Originally Posted by
kyselad
You'll need to explain how it's as good as guessing. It's physics that works on absolute, not simply relative, tension. I've done it with straight gauge and double butted spokes and the wheels have performed fine (great even) for years. Triple butted and bladed would indeed be problematic. But for folks without access to a tensiometer, it's a hack that performs pretty well.
not everyone has absolute pitch and all you can really do is make all the spokes sound the same. You still don't know for sure if the spokes are up to proper tension or not since the spokes sound different from wheel to wheel.
Also a tip: Check the spoke tension again after you've mounted and inflated a tire on the wheel. It's not unusual for the spoke tension to drop when a tire compresses the rim.