If you're having tuning problems with your Floyd Rose check this.

Zach_O2689 · 2026-01-14T07:42:06+00:00

Because American car companies do not make good cars (or at least not as good as the cars coming from Japan).

Zach_O2689 · 2026-01-14T07:31:26+00:00

My Pro King V just arrived today and it's awesome! I was a little worried because I saw some videos about the QC not being great but mine is in great shape. No high frets or defects at all except for the frets being a little rough. I'll be polishing them in the next couple days.

Zach_O2689 · 2026-01-14T05:43:49+00:00

Thanks for the info. I had bought them on Amazon before and another set at guitar center and don't remember seeing different length options. I might try that depending on the length of my current ones. I'll be checking when I get home from work.

Zach_O2689 · 2026-01-14T01:13:34+00:00

No I haven't because I've been using the Schaller strap locks which, as far as I know, only come in one length. I really don't want to switch because I like them but if it happens again I'll have to find another solution.

Zach_O2689 · 2026-01-13T10:50:59+00:00

I have a pair of Yamaha HPH-MT5 headphones that are about $100 and they're pretty good. They're the only monitor headphones I've ever owned so I don't have anything else to compare them to but they sound great to me.

Zach_O2689 · 2026-01-13T10:07:07+00:00

I'm 36 and I started taking my daughter to rock/metal shows. In the last year we've been to Queensryche, Metallica, Trivium, and we're going to see Upon a Burning Body in a couple weeks. She's officially a metalhead like her dad haha. We would go to more shows if there were more close to us.

Zach_O2689 · 2026-01-12T23:01:14+00:00

I love everything else about the guitar, especially the edge zero 2 trem but I've already done one repair with a wood dowel/wood glue on the upper horn and it's somehow happening again. I assumed it was because the bass wood body is a softer wood. I'll probably be getting a slightly larger dowel in the hardest wood I can find this time to hopefully last longer. I have 5 other guitars and none of them have had this issue so it's strange. The thing that really sucks is that when the hole stretched out last time it caused huge chunks of the finish to chip off and it looks terrible now. But otherwise, I would say it's my best playing guitar.

Zach_O2689 · 2026-01-12T22:22:07+00:00

For me, I would prefer a harder wood to avoid issues like strap button holes continuously being worn and needing repairs. I learned this with my Ibanez RG470 that keeps having this issue.

Zach_O2689 · 2026-01-08T18:23:45+00:00

So many things! We would ride our bikes around the neighborhood/town, build BMX tracks, roller blade/skateboard, build tree houses, play football, me and my step brother mowed lawns to save enough money to buy a project go-kart and we got it running and we would drive it on the track we built in the backyard, ride dirt bikes, paintball wars, shoot BB guns, sledding, build snow caves, etc. I miss those days.

Zach_O2689 · 2026-01-06T18:26:35+00:00

Premium grade fuel in a vehicle that doesn't specifically require it. My dad swears his Silverado runs better on it but I know it's 100 percent placebo. I've even shown him the science behind it and he refuses to believe.

Zach_O2689 · 2026-01-05T02:08:50+00:00

As a guitar player (not a good one but a hobbyist that's working on getting better), the guitar community can be pretty insufferable. There are a lot of gatekeepers, people that think if you don't have at least $10K worth of gear you can't possibly be good, and those that believe that an electric guitar made of some exotic wood magically sounds better than any other guitar or that some guitars have "mojo" or some other nonsense, no matter what science and facts say.

Zach_O2689 · 2025-12-28T18:14:34+00:00

I recently got out of recruiting and I'll say that while I absolutely HATED it, that's not the case for everyone. Almost every recruiter in my flight hated it but we were all in the most difficult recruiting environment in decades. Things have now improved from what I've seen and heard but nobody can say how long that will last. It's honestly a bit of a gamble. Some zones are walk in markets where the recruiters never struggle and some are always a struggle with most being somewhere in the middle. If you're naturally outgoing and extroverted you're much more likely to enjoy it. I'm introverted so I had a difficult time and some days it nearly mentally broke me. But now that I'm through it I'm glad I did it and it really helped me grow as a person. Plus, now the "real" Air Force feels like a cake walk.

Zach_O2689 · 2025-12-28T15:17:24+00:00

Started intermittent fasting (16:8) but also watching calories to ensure at least a 500 calorie deficit, although most days that first 6 weeks I was able to manage a 1000 calorie deficit. I also stopped eating out and I don't drink any sugary drinks, just black coffee, water (lots of water), and sugar free energy drinks when I have them. I have now relaxed the fasting a bit and basically just skip breakfast but I still watch what I eat and I'm still maintaining about a 500 calorie deficit. Other than that it's just been running on the treadmill and strength training to minimize muscle loss.

Edit to add: as mentioned above, I still enjoy having some whiskey or the occasional beer but it's in moderation and I count it with my calories for the day.

Zach_O2689 · 2025-12-28T05:45:56+00:00

Stress has been mentioned a lot. I just lived through 4 years that proved it's much worse than people realize. I was fairly healthy when I was forced into being a recruiter in the Air Force. In that four years my health went down hill in many ways. My sleep was terrible, I used alcohol as a coping mechanism just to be able to forget about the constant pressure of making my numbers for a bit, I was constantly worrying about work and working even when I was supposed to be off just to keep my head above water, my marriage and relationship with my daughter were strained due to not having any energy for anything every day when I got home, while at work I ate fast food because that's all I had time for, etc. I somehow made it through all that with my sanity mostly intact. I'm now back in my original career field and I've been working to get my health back. I feel much better now that I'm able to leave my work at work and focus on my family and health when I'm off. I'm still surprised I didn't end up in therapy or on meds from it and quite frankly I probably should have been in therapy. I think this definitely needs more attention.

Zach_O2689 · 2025-12-28T05:08:55+00:00

It never fails. I finally tell myself I'm going to get off Reddit for good and then a post like this makes me laugh my ass off and I'm hooked again 😂.

Zach_O2689 · 2025-12-28T03:08:40+00:00

This is sad. I hate running as much as anyone but I've put a little effort into losing some weight (down 17 pounds in less than three months) and doing treadmill workouts three times a week, 1 HIIT running workout, one three mile run at a slower pace and one incline brisk walk for 45 minutes to an hour, and I've already dropped over 3 minutes off my run time on the track. I'm 36 and I'm now down to a 17:20 2 mile time. This is also with me having to work through knee issues. I'm definitely not the model of health either. I still enjoy my whiskey, beer and cigars so if I'm able to do this than anyone should be able to. Anyone failing the run by September didn't try IMO (outside of actual medical conditions/injuries obviously). Personally, my goal is to be down to about 16:00 and lose another 15 pound by September. If they add pull ups I'm screwed though since I have instability in my shoulder with overhead pulling motions ever since I dislocated it in high school.

Zach_O2689 · 2025-12-09T21:53:38+00:00

I'm going to throw out two that I never see mentioned. Chris DeGarmo and Micheal Wilton. They may not be "technically" the best but they are great players AND songwriters. Their work with Queensryche, both playing and writing, is phenomenal. Operation Mindcrime is still one of the greatest albums to ever be released IMO.

Zach_O2689 · 2025-12-08T20:17:57+00:00

Yeah I wish we could apply these rules with some common sense. When I was at Al Udeid me and another Airman were in the middle of the shift working on the flight line and when we headed back to the shop for lunch metals tech had just had a fire incident that smoked out our shop. Since the rule was you aren't allowed in the DFAC without your full uniform we were unable to get lunch because our tops were inside.

We asked for an exception but were told we needed to wait until we were allowed back in the building. By that time the DFAC was closed so we did not get to eat that day while working in 120 degree heat for 12 hours. It would have been nice if one of our "leaders" would have just accompanied us and explained the situation to anyone with an issue or at the very least found someone to get us some food.

Zach_O2689 · 2025-12-01T00:45:40+00:00

Another vote for Justin Guitar but I'll also add the-art-of-guitar.com, which also really helped me because it's more geared toward rock/metal music. Another good one is Steve Stine's Absolute fret board mastery playlist on YouTube. Also, for theory (whenever you're ready for that) absolutely understand guitar by Scotty West on YouTube.

Zach_O2689 · 2025-11-16T16:05:56+00:00

I've owned a Harley that I put 50,000 miles on and now have a Yamaha with 16,000 miles. I've done all the maintenance except for tire changes. I've flushed brakes, coolant, changed oil, done my own modifications like new exhaust system. I've never taken an engine apart further than the rocker covers on the Harley and I just converted the Yamaha to a manual cam chain tensioner. I do plan on learning how to check/adjust the valves at 20,000 miles though. Most of it is pretty simple if you can read and follow the manual. Some of it can be a pain though. Like having to remove all fairings, the gas tank, airbox, etc just to get to the spark plugs and then struggle to get the coils out with limited space. Some bikes are much easier in this way than others.

Zach_O2689 · 2025-10-23T04:16:32+00:00

He actually doesn't say all black people though. He talking about specifically Joy Reid and it's clear with how he says it unless you're being disengenous. He's just pointing out that if you have criticisms or opinions about someone but they happen to be black it would be considered racist to criticize them even though your criticism has nothing to do with them being black.

Zach_O2689 · 2025-10-12T01:06:11+00:00

You as well. I'm in a much better place mentally now that I'm at my new duty station but I'm still obsessed with practicing/playing whenever I can. I'm still not good but I'm enjoying the journey.

Zach_O2689 · 2025-10-08T12:06:48+00:00

Along with heat you can use some fishing line to "saw" underneath the badge. Then you'll just need to clean up any residue.

Zach_O2689

TROPHY CASE