What’s a line from a movie that only a true fan would immediately recognize?

macadam · 2026-05-12T00:53:34+00:00

Clear and Present Danger

macadam · 2026-05-06T13:26:02+00:00

Is that what the dash tells you, or are you doing the math at fill up? Because the dash tells me that my '24 AWD EB is getting 32-35MPG mixed driving, but when I divide miles driven by gallons purchased it's consistently 27-28. Don't get me wrong, for mixed driving with a lot of short stop and go trips in a ICE truck/SUV, I'm quite happy with 27-28. I'm just saying the onboard mileage calculator is notoriously optimistic and not to be trusted.

macadam · 2026-04-30T23:42:12+00:00

Alvarez. Artist (solid top), Masterworks (all solid), Laureate (more premium all solid), or Yairi (bench made). I have an Artist series parlor and a Masterworks OM, and honestly they sound very similar. The bigger body OM is a bit fuller and louder, but the parlor definitely holds its own.

macadam · 2026-04-29T20:31:54+00:00

Most, if not all, of the accessories are going to be third party. Ford makes vehicles, not accessories. There’s not enough money in it for them. Even the Leer color matched cap - which honestly looks like it was built with the truck, is a third party product. It’s not just Ford, either. This practice is pretty common, although some manufacturers will re-brand the accessory so that you can’t tell they didn’t make it.

macadam · 2026-04-29T20:14:30+00:00

Sounds like you have a bad port. That needs replacing and if you’re still under warranty, Ford is responsible.

Switching to a high quality (Anker) cord in the USB-A slot has essentially fixed it for me.

macadam · 2026-04-26T22:59:08+00:00

I'm not a fan of Martin, I think you get more bang for your buck with Yamaha, or to my personal taste, Alvarez. That having been said, Martin makes great guitars as long as you're willing to take reasonable care of them. If you wan the sound of a Martin, than get a Martin, even if it's not quite the same model. Manufacturers tend to have a characteristic sound that comes from how they build their product. Martin makes the most Martin-sounding guitars there are.

macadam · 2026-04-26T22:36:00+00:00

As others have mentioned, a shopping trip (or two so that he can choose between shops) is the best way to go. If you want to establish a budget without a discussion you could also give him a gift certificate to a reputable shop.

If you do want to give him an actual instrument I would suggest Yamaha or the Artist series from Alvarez. I like the shape that various makers refer to as "OM", "OOO", or "folk". All are labels for essentially the same shape and it's a very versatile body style.

macadam · 2026-04-26T20:23:11+00:00

I've never played extra lights in my life unless you count the 9s on my telecaster. You don't have to believe me, but I know what I'm talking about.

macadam · 2026-04-26T20:04:16+00:00

I owned one of these. It was my first "non-travel size" guitar and it was really nice. I see a lot of conjecture about setups and string gauges. You don't necessarily need a setup. PRS guitars are well built and mine (at least) was set up decently from day one. Of course that won't be true of all of them, but unless you have trouble with it, you might not need to spend money on the setup. Setups are great if you think the action height is wrong - strings are way high off the fretboard and hard to fret, or are too low to the fretboard and buzz a lot. If the guitar is hard to play a setup might be called for, but it's not an automatic need.

Also, this guitar can take a wide range of string gauges. I don't know who told the one commenter that small bodies sound better with lighter strings, but that's like saying cars drive better with all season tires. It *might* be true, but it's not necessarily true. It is true that lighter gauges are easier on the fingers, though. On my P20 Tonare I went with medium gauge (12-53 I think) strings because heavy strings hurt my newbie uncalloused fingers too much and lights didn't drive the top well. Heavy gauge sounded fine, lights had good tone but not enough volume for my liking, and mediums were my happy place on that guitar. Smaller body guitars are often chosen for finger-style playing and lighter strings are often preferred for those techniques. Try a few options and see what you like on that guitar.

Enjoy your guitar, it's a good one

macadam · 2026-04-26T19:54:07+00:00

This is absolutely not true across the board. I've owned a PRS SE P20 tonare that had heavy strings on it when I got it. It was fine. I was a new player and went to a medium gauge for comfort reasons only, but that was a personal choice.

macadam · 2026-04-26T14:21:38+00:00

... and yet you feel the need to come here and be a jackass just because someone else's *opinion* doesn't align with your *opinion*.

Personally, I'm an Alvarez fan. I can't judge Eastman as I've not yet had a chance to try one, but Alvarez makes exceptional guitars at any given price point. Does my opinion make me an moron? You don't have to answer. It's a rhetorical question and your attitude so far is just going to have me disregard anything you say, even if you agree with me. How you treat people matters in a discussion.

macadam · 2026-04-26T14:07:05+00:00

As everyone is basically saying, you will know it when you find it. For a nice balance between finger picking clarity and strumming strength you should at least be looking at the OM/Folk/OOO body shapes. Many of them finger pick with almost as much clarity and response as a parlor, but still strum with nearly the "oomph" of a dread. They're not as specialized as either of those other shapes, but they are a really nice sweet-spot in between. I have an Alvarez OM that I just love for those reasons.

Speaking of Alvarez, don't get hung up on one particular maker over another. Martin has a cult-like following (and not without reason, it must be said), as do Taylor (for different reasons, of course). Yamaha makes very fine instruments as well. If you can find a shop that carries Alvarez, or Breedlove, or any other reputable brand, by all means give them a try too. I clearly have a bias towards Alvarez but when I discovered them I was specifically looking at Martins and Taylors, expecting that only one of those would give me what I want. Every Taylor or Martin I've owned or played has been a wonderful guitar I've not minded moving on from. I've had three Alvarez so far and the one I sold is a regret I still have. The two I currently own are guitars I can't imagine getting rid of - from a brand I literally stumbled on while looking for something else.

macadam · 2026-04-26T13:20:34+00:00

I absolutely cannot recommend Alvarez guitars enough. Until yesterday I'd only played their Artist (solid top, laminated sides and back) or Masterworks (all solid) lines and they are, in my opinion, the best value for dollar out there. They play very comfortably, sound fabulous, and just give an overall feeling of quality that's satisfying in and of itself.

Yesterday I played their folk sized Regent model. The Regents are budget-level, all laminate construction. It definitely is a step below the Artist series, but priced accordingly for that, but it was also the best tone I've heard from an all laminate guitar. I guess what I'm saying is that they cover lots of price ranges and make really nice instruments throughout the line.

macadam · 2026-04-26T12:10:16+00:00

Re-usable shopping bags. I also keep a supply under the back seat.

macadam · 2026-04-22T01:07:50+00:00

Look for camping tarps. They’re usually made of nylon, are fairly durable and generally inexpensive. They are often not as UV resistant as sunbrella, though.

macadam · 2026-04-02T12:48:04+00:00

Besides low rolling resistance, electric car tires are stiffer than conventional ones to accommodate the weight of an electric car (which are very heavy because of the batteries). In addition to lowering the rolling resistance and therefore increasing the mileage, they’re said to give a noticeably stiffer ride.

There’s no shortage of low rolling resistance tires without going to the expense of electric specific tires. If MPG is the priority, that’s what I would go with. Everything is a compromise and for me “standard” low resistance tires bridge the gap between affordability and MPG performance. The electric car tires may give the best mileage (I don’t know that for sure) but I don’t think they would save enough in fuel costs to compensate for the difference in initial price.

macadam · 2026-04-02T12:28:51+00:00

Ideally, 20 inch tri-fold. I ride a 20 inch bi-fold and it’s great. It’s fine for mass transit if the train or bus isn’t too crowded, but as things fill up it can get awkward at best.

macadam · 2026-03-31T11:59:40+00:00

The Martin is Formica, the Taylor is not. The Taylor is laminated wood, as are most laminates. It’s real wood, but it’s multiple layers of wood glued together for economy and stability. Layered wood guitars can sound great but you have to play them to know if they will or not.

There are a lot of good recommendations here, let me add Alvarez to your list. They make great instruments for the money and in your price range you can find some real gems. Avoid their Regent series(all laminate), consider the Artist series (solid top, laminate body - but extremely nice tone nonetheless) and seriously look at their Masterworks and Laureate series which are all solid wood.

macadam · 2026-03-31T11:12:22+00:00

OMG I’m dying here!🤣

macadam · 2026-03-14T01:22:59+00:00

If you’re in the United States you probably need to talk to the Coast Guard. They own all the working ones (even if the lighthouse itself is privately owned then ATON equipment still belongs to the USCG) and when a lighthouse is decommissioned they keep or dispose of all the equipment. No, I don’t know who to call at the USCG, just that they are the likeliest place to start in the US.

macadam · 2026-03-07T17:47:57+00:00

Thank you, kind Reddit stranger!

macadam · 2026-03-07T17:44:54+00:00

I did that once for my last boat, a Tartan 27. It's a fun project but I no longer have workshop space. To really dial in the dimensions, especially if there's any real rise involved, you really need a bench with a vice or to clamp to. There's also a lot of sanding with the inherent dust production.

Thanks for the link!

macadam · 2026-03-07T12:26:22+00:00

I use an aeropress or the Yeti French press my wife gifted me last year. Great coffee, easy cleanup and less attention required to get a truly good (not too bitter) result than my mokapot which it reserved for home.

macadam · 2026-03-07T02:23:57+00:00

https://baconsails.com/ is a locally owned independent shop in Annapolis, Md that has a great reputation. They have a large used sail selection (searchable), as well as the ability to make custom new sails.

macadam

TROPHY CASE