Bridge Seating (was Re: Where to notch a bridge, & relative effects ????? (Advice sought)

[Ron Nossaman]

> Just to add a note to this discussion.  I think one of the things that 
> folks like Ron N. are working so hard to overcome is years of doing 
> things that we think work, and really don't, or work, but through 
> different means than we've understood.
> 
> Example: Seating strings.  Ron N. (and please correct me here, Ron, if I 
> have made any egregious errors) has acknowledged the observed phenomena 
> of a note becoming more clear after "seating."  Many techs think, 
> "great, job done."  Ron's position on this is that when seating does 
> seem to clean up a note, it is quite likely, that you've simply moved 
> the string down (into the crushed notch edge), and TEMPORARILY cleaned 
> up the note; that in a short period of time that string will be 
> "unseated" again.  So what we've accomplished is getting it to sound OK 
> until we leave the scene or shortly thereafter, when the real problem is 
> in the bridge cap.

Exactly right William, thank you. Johnathan, when you hear a 
string that sounds like something you would typically seat, 
try this. Place a screwdriver tip against the speaking length 
bridge pin of that string, and apply a bit of pressure to the 
side of the pin opposite the string. Odds are, the sound will 
clean up as if you'd seated the string. Take the screwdriver 
away and the noise returns. Replace the screwdriver, and the 
sound cleans up again. Ask yourself why that is, when you 
haven't seated the string at all.


> I'm not taking sides here, but I think it is important to admit that 
> this particular situation does happen.  

It's not a matter of taking sides, and never has been. It's a 
matter of learning the real whys, whenever possible, of the 
technical dragons we battle daily. I don't care who ends up 
being right. I just want the real information to work with, 
and find it amazing when others don't seem to.

Ron N