Official Luthiers Forum!

Kevin,
Thank you for your reply. You have convinced me, I'm ready to buy a Lignomat. I've been searching this forum for information on its use. It seems pretty easy but I have a couple of questions.

Are there special techniques for using the meter that make the readings more reliable?

What is the range of moisture content the wood should have before using it?

Do you use it exclusively on tops, backs and necks?

_________________
"An adventure is only an inconvenience rightly considered. An inconvenience is an adventure wrongly considered." G. K. Chesterton.

Steve,
    I use a Mini-Lig with the deep outboard probe and slide driver for
rough stock and woods that are in more of a raw lumber state. I use the
short pin probes that are built into the Mini for stock that is cut closer to
the thin slab dimensions of back, side and top woods to avoid pushing it
far enough to check it.

    I've always checked my rough bracing stock, but haven't had to bring in
any new brace wood since stockpiling back in 1988 with loads of Sitka
and Adirondack for it so it hasn't been necessary for me over the past ten
years. I always check neck woods carefully, too, but also have a long
standing stock there so it hasn't been an issue for a long time either.

    Since the Lignomat (Ligmatic and Mini-Ligmatic) units only read down
to about 6%, I will use wood that doesn't register indicating that it is
below 6% in under a year. I check all new woods when they come into the
shop and even those that don't register are kept on hand after bringing
them to their working dimensions for a minimum of 6 months.

I'd say that between 2% and 5% is fine with the lowest possible content
being best, but I've talked to guys that are readily using material that
reads as high as 8% with no trouble. I hope that helps a little.

Regards,
Kevin Gallagher/Omega Guitars

[QUOTE=Pwoolson]I did the work for free without being asked. He's
happy as a clam and it was about an hour worth of work. I also noticed
that I could see the grain in both the back and the top of the guitar (it's
black). I checked the fret ends and sure enough they were all sticking out.
This gave me a chance to lecture him a bit about proper treatment of the
guitar.[/QUOTE]

What's great about this, from a customer's point of view (that's how I see
myself), is that it creates this sense that you guys are about me more
than your time. That's huge, because if I'm just appeased, I'm not saying
anything negative (b/c I'm not saying anything either way). But if I get
that free prize, I'm message boarding. I'm an enthusiast. It really has the
potential to be a great investment.

Very cool, Paul.

At its core, a warrantee is a marketing document.

It helps someone feel more comfortable that this is a safe purchase decision. And the truth is 95%+ of people are reasonable if you explain to them what is warranty and what is not when they ask for service. But I agree it is always better to over deliver on their warranty expectaitons.

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Brock Poling
Columbus, Ohio
http://www.polingguitars.com