>Should I leave >alone until evidence of poor checking, or go ahead and use a checkering >file as a general guideline? Keith, I have one of those files (I think) and NEVER use it. If you need to roughen tails, just get some of the coarsest, newest sandpaper you can find, put it on a paddle, and go to it. I think I use 40 grit. (And as to why I don't use the file, let me just say that you may eventually need to take the 40 grit paper to tails that have been grooved with a checkering file. IMHO, tails need a rough surface, not grooves.) Kent Swafford UMKC Conservatory of Music
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