[tinnitus]

Do guitars sound better over time? Mine do.

Even in this short (so far) thread, you will see plausible arguments for yes and no. There's another tangible angle that I never see come up in these frequently recurring discussions.

Playing all kinds of electric and acoustic guitars for over half a century, I've assimilated techniques that optimize whatever a particular instrument has to offer. Often subconsciously (and depending on the strings, action, fretboard, tonal "personality"), I avoid doing things that might make it buzz, boom, quack, etc. True also with keyboards (even soul-less electric planks) horns, tools, cars/motorcycles, weapons, etc. Once a player internalizes various (even subtle) nuances, they all perform better.

Thus, whether several years of gentle aging will do something physical to improve a wooden guitar's sound (or not), I would submit that playing to its strengths and avoiding inherent weaknesses will certainly add greater dimension to the "sounds better" continuum. Though I've not necessarily advanced my competent bar-band skills to another level in the past decade, two of my guitars are only a few years old now and already sound much better in my hands.

The point? Don't forget that player technique on any particular instrument is a significant part of the equation.