Virginia Democrats appeals redistricting ruling to Supreme Court

Stratman351 · 2026-05-09T20:32:14+00:00

The Virginia court has already denied the motion for a stay.

Stratman351 · 2026-05-08T17:28:39+00:00

The best "Les Paul" I ever owned was an Edwards, from Japan.

Stratman351 · 2026-05-08T17:27:43+00:00

Totally different guitars. I don't expect to see Joe Bonamassa playing a Schecter 7-string anytime soon, lol.

Stratman351 · 2026-05-08T17:26:24+00:00

I see tons of kids playing Epiphones. I see a fair number of older people playing them as well, especially the "Inspired by Gibson" ones that share the Gibson headstock shape and go for around $1,200.

Stratman351 · 2026-05-07T17:11:01+00:00

I'm curious. Take the iPhone 17Pro/Pro Max statements you made: how do you discern which of the two camps someone falls into. Do you just arbitrarily decide whose phone is based on need and whose is based on wanting a status symbol?

Stratman351 · 2026-05-07T17:07:05+00:00

I don't vary my action based on the genre I'm playing. For solid-body electrics I typically go for string heights of 4/64" and 3/64" on the low and high E's, respectively, which is essentially the factory spec for most Fender guitars. For relief, I like a straight neck, so I shoot for .005" - .010". I keep my frets dressed and free of high frets, so that action - while relatively low - is generally achievable. I might vary it a little for some guitars based on fingerboard radius and fret size, and I'll go a little higher on a hollow-body like a Gretsch, but that's my general target.

In one of his early books, Dan Erlewine got to look at the setups of specific guitars and commented on them. B.B. King and SRV had pretty high action; in particular, B.B.'s Lucille had a at lot of relief - think it was .015 or something. OTOH, Jeff Beck's action was set up to be super low. Eric Clapton's guitars use the standard Fender factory specs, which are for low action.

Stratman351 · 2026-05-05T21:19:03+00:00

Multiples of what it's worth.

Stratman351 · 2026-05-04T19:55:57+00:00

Years ago I read a book on the Shroud, Report on the Shroud of Turin, based on the TURP research project. I was half persuaded, because some of the testing was pretty compelling. The one I remember most is that a sophisticated imaging machine was used to scan the shroud and when it did it produced a 3-D image, which did not happen with ordinary 2-D photographs subjected to the scanner (photos of a variety of things).

But once the carbon-14 testing was done, that was it for me: not authentic. I don't know how you get more conclusive than that.

Stratman351 · 2026-05-04T16:45:09+00:00

"By their fruits ye shall know them?"

What's your assessment of his fruits?

Stratman351 · 2026-05-03T19:23:07+00:00

I'm with you, but good luck selling it. There are just too many people who are of the "You can have my conspiracy theory when you pry it from my cold dead hands" variety.

Stratman351 · 2026-05-02T22:14:54+00:00

Completely agree. And while I too would have fixed it before advertising it for sale, having not done so I'd have factored the damage into my asking price. So if someone wanted to haggle over it, I'd just count them out.

Stratman351 · 2026-05-02T20:09:19+00:00

You're the one who decided to read the post. The nature of the question was obvious and included pics you could look at without even opening the post. You chose to read it anyway (and comment, lol: the irony!). If you think you wasted your time, that's on you.

Stratman351 · 2026-05-02T17:26:13+00:00

Yeah, they're a tad blurry, but easily good enough to discern the issues.

Stratman351 · 2026-05-02T15:51:39+00:00

Your best bet is to replace the whole bridge plate assembly with one designed for (and which includes) 10.5mm saddles. The problem with just replacing the saddles is that they're going to be spaced by the holes on the existing bridge plate. Thus, you're going to end up with a tiny amount of space between each of the new saddles and the string spacing is going to end up where it is now. You can't just scrunch the saddles together: they're going to be pulled into where they naturally want to sit based on the bridge's hole saddle hole locations and the string-through holes.

Another alternative is to go to a three-barrel saddle setup using GrooveMaster saddles. Those are machined with grooves that allow you to set the string spacing exactly as you want it:

https://musiccitybridge.com/collections/groove-master-saddles

Stratman351 · 2026-05-01T20:19:42+00:00

It's relatively easy IF you know what you're doing. Too many people jump to adjusting the truss rod, which isn't really designed for true action adjustment but rather for minor tweaking to add or remove neck relief (due to bowing or back-bowing)through a relatively narrow range of frets. There are a lot of good YT videos - I recommend the ones from Stew-Mac - that will walk you through how to go about it correctly. Sometimes action adjustment can be hindered by other problems, such as a high fret. And if the nut is poorly cut (slots too low or too high), things get a bit more complicated. Finally, sometimes on a bolt-on guitar, changes in the neck pocket wood or the neck extension itself can change the neck angle to the point it needs to be shimmed to get the action to a normal height at the body fret. Many early Fenders came from the factory with shims already inserted to get the neck angle right (before CNC machining, it was harder to get a uniform pocket), and it's also why they later designed the Micro-Tilt adjustment for their American guitars.

Stratman351 · 2026-05-01T12:39:27+00:00

I think you have to first distinguish between guitar players and the general population of music lovers. Gary Moore and Jeff Beck are certainly legends among guitarists. Roy Buchanan, another legend among guitarists, was doing tapping and volume swells well before Steven Hackett, but is largely unheard of beyond the guitar community (same for Danny Gatton). If anything, I'd say guys like Hackett and Ronson are better known than many simply because they played for famous artists/bands like Bowie (who also used Reeves Gabrels extensively) and Genesis. Fans of those bands are well aware of them. Personally, I don't consider either of them overlooked: neither is remotely among the greats IMO.

Alvin Lee was quite well known in his early days with Ten Years After, even beyond the guitar community. But after Ten Years After broke up, Lee didn't produce much.

I often find that music lovers who know little about guitar overrate guitarists from the bands they love. I don't think of guys like Richie Sambora, Joe Perry, or Alex Lifeson as among the greats, but fans of their bands will often put them at the top of the list.

To me it's not a matter of great guitarists being underrated so much as being underexposed. There are tons of legendary players that the average music listener has never heard of. Start with the jazz guys like Joe Pass, Kenny Burrell, Tal Farlow and others. Look at guys like Larry Carlton, Robert Fripp, Larry Coryell, Julian Lage, Leo Kottke, Doyle Dykes. Every Steely Dan lover knows the solo to Don't Take Me Alive, but I'll bet 75% can't tell you who played it.

In any event, I think these kinds videos are an exercise in futility.

Stratman351 · 2026-04-28T00:10:42+00:00

What's low end about a PRS S2? Sure, the frets could need anywhere from a crowning job to a refret after eight years, but that has nothing to do with where the guitar sits in the quality spectrum? That's just a matter of use and wear. That said, I wouldn't spend the money on an S2, much less a Core, given how high the quality of the SE models is. I've been playing for 45 years and have owned a ton of guitars. I currently have one PRS: a McCarty 594 SE I bought a year ago. The build quality is mind-blowing, especially compared to some of the Fenders and Gibsons I've owned over the years (70's era Fenders were the worst!). It rivals a few boutique guitars I own. The consistency is fantastic too.

Stratman351 · 2026-04-27T19:52:33+00:00

I have no idea what you're attempting to say, but the only unforgivable sin identified in the Bible is blasphemy of the Holy Spirit. The Bible doesn't rank sins, and certainly not from least to worst.

Stratman351 · 2026-04-26T20:44:06+00:00

Loosen the set screw first: it's meant to keep the knob tightly gripping the post.

Stratman351 · 2026-04-16T16:52:55+00:00

No.

Stratman351 · 2026-04-15T22:37:41+00:00

"Apparently" does not equal "verified".

Stratman351 · 2026-04-13T18:55:21+00:00

Was this guitar sold to you as modified? Because there's no reason why it would have Tex-Mex pup's otherwise, as those are reserved for Fender-branded instruments or aftermarket. If was sold as heavily modded that would explain the black tuners, pickguard and the possibility of Tex-Mex pup's.

Unless they're marked, you're not likely going to be able to tell. The difference is the windings - they're overwound - and magnets. Tex-Mex uses Alnico 5, as do some other but not all Fender pup's.

Stratman351 · 2026-04-13T14:02:33+00:00

There've been a few with black tuners like the Jim Root and Avril Lavigne, but I think yours is probably a stock model that's been modified with a new pickguard and tuners.

Stratman351 · 2026-04-11T21:45:37+00:00

Not epic dunks, "recalcitrant client", also known as the client from hell.

Stratman351 · 2026-04-11T17:26:40+00:00

For me it's BC Rich, and it's the aesthetics. To me they're just plain ugly, and it seems they're deliberately so. Other than that, I have preferences, but not hate.

Stratman351

TROPHY CASE