WHY IT WORKS
Shown below is an amazing example of how audible frequencies can physically move matter. The Tone Traveler relies on this principle to help migrate the drying sap inside the wood grain of an instrument in order to make the instrument more resonant. Obviously sap is harder to move than the small particles shown in the experiment below, so the process takes time. Also, as the sap dries, it forms crystalline structures that can be fractured by sound waves further changing the resonance of the instrument. With the ingress and egress of moisture, the crystalizing sap in the grain of wood can become more or less liquid allowing it to resettle, causing an instrument to "fall asleep". This is also why older instruments that have been played for decades sound better than instruments of the same age that have been left unplayed.
Yes it absolutely does! Thousands of musicians, including us, collectively believe that the more an instrument is played, the better it sounds and everyone wants to get that well played tone as fast as possible.
For example, the legendary Doc Watson is known to have put a transistor radio in his guitar in order to expedite the seasoning process.
The Tone Traveler negates the limitations and risks of old-school instrument aging processes. The Tone Traveler delivers a set of fundamental tones and corresponding overtones that have been meticulously engineered to condition the wood of your instrument, unlike any of its predecessors. As the Tone Traveler begins to open up your instrument it becomes clear that the Tone Traveler adds the same clarity and focus that only hours of time spent playing an instrument can produce. Unlike any other device on the market, The Tone Traveler is a musically tuned polyphonic system, the first of its kind in the world of instrument play-in devices. The Tone Traveler sits at the natural termination point of the strings and body of an instrument and has a direct acoustic connection to the bridge of an instrument allowing it to deliver sound into an instrument just like playing it does.
The string tones and corresponding overtones develop a relationship with the wood of your instrument. Over time the wood opens up to these frequencies and learns to resonate in tune with them, highlighting the nodes of musical frequencies throughout the instrument causing the frequencies of the instrument to become more focused. The result is a more pure fundamental tone, clearer more defined overtones, and more of a lively feel in your hands.
What happens when a new instrument is not played? Many builders, players, and collectors believe that when an instrument has just been made it is primed to receive the tonal information that will determine its voice for the rest of its life. New instruments that do not get "played in" miss a once in a life time opportunity. Most of the older instruments that have never been played are lacking when compared to instruments that show obvious signs of use. Based on the fact that the wood of a new instrument is still drying and settling, the instrument is in a fugue state that is directly affected by how much the instrument is played. As time passes these factors become significantly harder to change (though not impossible) as the instrument's voice begins to settle. These first months and years are formative; the wood of an instrument is making the change from being a tree to a guitar, a violin, or a dinning room table.
Tuning an old well played instrument causes it to jump in volume when all the strings string hit standard pitch. This jump in volume is proof that the guitar has become more resonant to these frequencies and is a perfect example of why the play in process is important.
Hopefully you are one of the few folks that are able to play for 10 or 12 hours a day, if not the Tone Traveler allows you to hear your instrument's true voice within your lifetime.
