard

Here's what I don't get:
As with other instruments the ToneRite® works because it relieves the natural tension in an instrument. Ukuleles are made from many individual pieces of wood that are glued together and naturally do not resonate together. The secret behind the ToneRite® is its ability to ease this tension and allow a ukulele to resonate cohesively together as a whole and therefore produce more volume, balance, and as you will see, notes are easier to play with significantly more dynamic range.
Huh? "Ukuleles are made from many individual pieces of wood that are glued together and naturally do not resonate together." That's codswallop. Ukes are built just like guitars, with carefully matched tops, not cobbled together from some scraps or odds and ends.

But it's an interesting idea and one I'll look into further.
 
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Here's what I don't get:

Huh? "Ukuleles are made from many individual pieces of wood that are glued together and naturally do not resonate together." That's codswallop. Ukes are built just like guitars, with carefully matched tops, not cobbled together from some scraps or odds and ends.

I don't believe they're referring to several pieces cobbled together to make a top or otherwise, but to the many pieces that make the whole. A top, a back, sides, the neck (more than 1 piece on many, especially tenor size), neck block, heel block, etc. It's many pieces out of necessity and sometimes economy that make the whole of the 'uke.
 
I don't believe they're referring to several pieces cobbled together to make a top or otherwise, but to the many pieces that make the whole. A top, a back, sides, the neck (more than 1 piece on many, especially tenor size), neck block, heel block, etc. It's many pieces out of necessity and sometimes economy that make the whole of the 'uke.
But how is that different from a guitar, lute or other acoustic instrument? Why mention that for the ukulele, but not the guitar?

I've sent the company an email to inquire about getting one.
 
But how is that different from a guitar, lute or other acoustic instrument? Why mention that for the ukulele, but not the guitar?

No idea other than to have the pages somewhat different from the others??? Still, I don't think that they're of the misconception that a 'uke is that much different in construction than a guitar.

I'm lending my ToneRite to a band mate this week, but will offer it here for those that want to try it out when Phil gets it back to me. As long as I know where it's going, people are punctual about shipping it out to the next interested party, and take care of it, I'd like to see it make its rounds. If we can agree on a one week evaluation period, and pre-set list of recipients with the last returning it to me, I think it would be fun to see what the results are on different 'ukes.

So if we get a sign-up of 5-10 people that are interested, I'll get it going as soon as I have it back. (I started a separate thread for this).
 
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