....raucous and annoying tone... perchance this "sharpness" (which is what I would prefer to call it, since I paid me money for it) will mellow ? I find it difficult to try to play while others in the room are playing thousand dollar guitars, and it's not just because I can't "keep up", so I hope a mellowing can occur. Still, it's done well at the beach in the rain - Beginners' Tip #1 : guitar + bonfire + beach + booze + rain = funny smell that lasts.