#91
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Quote:
I guess what sparked my (mild but undeniable) indignation over the whole idea of abalone purfling "improving" the sound of a guitar is that it's a fairly blatant, self-serving sort of thing, especially if the guitar manufacturer can convince potential buyers that thirty dollars worth of abalone is worth paying thousands of dollars extra for a guitar. In the olden days (as in a few years ago,) there WAS more hand labor involved, cutting out all those little pieces and gluing them into place. Now, though, it's literally just a few seconds work gluing pre-sized laminated abalone strips into their channels. I think John Greven's comments earlier in the thread are valid - maybe I'm just as old school in this regard as he is. If the rabbet cut for the purfling channel does have an impact on the sound, that makes far more sense to me than the abalone doing it. So that possibility that you've raised changes my math on this from being 100% implausible to perhaps 5% plausible, 95% wishful thinking. That said, even if this theory about the purfling channel changing the tone turns out to be 100% correct, we're still - as Mycroft put it - in "how many angels can dance on the head of a pin?" territory. Any tonal impact from abalone purfling has got to be exceedingly minor, if it exists at all. But I think we're in agreement there. As another thoughtful contributor early in the thread wrote, everything in an acoustic guitar contributes to the sound somehow. So I've turned down the dial on my Vociferous-O-Meter®, and will respond more gently on the topic in the future. Just as I do when I read comments about the supposedly miraculous tonal effects of fancy aftermarket bridge pins. Both subjects set the klaxon howling on my BS-Meter®, but that doesn't mean I have to come howling into the thread and land on it tromping around in hobnail boots..... NOT My Favorite Communication Style Short version: I remain unconvinced, but I always appreciate your comments and insights, Todd, and thank you for contributing them to this thread. What's more, I'm in 100% agreement with you that opposing viewpoints should definitely be expressed, especially when they have evidence backing up their assertions. More power to you, Todd, and all you others who hold a number of different viewpoints on this subject. The free and civil exchange of information is what this forum is all about. Wade Hampton Miller |
#92
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Quote:
I was going to edit down your comments for the sake of brevity but quoted the whole thing because you have shown the course we should all take in sharing our thoughts when we have discourse about the instruments we love . Kudos and respect to you.
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HFox Life is a journey...not a guided tour... |
#93
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One thing is certain. Adding abalone bling improves C.F. Martin's bottom line.
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#94
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As for profit margins, Zigeuner, you’re completely correct: abalone trim is unquestionably a wonderful profit generator for guitar companies. It’s like buying a bottle of good wine at a fancy restaurant, only taking that profit margin to an exponentially greater level. whm |
#95
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Quote:
duff Be A Player...Not A Polisher |
#96
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How much time, money and effort is put into making those "pre-sized laminated abalone strips"?
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#97
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For the record, I take no side in this, I simply don’t know enough to have an educated opinion. But I do appreciate hearing the thoughts and opinions posted here.
__________________
A broken angel sings from a guitar Dust off those rusty strings just one more time, gonna make them shine, shine |
#98
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I would hope so.
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Nothing bothers me unless I let it. Martin D18 Gibson J45 Gibson J15 Fender Copperburst Telecaster Squier CV 50 Stratocaster Squier CV 50 Telecaster |
#99
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Hey Wade, you nailed it! ("100% implausible to perhaps 5% plausible")
We need the Mythbusters back! The Kings of Plausible/Implausible. |
#100
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Quote:
Did you happen to notice how, in the 1990’s, all sorts of inexpensive Asian-made acoustic guitars suddenly started becoming available with abalone purfling and rosettes? If you didn’t notice, that’s when it occurred. It was the introduction of Abalam to the market that made that possible. whm |
#101
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Advanced Shell Technology
Quote:
https://www.advancedshelltech.com |
#102
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I don't believe that they make the pre-sized strips. They make sheets of the stuff and then cut it to size. Pretty industrial.
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#103
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I don’t care if the bling makes any difference. I like inlay, and I like tone. If a guitar has both, it’s all good!
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#104
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do D-45 appointments improve sound quality of a guitar ?
I don't really know but I played my Son in Laws Style 42 12 fret Custom Shop Martin last month and it looked and sounded astonishing . Found it really hard to put back in the case
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Martin OODB JT Gibson J45 Yamaha LLTA Yamaha SLG200S Yamaha NTX1200R Taylor GSMiniE Rosewood Joe Brown Uke AER Compact 60 Marshall AS50D Now 100% Acoustic and loving it ! No more GAS |
#105
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Bling, bling, bling. You sir, go to the head of the class.
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