I'm so pleased to see that I no longer need fret the early retirement of Dr. Guitar -- that his "no F's barred, archtop-notch advice can still strike a chord with us here at the mudcat.

This question has been weighing heavily on me for some time now...

to flux or not to flux?

When you guys are repairing your broken strings for further use, do you use a flux, or do you just sand the end of the strings and weld them "as is". Does flux make a better joint? Which method, in the end, will give better tone? Do you get your bass player to hold the two ends together as you arc-weld the string?

I would also like to share this bit of advice I ran across. It may come in handy to some of you pickers out there. Remember...

A sharp saddle tortex nut.