[metadat]

This part also rubbed me the wrong way. Synthetic aging techniques kill the appeal of the craft of creating a truly genuine, exquisite instrument.

It seems like what a cheap knock off manufacturer would do.. imagine if McLaren did this, what, just scuffing up the door handle with an old key. Outlandish and backwards, haha.

Or perhaps our repulsion reveals how unrefined and plebeish our opinions are on this topic, which is still kind of hilarious but also unfortunate, because it means a group of folks has effectively settled on preferring their McLaren with the intentional scratches.

[afc]

Not McLaren, but here's an example of a car manufacturer synthetically aging their new cars: https://www.roadandtrack.com/new-cars/a29838406/2021-ford-mu...

"Oops, the modern engines aren't as loud, let's use the speakers to fake it!" I think it's equivalent.

Funnily, I'm somehow more bothered by the violin pasta scratches than by the digitally generated engine/exhaust noise. I'm not sure why.

[julian_t]

Synthetic aging... there's quite a lot of this going on in the guitar world. On the purely cosmetic level, you can find a lot of 'relic' electric guitars, made to look like they've been on the road since the 60s. Some acoustic makers are experimenting with torrefaction and other techniques to age the top wood, and opinions are divided on whether this makes any difference.

But I'm just a pleb here... if an instrument feels good to play and sounds good, then that'll do!

[jdietrich]

Cosmetic ageing processes are broadly regarded as distasteful amongst collectors and connoisseurs, but there's clearly a market for it.

Torrefaction (or rather an optimised heat treatment process) can undoubtedly produce clear acoustic benefits. Suitable thermal treatment can significantly increase the stiffness and reduce the damping coefficient of wood, resulting in a more acoustically efficient material.

[guappa]

It makes a difference in price for sure :)

[cannam]

> imagine if McLaren did this

In some sense car manufacturers do do this - their designs are famous for being full of functionally empty retro cues that customers nonetheless go for.