I agree with your advocation of blind testing, David. Having been involved with audio and audiophiles for many years, I've never agreed with the view that blind testing is not useful in evaluating audio components. Most, if not all, of us, overestimate our ability to remain dispassionate in judging items when we can see the item (appearance means a lot) and have an idea of it's cost. I'm sure this applies to lutes and other musical instruments.
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