here we go again!!!
i wrestle with this conundrum routinely since i drew
influence from several CR timeline builders who "once"
used stamped lugs and now use none at all...
i think those builders in that era used what was available
to them and what they viewed as "best" quality. they did
not choose these parts so they could lovingly impart the
soul of the maker into them; they built frames. fourty years
later, we seek out these frames. why? were they better because
they were from that era? doubt it? because some second-stringer
had the task of filing a lug? hardly!
actually, i DON'T know why we seek them out. but i don't
think it's because they used stamped lugs. they used stamped
lugs because back then folks used stamped lugs. had these folks
continued through the eras they'd not be using 70s era parts
and materials because so much has improved since then.
e-RICHIE
chester, ct
At the risk of going against the flow, Nagasawa is a totally different style builder. He has really cool "bits" made, investment cast drops, Masi~DuBois style lugs, perfect joinery, but he really does not personalize the frame by distinctive shaping, styling, filing, thinning, etc etc. More like the ultimate "plug and play". OK, a few slots in the BB shell, but simply not sculptural in the way that Bruce Gordon thinks/builds.
Of course, as the wise man says, opinions are like ___, everyone has one.