Stub Mandrel

My very incomplete list for the last 2 years ish has 98 songs on it.

We all know to avoid one particular seller, what about the others out there? Generic warnings to keep your wits about you are probably more effective than targeting individuals in the long run.

I've been constantly looking for songs and riffs to learn that I enjoy and also help me improve by being different to what i would normally play. I thought it would be good if someone else did the hard work of choosing things to tackle. Ideally they should be possible to do in 20-30 minutes, not things that require extensive memorising or complex song structures, like YYZ or The Real Me, although excerpts from those songs would qualify. Your mission, should you choose to accept it, is to get the hang of this: https://tabs.ultimate-guitar.com/tab/misc-soundtrack/mission-impossible-theme-bass-3194588 It's probably one of these easiest well known 5/4 songs to play, and has a nice groove and some interesting changes without being technically difficult. Don't worry about getting that whole song perfect just have fun getting the timing right past the first few bars. Now any more suggestions...

Back when I was 17, I already knew about apartheid from hearing a white South African* make some awful boasts about his youth in the country. I found this song remarkably empowering as it led me to learn more about Black South Africa and the idea that raising awareness could help lead to change**. *My Dad was pleased to inform me that the guy in question met his karma as he had to be surgically castrated following a seaside accident involving slippery rocks. **I ought to add that since those days and contrary to another song of the era, I have met nice (white, black and brown) South Africans.

I wish I still had the "Doc's Monster Fuzz" I built nearly 40 years ago, in a plastic maplins box. Two stages of extreme fuzziness, one was transistor and one was op-amp based. It got stolen, and I replaced it with the HM-2 I still have, but the HM2 was never quite as extreme.

I remember my wife going around chanting 'Eddie ate dynamite good bye Eddie" like a mantra...

It looks grossly oversize too, there should be more separation from that chunky bridge and the scratchplate. It looks assembled rather than designed.

My thoughts were based on the original question: For a beginner seeking a budget instrument a well set up, comfortable and relatively compact instrument is far more important than nuances of tone or long term value. Equally, I'd suggest using strings a gauge or two lighter than normal. For a beginner the key is to avoid any unnecessary obstacles to learning.

You mean... they are unlicensed drones!

I really think a solid top is pointless on a cheap acoustic. To get a solid top guitar down to near that price point corners will have to be cut elsewhere. There are many mighty fine laminate top guitars. Two cheap but excellent guitars for about £100 are a Fender and the Gretsch Jim Dandy parlour (small body) guitars. Neither is fancy but both are ideally proportioned for beginners and pretty well set up as new (unlike some brands e.g. Tanglewood IME). Both guitars will leave a smile on the face of more experienced guitarists, it's the same appeal as picking up a short scale bass - they are so much fun to play.

One of the bands I was in recorded a demo in "Rob's Caravan of Doom", which was about 6' x 16', with the biggest bit housing the drumkit and the 'control room' at the other end. We squeezed two guitarists, a vocalist and me into tint space in the middle. Sometimes I used to retreat into the drummer's bit.

Having that many acoustics is weird man! Sell them and buy basses!

It's a Trace Elliot - pulling it over is only an issue if you are Geoff Capes... The XLRs on my GP11 are screwed on.

I have at least one of those somewhere 🙂 The Wall was notorious for having a bad pressing, after the second return my local shop wouldn't swap it again 😞 You can actually see the huge excursion that causes a skip if you use a hand lens.

I never suggested you do! I'm just saying that there's no reason to go up to 45rpm to extend the bandwidth, as vinyl is happily capable of reproducing 45kHz + at 33 1/3 rpm.

Possibly the shipping is 'German VAT'

All that is true, but it is 'common knowledge' that standard 33rpm vinyl is easily capable of reproducing audio well beyond audio frequencies. Back in the 1980s I was listening to Pink Floyd on a mate's quadrophonic system that used a carrier frequency of up to 45KHz. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Compatible_Discrete_4

I imagine the shipping is a re-charge from the couriers to Thomann in Germany so isn't liable to UK tax.

Someone once told me off for listening to Swervedriver because "their name sounds like skrewdriver" 🙄

I knew that a 33 1/3 rpm vinyl was more than capable of a bandwidth way beyond 20kHz, but I wanted to find out just how far it goes. It took a surprising amount of digging: https://www.positive-feedback.com/Issue2/mastering.htm 122 kHz.

It's quite easy. CDs are a lot smaller, feel smooth and you can fit your pinkie into the hole in the middle.

Me too, as well, also! I enjoy finding an appropriate strap. Luckily, I am quite happy with bog-standard 50mm/2" nylon straps so this hasn't bankrupted me. I like woven mandolin/ukelele straps. Fender straps for Fenders and Squiers (I know!). Most lush is my Ernie Ball jacquard one. I have a very old rainbow one with hippy scarves and badges all over it dating back to the late 80s. My brother designed a custom Hawkwind one for me and got it made as a present, that's on my fretless. When I eventually bring all my collection back together, I will share photos 🙂

Actually visit: https://www.gibson.com/Find-A-Store I found two Epiphone dealers who aren't Gibson stockists. https://www.epiphone.com/Find-A-Store if you discounted PMT or Guitar Guitar most regions would have virtually no Gibson/Epiphone dealers. I found more Fender dealers across the UK, https://shop.fender.com/on/demandware.store/Sites-Fender-EMEA-Site/en_GB/Dealers-Results?locate=yes There are THREE Gibson dealers inside the M25, TEN Fender dealers. Four Fender in Glasgow, one Gibson. The map doesn't give a result if you search for Squier dealers. Clearly different policies in action, but if the 'minimum stock level' story I was told is true, then it seems Gibson effectively decided they didn't need local music shops.

Very few small shops stock Gibson. I went in a lot during 2019, noticed this and that's how I found out what was happening. One shop I've been visiting since at least 2017 used to have a whole wall of Epiphones and a few Gibsons, they didn't have a single new Gibson or Epiphone last few times I visited. I think it's only PMT that I have seen Gibson in for agood while.

Like I posted a few days ago, many people don't realise that many independents source their (non fender/gibson) stock from big online sellers. As I understand it this can include Squier guitars. It was getting really tough back in 2019, two shops told me Gibson were insisting shops held a five-figure value of Gibson guitars if they wanted to stock Epiphone - practices like that were far more damaging IMHO.