Srick, I just did your experiment, placing Teflon tape at the saddle. I used a double thickness, because I noticed that the Teflon tape at the nut had been perforated by the strings (as I think you expected). I also doubled the tape at the nut with fresh tape. The resulting sound was muddy and weak, with reduced sustain. I repeated the experiment with single thickness tape at both the nut and the saddle, with substantial improvement in sound. Then I tried it with a single thickness of tape at the saddle only, with good sound but perhaps a bit less low end. Next I tried a double thickness of tape at the saddle only, with some degradation in sound quality. Then I tried a double thickness of tape at the nut only, and it sounded good. Finally, I went back to a single thickness of tape at the nut only, and it sounded best of all the configurations, IMO. During none of these setups did I hear the strings squeak while tuning, which was the problem in the first place. I noticed that the tape at the nut was always perforated by the strings, which might be expected to nullify the presence of the tape, but I am convinced that my results are not due to my expectations. I have a HP 3561a spectrum analyzer that I could use to detect any differences that result from using Teflon tape, and maybe I will do some experiments when I have more time.
Lar, I believe that animals do appreciate good music. My previous cat loved to listen to Puccini. My current cat always leaves the room when I pick up my guitar, so he too has sensibilities when it comes to music, and he is completely lacking in empathy with respect to my feelings.
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