My new wheels arrived at work today. Bloke I work with who generally knows his MTB tech stuff reckons I have been given plain gauge spokes cos you can't see the butting – which he reckons would show as a bulge in the middle of the spoke. Now I thought butting was internal so you wouldn't see anything anyway… is he talking sh*te or am i the one in wrong?

it would be thicker at each end and thinner in the middle

and yes its visible certainly on comps

spokes aren't hollow.

you should be able to see where the spoke changes 'gauge'.

this would be about 40mm from each end.

Should be narrower in the middle of the spoke.

yes you can see it.

You can see and feel the butting boundary.

Yes it can be easier to 'feel' the butting on some spokes, but it's certainly pretty obvious.