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Rave German Review by Udo Pipper, July 2012 Guitarre&Bass Magazine
Review located HERE
From Udo’s review:
“…a brand new Gibson Custom Shop Les Paul inspired by Melvyn Franks…sounded quite dark and dull. When directly compared to a ’53 Les Paul Goldtop Reference the new Gibson sounded good but the notes were a bit colorless.
After a full week of (primeVibe) seasoning I returned for direct comparison with the ’53 Les Paul. Finally the effort was a complete success. The seasoned Les Paul sounded much more dynamic and faster than the vintage model. String separation was incredibly good, with a very precise response and tremendous balance expressed by a linear volume of all tones over the entire fingerboard. I was pretty excited.
It is difficult to describe the result because it actually obtained the sound of the original Les Paul. The tonal characteristics did not significantly change. But the color and HF dynamics increased significantly. They now sounded clearer and with the same definition as the ’53 Les Paul…” End review quote.
Question: Are musicians interested in technology that can make a brand new guitar (or violin, etc) compete directly with a fifty-nine year old choice vintage model in only one week?
Pre-Post Seasoning Audio Clips
Before/After Recording Techniques
Quieting primeVibe While Seasoning
Tracking International Delivery
Setup/Demonstration Video 30 Oct 2010
primeVibe Multiple Instruments Simultaneously
Protecting Fine Varnish and Nitrocellulose Finish
primeVibe Seasons The Following Musical Instruments
- Harmonica
- Violin all sizes from 1/16 to 1/1
- Cello all sizes
- Viola all sizes
- Ukulele all sizes
- Mandolin all sizes
- Upright Double Bass all sizes
- Arch Top Guitar
- Nylon String Guitar
- Electric Bass Guitar
- Acoustic Bass Guitar
- Electric Solid Body Guitar
- Flattop Steel String Guitar
- Drums, excellent results on new solid wood bongos
The wood tops (soundboards) of instruments contain lignin (also spelled lignen) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lignin Lignin acts like a torsion box between the hard winter lines and soft summer lines of wood. The instrument’s vibrating strings cause lignin in the top to “relax” and “loosen” by defined parameters of motion, subjectively improving the instrument’s audible performance vs. its prior state of being tight and stressed. “Play-in,” “run-in,” and “seasoning” describe the relaxing/loosening process. Instruments new, recently serviced, and not played regularly benefit from play-in. We have noticed even guitars played regularly improve after a half hour or so of use.
Play-in improvements include but are not necessarily limited to the following:
- Improved tone
- Improved clarity
- Longer note sustain
- Improved harmonic
- Improved micro and macro dynamics
- Some users enthusiastically report a much higher sense of pleasure in playing the instrument
- Increased revealing of nuance, for instance an increased ability to convey differences in technique by the musician
- Improved, tighter focus and delineation, for example better definition of individual strings when strumming a chord; also detected as smoother, more balanced integration
- Greater “projection”, not just louder but the ability to reach audience members that would otherwise not properly hear the instrument…engineers define this as “sound intensity” or sound power per unit area, also described as larger sound-field, larger radiation pattern
Play-in normally occurs by playing the instrument. primeVibe™ functions by applying direct musical vibration to the instrument’s top via special transducers. The patented NXT transducers pump music into a solid vs. the normal speaker function of moving air particles. Holding the “exciters” in the air produces almost no sound. Replace the exciters on the instrument and the sound reappears.
Mechanical devices are “primed” for optimum performance; “prime” is also synonymous with “first” and “primary,” hence the trademark name primeVibe™.
DIY Purist Recording On A Budget
Product Features
- Stereo 7 watt per channel amp
- Amp has blue power indicator LED
- Illustrated instruction manual included
- Amp speaker terminals on rear: spring type
- Transducer wire length approximately 1 meter
- Combination power/continuously variable volume control
- Two transducers each 55mm x 17mm (diameter x height)
- High gloss finish for easy cleaning with clean, dry, soft cloth
- Switching power supply with quick-release US and European style plugs
- Amp Dimensions: 1.13 x 3.94 x 4.2 inches…28.7 x 100 x 106.8 mm (height x width x length)
- The contact surface on the transducer underside and the outer jacket of the transducer wire leads are smooth high-density rubber with some silicone content. Owners of high-end instruments with nitrocellulose finish can click HERE for pertinent information. Vinyl is caustic on instrument finish and is not employed on the transducer underside or the outer wire jacket. When relocating transducers on the instrument elevate them rather than drag or slide them. Julian Fordham, PhD. in Materials Science at then-NXT (now Hi-Wave Technologies) was the team leader for primeVibe research and design. Master Luthier Ryan Thorell consulted on the design and materials employed in primeVibe.
