PAULREVENKOJONES at aol.com wrote: > Dale: > > Is it your opinion (and others welcome!) that DAG or other > purported friction-reducing finishes on bridge tops are simply > traditional? Is there a real argument against them? For them? The bridge pins are the high friction component of the system, as well as the termination. Friction on the cap is pretty much inconsequential according to the math. I've suspected for many years that bridge tops are traditionally graphited because they were being notched by hung over old guys in a dark corner under gas light. They needed the contrast to see where the notch was. I got tired of tracking graphite all over the place hand notching graphited bridges, so I finally just quit using it. I leave the tops bare now, epoxy the pins in after notching, and spray semi gloss lacquer over the soundboard, bridge, bridge top, and pins with no apparent tonal penalty. I no longer undercoat with shellac (though I used to, and still like the color of the orange stuff), and I don't want a soft sanding sealer coat under my precat lacquer. So I use just lacquer (*mostly* avoiding spraying bridge tops in the early coats), rubbing out the first two coats with pumice, and finishing with a good wet top coat over EVERYTHING. The Philistine method. Ron N
This PTG archive page provided courtesy of Moy Piano Service, LLC