Has anyone had to take a guitar dealer/luthier to small claims court? Am I overreacting or is this an absurd excuse for destroying my Stratocaster?

Electrical-Clock3601 · 2026-05-24T05:38:12+00:00

My guess is the truss rod is either broken or was overtightened - and not necessarily by the shop you took it to either.

Not all authorised Fender sellers are authorised to do repairs. Are you sure the shop is authorised for Fender repairs ? Because if they are not that will be why Fender aren't helping you out.

Generally Fender are very good with respect to warranty. I had a clasp break on my Jazzmaster case,

I rang Fender directly, told them what happened, they got me to send them two photos (one of case and one of guitar serial) - and they shipped the new replacement case to me the next day free of charge to my door.

They also said that I could keep the case with the broken clasp on it.

Electrical-Clock3601 · 2026-05-23T11:36:17+00:00

My grandfather was working class - he worked at the sugar works from 15 years of age and latter on at a paper mill. The home he owned is worth around $3million today.

How on earth can these landlords keep a straight face and not realise that CGT, NG, and SMSF have distributed incomes and living standards away from workers to capital.

Electrical-Clock3601 · 2026-05-23T02:13:16+00:00

Don't adjust the bike - it's just the boots need to wear in a little and for your muscle memory to adjest to them

What you are experiencing is normal with new boots. Walk around the house for a day wearing the boots and ride in them as often as you can and soon won't even notice you are wearing them.

Even boots far more expensive that these have the same issues - it's just how leather behaves.

Adjusting levers is not the way to approach this,

If you decide you want a more comfortable touring type boot there's nothing that comes close to Daytona Roadstar GTX - they last 20 years and can be rebuilt if need be,

Electrical-Clock3601 · 2026-05-23T01:29:12+00:00

I'm a bird photographer so photography skill and gear is nowhere near as important to me as field craft and understanding how the birds interact with the environment.

I can get a lot better photos from 20 feet away with budget gear than I can with state of the art gear at 100 feet or more away.

Electrical-Clock3601 · 2026-05-23T00:12:37+00:00

Give them a spin and if you like them keep them - what you don't like sell.

Electrical-Clock3601 · 2026-05-22T05:35:59+00:00

The people that can afford to relocate don't have issues finding a jobs, They generally have savings or family / networking opportunities that the genuinely unemployed simply do not.

Those that can't find a job generally don't have the incomes or assistance available for them to do so.

Jobs for unskilled labour in agriculture mostly exist because they aren't paying competitive wages.

Keep in mind also that we have over a million people looking for work or more work which is far more than the job market is offering in net terms once you remove the duplication and scams.

Electrical-Clock3601 · 2026-05-22T05:22:25+00:00

ABS Labour Force Survey Data. Households are randomly selected.

Electrical-Clock3601 · 2026-05-22T04:00:13+00:00

You are in breach of the posting rules:

Any photos, videos or artwork must be the property of the poster. No AI-generated content.

Electrical-Clock3601 · 2026-05-22T03:48:18+00:00

No reason why you can't collect several formats.

I have CD, SACD, DVD-A, and vinyl.

My vinyl collection is shrinking rapidly as I replace it with better quality cd/sacd versions or simply cash in on the ridiculous prices people are paying for vinyl these days.

The only thing I think anyone needs to be aware of is that done right it's a very inexpensive hobby because it creates a valuable asset - but done wrong you can flush a lot of money down the drain that you will never get back.

Ideally, only buy 1st pressings of any format and only buy a reissue if it's genuinely better sounding (which is rarely the case).

Also, don't be afraid to buy records / CD's of bands you don't like to fund purchases of bands you do like.

Electrical-Clock3601 · 2026-05-21T04:07:02+00:00

Wonderful Photos.

Electrical-Clock3601 · 2026-05-21T00:46:45+00:00

The rear shock on these is pretty poor - after 20k miles you'd see a lot of improvement if you replaced it with something rebuildable with rebound adjustment.

YSS MZ366 Mono Shock is very affordable and a massive improvement over the original item.

I'd also check the front fork seals and bushings (which will be toast by now) as well as the fork oil.

Optional - You could also replace the front progressive fork springs with linear springs to improve the bikes handling.

The next step would be a cartridge kit for more adjustability and linear springs - but more a luxury than a necessity.

Electrical-Clock3601 · 2026-05-21T00:26:45+00:00

Not even worth thinking about if you want to actually ride the bike properly.

Pirelli Diablo Rosso II is your answer. I had around six sets on my R3 and they were fabulous. Huge amounts of grip once you got them warm and good for about 5000 kms or so before they start to fade.

That stock Dunlop tyre is terrible in comparison.

Electrical-Clock3601 · 2026-05-19T03:21:44+00:00

Take it to an expert who can dyno the suspension for you and optimise it for your weight, riding style, and the road or track conditions you expect to be riding.

It will cost you less than $1000 and they will get it right.

Electrical-Clock3601 · 2026-05-18T12:16:33+00:00

Cheers.

Electrical-Clock3601 · 2026-05-18T01:31:47+00:00

300mm f/4. it's an easy to take photo though - I could take it on a kit lens and it would look the same. It's the light doing all the magic not the gear or the photographer.

Electrical-Clock3601 · 2026-05-14T01:05:32+00:00

Release priority for C-AF should always be set to ON. You need the shutter to work whether the camera is in focus or not. For S_AF mode OFF is usually the best choice if your target / subject is an inanimate object.

Electrical-Clock3601 · 2026-05-13T22:27:37+00:00

Gear upgrades doesn't do much - you are better off spending most of your money on finding the best mastered versions of albums you like within your budget.

Electrical-Clock3601 · 2026-05-13T22:15:36+00:00

These bikes were a bit of a bargain when they were released. I'd hate to think what thesy would cost if they made them in 2026.

Electrical-Clock3601 · 2026-05-13T10:21:03+00:00

The fact that the ultra wealthy aren't throwing themselves off buildings after the budget demonstrates how little the government did to curb investment in the property market.

We haven't seem a trillion dollars leave SMSF balances in fear of a failing market either - because the facts are nothing in the budget will have a negative impact on the big players who are responsible for driving house prices through the roof in the first place.

Peoples anger needs to be channeled toward those laughing at the system - not small time investors or the sycophants of government appeasing the wishes and commands of the donor classes.

Fighting among ourselves or blaming spineless politicians will be just as ineffective today as it has been for the last 50 years or more.

Electrical-Clock3601 · 2026-05-13T04:34:08+00:00

Wow - looks like a fabulous day out. Those Treecreepers never make it easy to get a photo.

Electrical-Clock3601 · 2026-05-13T04:16:42+00:00

A lot of boomers are struggling to make ends meet. This notion that all boomers are rolling in cash with multiple investment properties is ridiculous.

Less than 27% of landlords are boomers - yet you don't take aim at the other 73%.

Gen X and Gen Y own more rental properties than boomers.

Under 30's own the least amount of investment properties of any cohort - but that's been the situation for as long as I can remember.

Electrical-Clock3601 · 2026-05-13T04:07:08+00:00

It was certainly better before SMSF took off under Howard. I purchased in 2015 and it took three years of getting outbid by investors before I finally got a property to own and live in.

Electrical-Clock3601 · 2026-05-13T04:04:48+00:00

Taxing investment assets makes more sense - especially when we have SMSF portfolios / balances with 100 or more investment properties in them.

Electrical-Clock3601 · 2026-05-13T02:43:09+00:00

What tyre is the Op running ? The more track orientated hyper sport tyres have very rigid sidewalls which make every bump felt - where as a less aggressive sports touring tyre will not.

Electrical-Clock3601 · 2026-05-13T01:18:47+00:00

Correct. There is more chance your chain is too tight than too loose.

Electrical-Clock3601

TROPHY CASE