The release of Jason Isbell’s two new signature Martin guitars is big news in the acoustic guitar world. What's perhaps even bigger news is the fact Isbell has also shared his method for breaking in new acoustics. And it is insane.
Isbell, echoing comments David Gilmour made last year, believes guitars sound better with age. And though he reckons Martin’s contemporary creations can grow to sound just as good as the builds from its golden age, that’s going to require some patience. Luckily, he has a method for speeding up the process.
“I think the guitars that they're making right now hold up with the pre-war guitars,” he says of Martin. “Especially as they age. I think they'll wind up sounding just as good, and that's a beautiful thing.”
Pre-war Martins are perceived by many as the pinnacle of acoustic guitar luthiery and tone. To get his newer acoustics in a similar tonal ballpark, he treat to some, erm, high volume exposure.
“It's one of those things that the longer it goes, the more the pores dry out and widen and the wood gets lighter and thinner over the years, the better the guitar is going to sound,” he accepts. “I recommend putting it in front of a couple of stereo speakers when you leave the house and turning it up really loud.
“I normally use Outkast or something, just so when I come home, Outkast is playing on the stereo. It makes me happy. But all my new acoustic guitars get to listen to Outkast for about 40 hours the first week they're in the house.”
The theory here is that sound vibrations help open up the wood of a guitar, essentially maturing it at a much faster rate. The science plays out at a molecular level, as it essentially helps dry out the wood as water molecules hinder an instrument's resonance.
With Martins in particular, Isbell feels there’s great value in this process.
“Martin is the quintessential American guitar company, certainly for acoustic instruments,” he states. “I've tried everything else and I still prefer Martins, old ones and new ones.”
Isbell’s Martin collaboration comes after the launch of his new Tim Shaw-voiced signature Telecaster pickups, and a Gibson Murphy Lab reissue of his famed “Red Eye” Les Paul.
He's also come to the aid of beginner guitar players, offering advice on how newbie strummers can get over the hardest part of learning the guitar.
