Official Luthiers Forum!

Where y'all getting yours?

I got mine from John Hall
http://www.bluescreekguitars.com/
He's a good guy and contributes a lot here.

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Say what you do, Do what you say.

I ordered directly from Omega http://www.omega.com/, and add my own connectors.
Going with a trusted luthier supplier ensures you get the correct wattage and generally come with the connectors in place, but Omega offers many options including adhesive backed, depending on what use you have intended.

China by way of Ebay. A little wider than I wanted but otherwise it is fine.

I have one from McMaster-Carr that is several years old and a bit tatty but still working. i recently got a new one from Keenovo on eBay and am very impressed so far. It has a built-in thermocouple and a controller that keeps the temperature within about 10 degrees across the surface, according to a Fluke IR thermometer.

Thanks!

+1 for Keenovo with programmable controls.

Brent

I have 3, all from LMI

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Joe Beaver
Maker of Sawdust

I also ordered directly from Omega and just attached a standard plug. Seems to be doing well so far (25+ sets over 10 years or so).

Kent

I have one from John Hall. Had it a few years. works perfectly.

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Under Compensated Nut!

36x6" from John Hall, + FB, FB extention, uke sides and bridge blankets from Keenovo.
Assembled my own PID temp controller.

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The name catgut is confusing. There are two explanations for the mix up.

Catgut is an abbreviation of the word cattle gut. Gut strings are made from sheep or goat intestines, in the past even from horse, mule or donkey intestines.

Otherwise it could be from the word kitgut or kitstring. Kit meant fiddle, not kitten.

How do those compare? My first was a Pro Therm from Blues Creek and has always worked great (10 years very light use). I recently grabbed a used Bench Mark from LMI and it is much thinner and much more supple. .075 vs .055. Both are around 1k w, work the same as far as I can tell but the lmi seems more refined.

I think mine was around $80 back then. The way the prices seem to have doubled, I would be tempted to get the Chinese one.

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Pat

We have several different sizes all from Omega - years of use very pleased

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Ken Cierp

http://www.kennethmichaelguitars.com/

I got mine from keenovo on ebay (china) with temp control 36x6 for just north of $100. Had to add a plug end but it has a temp sensor built in. My largest concern was shipping time but they sent it out next day and I had it within the week. Very happy with that.

Like the temp control idea...

The Keenovo controller is a little box with an LED temperature readout and a few buttons for on/off, temp control and programming of various parameters. It was easy to learn the keystrokes. In practice, all the functions quickly became second nature.

The blanket is thicker than the one from McMaster-Carr but this makes no difference to me since it goes on top of the wood.

Just a suggestion to think about regular inspection of your blanket(s), however shiny and new. Copper-filled high temperature RTV (the same stuff used on automotive intake and turbo systems) will repair bubbled or burned-through elements, as well as abrasion damage to thinner blankets used without a top slat. Our blankets from Mr. Hall are still doing fine at 12 years of age and a couple hundred cycles of side and bind/purfling use, but they still get inspected prior to every use, along with the timer and temp control, cords, and plugs.

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For the times they are a changin'

- Bob Dylan

Our second one is wearing out after a few hundred uses. So be it...

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The name catgut is confusing. There are two explanations for the mix up.

Catgut is an abbreviation of the word cattle gut. Gut strings are made from sheep or goat intestines, in the past even from horse, mule or donkey intestines.

Otherwise it could be from the word kitgut or kitstring. Kit meant fiddle, not kitten.

I think someone needs to be shown the door, and the business end of a cowboy boot.

Alex

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"Indecision is the key to flexibility" .... Bumper sticker