GAD's Ramblings » Consumerism

ChessMate.com’s The Thinket

GAD — Fri, 03 Sep 2010 19:37:44 +0000

I recently wrote a review of Chessmate.com’s wonderful portable chess set. David Weinstock, the owner and inventor of the ChessMate.com chess sets was so happy with my glowing review that he asked if I would review another of his product. I told him that I would be happy two, under two conditions: I would not falsify my opinions, and I must be free to post any negative impressions I might have. Mr. Weinstock agreed, and a week or two later, I received a Thinket™ in the mail. What is a Thinket™ you ask? That’s… complicated. Allow me to explain. [ --- ] Read More

Panasonic Lumix GF1 Review

GAD — Wed, 01 Sep 2010 21:47:41 +0000

I have a lot of cameras ranging from subcompact point-and-shoot cameras to my main camera: a huge Canon 1Ds Mark II. This full-frame professional monster is a fabulous camera that has served me well for over 100,000 images since 2005. Coupled with Canon’s L-series lenses, it has all but ruined me when trying any other camera. I have many smaller cameras, most of which I’ve purchased in an attempt to come close to the quality of my big rig in a smaller package. My current travel camera of choice is the Panasonic Lumix LX1, but since it’s showing its age, I decided to hunt for a new one and settled on the Panasonic Lumix GF1. I took the GF1 with me on vacation as my only camera for a week in order to put it through its paces. [ --- ] Read More

Vox VT30 Valvetronix Amp Review

GAD — Tue, 20 Jul 2010 22:47:48 +0000

I am a tube amp snob, or at least I used to be. The warm glow of tubes as they crunch my guitar’s signal into auditory bliss is just something that feels right. I also disliked most modelers until recently. Every time I tried some modeling gizmo I hated it. That is, until about a year ago when I bought a little Roland Micro Cube. The little cube sounded pretty good, but I didn’t really care so much about sound quality because I used that amp to amuse myself in the park or the back yard. [ --- ] Read More

Roland Micro Cube Review

GAD — Mon, 19 Jul 2010 04:43:58 +0000

The Roland Micro cube is a tiny little amp that can run on either AC power or six AA batteries. I was never a fan of modeling amps, but this tiny two-watt solid state modeling amp really surprised me.

The amp is built like a tank. I’ve not tried this, but I would be willing to be that I could toss it down a flight of stairs and it would still work. Considering that this is the type of amp that you might literally throw into the back seat of a car, being able to withstand some abuse is a pretty good feature. Since it’s less than 10 inches on it’s longest side, and weighs just over seven pounds, there’s a good chance it could be taken along on many trips.

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WCR Pickups Review

GAD — Tue, 13 Jul 2010 21:59:02 +0000

As a general rule, I review things that grab me in one of two ways. Either the product is so good that I need to tell the world, or the product or service is so bad that I need to tell the world. I also sometimes do reviews by request, but so far that’s been a rarity. To cut to the chase, WCR pickups are so good, I felt the need to tell the world. [ --- ] Read More

USA Jackson Soloist SL2H: Chrome to Black

GAD — Mon, 12 Jul 2010 03:49:41 +0000

If you’ve read my article entitled A Tale of Two Jacksons, you’ll see that I own both a Japanese SL2H in transparent blue, and a USA Jackson SL2H in transparent blue. While the USA Jackson SL2H is the superior guitar, I really disliked the chrome hardware and set out to replace every bit of chrome with black. For the uninitiated, this was not a small task. [ --- ] Read More

How To Type Faster

GAD — Sun, 27 Jun 2010 17:08:02 +0000

According to typingtest.com, the average speed from some 15,000 people tested is 36 words per minute. Five years ago my typing speed was probably half that, and that speed was only a result of sitting at a keyboard eight hours a day for 25 years. It was simply repetitive use of a tool that led me to be barely proficient with its use. So how did I improve my typing speed so dramatically? [ --- ] Read More

Guild Electric Guitars

GAD — Thu, 24 Jun 2010 05:31:31 +0000

While most people associate the name Guild with beautiful vintage and modern acoustic guitars, Guild electric guitars are also wonderful examples of fine US-made instruments. I’ve owned more than a few, and it all started for me 30 years ago.

Back in the halcyon days of the very early 80′s, I took my 17-year-old self into a local music store and bought the guitar that I had been lusting after for a year. It was a Guild S300A-D, and it was the coolest looking guitar I’d ever seen. Had I enjoyed the gift of prescience, I would have probably bought the old Gibson 1959 Les Paul in the store across town, but that was just dumb old guitar – this thing was the future! Fast forward 30 years and the Guild S300A-D is worth what I paid for it – about $1000. Not bad. That Gibson though, in good condition might fetch a cool quarter of a million dollars. Ah the decisions of our youth. [ --- ] Read More

A Tale of Two Jacksons

GAD — Tue, 22 Jun 2010 04:27:37 +0000

The hair band style of music made popular in the 1980s generally requires guitars called super-Strats. These are guitars shaped like Fender Stratocasters that have been hot-rodded in any number of interesting ways. Usually they include at least one humbucking pickup in the bridge position, and are often adorned with neon colors or flashy designs. You have to remember that in the 70s, most rock bands played either Gibson Les Pauls, Fender Stratocasters or Telecasters. These hot-rodded super-Strats were a statement that the same old boring thing wasn’t good enough for us. Of course today, those “same old boring” Les Pauls, Strats and Teles from the 50s and 60s are worth a pretty penny, but back then, it was all about the look on these shredder guitars. [ --- ] Read More

House of Staunton Collector Series Luxury Chess Set

GAD — Sun, 20 Jun 2010 15:06:17 +0000

I am an admitted gear-hound. I like stuff. While that in and of itself isn’t a problem, I suffer from a more sinister condition; I like nice stuff.

I blame my dad. I can remember him telling me that if I had narrowed my purchase down to a particular model, I should always buy the next better model. He advised that I would only feel the pain of the increased cost for a short while, but I’d enjoy the better item for years to come. Additionally, the better model often meant better quality as well, which would help to ensure an even longer lifespan for my purchase. Sage wisdom.

Today it seems that purchasing the “better” item rarely buys increased quality, but instead offers increased functionality. In the world of electronics, that can make sense. Electronics though, has become the epitome of mass production. Not only are hand-made electronics now the realm of boutique builders, those boutique builders are becoming more scarce every year. [ --- ] Read More