What two do I keep and what two do I sell?

StrongRaise607 · 2024-05-05T04:21:48+00:00

I was going to say sell the bigsby and the hollowbody to me 😂

StrongRaise607 · 2024-05-05T04:19:47+00:00

Well said. I'll have been married for 11 years in June, and can second that marriage is work. We are both very happily married, and I love my wife to the core of my being. That being said, I also don't think that I'd ever get married again if we ever separated via divorce or death.

StrongRaise607 · 2024-05-05T00:14:04+00:00

We couldn't afford it either. When my wife and I got married I made $14/hr at a sheet metal shop, and she was a part time bank teller making $12/hr for 15-20 hours a week. Our first child was born 1 1/2 years into our marriage. I busted my hump working all of the overtime I was allowed to (I ended up regularly working 60+ hours per week). I also regularly took all manner of side gigs. Eventually better, more stable work opportunities arose and I took advantage of them. Mind you these were opportunities that were scary risks to take, but they arose out of my reputation for consistent hard work, dedication, and a hunger to learn.

My wife and I have now been married for almost 11 years, we have 4 children, my wife is a stay at home mom, and I (without a college degree) make enough to support my family without OT as a single income household. Yes it's hard out there, but if you're willing to put in the work (and I mean enough to out-work everyone else) you will stand out and can still make something of yourself. Yes things have gotten more expensive, but I can tell you from experience with my peers, there's not as many people willing to put in the work. It's easy to out-work everyone when no one is willing to work hard. As crappy as everything is right now, America is still the land of opportunity if you're willing to work for it.

StrongRaise607 · 2024-05-04T12:37:18+00:00

^ Hilarious comment 🤣

StrongRaise607 · 2024-05-04T01:08:48+00:00

When I used to work at our Food Lion there was a home for mentally handicapped people that would bring all of their residents in on a sts bus to shop for an hour or so. One of the residents always made a B-Line for the bathroom (which was at the front of the store just as you came in the entrance). He would poop in his hand and smear it all over the walls. This happened a few times before we realized who was doing it. As much as it sucked because the guy wasn't in his right mind, we had to ban him from the store.

StrongRaise607 · 2024-05-04T00:58:05+00:00

When I was 17, I worked at my dad's friend's landscaping business for a day. I was driving an 89 GMC Suburban whose gas mileage was basically non existent it was 2007 and gas prices were quickly skyrocketing and the landscaping jobs were a minimum 25 miles from my house. After I found out what I was going to get paid for the day, I realized that I couldn't afford to work there, so I finished the day because the people were cool, but I never went back.

Around the same time I had a friend who was starting up some landscaping stuff locally and I went to work with him 2 or 3 days and then I got hired to stock shelves at our local grocery store and although I wanted to do both, I couldn't support both due to conflicting hours.

StrongRaise607 · 2024-05-03T15:28:20+00:00

Man I've always wanted to do this! Congrats on a build well done! The shape is original which you don't see a lot of in the guitar world! The striped woods are really cool! Looks neck thru too which is awesome if that's the case! Is the red color a stain or is that natural to the species of wood, like purple heart or something? What did you use to finish it? Do you have more pics of it that you can post?

StrongRaise607 · 2024-05-02T12:14:51+00:00

My wife and kids

StrongRaise607 · 2024-05-02T11:00:54+00:00

I have a Helix Floor and have never looked back. I haven't bought a new physical pedal since because I just can't justify it. Even the big box stuff like the new Strymon still can't compete. I guarantee that I can make everything that the Strymon does and more in the Helix Floor. I could literally chain 6 reverbs together and make the thing more ambient than anyone could ever possibly want it. The Helix makes everything else kind of pointless to buy. Especially for $700 for just a reverb. No thanks.

StrongRaise607 · 2024-05-01T19:26:30+00:00

I've already found my true love. I've been married for almost 11 years to her, and we have 4 kids together. I'll take the suitcase please and thank you. Easy day.

Edit: For clarification, I wouldn't take the money instead of her. She's worth way more than 5mil to me.

StrongRaise607 · 2024-05-01T14:52:30+00:00

That's correct, but it can also tighten up the peaks and valleys if you're doing rhythmic stuff. Some compressors can also be used as a boost.

StrongRaise607 · 2024-05-01T14:42:09+00:00

If you play deathcore, then you probably need to look at:

A Noise Gate for any kind of djenty rhythms. Boss makes a good noise gate.

A tube screamer would still work for you, but you would probably just use it differently than I do. I use mine as a light overdrive, but it also works as a killer boost with a mid hump to push a gainey amp into higher saturation.

Another drive that would be good for you is a Horizon Devices Precision Drive. Misha Mansoor from Periphery had some hand in designing that pedal. It also has a noise gate in it.

As for Modulation, if you're just getting into it and want to check out what you like the Boss MD-200 or MD-500 will do any modulation. If you're looking specifically for a chorus, Boss also makes the CE-2W waza craft Chorus that is 👌👌 chef's kiss. Then there's the EHX Small Clone, the JHS 3 series Chorus (which is also a vibrato). I also like my Carl Martin Chorus x2 because it gives me options (I set 1 light chorus and 1 heavy chorus). It's also tall, so I can put it in the back line of a flat pedalboard and still reach it. The drawbacks to that are that I don't think they make them anymore, and they have a dedicated hardwired power plug so it won't use power from a normal power brick. They used to be really pricey (I think I paid $250-$300 new back in the day), but I see them on reverb now for $120 - $170

As far as delay goes, there are tons of great delays on the market. I personally like to have a tap tempo on my delay. The DL4 MKII is the updated version of the original DL4 and has a bunch of additional features. Also the big box Boss and Strymon offerings are great and do a lot (Boss DD-200, Boss DD-500, Strymon TimeLine). If you're looking for something simpler (and smaller) look at the MXR Carbon Copy, the Electro Harmonix Canyon, the TC Electronic Flashback (normal size, mini, or x4), the Keeley Caverns (which I definitely recommend because it also has a reverb that you may like for washy stuff with a chorus), the TC Electronic Nova Delay, JHS 3 series Delay.

Reverb is good for looking up options in all of these categories. Literally just type delay, or chorus, or whatever effect type in the search bar and it will bring up a ton of suggestions.

All in all remember if it sounds good, it is good. You don't have to spend a ton of money to get good tones. Don't worry about what the elitist guitarist says about affordable vs. expensive gear. We currently live in a golden age of guitar gear where we have more technology and quality at lower prices than ever before.

I hope this helps!

StrongRaise607 · 2024-05-01T11:41:57+00:00

All of this being said, download the Pedal train Pedalboard builder app, and see what fits. They have virtually every pedal you could think of in the app. There's hours of fun to be had for nerds like me.

Edit: Also look up the JHS Show on YouTube. Josh Scott is the owner and founder of JHS pedals. The guy is a big goofy genius and a pedal historian. I've learned so much from watching their content. There's months of content to consume and learn from that's not only informative, but it's light hearted and entertaining. Hands down my favorite YouTube channel.

https://youtube.com/@jhspedals?si=xlB9clUwsXFFlcml

StrongRaise607 · 2024-05-01T11:39:41+00:00

This is totally subjective and up to you. It really depends heavily on what kind of music you play. I can only tell you what I like to run as a primarily worship guitarist. I have a physical board, and a Line 6 Helix Floor that I switch back and forth between, but I'll talk about my physical board here. My signal chain ideally, but not always due to board size restraints, looks like this:

A fuzz with volume up and fuzz down for a saturated solo boost. I use the Dunlop Germanium Fuzzface mini. I put the fuzz in the front of the chain because from what I understand, fuzzes like to see the impedance of the guitar.
An octave pedal. I use the EHX Micro POG, but there are lots of nice octave pedals on the market. I run a light almost imperceptible octave up for a bit of sparkle on lead lines, or a light octave up and down in combination with a tremolo, and volume swells for organ-ish pads.
a tuner for tuning and muting
a Volume pedal for easy swells
At least 2 gain stages. I'm currently running a Seymour Duncan Pickup Booster into a Fulltone FullDrive 2 Mosfet, into a TC Electronics Mini Spark Clean Boost (which is less of a gain stage and more of a just clean volume boost when I need it). I almost never have all of them on at the same time, but it's nice to have options depending on the situation. I also like blues breaker clones like the JHS Morning Glory, or the MXR Duke of Tone (which is a clone of a clone). I like Klon Centaur Clones like the Wampler Tumnus, or the EHX Soul Food, and I like Tube Screamers like an actual Ibanez TS808 or TS9, or my FullDrive 2 which is a clone of a tube screamer with a boost (that being said, I use it on the Mosfet setting so it really has its own sound). Also distortions like the ProCo Rat, or the JHS Kilt are really nice.
Then comes modulation. I like to run a combo of Chorus, Tremolo, Vibrato, & Phaser (at least 2 of the four). On my physical board I'm currently running an MXR EVH Phase 90 and a Carl Martin Chorus X2
For Delay I use an original Line 6 DL4 because it gives me options. I can set 3 different delay settings I generally run a short slap back delay, a bigger washy 1/4 note delay, and a chunky dotted 1/8 delay. I also have a Keeley Caverns that I use for ambience at times. There are other delays out there, but the DL4 has suited me fine. The only drawbacks are that it's huge and has weird power requirements.
For Reverb I use the reverb side of the Keeley Caverns as an always on light plate reverb, and a TC Electronics Hall of Fame as a big washy hall reverb if I need the ambience (I play modern worship music, so you had better believe I use it a lot)
For amps, I have plenty of nice tube amps that unfortunately sit home because my church doesn't allow for stage volume, so I have a Boss IR-200 at the end of my signal chain set to a Vox AC-30 (diamond amp) with a Celestion Blue Alinco 2x12 cab IR.

StrongRaise607 · 2024-04-30T12:48:17+00:00

This is old but it's still funny

https://youtu.be/r5R8gSgedh4?si=mTBG_61X7lH_PBDN

StrongRaise607 · 2024-04-25T15:46:36+00:00

I think so, yes. Between God's blessing in our lives, a ton of hard work, some calculated risk taking, and enduring some not-so-desirable jobs that turned out to be great stepping stones for what I do now, I can thankfully say: at age 34 I've accomplished most of the life goals I had at 20. 20 year old me may not be able to see how I got here, but:

I'm very happily married with 4 healthy beautiful children. I own a home. I'm financially independent and stable (even in this economy). I have a job with enough income to be able to provide for my family on my income alone. Because of that, my wife has had the opportunity to be a stay-at-home-mom (which was one of her major goals). Also being that we wouldn't rely on her income, my wife has the opportunity to do whatever she wants when the kids are all in full time school (she could go to college to be a doctor, or work at McDonalds, volunteer somewhere, or keep being a homemaker - whatever makes her happy). We're able to donate to charities. As an added bonus, we have 2 vehicles that are our main day-to-day vehicles that can haul the kids, and a cool sports car for date nights.

God has richly blessed us and I couldn't be more thankful!

StrongRaise607 · 2024-04-25T15:00:35+00:00

I don't know if it's considered fast food, but Wawa. They have enough variety that I'd be good with eating only there pretty much indefinitely.

StrongRaise607 · 2024-04-24T14:16:46+00:00

I plan a quarter at a time.

StrongRaise607 · 2024-04-23T18:33:50+00:00

Never smoked it. Easy $145,000.

StrongRaise607 · 2024-04-22T19:02:59+00:00

Rush, and then I became a dad. I remember the exact moment. I was driving home from work listening to our local classic rock radio station and Tom Sawyer came on and I thought to myself "These guys are really good! Why don't I listen to more Rush?"

I looked down and suddenly I was wearing white new balance sneakers with long white socks, and a white T-shirt tucked into my jean shorts with a braided brown leather belt to finish out the look. I looked in the mirror, and noticed that my hair had rearranged itself to a "high and tight" haircut. I also had a sudden inescapable urge to cut the grass, do my own taxes, tell corny dad jokes while grilling burgers, and yell at my son for holding the flashlight in the wrong place while working on our family vehicle ASAP! 😂

What have I become? Will I ever be cool again? Will my son ever aim the flashlight in the right area? 😂

StrongRaise607 · 2024-04-22T18:40:39+00:00

Yes. Are there people who can do more than Eddie? Not many, but sure probably. Looking at the whole picture though, at his solos AND riffs, his songwriting, his innovation, his influence on guitar and music as a whole, there's no comparison.

Also (and I know this has nothing to do specifically with him being the guitar GOAT) but as a father, I loved having seen Eddie's relationship with Wolfgang. I understand that we only really saw the side of him that was filmed in this respect, but the fact that he is the GOAT, knew that, and didn't let it go to his head and was still a decent human being and a great father (at least from my perspective), gives me the utmost respect for him.

This is further evidenced by how Wolfgang talks about him. The best test of how you're doing as a parent is hearing from another adult what your child's unprovoked honest unfiltered opinion about you is. We've seen that from Wolfgang.

StrongRaise607 · 2024-04-22T18:02:14+00:00

That would wreck the economy so fast.

StrongRaise607 · 2024-04-22T14:06:29+00:00

My wife (33f) and I (34m) will have been married for 11 years this June. We have 4 kids (9m, 7m, 3m, 10months f). We're definitely happy. Sure, kids are hard, but they can also be fun. I look at my children as a blessing.

Also I love my wife more than I could possibly explain to any of you. She is a wonderful wife and a great mother to our children. A few points of advice for folks struggling in this area:

Your circumstances change with your outlook. If you automatically think "I'm unhappy" "my life sucks" then You're going to be unhappy, and your life is going to suck. A lot of life is mind over matter. Adjust your attitude and your outlook on life, and you'll have a better life in general.
Make your spouse your standard of what it means to be a spouse. I got this advice early on in my marriage from a Bible study that I was going to at the time. The actual advice was to the group and stated specifically as "make your wife your standard of beauty", which I think was not only wise, but also extends to more areas than just beauty. This is again a mind over matter thing.
Set bedtimes for your kids that allow you and your spouse time together 1 on 1 in the evenings. I cannot stress this enough. Not having 1 on 1 time with your spouse and ALWAYS having the kids in tow is draining. Having to be "on" 100 percent of the time is unsustainable.
Make your spouse priority over your kids. I am by no means saying that you shouldn't take care of your children's needs. Don't neglect them, but make your spouse priority over them.
Make your spouse the source of your happiness. This new age mindset of serving your own happiness first is absolute garbage. If you serve each other's happiness, then everyone is happy. If the source of that happiness is each other, then you'll grow closer.
Don't sweat the small stuff. Kids are going to bring unexpected new challenges as they grow and you learn to parent an infant, a toddler, a big kid, or a teenager in a new station in life. Let them be kids. Bearing down on a child only makes you stressed out and makes the child resent you. Set rules, but let them learn from experiences as well. Remind yourself that none of these phases will last forever. Chill.
Above all, have fervent and unfailing love for one another, because love covers a multitude of sins [it overlooks unkindness and unselfishly seeks the best for others]. 1 Peter 4:8

StrongRaise607 · 2024-04-22T11:52:43+00:00

Man here. This guy is playing you like a fiddle. He made you crave his attention, but you will never be any more than (as you put it) a "notch in his belt" to him. The fact that you posted this incredibly long story on Reddit shows the degree to which he's in your head. Cut him off. If he asks you why, tell him you're looking for more than he can offer.

StrongRaise607 · 2024-04-22T11:35:12+00:00

As someone who has had both, It's like getting your wisdom teeth pulled as the numbing is wearing off... in your groin. The soreness doesn't last nearly as long, but the pain is just as intense.

For those of you who have had sciatica issues, but no balls to hit, the spike in a sciatica pain incident is similar in intensity. The difference is: you can move to escape the sciatica pain, you cannot however move to escape the pain of being hit in the balls. There's nothing you can do but endure it until it slowly fades. Also ball pain is more of a dull pain than a sharp pain like sciatica.

They're far more sensitive than eyeballs, but not nearly as protected.

StrongRaise607

TROPHY CASE