good to know: car air filter sets exist
Recently, I had an oil change done for my car. Of course, the shop I went to tried to get me to waste money on air filters. Yes, plural. One for the air box in the engine bay and the other for the cabin. The shop said they were dirty. I didn't believe them.
A few days later, I inspected the filters myself. Turns out the shop was right and they were dirty. Since filters are easy to change, I did it myself...
...but I absolutely do not like buying these things. It's almost too easy to spend $40 or more per filter. I wasn't about to do that.
This is when I started searching around and found out about air filter replacement sets, as in air + cabin filter sets. Obviously, you'll have to find which fits for your car, but I was so happy to find these sets exist. Why? The price can go as low as 15 bucks for the set, depending on car.
When I said it's $40 per filter at a shop, I'm not kidding. It's almost too easy for the shop to tack on 80 bucks to your oil change if they sucker you into buying air filters. Sometimes they'll even try to sucker you into overpaying for filters and wiper blades all in one go. Add another $50 to $75 for those - and that's not an exaggeration.
I also found out something else. Getting the filter set is in many instances cheaper than buying them separately. I was originally going to separate the purchases, but the set turned out to be the better deal for my car. It wasn't an insanely lower price, but hey, I'll take whatever savings I can get for this stuff.
The price I paid for my filter set was lower than $15, even with tax included.
What would the price have been at the shop? You guessed it, 80 bucks. I saved a whopping $65 just from getting the filter set and installing them myself.
the gross 1990s
This is another reminder to people who grew up in the 1990s that some things about it were just plain stupid.
I remember the '90s. From my mid-teens to mid-20s, I experienced that whole decade and all the dumb stuff that came along with it.
Something that happened with toys, video games and cartoons was a huge uptick in toilet humor.
Here are three examples of what came from the '90s:
Example 1: "Son of Stimpy" from the cartoon show Ren & Stimpy. That was released (pun not intended but can't help that one) in January 1993. The original title was "Stimpy's First Fart". The ENTIRE EPISODE is about a fart. I am not kidding.
Example 2: Boogerman, a video game released for the Sega Genesis in 1994 and later for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System in 1995. It is exactly what you think it is. Your "ammunition" in the game is burps and farts. Again, not kidding.
Example 3: Grossinator.
This was a toy released in 1995. It is battery powered and has prerecorded phrases. The question mark button randomizes the phrase, the green button plays your custom phrase.
On the right, four buttons to customize the phrase. Each press goes through several prerecorded phrases, and then the Play button plays it all back.
Button 1: You're like, Let's all make, How about, I just love, I'm gonna make, There's nothing like
Button 2: a big, a long, a revolting, a disgusting, a slimy, a foul, a horrible
Button 3: gross, oozing, awful, wretched, stinky, putrid, smelly
Button 4: fart, burp, scab, booger, snot, barf, puke
This means you could create phrases such as:
"There's nothing like a revolting smelly fart"
"Let's all make a disgusting wretched burp"
"You're like a big oozing snot"
...and so on.
If I didn't show you a photo of the actual toy, you would probably say the Grossinator never existed and I'm just making it up. It did exist. And the reason I know it exists is because someone I knew back in the '90s actually bought one and showed it to me.
Did the '80s ever get gross?
For the most part, no.
However...
Things I remember from the '80s that went into the gross category were Madballs and Garbage Pail Kids. Both of those were purposely created with the gross-out factor in mind.
There was also You Can't Do That on Television, a children's cable television program most know from being on the Nickelodeon channel. That show famously dropped green slime on anybody that said "I don't know", which qualifies as slightly gross at best.
Other than that, the overwhelming majority of cartoons, video games and toys did not trip the line over into gross territory. Characters in cartoon shows and video games did not belch or fart in the '80s, but absolutely did in the '90s. And the closest you ever got to gross was if you came across a copy of a Totally Gross Jokes book.
Is gross stuff sold now?
Yes. The National Geographic Super Gross Chemistry Set is such an example. But at least it's a chemistry set with educational value to it.
Gross Me Out Mad Libs is another.
For the most part there is "polite grossness" with products aiming for the gross-out factor. Or said another way, it's NOT gross in a way that will make you lose a few brain cells.
I suppose that's progress.
best jazz bass i've seen in years
I totally admit that I have a thing for '70s Fender guitars. It's the reason I own a Squier Affinity Stratocaster. While technically a late-'60s headstock design, people associate the big CBS headstock with the '70s, as do I.
The '70s style does extend to the electric bass, and oh, does Squier absolutely nail one just right:
...the Squier Classic Vibe '70s Jazz Bass.
Yes, Squier also does a '70s Precision Bass, but it's the Jazz that gets my attention.
It's that headstock with that font that puts a smile on my dial.
When somebody gets a shape and font just right, I get all sorts of happy. The Squier CV '70s J is the bass that does it for me.
You've got the big 'ol oversize clover tuning keys, big circular string retainer, and the all important playful-yet-classy JAZZ BASS font.
Yeah, I know, I'm gushing over a font. But it's a damned good font. It's serif, but leans, curves and swoops, and seeing the double-z in JAZZ... there's just something about it that's just great. So great that my eye trains on that first and always before even seeing the brand name. And it works so well with a natural finish.
Everything about the CV '70s J is awesome. It comes in Sunburst, Black and Natural. The Natural finish is best because it has that very-'70s "looks like a coffee table" appearance to it. Usually that's bad, but not here. It works.
Does Fender make a J like this?
Yes. There's the Fender Geddy Lee Jazz Bass. Two models. One USA version and one not. Hope you like black, because that's the only color it comes in...
...and that's it. If you want that headstock with that font in a J bass with a Fender logo on it, the Geddy Lee model is all that's available.
I'm honestly surprised Fender doesn't have a Vintera II '70s Jazz bass. There's a Fender '70s Telecaster Bass in Vintera II flavor, but no Jazz. Fender is missing the boat on this one.
Squier, for the moment, is doing a better '70s J. True, the Geddy J has a more beefy bridge on it. But the Squier just looks better. The neck has a deeper tint and 3 color choices instead of just one.
The Squier just looks the part. And because it's a Classic Vibe model, that's top of the line in the Squier lineup. Glad to see a proper '70s J represented there, because it looks fantastic.
i bought two of these because they're getting rare
Something I've learned over the years with computer crap is that any time you find something that's good and cheap, buy backups. If you don't, your favorite computer-whatever thing will wear out and you won't be able to find a cheap replacement.
This literally applies to anything computer. Drives, USB sticks, keyboards, and in this instance...
...computer mice.
Yes, it's true for the moment that you can still buy a cheap USB wired optical mouse, but my preference is the Microsoft Basic Optical Mouse...
...which USED TO BE cheap. Not anymore.
I was fortunate to get two of them new-in-box for $24 total after sales tax and shipping. Not too long ago, you could get these one of these for under 10 bucks almost anywhere, so I was lucky to get them for about what they are worth. There was just one seller on eBay that had them new at the right price, so oh yeah, I bought both. Didn't even think twice about it. All the other sellers either have used ones or charge $25 or more PER MOUSE. And yes, that is way overpriced for what it is.
Why do I have such an affection for this mouse? I'm used to it. The shape, tension of click for the buttons and scroll wheel are just right for my hand.
When I received the mice, I tested each one to make sure they worked. They did. After that, they went back in their boxes. And that's where they'll stay until the one I have wears out.
Given that it takes years for me to wear out a mouse, I'm good for a long while in the mouse department.
A computer mouse is something you never think about UNTIL it breaks. Then it's suddenly a major concern.
Can you use your computer without a mouse? Didn't think so. Buy a backup or two.
another reason i'll never own a vintage guitar
When finding out why the PRS McCarty 594 guitars have 594 in the model name, that started me down a rabbit hole.
According to Paul Reed Smith himself, the 594 comes from a 1959 four-knob guitar where the scale length was measured at 24 and 19/32". If you divide 19 by 32, that's 0.59375. When you round that number up, it's 0.594, hence the scale length of a McCarty 594 model is 24.594".
Okay, great. Good to know. But as I kept reading on from place to place across the internet about scale lengths and such, those vintage electrics are just... ugh.
The way scale length is supposed to be determined is by measuring distance from the inside of the nut to the center of the 12th fret, then multiply that result by 2.
An Epiphone Les Paul obviously has a 24.75" scale length, and if measure it yourself to be sure, it will be exactly that. No question about it. Both octaves (from fret 1-to-12 then 12 to the end) will intonate with no problems. Scale length is a true 24.75", and fret spacing was measured using the twelfth root of two method. Yep, all good.
For old stuff, that used the dreaded Rule of 18 measurement method. Rule of 18 means calculating fret spacing by dividing the scale length minus the distance from the nut to the previous fret by 18.
Why is Rule of 18 dreaded? Intonation gets all wonky the further up the fingerboard you go. On an acoustic guitar, almost nobody notices this because most don't play beyond the 5th fret. But on an electric, oh yeah, you will hear those slightly-off notes higher up the fretboard. It absolutely does not matter how perfect you set your intonation. That fret spacing will never be right. It is an unfixable problem on many vintage electrics.
Fender never did the Rule of 18 fret spacing thing as far as I'm aware. Gibson, however, did. And so did a lot of other guitar manufacturers from decades ago.
I have heard (but can't confirm) that Gibson guitars from 2019 onward all now use the twelfth root of two measurement method for fret spacing, so that's good.
I understand better now why some guys like PRS so much
This isn't about tone, but rather modern guitar construction that fixes a very old (to the point of almost ancient) problem.
If you want that vintage Gibson Les Paul feel WITHOUT the intonation weirdness, a even in import SE flavor fits the bill very nicely. You will get that vintage Gibson 24 and 19/32" scale length of a '59, but with frets that have none of that Rule of 18 impossible-to-intonate-correctly spaced crap going on.
I'm not saying the McCarty will sound exactly like a vintage '59 LP. Not at all. But as I've said many times before, the #1 thing that matters on a electric guitar is the neck. If that's not right, the guitar is junk. PRS gets necks right where shape, feel and intonation are concerned.
Even if you were to go with the lowest priced PRS, the SE CE24 bolt-on with 25" scale (arguably more "Fendery" than "Gibsony"), that neck will still be correct.
What about actual modern-vintage Gibson?
The LP which Gibson makes that fits this description is the Gibson Les Paul Standard 50s Faded. The faded appearance is actually a benefit because it's not overly shiny, so don't be put off by that.
Yeah, it's good. Looks right and definitely sounds right. But Gibson describes the neck as "rounded 50s-style". That does not tell me much. LP fans know there's a distinct feel difference between the '58 and '59 profile.
In other words, the only way to know what the neck feels like for sure is to go try one. And that's assuming there's one within a reasonable distance of your location where you can go and do that.
If there isn't, that's where the PRS presents an easier buying decision - and I'm not talking about price. The McCarty 594 is more likely to have the better-feeling neck for your hands.
Can I guarantee that? No. What I am saying is that if you're specifically chasing after a comfortable '59 feel, the McCarty is probably the safer purchase.
Modern electrics are better - if you can skirt around modern QC problems
I've heard others spin long yarns about how vintage electric guitars are "so much better", but I've just given you a very solid reason not to go vintage, at least on the Gibson or Gibson-like side of things.
The trick of it all with modern electrics is finding something that doesn't suffer from crippling QC issues that so many guitar makers have.
From what I understand, PRS does well both for American and import models. And as I said recently, ESP LTD also does well, and Epiphone has also greatly improved with pretty much everything they make.
As for the vintage stuff - and I mean any vintage electric even for ones without intonation issues - nope, not touching that. The oldest guitar I've ever bought is an '89 Squier II Stratocaster, and that's only because that's my first guitar (which I still own). At the time I write this, that guitar is 35 years old. Before purchase, I knew every possible issue it would have, so I was okay buying it. That is the only exception I've ever made for buying an old electric.
Modern isn't bad. You just have to find the right one. For a lot of players that want the right blend of old + new with the correct feel, PRS McCarty 594 or SE CE24 would absolutely work for them.
I might even get one myself at some point.