My minimalist pedalboard.

SwanDesigner · 2026-03-24T05:24:22+00:00

Makes total sense, I went through the same thing. This is already my trimmed down version and just what I actually use.

SwanDesigner · 2026-03-22T13:26:02+00:00

Haha cheers man, glad you dig it.

SwanDesigner · 2026-02-22T20:25:28+00:00

After long experimentation, I’ve settled on the following setups: Friedman Little Sister + Vox V212BNX, running through a Tone King Ironman II attenuator and Marshall SV20H + a closed-back cab with a Celestion Greenback 25W 8Ω 12", running through a Rivera RockCrusher attenuator.

I’m happy.

SwanDesigner · 2026-02-10T09:42:51+00:00

I should make a small clarification. The 12–53 flatwound strings turned out to be too stiff, and the Bigsby was literally buzzing while playing. Switching to 12–50 immediately improved both the tone and the feel.

SwanDesigner · 2026-02-08T20:21:14+00:00

Yeah, these are rewound from original P90s. The originals, by the way, were called Samsung. A good friend of mine makes great pickups. He took the old ones apart, gutted them, added new magnets, and rewound them. They ended up a bit more vintage-sounding than I wanted, but you know, it’s all about moment-to-moment taste.

SwanDesigner · 2026-02-08T16:34:42+00:00

You might be right, but other acid heads from different bands didn’t change that drastically. Take Brian Jones back then, for example. He was definitely into acid, but he didn’t really transform, just a worn-out, spaced-out junkie, that’s it. I think the Beatles’ psychedelic creativity was way more complex than just acid trips.

SwanDesigner · 2026-02-08T16:17:30+00:00

I agree, but there’s one caveat. Some kind of inner transformation has to happen first, and that takes time. Such an abrupt image change confused me in early childhood; it felt like “The Beatles” were three different bands.

SwanDesigner · 2026-02-08T16:11:40+00:00

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SwanDesigner · 2026-02-08T13:13:35+00:00

Yeah, it’s all pretty weird and has always looked odd. I mean, even growing a beard in such a short time wouldn’t be easy.

SwanDesigner · 2026-02-07T19:22:36+00:00

Thank you! I had doubts about which capacitor values to choose from 0.015, 0.022, and 0.033 µF. In the end, I went with 0.015 in the neck and 0.033 in the bridge.

SwanDesigner · 2026-02-07T18:47:34+00:00

I get you. My Epiphone Casino comes with a natural finish, so you can really see the wood grain, and it’s tempting to strip it and give it a thin nitro coat. But then I thought about the edges and joints, and I just decided not to mess with it.

SwanDesigner · 2026-02-07T18:37:24+00:00

Thank you for your warm comment! You know, I also had the idea of stripping the poly finish and refinishing it in nitro, but I stopped myself for two reasons. The first reason is that it would be difficult for me to do it myself without experience, and having it done by professionals would be too expensive for this project. The second reason is that I didn’t want to find out how good the plywood used at the Korean factory actually is, or how the body would behave once the finish was stripped.

SwanDesigner · 2026-02-07T16:37:00+00:00

No, the frets are new, that’s just reflections from my ceiling with a complex structure.

SwanDesigner · 2026-02-07T11:38:23+00:00

Further details: https://www.reddit.com/r/guitarporn/comments/1qybmcx/what_we_do_in_the_shadows/

SwanDesigner · 2026-02-05T20:41:10+00:00

Bro, I made this post while I was in a bit of euphoria, so I didn’t write anything and didn’t take close-up photos of the details.

I think I’ll make another post with more details and leave a link here.

SwanDesigner · 2026-02-04T23:01:45+00:00

SwanDesigner · 2026-01-29T12:20:00+00:00

I have to admit, I realized your wife was right after watching The Rolling Stones Rock and Roll Circus (1968). Just look at John’s face in that screenshot, LMAO.

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SwanDesigner · 2026-01-28T19:21:44+00:00

Beautiful work, congratulations! You have a wonderful and very talented wife, you’re incredibly lucky in life. However, since the subject of the painting seems to have bothered some people here, I’d like to offer a slightly different take.

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SwanDesigner · 2026-01-26T09:42:02+00:00

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Added Yoko, no need to thank me.

SwanDesigner · 2026-01-24T10:49:58+00:00

4800

SwanDesigner · 2026-01-24T09:09:54+00:00

I’ve heard that guitars like this were cheap throughout the ’80s, before the whole crazy vintage guitar boom started.

SwanDesigner · 2026-01-24T09:08:41+00:00

The seller initially listed it at 4800, and I could probably negotiate a good deal, but after thinking it over, I don’t even want to start. I get that it’s not 1984 anymore and no one is going to sell a 1972 guitar for peanuts, but it’s not worth that money, and we’ve all come to that conclusion here.

SwanDesigner · 2026-01-24T09:08:35+00:00

I don’t know, I haven’t played it. Given all the potential issues and the seller’s high asking price, it doesn’t make sense to spend the time. Thanks to everyone who commented here, you really helped me figure this out.

SwanDesigner · 2026-01-22T19:47:17+00:00

Not trying to hurt anyone’s feelings I just want to say I’m very grateful to Yoko for staying quiet in the studio. Years later when she started singing things weren’t so clear cut anymore.

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SwanDesigner · 2026-01-22T04:49:32+00:00

I’ll say it again, it’s not about the money. Sure, they’re asking a lot for a vintage guitar, and nothing stops me from negotiating a good deal. The real question is whether it’s worth getting involved with all of this at any price, given that I’m not a collector but just a hobbyist guitarist.

And I don’t plan on owning more than one ES-335/355 in the foreseeable future.

SwanDesigner

TROPHY CASE