Do acoustic guitars sound better the older they get?

Question

is that why vintage are so expensive. and what produces the best sound med. heavy. light or super light strings?

Answer 1

Yes, the older the acoustic guitar grows, the better the sound. That originates in the top woods of a quality guitar, which are mostly spruce. All my acoustics have spruce tops; my oldest is an LG-3 Gibson. When I first got it in 1956 the top was a blonde color. Now, the top is honey-brown and sounds better than ever.

High-dollar classical guitars age well too. Their tops are often made of red cedar, which produces a warm, but mellow sound.

I find that medium-gauge strings are best to produce good meaty basses and sufficient trebles. Super light strings I detest, but I will slap an occasional pair of lights on a guitar.

Answer 2

My first guitar was, and is, a 1952 LG-3 parlor-type Gibson. It had a blonde top when I first began playing it, but through the years, some of which was abuse by a fellow that held it for me for 41 years, has now turned honey brown. Its projection and tone is far superior to those days in 1956 through 1960 when I had it in my possession. I recovered it from my friend in 2001 after a 41-year absence. It had holes where holes ought not to be so I had it restructured and patched by a luthier. I did not have it refinished because the tone would suffer from it. The guitar looks like it had been dragged down a dirt road tied to a pickup truck, but it still plays beautifully. It never had a case of its own so I finally bought a gig bag for it so I could carry it on a motorcycle. p.s. Keep that old J-45! It is irreplaceable because the woods have mellowed for great tone and projection.

Answer 3

Only a "Solid Top" gets better with age. The Spruce dries and mellows and gets more resonant. The strings depend on the guitar - Mediums or Med/Lights usually drive the top enough for good tone. Some guitars makers don't recommend anything heavier than med/lights (12's) because they put more stress on the top.

Answer 4

It isn't the age so much as the quality of the wood. 50+ years ago, there were many more exotic hardwoods, and the craftsmen who built the guitars took the time to build them as nice as possible. Now, things are made on a production line - and some of the wood is even laminated!

As for strings - that depends on the setup of the guitar, plus your playing ability. Super light are what I use, but I'm a beginner.

Answer 5

If you take care of it, it can. I use lights because i have a twelve string. You do not want to go too heavy on an acoustic.

Answer 6

hopefully you will sound better the more you practice. Its not the guitar but the musician. Vintage guitars are rare in design and thus priced a bit higher.