Quote:
Originally Posted by Tim McKnight
Good morning K&G,
I do try my best to approach building guitars with an open mind. It didn't take me long to realize there are many paths to a finished product. Its the pot holes and stumbling blocks along those paths that teach us the error of our ways. That is where I learn those difficult but lasting life lessons that are not easily forgotten and hopefully not repeated.
Personally I get a lot of enjoyment from this forum not only by sharing my limited knowledge with others but also learning from other builders here. Its a great community in that we can all share ideas openly with one another as we continue this learning journey. While players are seeing the beauty of our craft I and perhaps other builders get as much enjoyment by looking in the background of their posted pictures. I get to see the tools they use, jigs and fixtures they employ and an understanding of their approach to accomplishing similar building sequences.
It sure sounds like you have a very sensitive pair of ears which is rarer than you may give them credit. Please take care of them and protect them from hearing damage and hearing loss. Having spent 38 years in a fortune 100 manufacturing factory I know first hand how damaging excess noise can be to ones hearing. Employees were tested annually and our hearing loss was charted for us to (sadly) see the change from year to year. In the latter years we were required to wear hearing protection anytime we were on the production floor. I only wish we would have had that rule 38 years earlier  Now I am stuck with some hearing loss that likely could have been prevented, or at the very least, significantly reduced.
The brass headplate accessory you've described seems similar to the Plate Mate accessory, which mounts on the opposite end of the strings. That device certainly has a discernible affect on the sound of a guitar. It also has the added benefit of salvaging a bridge plate that is worn out and in dire need of costly replacement of which the value of the guitar might not justify that replacement cost? |
Yes, I too wish I had been more careful about wearing hearing protection. I worked with Belt grinders for many years. And previous to that, I came from the days of Loud guitar amplifiers. Unfortunately, I am sure I have some hearing loss as well.
And in the natural order of age, some hearing loss is most likely inevitable. Time escapes no one. ha ha