Dear C-Flat,

For years -- nearly 20 of them -- a Lowden bridge-pinless cutaway was my only guitar. It was a great workhorse and the foundation for whatever decent stuff I ever did on a more-or-less professional basis.

These days I play a Larravee -- kind of a round-shouldered cross between a D-18 and an old short-scale Gibson (though it has the full 14 frets).

Here's the deal. Though the pins themselves don't make a differnce, I think the fact that they go through the top and help vibrate it does.

The Lowden is silky and jazzman smoothe. The Larravee has a lot of good, old-fashioned bluegrass punch.

I don't think this is just my imagination. And I think it's because of the pins.

Tony