source file: m1400.txt
Date: Wed, 29 Apr 1998 06:43:02 -0700

Subject: Buzz Feiten's tuning

From: Aline Surman <stick@uswest.net>

In the June 98 issue of Guitar Player, on p86, there's a huge ad for 
guitars using the new Buzz Feiten system for intonation. What makes me a 
bit ill is 2 things: one, as far as I can tell, after playing guitar for 
33 years, if the guitar keeps the same 12 note/octave eq temp 
arrangement, it will still be out of tune with the harmonic series, no 
matter what else you do. And two, the rather awestruck approval of this 
system by numerous prominent mags, including GP, has shown me that the 
tuning movement has a long way to go before folks even know what the hell 
we're talking about. I have written, repeatedly, the editors of various 
music mags, commenting on the innacuracies of Feiten's "innovation," and 
his ignorance of terms such as well tempered and meantone; I have offered 
to write an article which would explain what is really going on, and how 
12 eq is faulty at the very core...no one has shown any interest. And 
yes, it bums me out a bit to see such total ignorance of what tuning is, 
or what it really could be...a lot of musicians read GP, and Feiten is 
totally misleading folks by letting them think that mechanical 
adjustments will resolve the out of tune 12 eq system...Hstick