There are logistical problems using the string level Joe Goss sells: unisons next to struts, and in quite a few cases the dampers are so close to the capo that the level won't fit. I've fooled around with other designs, and here is my latest, which I like quite a bit. A piece of 1/8" x 1/2" steel is the basis. Long enough to hold the level above the capo. The level is cut from one of those cheap "two- way" levels used to level refrigerators and whatnot. I attached the level with a screw (I'll probably glue it). THe hard part is machining the bottom of the steel to be square and flat, but I did it with careful hand work using a file and a stone. Then I added a strong magnet to the back for stability (it may be too fat for some damper/ capo gaps, so I'll find a narrower one some time). The magnet seems like a great idea one initial trial. If the center string is high, you need to stabilize it so it won't rock (while plucking), but it holds nicely to the strings and seems to give a very good reading. I may need to calibrate how strong the magnet is. At the moment, it is just taped in place temporarily. Anyhow, thought I'd share this, as it seems like a good set of features for those so inclined. Please feel free to make any use of any or all the ideas included. P4250001.JPG P4250006.JPG Regards, Fred Sturm University of New Mexico fssturm at unm.edu -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: <http://ptg.org/pipermail/caut_ptg.org/attachments/20090425/47bca5b6/attachment-0001.html> -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: P4250001.jpg Type: image/jpeg Size: 24201 bytes Desc: not available URL: <http://ptg.org/pipermail/caut_ptg.org/attachments/20090425/47bca5b6/attachment-0002.jpg> -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: P4250006.jpg Type: image/jpeg Size: 17519 bytes Desc: not available URL: <http://ptg.org/pipermail/caut_ptg.org/attachments/20090425/47bca5b6/attachment-0003.jpg>
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