I’m working on a new theme for the site, it’s actually almost done. I need a new banner for the top of it as well as tweaking a few colors and then it’s ready for launch. This will be the first time thatraymond.com has seen full color…should be a new and interesting experience I’m sure.
I’m pretty well done on my Strat kick, but have been thinking about a few other things. Ideally I had been figuring that a natural body with stain (probably without sunburst ideally) would be the best, but I suppose since I’m hoping to do this on the cheap I would take whatever is available and easiest. This is especially important since I am not a professional guitarist. I don’t ever use a tremolo so I was thinking that a solid non-trem bridge would be ideal. Also to cut down on controls, a single push/pull volume knob would work just fine for switching from the bridge Humbucker to S+S (middle and neck). One control knob, no separate switches, cool!
I have this thing with Stratocasters, I love the shape but I hate the 5 position slide switch and I’m not a fan of single coil pickups either. I’m up in the air on the scale (25.5″, normally I like 24″).
Regardless, I’d like to see Fender make one like this (excuse the poor Photoshopping):
Fender Stratocaster ala Joseph Raymond. H/H w/3 way toggle.
The good news is you can have Warmoth make you a pickguard like that and then wire it up the way you want it. Also good news, Warmoth can make a 24″ scale neck to bolt on as well! Although at that point things are getting rather pricey.
Actually, I wouldn’t mind not having the Tone control either, it just gets in the way.
Fender Stratocaster ala Joseph Raymond, no tone control
Take #3:
HSS, 3 way toggle (H, H/(S+S) and S+S), no tone control.
This way you keep all stock pickups (saves money) as well as a more stock look while still getting rid of the cruddy 5 position switch and tone sucking control. Pure unbridled electric guitar goodness here folks!
We got chickens! 2 hens, comets. They are 6 months old and should start laying soon. I wanted to name them “Henrietta” and “Ilsa” but we settled on “Louise” and “Edith”. For right now they live in a 4′ x 5′ chicken tractor, but soon we will build them an actual coop so that in bad weather and during the winter they can be protected. The birds came with the chicken tractor pre-built, but I went through and made some modifications. We added chicken wire to the bottom so weasels can’t get in and birds can’t get out if they dig. I also came up with a flip down wheel that I built and attached to the rear along with a handle on the front. Now we can flip the wheel down then move the tractor around like a wheelbarrow, my wife likes to call it our “Chicken-Barrow”.
We aren’t sure yet, but we may get another 2 birds before winter so they can all stay warm. We’ll see.
We also got the Potato and Cucumber beds all laid out with newspaper and grass mulch to keep the weeds down – they look good too!
I go out of my way to purchase tools that are made in the USA. At times I just can’t find an option and end up with something that is Mexican or Canadian in origin. Why would I purchase a Chinese or Japanese tool that had to be shipped literally around the world wasting all those resources when I can get a tool that was made right here and is normally of much better quality?
So, I broke my old tape measure. Knowing that it would be difficult to find one that wasn’t garbage and was also made in the States, I set aside an afternoon for searching. I tried 4 different stores (big box and small hardware stores) in Central Maine with no luck. So I hit the internet. There is but one company that still makes tape measures here in the US: US Tape in Pennsylvania. Since you can purchase direct from them on their website, I ordered the 26’/8m Classic. It came in via UPS a week later and I love it! Except one thing, the tape measure wouldn’t go in on it’s own unless it had been pulled out to at least about 15″. Not a real flaw, but kind of annoying. I emailed US Tape to find out if there was an adjustment. They told me “No, there is no adjustment. We will send you a new one right away.” And they did…FREE!
So now I have two awesome tape measures for the price of one. And yes, the new one works perfectly – if the tape is out any more than a few inches it scrolls right back in like it should. I’m happy. I’m also glad that the Customer Service of US Tape was so excellent – no way would I have seen that with any other company!
