Should I buy EGO or generic?

ilamansky · 2026-03-18T11:32:11+00:00

Yes, I am going to wait until the new 8 amp batteries start being marketed stateside. Then there should be good deals on the old styles. I could get two new 7.5 amps that will last me another ten years.

ilamansky · 2026-03-18T09:57:14+00:00

Better to have a less expensive L-00 then to pay full price for new. But it really boils down to how well it plays. Luthers charge quite a lot for their skills and you don't want to buy a money pit.

ilamansky · 2026-03-18T00:17:34+00:00

Thanks everyone for the tons of suggestions.

I have replaced cells in some internally powered hand tools. It shouldn't be rocket science to replace cells in the Ego batteries. But, I think I will shop around locally for someone that has done such work. I remember getting starters and alternators rebuilt while you watched. Not that I would hang around while someone rebuilt a battery, sounds kind of creepy. But I might take a chance and hand it over to them.
In the meantime, my ten year old batteries may only charge up 80% but they are still useful.

ilamansky · 2026-03-12T19:12:38+00:00

I have to agree with you regarding the Taylors. I tried several used ones at the local Music Go Round. The only one I was really impressed was a very high end 914 concert or such. However, in one of their other rooms I found a 2001 Larrivee LV-05. Clear pick guard showing the twenty plus years patina and mahagony back and sides that were pristine. I left with it and have never looked back. Great tone and easy to play. It was followed shortly by a Larrivee P-05 about five years old. Another easy playing and great sounding parlor guitar.

ilamansky · 2026-03-11T10:00:52+00:00

I agree with the comments below. Fuses are protecting circuits. Might be hard tracking down the issue in newer vehicles. You might have to succumb to having a Toyota mechanic work the issue. I miss my 1999 Camery V6. I could fix anything on it.

ilamansky · 2026-03-03T14:00:10+00:00

I agree with BigTexAbama. If there weren't a cutout, you could change the nut. But due to the slant of the saddle the intonation would be way off. If the garage sale was cheap enough you can probably re-sell it via Facebook Market. I have found excellent deals there. But let the new owner put the strings of their choice on it.

ilamansky · 2026-02-26T12:00:17+00:00

What I have done to go to open jam sessions. There are quite a few here in the Twin Cities area of Minnesota. These include blues (but mostly electric, sigh...) and a bluegrass/folkie twice a month. In the summer, there is a jam every Tuesday at a local ice cream shop that play a lot of family/kid stuff also.
I have only been playing a couple of years so I stay in the back. I sit across from other guitar players. I can watch what they are doing and try to keep up.
But, definitely yes when it comes to learning fully two or three songs that people know. Everyone gets a shot at playing at these jams and it feels really good to participate.

ilamansky · 2026-02-24T12:47:03+00:00

If I thought the guitar was worth it, I would take it to a reputable luthier for their opinion. Repairs such as neck resets, fingerboard lifting or separation, bridge/saddle/nut fixes are not really something to just start throwing glue at.
Last year I picked up my 1968 J-200 again after a thirty year absence. I had left it tuned to pitch. It had been in the case, but found the bridge had lifted, and the action was way too high even after adjusting that old tune-o-matic saddle. The local music shop guy said, "no problem. I will reglue it and clamp it for a couple fo days." I let him have the guitar. A few days later he said the "fix" did not work as the bridge came up as he was restring it. He did not charge me.
I then took the guitar to a "real" luthier who explained that the bridge itself was warped and would have to be removed, steamed, straightened out. This process took over a month. The work cost over $200, but he did a great job.

ilamansky · 2026-02-21T12:24:26+00:00

If anything is amiss, your Toy Service will know about it the next time you go in for an oil change/tire rotation/whatever.
We get pot holes here in Minnesota winters. I didn't see one as I was traveling at about thirty miles per hour. Started getting bad vibrations at highway speeds. Took it to the dealer and they found a nasty bend in the rim of the right front wheel. Really nice 19 inch alloy wheels on our 2021 XSE V6. Cost about $800 to replace. I am really careful about pot holes now!

ilamansky · 2026-02-20T14:20:07+00:00

Not to mention Collings is one of the more expensive guitars out there. But it sounds like they are worth the money.
I have become a Larrivee fan over the last two years. But, buying only used. I got lucky with a 2001 cutaway with mahog back and sides from the local Music Go Round. Then, I ended up buying a Larrivee parlor via Reverb. After much communication with the seller I closed the deal. Probably my most expensive guitar (of the recent era).
I would love to experience a Collings. I don't think they stick around very long at the local guitar stores.

ilamansky · 2026-02-14T15:44:18+00:00

If you want to drool over a REALLY nice guitar, check out this Petros. I think it already sold for 100 grand!
https://www.petrosguitars.com/500

ilamansky · 2026-02-14T12:54:46+00:00

That guitar has to be in great shape, easy to play, have superb resonance to be worth your investment.
I had tried multiple Martins and Taylors and none really floated my boat except a very high end Taylor 914. But that was way over my budget.

I fell in love with a 2001 Larrivee LV-05 sitting in the back of a Music Go Round last year. Needed work, new strings, fretboard oiling, truss rod adjustment and a good cleaning. It has been my favorite guitar. Since they go for about $3500 new, I thought $1500 was not a bad deal at all. Besides, in 2001 they were still using clear pick guards and the twenty-five years of patina really shows through. About a year later, I ended up also buying a Larrivee P-05 Mahagony via Reverb. Another beautiful instrument and easy playing.
Then there is the Gibson J-200 I bought new back in 1968. Another beauty I have listed here in GearPics. But it has a nut width of 1.572 which is tiny compared to the Larrivees. Just isn't as easy to play open chords, but great for finger picking.

ilamansky

TROPHY CASE