Tonerite questions

[Amandalyn]

Here's a pic of the Tonerite on a violin ( mandolin model is same size)

[MikeEdgerton]

A good suggetion Mike. The strings are in good shape though.

That really doesn't make any difference, they have been out in the air even inside the case.

[Bill Van Liere]

That really doesn't make any difference, they have been out in the air even inside the case.

Same air as the strings on the other guitars.

[MikeEdgerton]

Take my word for it, a guitar that's been sitting in a case for a year will have dead strings. If that's not the case why are these old mandolins coming out from under beds with dead strings? You don't have to play strings for them to die, they'll die on their own. It's environmental.

[John Flynn]

Take my word for it, a guitar that's been sitting in a case for a year will have dead strings. If that's not the case why are these old mandolins coming out from under beds with dead strings? You don't have to play strings for them to die, they'll die on their own. It's environmental.

That's true, but I've always wondered about that. Why do unplayed strings die more quickly when they are on an instrument than when they in the package they come in, even though the pack is NOT one of those air-tight sealed ones? So a set of J74s, in drawer, in the D'Addario "paper-envelope" packaging will stay good for a long time. But if I put them on an instrument, even if I don't play it they will be dead in a few months. Anybody else notice this? Anyone know why?

[Sean Greer]

So a set of J74s, in drawer, in the D'Addario "paper-envelope" packaging will stay good for a long time. But if I put them on an instrument, even if I don't play it they will be dead in a few months. Anybody else notice this? Anyone know why?

Perhaps it has to do with the 23 pounds of tension that are on the string?

[Michael Lewis]

The first instrument I tried the Tonerite on had old dead strings, and it came to life across all the strings with an overnight session.

Just thinking about what MAY happen to strings as they are tuned to pitch. They do stretch noticeably, which logically would tend to separate the windings slightly. Whether this is enough to allow air to contact the core wire or not I don't know.

[Rick Turner]

One of the many "tricks of the trade" of string winding is setting the tension on the winding lathe of the core wire. It is usually set a bit above "tuned up" string tension so the windings don't separate when the string is up to pitch. This is one of the reasons it's not a good idea to cut strings to length before putting them on the instrument; the windings can loosen and result in a weird sounding string.

[JEStanek]

I haven't seen this mentioned yet, so I'll ask what might seem like a "dumb" question...Would there be any remote kind of chance that a constant vibration on a mando (or other instrument) might cause some glued pieces (such as tone bars or bracing) to loosen???

Probably no more than on an instrument that is played very frequently. A good question though, any data for this on the tonerite?

Jamie

[MikeEdgerton]

I'm going to guess that if this small amount of vibration was to cause a glue joint to fail then the folks at Tonerite simply showed you something that was going to fail at a later date.

[Amandalyn]

I'd agree that the vibrations from the Tonerite are not any different ( and probably more gentle) than vigorous playing. That being said,I don't think it's advisable to put a Tonerite or any other vibration device on a newly glued instrument until it's cured. Those that are using it have reported no known side effects to the structure of their instruments. IE:Here's a quote-
'I am extremely impressed with the Tonerite. Since using it,I have noticed an immense improvemnet in response, resonace and tone of my cello. And probably most impressively, I have observed no negative side effects"
Jeffrey Zeigler, Professional Cellist, Kronos Quartet

[MikeEdgerton]

I wouldn't suggest putting strings on a mandolin that the glue hadn't completely dried on.

[John Flynn]

Perhaps it has to do with the 23 pounds of tension that are on the string?

Well, the post I was reacting to claimed the cause was enviornmental. I would not consider the tension factor to be enviornmental (humidity, pollution, light, etc.). Also, I've noticed that a wound string will even tarnish when put on an instrument, even if it is not played. Why would tension cause a string to tarnish more quickly than if it were in an envelope? Just curious.

[Michael Lewis]

Strings at tension are usually installed on an instrument in my world. That makes them prone to having fingers touch them, and there by become "contaminated" with organic body chemistry, which can hasten the demise of the strings.

[Rick Turner]

Ewww! Gross!

I hear that pig grease and barbecue sauce on the strings will prevent tarnish...

On a more serious note, the out-gassing of nitro lacquer and celluloid bindings releases nitric acid which will tarnish strings and metal hardware on instruments in cases.

[John M. Riley]

Just curious.... but has anyone placed an order for one yet?

[John Malayter]

$300 buckerrroooo's is a lot of cash. At least to me, however I called Siminoff and he charges $125 for his services which isn't bad particually if it works. But i'm certian shipping each way would run me 50 bucks easy this brings the total to $225, which I could still swallow maybe.......

That being said, the $300 isn't really out of the question but only if you could get something out of it would it be worth it......

Opinions????

[John M. Riley]

well i just sold a truck and an atv so i had a little extra money floating around... which doesnt happen very often. So I went ahead and placed an order for one last week. We will see....

[John M. Riley]

got mine in today... its definately gentle... lets give it some time

[John M. Riley]

I havent seen a post on the tonerite in a couple of days, so you all may have lost interest. We all know that this is just an opinion... but I left the tonerite on one of my mandolins for a little over 72 hrs (which the recommended first use is 24 to 72 hrs). I really can tell a difference. No doubt about it.

[mandozilla]

I just pulled the trigger on a Tonerite mandolin dedamping device. I was planning on buying one in the near future but found out they have a special going for the month of February on the Luthier Mandolin model...$100.00 off! Such a deal! No financial interest but what a chance to save a bundle! I'll let you know how it works on my axe soon!

[Dave Cohen]

Y'know, as I understand it, the Tone Rite is essentially what is known as a stinger. You can make one of those things with a single rare earth magnet, a coil, a freeware signal generator for your computer, and maybe a pot to give you the amplitude control to reduce the noise coming from the mandolin. Really, a few bucks for parts from Radio Shack and a freeware program. Now that's a deal.

http://www.Cohenmando.com

[mandozilla]

Yeah...if you're an electrical engineer or something...I'm scientifically and mathematically challenged...if I built my own I'd probably electrocute myself or burn down the house and my instruments with it. HA HA HA

[John M. Riley]

Yeah, thats how I looked at it...
To get the full effect, you need something that you can leave on for long amounts of time and something that you can leave on there when your gone. Ive been into "rigging up" stuff to vibrate the mandolins for a while now. One of my nice ones got damaged a couple of years ago and that was enough to make me quit trying on my own. I wanted something that I could put on there and walk off and not have to worry about. I feel that is what I have now. Like I said. I left it on one mandolin for over 72 hrs... no worries at all.

[bluegrassgm]

So John - which of your mandos did you have it on and what specific changes did you notice after the 72+ hours?