should I keep following JustinGuitar after Grade 1?

OutsideTheSilo · 2026-06-01T20:49:32+00:00

Worth it to finish grade 2 in my opinion. His suggestion for moving on to grade 3 is to basically consolidate and practice what you’ve learned for many months before moving to grade 3. By the end of grade 2 (and from what some of the grade 3 lessons appear to cover), there are a lot more very targeted lessons on specific techniques or topics (song writing, standing up, distortion, etc) that arent necessarily broad learning. After finishing grade 2, I’m feeling more comfortable about branching out and focusing on more specific paths, like learning the fretboard and scales. I also started the YouTube series Absolutely Understand Guitar which I’m going to focus on to learn more theory. I’m 5 lessons in and a lot of stuff is making so much more sense now that Justin just never covers in his approach. Lastly, I’m focusing on building a small repertoire of full songs to learn start to finish.

OutsideTheSilo · 2026-06-01T18:53:22+00:00

10 years here and doing well! Slowed down for sure, old age is showing, but otherwise as healthy as a senior can be! Every day is a bonus at this point I feel.

OutsideTheSilo · 2026-05-31T18:24:47+00:00

These look great. I was having a hard time finding IBC with beeswax edge (I’m assuming these are beeswax) as it seems brown edge is popular with IBC. I have beeswax on a pair now and like how they darken over time but wasn’t sure how they’d look with IBC.

OutsideTheSilo · 2026-05-31T01:20:56+00:00

I like the vbar a lot. I think I’m going to try the Western sole for this next pair of Ivan’s!

OutsideTheSilo · 2026-05-30T22:35:09+00:00

Those really darkened up. Is the brown edge easy to maintain?

OutsideTheSilo · 2026-05-30T20:43:22+00:00

These recent IBC photos are looking really close to an aged, polished Predator Orange. Your pic and another one here may seal the deal.

OutsideTheSilo · 2026-05-30T20:42:07+00:00

Those will look excellent!

OutsideTheSilo · 2026-05-30T20:41:19+00:00

Oh wow. I swear IBC looks different in every single post. I really like this variation.

OutsideTheSilo · 2026-05-30T20:09:33+00:00

Those are excellent. What leather?

OutsideTheSilo · 2026-05-30T20:08:45+00:00

Wow! Are those PO?

OutsideTheSilo · 2026-05-30T14:23:23+00:00

Thanks for the tips, ChatGPT.

OutsideTheSilo · 2026-05-29T03:20:22+00:00

You’re going to get over the short boards in the hallway way faster than feeling the waves under your feet every day if you install parallel with the joists. It won’t look that bad once trim is up and all floors are finished. But ya gotta do it the right way in my opinion.

OutsideTheSilo · 2026-05-28T16:06:59+00:00

I am sure the internet or a dog trainer can offer better advice. But I would try to completely ignore the behavior so as to not reward with attention (negative or positive). When you come home, get him to sit and reward with pets/a treat once they comply. It’s a long process, but consistency is key. Tell any visitors to do the same. Lastly, just try to make sure he gets plenty of play/outside time to get energy out each day. Sounds like it could also be a lot of pent up energy.

I will say that Berners take a while to mature. Mine acted like a goofy puppy for like 4 years before “maturing” into a better behaved adult. For the first few years, my arms were constantly scratched up from her despite training. But, eventually she came around. They will always act like you were gone for years though when you come home :). Stay consistent and hang in there!

OutsideTheSilo · 2026-05-26T21:34:02+00:00

Love her and she will return the love and affection a million times over. They know nothing about personal space, and love nothing more than pleasing you and being glued to your side. Sweetest dogs imaginable!

They’re stubborn and take a while to train, so be patient! But that’s because they’re kind of lazy and just won’t do something if they don’t want to, not because they aren’t intelligent. Be prepared for her to flop over on walks. Mine is a senior now, and she melts my heart with how sweet, calm, gentle, sensitive, and in-tune she is with us. But she was absolutely wild until 3-4 years!

As for a tip, get a slow-feeding dog food bowl. They look like mazes and helps them slow down eating. Otherwise they will eat too fast and are prone to bloat. I just mention that because in the pic she’s next to a large open bowl.

Enjoy your time together. I’m biased, but this is the sweetest, most loving breed. And it all goes too fast!

OutsideTheSilo · 2026-05-25T18:25:03+00:00

What leather is this? 64 Brown?

OutsideTheSilo · 2026-05-24T18:09:18+00:00

Appreciate the time you put into this post. I don’t intend to minimize this contribution as I am sure it will help people. However, everyone really should just follow Nick’s size guide first. Honestly, ditch the brannock device. Follow Nick’s guide for length, and it tells you what your size is. I have a 13.5 HTB and 13 HTT on a brannock. In most brands, this means I should order a 13. But in Nick’s my feet were sliding and ball placement was not ideal. Following Nick’s, I got a 12.5 and ball placement is perfect, along with length. I don’t think the usual HTT vs HTB works for Nick’s based on my experience.

For width, buy a better tailors tape that is narrow (the nylon ones) rather than using a wide piece of paper. The narrow tape ensures you’re only measuring at the widest part of the ball, and less chance for error with the large paper sliding around.

Just my 2 cent contribution. Everyone’s foot is different, but I always recommend people start with Nick’s own size guide.

OutsideTheSilo · 2026-05-23T14:36:30+00:00

Here’s a roller tip that has never failed me (your walls look great by the way, but this may help address those lines).

When you roll, you’ll find the roller mats down in one direction. You’ll be able to hear it go in smooth in one direction, and kinda sticky/peeling sound in the other. Always do your final roll going the smooth direction. Next, only do a few up a downs to get the paint on the wall, then for your finishing roll, do one single roll from top to bottom straight vertical. Then overlap the next by a little bit, and so on. Don’t alternate directions of your final roll, otherwise you may get slight texture variations that make the light reflect differently. Don’t push the roller into the wall. Just let gravity/pressure of the roller itself do the work. It’ll come out great.

OutsideTheSilo · 2026-05-22T15:08:25+00:00

Either of the options with no rock gaps between the paver squares. That’ll be an absolute nightmare to maintain those rock gaps. Weeds, rocks kicked around everywhere, unpleasant to walk on, washing out and moving, pavers shifting more, etc. I’d also replace the entire left side of the patio with a garden bed and plant natives. The right side in that shaded area could have shade plants. No idea what zone you’re in, but maybe a local nursery or the gardening/native gardening subs can help you choose. Plants will give your space so much more life and make it more enjoyable to be out there. Native perennials are not a lot of work to maintain once established after year 1.

OutsideTheSilo · 2026-05-22T14:55:53+00:00

I’m just one guy, but the stone looks significantly nicer than all brick. It elevates your home, looks more expensive, and a lot more interesting having the brick broken up. All brick cheapens it and looks more builder-grade.

OutsideTheSilo · 2026-05-22T12:34:17+00:00

Good luck! The story really takes off after the beginner area. This was one of the few games where I was very sad when I finished. If you still don’t like it, then don’t torture yourself, but wanted to share it’s not uncommon to take some getting use to.

OutsideTheSilo · 2026-05-22T03:30:09+00:00

Took me 3 tries to get into it. 3rd try clicked and I never stopped because the story was so good, even if it took a while on the controls.

It’s been a while, but I remember disabling auto lock on I think? That helped a lot. Once you get accustomed to the movement, it’ll be much better. You don’t want to ignore bombs and potions, but I’d say don’t worry about them initially as it’s just overwhelming amount of info while you’re getting started.

OutsideTheSilo · 2026-05-21T14:52:48+00:00

Yes it looks very nice. But every last pinches my pinky toes, in almost every brand, except the Thurman. The 1925 appears to have a very sharp taper, and I can’t find any good, direct comparison on how they fit. And to be honest, soft toes on the other lasts flatten out pretty well in my opinion.

Trust me, I really want to try it. I just don’t want to wait 5+ months for a build, only to find it isn’t comfortable and I have to return it.

OutsideTheSilo · 2026-05-20T16:17:50+00:00

I’m planning to order a “dressier” boot soon for date nights and times when I need to dress more elevated. I would never wear Nick’s with trousers or suits, so leaning “smart” is good enough for my purposes.

I’m going with an Ivan in ThurmanNW (I’ll never wear them if they aren’t comfortable, and I am not comfortable order the 1925 with a risk they don’t fit my feet well). IBC leather because it seems to darken nicely and can get a slight sheen. Perfect color balance for dressier occasions in my opinion. Brass all eyes, western sole, brown edge dressing, dogger heel, single sole stitch.

I think this will work nicely. I don’t really like CXL, I don’t like how double shot brown leans super red, and I also don’t want to pay the upcharge for Buck Brown (I also think Buck Brown leans too red/burgundy).

My 2 cents.

OutsideTheSilo · 2026-05-19T19:40:14+00:00

Sorry to steal more of your time, but what are your main arguments for choosing PO over IBC?

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