[CAUT] string level

[Chris Solliday]

Fred, 
I only want to put the magnet on it to hang it underneath, which I gather you don't like either cause you have to go in and out of the cavity. I've got a couple of these levels and will experiment with a magnet and see what happens. It is precisely because I like the Mother goose levels and find them well made and easy to use that I want to try and find a way to keep using that one tool.
If I remove the dampers, which as Eric W and i agree is not too much trouble for the result, I will only need to be bobbing and weaving on the unisons right next to the plate break, in my mind a small effort for a consistent result.
I look forward to the development of your tool Fred, it sounds like a good idea, but I just can't get past the unweildiness of "top heavy." I hope that you do.
Best regards, 
Chris Solliday
  ----- Original Message ----- 
  From: Fred Sturm 
  To: caut at ptg.org 
  Sent: Wednesday, April 29, 2009 7:57 PM
  Subject: Re: [CAUT] string level


  On Apr 29, 2009, at 6:06 AM, Wolfley, Eric (wolfleel) wrote:


    I've taken to simply removing the dampers from that section while doing this work. It only takes about 3 minutes to take them out and then you have complete access right on the strike-point for string-leveling plus the added bonus of being able to do a great job of spacing and mating the hammers to the strings, setting let-off, etc. It usually takes no more than 10-15 minutes to put the dampers back. In that critical section of the instrument doing this seems like a very good investment of time given the benefits of being able to see what you are doing.


  I agree this is the way to go with those instruments that have the whole section with very close spacing between damper and capo, so it is next to impossible to see letoff. But there are a lot of instruments where it is just the last few dampers that are a bit too close to fit the level, and it's too much trouble to pull those dampers just for that purpose. (And, yes, there are plenty of work arounds, like using hammer mating to set string level). I have just thought many times that I sure ought to grind another mm off the width of the level, or make a new thinner one. 
  So I have concentrated on making a thinner one. An instrument I would have liked to quickly check string levels on spurred me on to actually do something, so I fooled around a bit last weekend. 
  About adding a magnet to the Mother Goose level (as suggested by Chris S), I don't see the point. Joe's level is a good design, the right mass, the right contact surface, a good balance and center of gravity, all work together to produce a good reading of plucked strings. Where a magnet makes sense is in a devise with less mass, and/or one that is top heavy. There are a lot of potential designs for using a magnet to make a string level, either with a leveling bubble, or just as a flat surface to create a straight line. Me, I have a particular use in mind, so I will be pursuing the top heavy and slender design.
  Regards,
  Fred Sturm
  University of New Mexico
  fssturm at unm.edu



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