Top of the afternoon to you too, Ed- Not against markers, just don't like the appearance. On my 72 cm. 8 course, (that's a LONG highway for these old fingers) Barber put a very discreet little white dot at the seventh, on the neck near the neck/fingerboard junction, worked very well anytime I was stupid enough to look down at unspeakable activities happening on the fingerboard.
I thought metal frets were avoided because they would eat up gut strings? -Dan >Howdy, Dan! > >I do use markers, as I play many different sized instruments. I >recall working with a lutenist about 8 years, ago, practicing duets. >This particular lutenist plays many different kinds of lutes, and in >one piece, he was not hitting the right note up on the 8th or 9th >fret. I suggested a marker on the 7th, & he initially resisted, but >then decided to consent in trying it. After using a drop of "white >out" on the 7th fret, he played the correct note every time. He was >a convert at that time. > >Paul O'Dette also uses markers, and for good reason - it makes him a >more accurate player. If one had only 1 instrument, then it would >be less of a need to mark the 7th fret. However, with many >different styles and length lutes, it really is helpful to use a >marker, in my opinion. > >I am curious to see, hear, or play the newly loaded strings; >however, I am satisfied with copper or solver gimped, as they are >true & accurate. > >Dan Larson stopped loading strings years ago, for the same reasons >that Mimmo did. It was too time consuming & expensive. Many >strings would break, many were false. It was also too time >consuming for him to be replacing false loaded strings. So, he >stopped production, and went with a gut bass that sounds great & the >quality control is vastly improved - the gimped string. > >ed -- To get on or off this list see list information at http://www.cs.dartmouth.edu/~wbc/lute-admin/index.html
