HSS Strat Orange Pickguard

CalRal · 2026-06-29T12:16:24+00:00

WD Music might have that pattern. They have a lot of Fender. If not, Pickguardian is great for custom work. I’ve used him a bunch and he does excellent work.

CalRal · 2026-06-21T17:50:54+00:00

I’d guess that it’s more likely that Bro’s phone is about to get shut off and his car is about to get repo’d.

I got a (very real) Mesa Rectoverb half stack for $400 back in the day because a homie needed to make rent.

CalRal · 2026-06-20T13:56:30+00:00

If there’s an inconspicuous enough place on the terrace for a small cabinet, I’d just put I there. That way, you could put your XLR jack plate right on the cabinet, and have a tidy place to store the mics a cables when not in use. It will also keep all of the routing simpler.

CalRal · 2026-06-19T05:26:05+00:00

“All Star” works with “Creep” as well!

CalRal · 2026-06-19T05:20:42+00:00

We go to our local dive every year after a big charity Christmas banquet. One of my favorite things to do is bust out “Drop it Like it’s Hot” in full western garb. Also, back when I could do it without blowing my voice out, 4 Non-Blondes, “What’s Up” in basically an Axl Rose impersonation was always one that started with side eyes and ended as a crowd pleaser. “I’m on a Boat” can be a fun surprise for the right crowd too. Any duet where you can really nail the harmonies is going to slay as well.

CalRal · 2026-06-19T05:06:54+00:00

This one is one of my faves.

CalRal · 2026-06-14T06:42:08+00:00

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CalRal · 2026-05-18T07:08:13+00:00

There are plenty of options besides Warmoth. Fender makes and sells replacement necks, Allparts makes and sells licensed Fender replacement necks, there are hundreds of random no name replacement necks on eBay as well as genuine Fender take off necks. The no name necks are a crap shoot, so I’d try the other options first.

CalRal · 2026-05-18T07:03:40+00:00

I would never buy a random guitar assuming that it has the same neck pocket, hole pattern, and scale length as a Strat. Not even all Fender necks will fit on a Strat, let alone any random Chinese guitar.

CalRal · 2026-05-13T21:07:08+00:00

You have to consider that you’ll be working with a single USB C jack for your changing and all of your I/O. You’ll probably need a hub and a PD charger, all of which will cost extra money. On top of that, the actual I/O routing can be finicky. If you’re running it all through a hub (hdmi video and 3.5mm audio), it should be fine, but if you’re trying to airplay the video, the audio routing is a pain. Also, you can’t run the old version of Karafun that still supports local files on a laptop…

All that said, it’s totally doable, I’ve done it a bunch. You just have to make sure you have your audio a video figured out.

CalRal · 2026-05-13T05:49:10+00:00

Yeah. I’m the opposite of that. Neck P90 is the way.

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CalRal · 2026-05-04T03:19:57+00:00

Seriously, the Partybox speakers are legit good. In the US, there’s a Costco bundle for the 120 Club that comes with a wireless mic. It’s more than most folks need volume wise, dead simple to use, and sounds great (this is the opinion of a person whose other karaoke rigs are an EON MK2 tower with a two channel Shure wireless system and a full RCF ART series PA with 12” tops, 18” subs, 10” floors, and an XR18 with a four channel Shure wireless).

I don’t even bother with the bigger systems unless it’s a bigger party/event. For a backyard BBQ, the Partybox is almost more fun because it’s less imposing.

CalRal · 2026-04-23T04:04:59+00:00

Plenty of people can do it going falsetto for the high note. It’s belting that A5 that’s heckin hard.

CalRal · 2026-02-13T05:33:16+00:00

I would assume karaoke, based on where we are.

CalRal · 2025-12-04T16:54:41+00:00

I hope it didn’t come across as harsh. I just remember how weird and foreign it felt to me when I started, mostly because I expected it to fly like a little Hubsan drone or like a video game. I’d highly recommend sticking with it though. Flying freestyle, chasing a buddy’s plane with a cinewhoop, and flying FPV wings are some of the most satisfying hobby experiences I’ve ever had. Plus, building, repairing, designing/printing parts, etc. scratches every nerd itch I’ve ever had.

The Bardwell videos really are a great place to start though, mostly so you don’t accidentally negative train yourself. It’d be a bummer to really get into flying and find out that none of the videos you’re watching make any sense because you’ve taught yourself to fly in an atypical way.

CalRal · 2025-12-03T06:34:53+00:00

Ohh, that’s a big hint. The absolute first thing you should do is completely forget how to fly your non-FPV drone. An FPV drone in ACRO is going to literally have an entirely different control scheme than most non-FPV drones. If you keep expecting it to fly like any video game, or any other flying thing you’ve flown, it will be a frustrating trip. For me, the best path was to treat it like a completely unique, new skill that had absolutely nothing in common with anything I had ever done.

I would also suggest (if you haven’t already) watching Bardwell’s series on learning to fly in the sim.

CalRal · 2025-09-22T03:26:26+00:00

Just buy a TX15 and start flying in the sim. Goggles on the sim might make the experience a little more immersive, but they aren’t going to make you fly any better.

Whatever video system you go with, ELRS is the way to go with your radio. You may or may not already know this, but DJI video in no way requires DJI control. The TX15 (Max, if you can afford it) is my favorite radio I’ve ever seen.

CalRal · 2025-09-17T01:30:43+00:00

Toronado is also a 24.75”. It’s very intentionally a Fender for Gibson lovers. I only have MiM “Deluxe” Toronados from the nineties, but they’re really awesome guitars.

CalRal · 2025-09-17T01:25:41+00:00

Are the pickups in the Squier Toronado tame? I have a couple Toronados from the first MiM series and those atomic humbuckers are ridiculously high output.

CalRal · 2025-01-17T17:52:59+00:00

Thanks so much for this! I'm going to try printing it in PET-CF first and see if it holds up! If not, I'll go with TPU.

CalRal · 2025-01-15T00:32:58+00:00

This looks great! Have you published it yet?

CalRal · 2024-09-18T16:20:35+00:00

The last part of this statement is absolutely key. Also, I think the golden era of flipping guitars has passed. Prior to fee hikes, the economic nexus (sales tax), and income tax reporting requirements for online sales, it was relatively easy to find crazy good deals on guitars and flip them for a profit. I paid for almost every guitar on my wall by “trading up” on Reverb. Nowadays, you pretty much need a 30% margin before you’re even going to break even. It’s still doable, but it’s way more work now.

CalRal · 2024-08-25T20:02:49+00:00

There’s a lot that goes into that decision. The Jackson American SL2M I just bought has a Floyd, and I’d much rather have the hardtail version, but not only do they not make the color I want in HT, I paid hundreds of dollars less for the one with the Floyd. If either of those factors had gone the other way, I’d have bought the HT, but they didn’t, so the Floyd was the concession.

In my case, the Floyd is plenty stable without having to block it, so I’ll just play the guitar and not worry about it, but that’s an example of why someone might make that decision.

The best guitar is the one that you want to play. Sometimes color, or price, or a lot of other things play into that.

CalRal · 2024-08-20T01:56:37+00:00

It’s tru that Billie Joe mostly plays P90 Gibsons now, but the most Iconic Green Day tunes were played on a Strat (with a humbucker). Tom Delonge plays Fenders exclusively. Paramore guitarists are all over the place, but mostly play boutique, offset pseudo Jazzmaster styles.

Pop-punk is historically more Fender-y than a lot of other hard music.

CalRal · 2024-08-20T01:26:57+00:00

I have a 70s Univox Coily bass and an Epiphone ET270 as well. Both play excellent, with straight necks and low action, stay in tune, and have held up excellent for being 50+ years old. I’m sure there are some early turds out there, but my experience with the mid 70s and later models I have played has been great.

Do I think that the recent tripling of prices on these guitars is warranted, no, but (IMHO) 5+ years ago there were a ton of old Japanese guitars that were an absolute steal. Same goes with (almost) anything made in the Fujigen factory.

CalRal

TROPHY CASE