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They really are. I still have a TE-62. It's a cracking guitar.

It's impressive how pedal amps have come on. I've several times seen a couple of musicak acts who play a cabaret night I frequent using what I realised to be pedal amps; I'd never have known, but the speed of change between them and the acts before and after.... takes longer for the stage management to pick up after one of the burlesque girls. Those little feet seem a neat idea. Obviously won't work with every pedal without adaptation, but a much more elegant solution than velcro, which I've always avoided for my pedals. I've also considered a large foam sheet, same dize as the pedalboard, with holes cut for each pedal, but not sure that's workable. I like the idea of having them all screwed down in place.

I bought a pair of Hotone Loudster Class D pedal amps a couple of months ago and was surprised how good they were. I found a set of these attached to the underside of the ODR and wondered what they were...! Cheers.

Related (brief version...) elsewhere here, my replacement Hofner President is now safely ensconced a few yards from me right now, and destined to stay, this time..! Here's its arrival, after half a century...

Goodness, I have several. I go through stages of a full clear out and then end up buying some of it back again a year later, usually losing money on the deal. My biggest regrets are selling my first 'proper' strat, a MIJ 62 reissue and my first bass, an old 1980s Aria TSB. Loved them both but sold them to get 'better' instruments that really weren't that much better. I have bought several more strats and 3 or 4 other TSB basses to try and replicate them but never really gelled with them. As pointed out elsewhere, my memory is probably much better and more rose tinted than the reality.

Hmm - very interesting…..will investigate that, thanks.

Before going down that road, have a look at these ... Amazon : Bolt-On Neck Guitar Screws and Sleeves ... Carefully centre the drill for the inserts (start with a small (1mm..?), accurate drill bit and enlarge progressively, being careful to get the right exact depth, then screw in the inserts, with a spot of wood glue on each. Use a new, standard neck plate as a template for positioning. It might be worth filling in the neck holes just the same. Once assmbled, the neck will be stronger than ever before. Worth a shot..?

Ugh - sorry to post such a distressing picture!

Good idea, but unfortunately the neck has come from another body at some point and been filled (along with a crack) so I'm a bit loathe to try to undo it all. May end up having to get a new neck!!

That was my thought too.

If you get stuck, it would be possible to plug the holes in the neck and the body, then use a standard plate, re-drilling holes appropriately. Just a thought; hope this helps.

Rebuilding a Strat bought at a Uk auction. Any ideas where I might find a non- standard size neck plate? …… know anyone who would make one? many thanks

think ive just found a technique that works. lol i know im talking to myself here. i start plucking 3 strings nice and slow then get faster and faster until im at my max. then stop and start again. and in 2 minutes ive just got faster. ive been playing this for weeks trying to get faster and the start slow and build up speed has worked a treat, thanks for putting that idea in my head dad3353!

just checked with a metronome and im at 76bpm. but ive identified my problem. if i try to pick just 3 stings as quick as i can ,3 plucks no more just strings 4 2 then 1, i am very slow. 3 strings pause for 3 or 4 seconds. then the 3 strings again, i cant get that faster. the thumb forefinger second finger. pluck them like in the song continuous. im the same speed. i also pluck the 3 stings very slow and then slowly build up tempo but hit a wall.

i havent been playing along to anything. just playing it as fast as i can on my own no background music. i only put the youtube video on to see what speed i was actually at. but when i practice i just play it endlessly as fast as i can over and over again for like 5 minutes. the crazy thing is im playing it faultlessly. no errors. i just cant go any faster. sometimes i can pluck the 3 strings a lot quicker but then the next 3 string pluck is back down to my fastest speed. that only happens about once a minute.

Harley Benton are good guitars for the money. I'm thinking about one. The white HB35 is about £180 delivered brand new. It looks like my old Washburn but half the price.

I’d like my old customised ‘75 Aria Les Paul (lawsuit era) back and my Yamaha SA2000. Both went to pay for other things and both were a mistake to let go. ‘Twas ever thus .

Yeah thank you Douglas. I'll give it a few gentle taps myself, and if I dont see any improvement I'll take it to a repairer to get it done properly. I think there is one locally for about £30 an hour.

I've never had a lot of guitar stuff, so have never sold anything. I did give a Harley Benton telecaster to my karate instructor - sort of as a long term loan deal, but in reality it's his now. Do I regret it? Not especially. For a very cheap guitar, it was quite nice. It sounded pretty good considering the guitar was only £68. The neck felt lovely. The fretboard was a bit strange. I'm not sure what sort of wood it was. It was very dark with very little grain.

Tab books..? I could supply a small music school with all the tab, notation and method books I've accumulated over the decades..! Everything from how to harmonise, basic (and less basic...) music theory, several 'Real' books of jazz standards, with just as many (or maybe more; I've lost count...) of songs by various bands and/or artists. All of this for guitar, but also bass, and drums (I'm a drummer...). I'm still using, on an almost daily basis, the very first guitar method I bought when buying my very first guitar (this latter now, thankfully, long gone...); 'Mickey Baker's Complete Couse in Jazz Guitar'. The rest is history ...

There's no answer to your questions or doubts for your own particular instrument. What would a guitar tech do..? He/she would check it with a fret rocker, and, if it warranted it, would set it back to the correct height, most likely with a brass or nylon mallet (or, if there's very little, with a fret dress and re-crowning...). All the other frets would get a check, whilst it's on the bench, with maybe a tweak of the intonation before handing it back, all fixed and ready to go. There would be no discussion as to how guitar makers set up their tooling for cutting fret slots (many are done by hand, anyway...). Soooooo... Either leave it as it is, bite the bullet and do the job yourself, or take it to a competent tech for set-up. There's not much point in over-thinking things. Just my tuppence-worth; hope this helps. Douglas

Thank you for the warm welcome . I am looking forward to some nice and polite guitar chatting tastefully spiced with trustworthy stories

For me I have 2, maybe 3. First is my Washburn N2. Sentimental because my Mum bought it for me when I started to be a paid guitarist and needed something better. The memory is better than the guitar. Sold/traded because a quick string change as my only guitar was impossible. I was missing whole songs sometimes. Second is my white Washburn HB35. Couldn't get them in white in the UK, so I got it imported. Sold for £100 when I was moving in with my ex and didnt want to take up too much space in her house. I miss the guitar more than her. Last, a 90s Telecaster. Sold it and my car to move out and get my own place.

I could be up for this. I'm not tech savvy though, and only have mobile wifi. Yep, we've came a long way. Anyone else remember buying tab books?

Me giving it some full on A major stuff many years ago on my much loved and sadly missed Washburn HB35 that I got sent from America. UK only had, if I remember right red, natural , and black available. White wasnt an option here, but that's what I wanted. It got stuck at customs because I didnt know about import tax back then☹