Bizango, you can convince yourself any way that you like, rationalize what you believe you’re hearing, and that’s fine. But over the years I’ve known quite a few members of the Martin Guitar Company’s upper management, as well as any number of custom guitar builders and some of the most experienced and skillful repair techs in the country, and not ONE of them has ever told me that they believe that trimming out a guitar with abalone purfling will have an impact on the tone. Just the opposite: they’ve all stated as fact that it does not.
That doesn’t mean that there are NO repair techs or instrument builders who agree with you. I’m sure there must be a few. But I have never, ever met one, not in real life. Honestly, I think you’ve trained yourself to hear what you want to hear.
Hope that makes more sense.
Wade Hampton Miller
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