On Mar 6, 2008, at 4:40 PM, Bruce Daily wrote:
Yep. I have a vintage set of flute/3violins/ 'cello
with precisely the same wear marks, down to the clear
backing. If yours has worn to actual notches in the
sides above the capstan, you may enjoy tape lacing
sooner than you think. Fun, fun, fun. ;-)
The tapes still sound great!
If you use the (patent pending) Streetly "Splice and Pull" method, throwing a new set of tapes on a 400 is not difficult, tedious, for sure, but not difficult. And it can be quite fun if you have someone to hold the pencil stuck through the tape spindle as you pull the tape through the frame, especially if they're especially good looking, a member of the opposite sex and naked.
Putting a new set of tapes on a MkII (or an M4000, I suppose) is MANY times more tedious. It's made Martinge into what he is today.