zigzag

Update on the Frontier. I switched to Elixir 10s and I pretty satisfied with this guitar now. I still prefer any of my electrics to any acoustic I've ever played , but hey, it is what it is. I also figured out how to insert and mount the battery for the Fishman pickup, plugged it in, and it is a monster. Very happy with this guitar plugged in.

I just received my Masterbilt Frontier from Sweetwater. Based on the serial number, the guitar is ten months old, and likely so are the strings. First off, I was very underwhelmed with the looks of the guitar out of the box. Maybe I had higher expectations, but I just didn't have a warm and fuzzy feel at its unveiling. That said, the guitar seems to be very well built and had zero flaws, so that was good. The neck had a very slight relief, which is what I like. The neck is a little thicker than I like, but not a deal breaker. The real issues came in when I started playing it. The action was way too high and the sound was flat and dull. At this point, I was very frustrated and disappointed... but not ready to throw in the towel. I removed the strings, pulled out the bridge and filed it down a good quarter of an inch. The nut appeared a little high, but since I didn't feel comfortable trying to pull it out, I did file the slot down on the bass E-string (6th) to get it to the same level as the other strings. Next, I replaced the strings with new 12s, tuned it up, and now I've got say, it plays and sounds MUCH better. I'm still not 100% happy with the playability. First, I think the longer scale is not as comfortable for me. Second, the medium jumbo frets make it more of a struggle on this guitar (I obviously have no issues with medium jumbos on any electric guitar). And finally, the 12-gauge strings are a little heavier than I like... all three of these factors have caused me to work harder than I'm used to. I think after a while, I'll switch to 10s and see how that works. This is not my first rodeo, and other acoustics I've owned play a lot easier and sound better, even with 12s. I have not plugged it in. I didn't realize that to get the Fishman pickup to work, I have to go through the sound hole to install the battery, and I'm not taking these strings off again right now. I anticipate that I'll like the sound of this guitar a lot more once it's plugged in. My recommendation to anyone considering this guitar, try it before buying it. Since I live in the boonies, I did not have that luxury. I love the sound of Gibson acoustics, and my feeling is, this guitar does not sound like them.

This is on GC, for what it's worth. That certificate is nothing more than proof of participation, not of purchase. If you ever have warranty issues, all Gibson needs for POP is a copy of the sales receipt with matching serial number.

I've never defended democrats, esp. neo-libs. But to me, they are the lesser of two evils... by a long shot. I think if Hunter Biden is guilty of the offenses he is accused of by the right, he should also pay the price. Hunter may be stupid, but he ain't Trump stoopid. I think Sleepy Joe is creepy, too. But, he's no sex offender... that he's been accused of, or found guilty of, or admitted to.

I understand you spent the summer in the Gibson Lounge. Can you tell us what that was like?

Yes. The factions are just too far apart. A republican takeover of the senate, or even the house, would be typical of midterms. It will be interesting to see what republicans will be allowed to run or even win their primaries, since possibly a third will may be disqualified for sedition. But also, gerrymandering is a potent political force. Plus, threats by terrorists on electors may have the desired effects

Yes. The oppressed are the losers and the censored. Edit: check out the Springfield Massacre of 1908. If you want to read a history of how the monied have screwed the have-nots throughout US history, I'd suggest you get enlightened by reading A People's History of the United States by Howard Zinn.

Yep. This forum does not exist to advance political agendas. I'd be just as happy with a ban, and my preference would be to take you down with me.

OK ghost, I zoomed your graph, and it is still as clear as mud. What it shows me, and I'm sure you will correct me if I'm wrong, is that older conservatives are, for the most part, more racially biased (whatever that means). No revelations there. WTF is your point?

Thank you.

As far as CRT goes, I think all perspectives of history should be taught; all documented historic events should be covered. Kids should be allowed to interpret the impact and meaning of these events for themselves once all sides have been presented. I also believe slavery and Jim Crow was just wrong. Being an old, southern, white guy who lived through Jim Crow, I can tell you that the undercurrents of racism still exist (being exposed and normalized by Trumpers), and it needs to be extinguished. I feel no guilt for having lived through it or for being white, but I do not deny that it exists or that my parents accepted it as being "just the way things are."

*ghost*, first of all, I have a very difficult time reading your graphs, so I cannot comment. But I would say that the radical right now dominates and controls the republican party, and even this forum. I cannot say the same for the left in that most are not "socialists" or radical. I would also say that it is the ability of the party to capture the center that will win federal elections, and right now, the right isn't there. Some of the left seem radical when measured by the standards of the right.

*forty years*, first of all, I don't think most democrats want to defund the police. In fact, most minority neighborhoods don't want to defund the police... mainly armchair radical libs who are in the vast minority of the democratic party. Most do believe in police reform and retraining for those situations. Police reform was shot down by republicans. They love to shoot stuff. Second. most politics are local. Politicians are individuals, and as such, each has his/her own faults. That's why voting a straight ticket isn't necessarily a good thing. Third, sentencing guidelines are just that, and they have min./max. sentencing windows. They are not determined by the judges and lawyers trying the cases, though judges do make their judgments based on the circumstances, within the guidelines. There is no doubt many sentences don't fit the crime, but when you have privatized and overcrowded prison systems, the answer may not be to build more prisons. I know teachers, good teachers, are leaving public education, because pay is lousy and working conditions are worse. Plus, the quality of kids coming through public education is lower. They are undisciplined and unmotivated. I blame it mostly on the parents. Seems the right thing to do is to bring discipline back into the schools by demanding more from teachers and students, and pay teachers more, and generally fund all public schools equally and let private schools fend for themselves... that's why they're private. Private education vouchers are NOT good for public education. Also, parents are not professional educators. Let the educators determine curriculum and policies.

Michigan... the state where the governor was going to be kidnapped (and who knows what) by idiots who were upset that their rights were violated by mask mandates. Most republican legislators are sticking to their stories in support of a fraudulent election, along with some 30% of Americans, in a country where electors are being threatened to the point where states are having problems finding electors who will do their jobs due to threats. The right has gone bonkers. A small minority now controls the politics of this country. We are supposed to be a democracy, but many issues that are supported by large majority are being shot down by the smaller minority of which many on this forum represent. That is NOT a democracy. Of course, everyone has a right to be heard, but when it comes time to legislate, the voices of the MAJORITY should prevail. What have I learned over the last three years: 1) The government has a responsibility to protect its population from enemies, foreign or domestic, in whatever way it feels is necessary, based in the constitution, good faith principles, science, and truth. If you commit the crime, you've got to be ready to do the time. 2) People will not usually act in the best interests of the whole, and often, will not even act in their own best interests. 3) Lying is acceptable behavior. Integrity and honor mean nothing, esp. in power politics. 4) As Bertrand Russell once said: I would never die for my beliefs, because I might be wrong. 5) As many of you have already said, the media is the problem, not so much as for what they say, though much of it is slanted and much of it, disinformation, but for what they don't tell you, or their priorities they assign, or the outrage they have that they want you to share. But, we cannot throw the baby out with the bathwater. A free press is necessary for a democracy. Not every reporter lies, and the truth is out there if you can find it. 6) 45 was evil, a chronic liar, and he still controls the republican party. Republican leaders are hypocrites, and most have no interest in serving the nation and their constituents. The Republican party used to be a party of honor and conservative principles. It is no longer either of those things. and it is stifling the progress of the nation to serve the interests of the few.

See. You're right. Damn the devil.

I like Chris Rock. And he's absolutely correct. But people make bad decisions all the time and for lots of different reasons, sometimes fatally bad. For instance, he made a bad decision to make fun of Will Smith's girlfriend. And ghost, your analogy about affluent people being more likely to be diagnosed with cancer if they have it seems to ignore the likelihood that most everyone in the US who has cancer is probably going to get that diagnosis eventually, though some may be dead by then. What you probably meant to say is that more affluent people are cured of cancer because they can afford to get an earlier diagnosis. The devil is, indeed, in the details. If everyone is lying then there is only the truth which you can deduce for yourself, which may or may not be truth. At some point you have to decide for yourself what truth is and who you can trust. But think about it, if twice as many whites are killed by cops (approx. 400/year*) as blacks (approx 225), going by the numbers, and Blacks make up less than 14% of the population, then that means Blacks are 2.5 times more likely to be killed by police as whites. (I'm not a statistician, but I think my math is right.) And the logic doesn't stop there. If that number is correct, there are many other considerations as to why that statistic may be true. Are there historical, cultural, socio-economic, emotional, or mental health issues that should factor into understanding the statistics? Numbers by themselves are useless unless we understand the reasons behind them. * https://www.statista.com/statistics/585152/people-shot-to-death-by-us-police-by-race/

I do. I posted on the trucks thread and on the strings thread. I like to acknowledge that I like the threads that interest me by posters who I enjoy. I've started deleting some of those posts. Why? I'm not sure. I don't like this place and what it has turned into. There are explicit rules against making political threads/posts, and yet they are the longest ones. By not discouraging them, it is the same as encouraging them. The ones that post in political threads the most are a small pocket of right wing nuts and anarchists that have pretty much taken over this forum. When fortyears suggests that the victim of the police shooting got what he deserves, that tells me all I need to know about him. There are very few posts that he makes that aren't reflective of his political agenda, even when the subject is apolitical. I don't start fights, but I just can't let stupid or ignorant or ones that spread lies go unchallenged. That's why I'm asking a moderator to permanently ban me, because I don't have the self-discipline to stay away. And I'll be in good company. I hate this place now, but it is the first guitar forum I joined. I loved it back then, and I learned a lot. You know the forum was much better back then, because you were a part of it. It p!sses me off what this place has become, and I suppose I hope it'll get better and some of the great members from the past will come back. And I love Gibson guitars.

There is very little that is civll about this conversation.

Oh you do fine fueling the flames all by yourself. But your point is valid. I keep hoping for a ban.

Well, your radio station would not have been reporting the actual events, d!ckhead. The police officer was not attempting to arrest the victim. The victim was not responding to the officer's requests, an altercation began when the victim did not respond to the officer's demands to get back in the car, the victim ran, the officer caught him, took him to the ground, told him to get his hands behind his back, then the officer attempted to use his taser on the man, and when it didn't work, he shot him in the back of the head. Another situation where the situation escalated when the "suspect" did not respond to the officer to his liking. There has to be a better way of handling these situations, but I'll be damned if I know what it is. Obviously, it might have been far better if the victim had done what the officer asked. In this case, the victim was a refugee from the DR of Congo, and this may have, in some way, affected his actions. A shame someone has to die when the situation might have been handled differently. I don't think we know if the car was stolen, since the plates did not match the car's description. But now, another unarmed man is dead, and he was also black. Go figure. Jeezz, I'm getting sick of this sh!te.

I switched back to D'Addario nickels with wound thirds. Love 'em. And I seem to be able to get six months or more out of them.

Well, it is interesting that European car manufacturers are moving toward producing more battery powered vehicles, not due to climate change, but because of their dependence on Russian oil. Monetary and supply issues have necessitated change; not the existential threat to humans. Energy independence is a bad joke. The US exports much of the oil it processes into fuel oil. Fuel oil is usually in the top three of all US exports. The money grubbers don't tell us that we need to reduce consumption, because it negatively affects their bottom line. "Conservationists" are pushing renewables as a viable alternative, which is even worse. It seems nuclear power is THE most critical part of the equation, at this point, along with other less effective alternatives. Oh, sh!te. Look at me. Getting political. Apologies. Edit: And one more thing. The American consumer has been spoiled. We need to consume less and consume smarter. China has provided a source of inexpensive goods that most all of us happily purchase. And of course, we all love bright and shiny, whether we need it or not, esp. when it's cheap.

Scab pickers. Hurray for our side... like we all hold the moral high ground. I might enjoy this web site a lot more if we didn't spend so much time talking politics, until I realize that most of you don't have much else to say. All of you whiners are victims of the government, or the media, or someone you think wants to take away your rights, or someone who makes a choice you disagree with. Stop being victims. No one wants to be judged by you or me, and quite frankly, I don't really want to judge others. Free thinkers? You're prisoners of your hate and distrust. Rebels? Hardly. You're simply on the wrong side of history. Build up, stop tearing down. This USED to be a cool place to come and talk guitars. Now that we've beat that into the ground, there's nothing left but politics. I'm sure that Gibson would prefer that their image did not include politics and radicalism. Henry J. is gone. We're now in the worlds of Levis and Converse... and damned fine guitars.

I was kinda hoping they had. This place is a sewer. Was hoping it might change. Not gonna, it appears.