For years I lived with a hot water heater that, along with my furnace, was fired by oil. And every time I turned up the heat or ran the hot water I felt a pang of guilt. Not becasue of the high price of oil, but because petro dollars fund terrorist regimes and contribute to so much corruption worldwide.
So now I live in a house with an electric hot water heater. And for the first few months I lived here, I was very cautious about running the hot water. But it just occurred to me that my electricity comes from a wood-burning power plant in Newigton, New Hampshire. And that I can take hot showers, do laundry on the 'hot' setting and use hot water whenever I want without being concerned about the global socio-politiclal-econmic-terrorist-funding ramifications in doing so. How liberating! In fact, I've taken the electric space heater out of the basement and plugged it in so now I'm heating part of my house with electricity, too. Woo hoo!
Sunday, January 15, 2012
Thursday, August 11, 2011
Okay, another post that isn't a product review
New Hampshire has the highest allowable exhaust decibel level allowed int he USA - 106 DB. To give you an idea of how loud that is, 110 DB is the threshold of pain. The Federal government calls for a limit 82 DB, but somehow NH has managed to exceed that in its own legislation. A group of NH citizens and legislators are trying to pass a state law that would match the NH limit with the Federal limit. Please sign this http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/nhcalm/ petition to support their efforts, especially if you live in New Hampshire.
Friday, May 20, 2011
NYC vs. Boston, Mass.
I lived in the Boston area for ten years and, growing up in Connecticut, I have spent many, many days and nights in New York City. I think I have a good feel for both places and I wanted to compare the two by relating local jokes from each city.
The New York joke is well-known: A harried tourist is trying to get to his concert and is hopelessly lost. He stops and asks a native how to get to Carnegie Hall. And the famous response is 'Practice, practice, practice.'
It's funny because it isn't the answer one expects. But the subtext implies that anyone can become a world-class musician if they just put in the effort. Overall, a very positive outcome. And, I believe, a pretty good reflection of the New York attitude. That is, .You might not be from around here, but you have as good a shot as anyone.'
The Boston joke might be less well-known and it goes like this: An ingenue moves into Boston from the hinterlands. She is anxious to make her way and fit into the big city. She attends a social event and notes how her own attire is not at all what the other women are wearing. So she approaches one of the best dressed ladies at the party. The girl graciously says 'You are all so lovely. Tell me, where do you get your hats?' To which the Bostonian woman replies: 'My dear; we HAVE our hats.'
Now this joke says something entirely different. The punch line is unexpected, but the woman's scorn is clear. Her answer indicates that, even though she knows exactly what the young girl is asking, she doesn't intend to help. The answer is stingy and condescending. The matron clearly indicating that the girl does not belong and will never fit in.
Those two jokes, in my mind, sum up the two cities. You can probably tell which I prefer.
Monday, March 8, 2010
Gibson Custom ES 335 Dot
I've been playing guitar for almost 40 years and the Memphis 335 DOT is the 4th semi-hollow body that I've owned. In the 80's I had a 1960 335 and a Yamaha SA2000. I currently own an Eastman 185MX and the Memphis 335.
I played rock as a younger man but now I play jazz and blues. I play the 335 primarily through two amps - a 60 watt Tech 21, which is a middle-of-the-road solid state amp, and a 50 watt Fuchs head and 2x12 Fuchs cabinet. I also practice with it through a small Kustom tube amp. The guitar's character shines through with all three amps, but it really sings through the Fuchs.
I bought the guitar from American Musical Supply. They have a 45-day return policy and I've always had good luck with them. It arrived in a couple of days and was well packed. The hard-shell case has a stencil from the custom shop. The inside has an attached sheet of fabric that covers the guitar when the case is closed. The 'blanket' doesn't seem to serve any purpose and it's kind of a pain to pull it off the guitar to take it out of the case and then cover the guitar when putting it away. (A minor gripe.)
Construction
The guitar's fit-and-finish are very good. Great attention to detail in the binding, the paint and the high-gloss finish. The Grover tuners do a good job and the other hardware is top-notch as well. I really like the '57 humbuckers. They have great output and the tone is perfect.
Since the guitar is made from laminated woods, you don't have to worry much about the moisture content varying as the seasons change. My Eastman is made from solid maple and, as it drys out during the winter months, a tiny split opens up between the bookmatched halves of the top. I should get a humidifier and keep the room at a constant level because that split is only going to grow as each season passes.
Playability
Out of the box, the guitar was fairly well set up. The neck was straight and the action a little on the high side, but pretty good for a factory setup. The frets were a bit taller than I prefer so in order to get the action as I like it, I had to get the frets filed, but that's more of a personal preference.
The guitar is thin, but the body is big and I think that's where some of the tone comes from. The neck is what they call a 'slim profile'. This is my least favorite aspect of the instrument. It's very slim - I don't mean the width across the fingerboard - I mean the thickness between the fingerboard and the back of the neck where you put your thumb. After an hour of playing, especially when chording a lot, my left hand is sore to the bone. I have other guitars with thicker necks and they are far more comfortable to play. This is my only complaint with this instrument.
Tone
The electronics on this guitar are very responsive. Where some tone and volume controls seem to have little effect after a certain point, these provide smooth, gradual change over their entire travel distance. They are clean and not scratchy.
I get a great jazzy clean sound out of any of my amps using the neck pickup and varying the tone control. I'll dial in some bridge pickup for a great chucka-chucka rhythm tone.
I LOVE the lead tone with a bit of distortion for blues and harder-core jazz stuff. It's soooo sweet - very rich and full of overtones. With a little tweaking, it gets that distinctive Larry Carlton/John Scofield tone, which is my holy grail.
Overall
The Memphis 335 is very well-suited to the music I play. It's great for jazz, blues and light rock. The tone is far richer than any solid body I've ever had. But, it doesn't produce the sustain or the hard edge that you get from a Les Paul or some other solid-bodies.
The guitar plays very nicely, it's balanced and comfortable. It's well-made and is a great looking instrument. The neck thickness is my only complaint. I would consider it perfect if it were a little more comfortable for me to play.
I played rock as a younger man but now I play jazz and blues. I play the 335 primarily through two amps - a 60 watt Tech 21, which is a middle-of-the-road solid state amp, and a 50 watt Fuchs head and 2x12 Fuchs cabinet. I also practice with it through a small Kustom tube amp. The guitar's character shines through with all three amps, but it really sings through the Fuchs.
I bought the guitar from American Musical Supply. They have a 45-day return policy and I've always had good luck with them. It arrived in a couple of days and was well packed. The hard-shell case has a stencil from the custom shop. The inside has an attached sheet of fabric that covers the guitar when the case is closed. The 'blanket' doesn't seem to serve any purpose and it's kind of a pain to pull it off the guitar to take it out of the case and then cover the guitar when putting it away. (A minor gripe.)
Construction
The guitar's fit-and-finish are very good. Great attention to detail in the binding, the paint and the high-gloss finish. The Grover tuners do a good job and the other hardware is top-notch as well. I really like the '57 humbuckers. They have great output and the tone is perfect.
Since the guitar is made from laminated woods, you don't have to worry much about the moisture content varying as the seasons change. My Eastman is made from solid maple and, as it drys out during the winter months, a tiny split opens up between the bookmatched halves of the top. I should get a humidifier and keep the room at a constant level because that split is only going to grow as each season passes.
Playability
Out of the box, the guitar was fairly well set up. The neck was straight and the action a little on the high side, but pretty good for a factory setup. The frets were a bit taller than I prefer so in order to get the action as I like it, I had to get the frets filed, but that's more of a personal preference.
The guitar is thin, but the body is big and I think that's where some of the tone comes from. The neck is what they call a 'slim profile'. This is my least favorite aspect of the instrument. It's very slim - I don't mean the width across the fingerboard - I mean the thickness between the fingerboard and the back of the neck where you put your thumb. After an hour of playing, especially when chording a lot, my left hand is sore to the bone. I have other guitars with thicker necks and they are far more comfortable to play. This is my only complaint with this instrument.
Tone
The electronics on this guitar are very responsive. Where some tone and volume controls seem to have little effect after a certain point, these provide smooth, gradual change over their entire travel distance. They are clean and not scratchy.
I get a great jazzy clean sound out of any of my amps using the neck pickup and varying the tone control. I'll dial in some bridge pickup for a great chucka-chucka rhythm tone.
I LOVE the lead tone with a bit of distortion for blues and harder-core jazz stuff. It's soooo sweet - very rich and full of overtones. With a little tweaking, it gets that distinctive Larry Carlton/John Scofield tone, which is my holy grail.
Overall
The Memphis 335 is very well-suited to the music I play. It's great for jazz, blues and light rock. The tone is far richer than any solid body I've ever had. But, it doesn't produce the sustain or the hard edge that you get from a Les Paul or some other solid-bodies.
The guitar plays very nicely, it's balanced and comfortable. It's well-made and is a great looking instrument. The neck thickness is my only complaint. I would consider it perfect if it were a little more comfortable for me to play.
Monday, February 8, 2010
Prosper.com Lender Review
A lousy investment for lenders. People who can't get loans from traditional means want your money.
I have been a Prosper lender for three years and I've tried a variety of loan strategies from conservative to risky. I've spread my loans across different borrowers and nearly all of them have defaulted.
While the website offers a lot of information about borrowers, like credit score and debt-to-income, there doesn't seem to be any correlation between it and the likelihood of the borrowers paying you back. When a loan goes into default, there's a small chance that you'll get back a few cents on each dollar you lent.
The best bet for a lender is probably the Portfolio Plans which allow you to invest within a given risk tolerance. But again, don't count on getting your money back. I would like to see Prosper publish the percentage of loans that default.
Everyone wants to earn the highest possible return on their investments. And this site implies high returns with social benefits; namely, lending to folks who have no other place to get money. But this is a last resort for borrowers and you shouldn't kid yourself into thinking that the high interest rates are guaranteed, or even likely. .
Recommended:
No
I have been a Prosper lender for three years and I've tried a variety of loan strategies from conservative to risky. I've spread my loans across different borrowers and nearly all of them have defaulted.
While the website offers a lot of information about borrowers, like credit score and debt-to-income, there doesn't seem to be any correlation between it and the likelihood of the borrowers paying you back. When a loan goes into default, there's a small chance that you'll get back a few cents on each dollar you lent.
The best bet for a lender is probably the Portfolio Plans which allow you to invest within a given risk tolerance. But again, don't count on getting your money back. I would like to see Prosper publish the percentage of loans that default.
Everyone wants to earn the highest possible return on their investments. And this site implies high returns with social benefits; namely, lending to folks who have no other place to get money. But this is a last resort for borrowers and you shouldn't kid yourself into thinking that the high interest rates are guaranteed, or even likely. .
Recommended:
No
Saturday, December 12, 2009
Waves Igtr Personal Guitar Processor
Like many guitar players, I've always wanted to be able to practice through headphones and still get a decent sound from my guitar. I bought my iGTR after trying a bunch of headphone amps. Rockman, Zoom, CTech and many others over the years have left me flat (no pun intended), so I wasn't expecting much from the iGTR. I was pleasantly surprised and here's why:
Form Factor
The unit is a little bigger than an iPod and it clips securely onto your guitar strap or belt. I put mine on the strap just above the strap button on the upper bout of the guitar. That way, the controls are all right at my finger tips.
Speaking of the controls, they are simple and very easy to use. Three jog wheels control Drive, Modulation and Time effects. Additionally, there is a switch associated with each jog wheel: Bright, Normal and Warm for the Drive effect; Phaser, Tremelo and Wah for the Modulation wheel and Delay, Chorus and Reverb for the Time-based effects. Operation is simple - select a switch position and then dial in the amount of the desired effect. Much easier than navigating through menus as you have to do on many similar devices.
Sound
I know it's subjective, but to my ear, this thing sounds closer to to the sound of my guitar running through an amp than any other headphone unit that I've tried. The effects sound quite natural and the guitar's sonic qualities shine through. My 335 sounds like it's suppose to and so does my Strat. I am holding on to this because of the sound - I've gotten rid of every other headphone/practice device that I've bought.
Input/Output
You plug your guitar in one end and a set of headphones/earbuds in the other. Turn it on and play - couldn't be simpler. You can also plug an iPod, another iGTR, a metronome, etc, into the auxiliary input. Nice feature to be able to play with another person or backing track. You can also use the auxiliary output for another set of headphones, or to send the signal to a recording device, another iGTR or any other external device. Very nice.
My Enhancement Requests
This unit would be close to perfect if it had a built-in metronome or drum machine. I'd also like a little more control over the effects. The phaser, delay, chorus, reverb and tremelo are great, but I'd use every one of them more if I could tweak their levels a little. And finally, a tuner would also be a great addition. I know that any of those enhancements would complicate the user interface, but I'd be happy to pay that price.
Summary
The best guitar headphone amp that I've used, and I've used a lot of them. While some units, like the Line6 Pocket Pod, offer more sounds and more control, I definitely prefer the iGTR for it's smaller size and ease-of-use.
Pros: Ease of use, great sounds, small footprint.
Cons: No metronome or tuner, EATS batteries.
Recommended: Yes
Form Factor
The unit is a little bigger than an iPod and it clips securely onto your guitar strap or belt. I put mine on the strap just above the strap button on the upper bout of the guitar. That way, the controls are all right at my finger tips.
Speaking of the controls, they are simple and very easy to use. Three jog wheels control Drive, Modulation and Time effects. Additionally, there is a switch associated with each jog wheel: Bright, Normal and Warm for the Drive effect; Phaser, Tremelo and Wah for the Modulation wheel and Delay, Chorus and Reverb for the Time-based effects. Operation is simple - select a switch position and then dial in the amount of the desired effect. Much easier than navigating through menus as you have to do on many similar devices.
Sound
I know it's subjective, but to my ear, this thing sounds closer to to the sound of my guitar running through an amp than any other headphone unit that I've tried. The effects sound quite natural and the guitar's sonic qualities shine through. My 335 sounds like it's suppose to and so does my Strat. I am holding on to this because of the sound - I've gotten rid of every other headphone/practice device that I've bought.
Input/Output
You plug your guitar in one end and a set of headphones/earbuds in the other. Turn it on and play - couldn't be simpler. You can also plug an iPod, another iGTR, a metronome, etc, into the auxiliary input. Nice feature to be able to play with another person or backing track. You can also use the auxiliary output for another set of headphones, or to send the signal to a recording device, another iGTR or any other external device. Very nice.
My Enhancement Requests
This unit would be close to perfect if it had a built-in metronome or drum machine. I'd also like a little more control over the effects. The phaser, delay, chorus, reverb and tremelo are great, but I'd use every one of them more if I could tweak their levels a little. And finally, a tuner would also be a great addition. I know that any of those enhancements would complicate the user interface, but I'd be happy to pay that price.
Summary
The best guitar headphone amp that I've used, and I've used a lot of them. While some units, like the Line6 Pocket Pod, offer more sounds and more control, I definitely prefer the iGTR for it's smaller size and ease-of-use.
Pros: Ease of use, great sounds, small footprint.
Cons: No metronome or tuner, EATS batteries.
Recommended: Yes
Sunday, March 29, 2009
Tech 21Trademark 60 Guitar Amp
I've been playing rock, blues and jazz through a Mesa Boogie MarkII combo since the mid 1980’s. I bought this amp because I was tired of lugging the Boogie around. I’ve been very happy with that decision.
The Box
At 34 pounds, the Tech 21 is much lighter than the 56 pound MB. They both have 12” speakers, they’re both 60 watts and they both include spring reverb units. They both take about the same amount of floor space (about 1.5 square feet) and they’re almost exactly the same height - about 18 inches. But becasue it's so much lighter, this amp is much easier to get into and out of my car than the MB.
The MB is all tube and the Tech 21 is solid state. They’re both two-channel amps and both come with a footswitch to toggle between channels. The Tech 21 footswitch also allows you to cut an effects loop in and out and control the reverb and built in boost function.
The controls for the Tech 21 are located on the top of the amp giving its face a very clean retro sort of look – just a cane grille surrounded by black tolex. It also has metal corner protectors on all eight corners. All-in-all, it’s very solidly built.
The Tech 21 has the usual ¼” input. It also has an effects send and return, headphone out and a SanAmp output for going direct to a mixing board. A great feature for the studio or on-stage.
The Sound
I’ve found the Tech 21 to be very well-suited to what I’m playing these days – a mix of jazz and blues in solo and combo settings. The amp has a very warm, full clean sound. Deep mids and solid bass. To my ear it lacks the clarity of the Mesa Boogie, though. The highs are clearer on the MB and the mids are better defined. Having said that, I’m very satisfied with the tones I get from the Tech 21. It does quite a respectable job handling the nuances of jazz chords and solos and I believe an EQ in the effects loop would allow me to really hone the sounds to perfection.
The distorted tone on the Tech 21 really sounds good. It provides excellent tone and balance without getting muddy. I use it to add a little bite to some solos and some crunch for some rhythm parts, or if I want to really jump out to the top of the mix, I'll really crank it. Now, I’m used to the killer overdrive from the MB and Santana solos clearly sound better through the Boogie. But the Tech 21 does a great job and I’m thrilled at its versatility.
Miscellaneous
1) I’ve noticed that the Tech 21 doesn’t provide as much headroom as the Boogie. It’s plenty loud enough for anything I’ve put it through, but the MB is the clear leader here.
2) I had the chance to run a great experiment at a friend’s music store. He had a Tech21 on the floor and I wanted to try swapping out my speaker for a Jensen. So first we set both amps up side-by-side with the settings exactly the same and compared the two amps. They sounded almost identical. Next we swapped the Jensen speaker into my amp and did the same comparison. To my surprise, the Jensen sounded thin and reedy next to the Tech 21 speaker. We put my speaker back in and I’ve never looked back.
3) While the lack of tubes does take away subtley from the sound, I’m really happy that I don’t have to change tubes with this amp. That and the lighter weight are worth the trade off to me. (Not to mention the HUGE price difference.)
Go to Modal Music Theory for some cool stuff.
The Box
At 34 pounds, the Tech 21 is much lighter than the 56 pound MB. They both have 12” speakers, they’re both 60 watts and they both include spring reverb units. They both take about the same amount of floor space (about 1.5 square feet) and they’re almost exactly the same height - about 18 inches. But becasue it's so much lighter, this amp is much easier to get into and out of my car than the MB.
The MB is all tube and the Tech 21 is solid state. They’re both two-channel amps and both come with a footswitch to toggle between channels. The Tech 21 footswitch also allows you to cut an effects loop in and out and control the reverb and built in boost function.
The controls for the Tech 21 are located on the top of the amp giving its face a very clean retro sort of look – just a cane grille surrounded by black tolex. It also has metal corner protectors on all eight corners. All-in-all, it’s very solidly built.
The Tech 21 has the usual ¼” input. It also has an effects send and return, headphone out and a SanAmp output for going direct to a mixing board. A great feature for the studio or on-stage.
The Sound
I’ve found the Tech 21 to be very well-suited to what I’m playing these days – a mix of jazz and blues in solo and combo settings. The amp has a very warm, full clean sound. Deep mids and solid bass. To my ear it lacks the clarity of the Mesa Boogie, though. The highs are clearer on the MB and the mids are better defined. Having said that, I’m very satisfied with the tones I get from the Tech 21. It does quite a respectable job handling the nuances of jazz chords and solos and I believe an EQ in the effects loop would allow me to really hone the sounds to perfection.
The distorted tone on the Tech 21 really sounds good. It provides excellent tone and balance without getting muddy. I use it to add a little bite to some solos and some crunch for some rhythm parts, or if I want to really jump out to the top of the mix, I'll really crank it. Now, I’m used to the killer overdrive from the MB and Santana solos clearly sound better through the Boogie. But the Tech 21 does a great job and I’m thrilled at its versatility.
Miscellaneous
1) I’ve noticed that the Tech 21 doesn’t provide as much headroom as the Boogie. It’s plenty loud enough for anything I’ve put it through, but the MB is the clear leader here.
2) I had the chance to run a great experiment at a friend’s music store. He had a Tech21 on the floor and I wanted to try swapping out my speaker for a Jensen. So first we set both amps up side-by-side with the settings exactly the same and compared the two amps. They sounded almost identical. Next we swapped the Jensen speaker into my amp and did the same comparison. To my surprise, the Jensen sounded thin and reedy next to the Tech 21 speaker. We put my speaker back in and I’ve never looked back.
3) While the lack of tubes does take away subtley from the sound, I’m really happy that I don’t have to change tubes with this amp. That and the lighter weight are worth the trade off to me. (Not to mention the HUGE price difference.)
Go to Modal Music Theory for some cool stuff.
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