Hay Tweaked hears some thing to consider,A typical street engine with 9.0:1 compression runs pretty good with 36 degrees of timing(initial plus mechanial)for a rough total of 15-55 degrees of total timing at light Throttle,when Vacume Advance is added in and the engine Detonates or Pings under (WOT)wide open throttle,reduce the amount of vacume advance.If the guy's you are talking to that set timing by ear are running A (CRANK-TRIGGER)on the Flex-plate they would be close because the timing is full advance at all times you only need to set the Initial timing,most people I no with this set up still use a timing light.