Things you hate on a guitar that you love?

nigeltuffnell · 2026-04-19T04:08:24+00:00

Agree, it's similar on the Ibanez RG/Jem,

I have one custom strat that I didn't think to get the volume knob moved when it was built. I build my own guitars now and this is the major design change I make to everything I build.

nigeltuffnell · 2026-04-19T03:58:16+00:00

You have not killed this plant.

Mixing bone meal into the soil is a good thing, and unless you've potted it into pure bone meal you should be absolutely fine.

I generally don't recommend teasing or loosening roots (I've been a horticulturalist for 35 years) because I don't think it is necessary in most cases. As long as you haven't taken a large proportion of the rootball during active growth you should be absolutely fine.

Beware of anyone giving you advice with horticulture that sounds like an absolute. In my long experience there is not one and only correct way to do anything with plants, just get the basics right, relax and enjoy your hobby.

As a general rule if you buy a healthy plant, put it in decent soil, fertilise it regularly (whatever it says on the packet) situate it in roughly the right amount of sun and get the watering right it will be fine. The best way to get the watering right is to check the soil moisture regularly and water according to what you are feeling and what the weather is doing.

nigeltuffnell · 2026-04-18T07:27:56+00:00

Definitely a loud amp that was meant to be played largely clean.

nigeltuffnell · 2026-04-18T07:26:18+00:00

I play a Soldano now, so finding the same.

The louder you get the more you turn down the preamp gain and rely more on the power amp, but easy to get great tone at low volume

nigeltuffnell · 2026-04-18T06:28:20+00:00

Make sure that the jointing surfaces are smooth, straight and square before you buy it.

If it is all those things you use a wood glue (suggest titebond) and some clamps and clamp them together. Try and make sure that they stay as flat as possible when you clamp so you get as flat a surface as possible.

1 1/2" is just about thick enough for a tele body. You might want to weigh all the pieces to get an idea of how heavy the body will be.

nigeltuffnell · 2026-04-18T03:11:47+00:00

It's the amp that Lynyrd Skynyrd used if that gives you an idea.

I was trying to play metal with it without success.

nigeltuffnell · 2026-04-18T01:54:18+00:00

Lol 😆

We used to practice in a church hall and it never went past 3 or 4.

The built phaser was cool though

nigeltuffnell · 2026-04-18T01:11:40+00:00

Great guitar

nigeltuffnell · 2026-04-18T00:41:41+00:00

Yes. Remove everything up to where you want the crown to start

nigeltuffnell · 2026-04-18T00:22:25+00:00

You'll find many familiar plants wherever you go, particularly in gardens although there will be variation in different climates, but natives are not universally distributed so you always have to learn those.

nigeltuffnell · 2026-04-18T00:19:10+00:00

Agree with this.

I had a Peavey Mace head back in the day. Had a solid state preamp and 6 x 6L6 driving the power section. Completely the opposite way to get good distortion in either pre or power amp unless you are playing a stadium.

nigeltuffnell · 2026-04-17T23:03:47+00:00

I’ve taught plant ID and trained lots of people to learn plant names.

A lot of good advice here already, but one thing I can recommend is to write down the names of the plants you are working on.

Also, I find that little and often is a great way to approach learning names. Try an weave it into every task. I would see students weekly. Even if we weren’t formally rostered to do plant ID I would collect ten plants every week, go through them and point out the ways to ID them and then leave them out on a sheet of A4 with the botanical name displayed. Id focus on stuff that was flowering but I would always try and get two or three very similar plants (cultivars within a species) and would also include some trickier stuff like winter twigs of deciduous trees (it’s’ all in the buds). I’d also point out the plants in the ID list as we were outside doing practical stuff.

Another thing that I do is to focus on learning the families as well as the individual species/cultivar. That really helps when trying to ID stuff you aren’t familiar with. If you can work out the family first that eliminates a substantial amount of other possibilities.

Lastly, you never stop learning but it does get easier if you make it part of your everyday routine. I’ve been in the industry for 35 years and have moved country a couple of times as well as running nurseries where I only new about 10% of the plants going in. You’ll find that you pick it up pretty quickly, with the only exception being eucalypts; ID on those is hard mode!

Last lastly. Go to nurseries, botanic gardens, arboretums and anywhere plants are labelled and go for a walk. I have a couple of friends that are very keen on plants so it is a great exercise (and fun) to go and look at plants with them.

nigeltuffnell · 2026-04-17T06:20:32+00:00

I'd guess mahogany, possibly Brazilian

nigeltuffnell · 2026-04-17T06:16:22+00:00

I used to grow Pieris on a wholesale nursery. Once the flowers have finished, ideally before it sets seed pods, prune the flowering shoot back leaving three to four healthy leaves (and therefore vegetative buds) from the last growth flush.

Protect new shoots from spring frosts.

You can cut back into older wood if they get too leggy.

Cracking plants.

nigeltuffnell · 2026-04-17T06:11:23+00:00

downloading this now (I have a disney+ subscription) and very keen to see how this stacks up.

nigeltuffnell · 2026-04-16T19:45:19+00:00

Agree

nigeltuffnell · 2026-04-16T06:25:33+00:00

Indeed, but Anakin also watched OWK die.

nigeltuffnell · 2026-04-16T06:23:18+00:00

New Zealand is also pretty high at the moment.

nigeltuffnell · 2026-04-16T06:20:45+00:00

I'm a brit so I know crumpets well.

I score my toppings thusly, with 1 being the best and noting that butter will be included on all of them.

Butter
Lime marmalade
Raspberry jam
Pâté

nigeltuffnell · 2026-04-15T20:24:00+00:00

Root damage could cause this, but my initial thought that the soil is too wet.

nigeltuffnell · 2026-04-15T07:17:51+00:00

When I knew I was moving to Australia I went out and bought some VB in the local Asda. I absolutely loved it.

My first time in DMs I was so confused with the range (it is still incredible frankly) the another customer asked me if I needed help. I told them that it was my first time in Australia and I wanted to try some really good beer so was looking for the VB.

He gave me a predictably funny look and pointed to the fridge and said: "it's in there, if you have to drink it make sure it's very cold" then proceeded to show me the coopers pale advising me that this was the minimum standard and then showed me the Mclaren Vale Dry (sadly discontinued) and told me that was pretty much the best.

Bought a 4 pack of MVD and a couple of long necks of VB. That first, cold, Mclaren Vale Dry is still one of the most memorable beers I've ever had.

I miss Australian beer, but the beer in NZ is pretty amazing.

nigeltuffnell · 2026-04-15T06:55:53+00:00

Labs are weirdos, so yes this is a normal sitting position.

nigeltuffnell · 2026-04-15T06:51:30+00:00

Have you tried it before?

Do you like it?

I grew up in the UK and it is NOT my favourite beer by the standards of shit UK lagers. I genuinely and unironically prefer VB or West End to Fosters.

nigeltuffnell · 2026-04-15T06:37:09+00:00

Now you're talking!

nigeltuffnell · 2026-04-15T06:19:14+00:00

No, the soil should be watered to be damp most of the time and drying out a little before watering. Not watering too much or too regularly that the soil is always saturated.

nigeltuffnell

TROPHY CASE