Anyone ever had an electric guitar "break in" before?

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About a month and a half ago I picked up a P245. It was a great sounding guitar; a little on the bright side, but nothing I couldn't work with. The big standouts were that relative to my McCarty the P245 had a lot more upper mids and a lot less bottom end.

About a week ago I noticed the P245 started to push a little more low end. I thought I might've been hearing things, but it's started to get that low end "lug" that a Les Paul typically produces, and it's become more prominent over time.

Over the last 2-3 days the treble has cut back and it seems to have filled out in the low midrange. I've gone from the guitar being too bright and typically running the tone around 5 to being able to run it on 10 and still getting a good sound.

Throughout this time my McCarty has sounded consistent, and I've used it to verify that I'm hearing what I think I'm hearing and that it's not just the day to day changes an amp can produce. Relative to the McCarty the P245 has consistently grown darker and bigger sounding over time.

I've never had an electric "break in" before... didn't think it was really a thing.
 
All my new or newer PRS have felt better over time , trems work better and they ring out more IMHO
 
I believe it is a combination of the guitar breaking in and the ears adjusting to the new sound.
I have noticed that even my playing style automatically changes from guitar to guitar trying to produce the sound I have in my mind.
My 2p and all that...
 
I think that we as as players adjust to the instrument. For example: I love wide thin necks and one of my favorite guitars has a fat neck. At first it was a hinder and at one point I was going to sell it, but after a few months I adapted to it and am very happy I never sold it.
 
It's just like a new ball glove and the like for me...there's definitely a "broken in" feel the more you use a new guitar. I totally believe the more a guitar resonates from use the over all character changes for the better.
 
A local luthier once told me that for any new guitar, acoustic or electric, there will be a period of time before the sound is mature and reach its full sonic capability, that we call break-in. When I ask him why, he simply said that the "wood" did not realize yet that they are now part of a guitar hence need playing time to make them "realize".
 
hmm, I always tend to think my PS guitars sound better a after few months, not sure if its perception or real. I have thought it might be due to the finish continuing to cure.
 
"Break in" is very real, just ask your local luthier.
Several factors, wood, construction, neck, frets, even pickups are affected by the environment, vibrations, and wear. That, along with string oxidation and your ears adjusting to familiar tones can make it seem like "night & DAY".
Enjoy it's development, they usually tend to sound better over time.
 
Here's the true, scientific explanation, this from the University of Lesteban Press, published by its Department of Quantum Science And Other Stuff, in an article published just last month. Why Do Certain Guitars Sound Better After Someone Plays Them?, The Journal of Lesteban Department of Quantum Science And Other Stuff Review, Issue 513, June 2016, pp. 408-594:

At p. 593:

"Conclusion: Guitars are inhabited by intelligent disembodied beings from another dimension, that are the size of quantum particles. These inter-dimensional beings learn the sounds the player prefers, and cause the wood to respond in certain ways; they do this because the vibrations caused by the guitar being played satisfy their missing sexual feelings.

Only the most highly accomplished and intelligent of these disembodied beings are allowed to inhabit PRS guitars. The less advanced ones are required to inhabit other guitars. This is why PRS guitars are reported to sound and feel superior to similar instruments.

It is theorized that Paul R. Smith was appointed a Being-Master by the rulers of these inter-dimensional creatures, and given special powers over them. According to this theory, his predecessors were Ted McCarty and Leo Fender.

However, this is still speculative; we are not certain how these creatures come to inhabit guitars. One researcher has theorized that they are attracted to the wood and the finishes PRS uses. We are still testing this theory."
 
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I do believe in guitar break in. There are a lot of things that can change on a guitar over time. Glue and finishes settle and microcrack as they outgas volatiles.. Wood changes moisture content and can take a different set if it was prestressed. Materials may creep and joints may settle under load. Frets, saddles, and nuts wear. Pores in the wood may become unblocked. A guitar is a constantly changing system and some part of it will be changed over time as a reaction to the environmental loading that it is regularly subject to. Some of those changes will be good and some will be bad. That's pretty much engineering fact.
 
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Here's the true, scientific explanation, this from the University of Lesteban Press, published by its Department of Quantum Science And Other Stuff, in an article published just last month. Why Do Certain Guitars Sound Better After Someone Plays Them?, The Journal of Lesteban Department of Quantum Science And Other Stuff Review, Issue 513, June 2016, pp. 408-594:

At p. 593:

"Conclusion: Guitars are inhabited by intelligent disembodied beings from another dimension, that are the size of quantum particles. These inter-dimensional beings learn the sounds the player prefers, and cause the wood to respond in certain ways; they do this because the vibrations caused by the guitar being played satisfy their missing sexual feelings.

Only the most highly accomplished and intelligent of these disembodied beings are allowed to inhabit PRS guitars. The less advanced ones are required to inhabit other guitars. This is why PRS guitars are reported to sound and feel superior to similar instruments.

It is theorized that Paul R. Smith was appointed a Being-Master by the rulers of these inter-dimensional creatures, and given special powers over them. According to this theory, his predecessors were Ted McCarty and Leo Fender.

However, this is still speculative; we are not certain how these creatures come to inhabit guitars. One researcher has theorized that they are attracted to the wood and the finishes PRS uses. We are still testing this theory."
So you just explained the force, .....and Paul Reed Smith is a Jedi?
 
I guess in a way I've always known about break-in, aka "aging". But, I figured it was more of a slow, multi-year process and never expected such a dramatic change in such a short period of time.

It was almost like a speaker breaking in.
 
Have you tried changing the battery? Unlike the earlier piezos, the mag side goes through the board. I don't know how many hours you've played over a month and half or left plugged in. You can get some pretty dramatic effects just before the battery goes down the hole.
 
Have you tried changing the battery? Unlike the earlier piezos, the mag side goes through the board. I don't know how many hours you've played over a month and half or left plugged in. You can get some pretty dramatic effects just before the battery goes down the hole.

Original battery reads 8.3v. Installed a brand new one just now.

The magnetic pickups don't appear to be buffered. I can't hear a change in their tone regardless of whether there's a battery in it or not.
 
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