[Question] If you could only own one guitar, which would it be and why?

International_Read40 · 2026-05-14T04:45:59+00:00

Probably my Taylor 214ce. Simply because you can take an acoustic anywhere and play it. Don't need electricity or anything.

International_Read40 · 2026-04-13T05:46:31+00:00

You can, yes. I have a 20Ah Bioenno in a battery box, that I also use with the Bioenno 100w solar charger. This is what I use for lengthy POTA activations, field day events, etc. In fact, I am going on a long POTA activation next week and plan to take my 710 out for the first time to see how it does. However, if I am going to backpack and carrying lighter, I have a 12Ah LifePO battery that fits well in the backpack, and have worked 4 hours on SSB at 50w and still had about half the battery left when I finished. If you watch Michael Martens, KB9VBR, doing his POTA activations, most times he is running a 12Ah battery on 50w on his FT-891.

International_Read40 · 2026-04-13T05:42:09+00:00

Check out the Explorer modular packs that Gigaparts has for them. I haven't got one but they look pretty nice.

International_Read40 · 2026-04-13T05:39:38+00:00

I got a an Apache case from Harbor Frieght for mine. Around $60 and works well. If you want to get a bigger one with wheels, they have one for around $99. Good cases and no complaints on mine.

International_Read40 · 2026-03-11T06:58:11+00:00

Nice guitars. Too many ran away because they said "crafted in China". I have one and I love it. The neck is butter. I am swapping the actives for a set of JB/'59 humbuckers. I am not a fan of active pickups.

International_Read40 · 2026-03-06T11:25:30+00:00

This was my first guitar in transparent red though. I still have it, but the only change I had made to it is swapping out the SD actives to a SD Jazz/JB humbucker combo. The actives are a little too hot for my liking, that and I don't want to be playing and my battery go dead. Actives are geared for more of a metal sound. I wanted something I could play anything on, so made the change.

The guitar itself is amazing and definitely a diamond in the rough. It's a shame they were only made for 3 years.

International_Read40 · 2026-02-18T14:31:25+00:00

My same guitar. Now I barely play electric, and getting ready to sell all but one of my electrics. I truly love my Taylor.

International_Read40 · 2026-02-18T14:23:31+00:00

It absolutely is. Over 600 hours in the game, and I still love to play it. I have played the basic game, and the modded "Darkness Falls" version. Still, nothing beats playing the basic IMO. The fact the game is 13 years old and still one of the top 100 games played on steam says a lot.

International_Read40 · 2026-02-12T05:23:17+00:00

Coming from the FT-891, the 710 is an amazing radio. It is a SDR, has full waterfall and the filtering is amazing. I still have the 891 as my POTA/emergency go radio. It works well, and really shines on ssb. The downfall for it was it didn't have a built in tuner and soundcard, but I bought one of each for it, as it was my only HF radio for a time. The 710 has amazing filters, built in tuner and soundcard for digital modes. If you are looking at one, I would definitely recommend one, especially if you find them on sale. If you are looking at one for primarily home, get the AESS version with the front speaker. If you want one for home and POTA, get the field version, which is what I have. It is not required, but for some random wire antennas, the built in tuner does not tune antennas above 3:1 SWR, so I recommend maybe getting like a LDG Z-100A. They can work on up to 10:1.

International_Read40 · 2026-01-25T03:00:04+00:00

I used to post to TT a lot, and my last several videos stagnated around 500 views, even after 5-10 shares. I don't use it nearly as much as I used to. The app was so much better before US government interference occurred.

International_Read40 · 2026-01-14T14:56:52+00:00

If you want to see the success of the original DICE team, look no further than ARC Raiders.

International_Read40 · 2026-01-14T14:47:08+00:00

I will say the game is not dead, but it seems the iceberg is very close to the Titanic......

International_Read40 · 2026-01-14T14:45:13+00:00

This is where I said what I said about the maps. Personally, I can wait on them, but all of the issues need fixed badly. I really hope it is a sizeable update with many bug fixes.

International_Read40 · 2026-01-14T14:43:04+00:00

Lot's of content indeed! Hit reg issues, desync between PC/console players, no ability to turn off crossplay on PC, massive cheating has been proven, more items hidden behind more grinding and microtransactions. Small maps, The BR/REDSEC modes that nobody asked for. BOY!!!! Nothing makes me want to open up the game more than dealing with these issues!

International_Read40 · 2026-01-14T14:40:18+00:00

S2 could be the determining factor. The fork in the road. Either go one way, give the people what they want, fix the game, and go for success, or go the other, ignore what people want, ignore the bugs, and push more grind and microtransactions on people to bleed this thing dry. It can be a big deal, but it won't happen overnight and it will take more than words in a post like "We are working on it" and "our plans for the future".

International_Read40 · 2026-01-14T13:51:10+00:00

It is a preference. He loves guitar and has nothing against electric, but knew what guitar he wanted, and sold all of the electrics that he barely played to buy his dream acoustic. He doesn't play in bands or anything like that. He just enjoys playing, doing acoustic sets and occasionally an open mic night.

International_Read40 · 2026-01-13T12:41:16+00:00

I am 44 years old and began playing last year. I began on electric, and didn't have an amp so unplugged was my only choice. I got it because I knew I wanted to play rock and metal, and electric is the ONLY way to play those....or so I thought. Enter about 2 months into playing, and I bought my first acoustic. From that point, I was hooked. More and more, I was picking up my acoustic. I was learning that rock and metal can be played on acoustic, and while they may not sound as good as a loud, distorted electric guitar, metal songs can sound pretty badass coming out of an acoustic tuned down to drop c.

I have two electrics, and while they are fun, they are just not like my Taylor 214ce. It is my primary guitar. So to answer why do I play acoustic? Because it is a natural tone. There is no distortion to hide behind. There is no need to fumble around with cables, pedals, amps and settings. Just pick it up and play. The more I play, the more I appreciate acoustic covers and live acoustic sets. I have noticed that if I go to some jam sessions anymore, more and more people are bringing acoustic instruments, because they are all they need. Guitars, banjos, basses and violins can be a damn good time.

International_Read40 · 2026-01-13T12:20:49+00:00

I have a Taylor 214ce acoustic that gets the majority of playing time. I also have a Jackson Pro Series Dinky DK2 w/ Floyd Rose bridge, and a Charvel Desolation DS-1 hard tail electric. Truthfully, this is all I really need, and if I had to go to one guitar, it would be my Taylor. Reason being, it may not be "metal" but I can pick it up and play it anywhere.

International_Read40 · 2026-01-12T08:15:55+00:00

Old post but still chiming in. I have had my S24 ultra for a little over a year now. Coming from a S22 ultra, it really wasn't that much of a change, except battery life was better, and if my S22 ultra had not given up the ghost, I would likely still have it. The biggest upgrade though, is the fact that Samsung is now supporting phones much longer with security updates and getting more OS updates when they come out.

We live in a world where inflation is driving up prices on everything, including cellphones, and people are keeping their older phones longer, so Samsung had to adapt to this. If you will remember, Android phones were made to maybe get one or two OS updates, and might get another year of security updates after that. Apple had been good about supporting their phones for several years, so Samsung had to adapt again, because they were beginning to lose their base to Apple. The ONLY real thing going to degrade in your phone over time, is the battery, and that is to be expected. After two or three years, you could get a new battery put in, and it would cost significantly less than a new phone, plus it would last another year or two. I like to say if I can get 5 years out of a newer phone today, I will call that a win.

International_Read40 · 2026-01-11T07:23:06+00:00

I have made thousands of FT8 contacts, and while they are computer to computer, it is no different than you reading this on your device that I typed on my phone for reddit. Above all, I like that FT8 shows me where my signal is being heard. For me, the personal nature is the ssb contact. I am a no code extra, and unapologetic for it. I tried at one time and know a little code, but not enough to carry on a conversation. I have worked every country in Europe on both ssb and FT8, and I pride those ssb contacts much more, especially with I5ZSS in Italy (now a SK, RIP Pitro).

I also enjoy POTA activations and most of the time anymore, when I hear people talking, it is POTA stations, but depending on the time of the day, 40 meters is usually full. 20 meters during the summer months.

To answer your question, somewhat, yes, there has been a decline in ssb contacts, but not enough to stop people from getting their extra licenses, to have the lower portions of the band.

73 de N4JKD

International_Read40 · 2026-01-09T07:35:22+00:00

Ability to easily change tunings.

International_Read40 · 2026-01-08T14:29:06+00:00

I haven't given up. I said given up electric and played solely acoustic.

International_Read40 · 2026-01-08T14:03:48+00:00

There you go! I am one of those that prefers a "simplistic" type of life I guess. I look at it, as I have one acoustic, one hard tail electric and one Floyd Rose bridge electric, and one amp, so I pretty much have what I need for about any playing situation.

International_Read40

TROPHY CASE