ROTD thread

[GAD]

Yikes! Makes building a tweed Champ clone look like a walk in the park.

Well, on the plus side there is a significanly lower chance of death with this kit.

I have a Champ that I build back in 2012. Absolutely magnificent sounding amp.



My daughter used it in her room for years so it's a bit more "used" looking now, but still sounds amazing.

Keeping on the rant theme, I also built a Deluxe (also 2012):




But back then I didn't have or even know how to use an Oscilloscope and I sold it because it had weird crackly sound that I couldn't figure out. Guy who bought it was thrilled because he fixed it in 10 minutes with a scope. On the plus side, that was when I decided I needed to learn how to use a scope.

BTW that amp with that P90 SG (GOTW #37) sounded *amazing* and that SG was the only SG I ever liked. Being the super brain that I am I also sold the guitar and for years I never saw another one for sale. Now they sell for twice what I paid and sold it for. Oof - there's one on Reverb now for $2000 which is 3X what I paid. That guitar taught me to love Alnico II P90s, but I've never had another combo roar like those two did.

It's actually one of my very few Soundcloud recordings, though I recorded it through my 2x12 Bassman cab:



Rant: Don't sell amazing gear.

 

[chazmo]

...
Rant: Don't sell amazing gear.

That's a credo not a rant. Although, maybe it's both.

 

[chazmo]

By the way, that SG was really beautiful. WOrth a little seller's remorse in my book!

 

[GGJaguar]

Rant: Don't sell amazing gear.

This is the shortest rant this thread will probably see.

 

[GAD]

This is the shortest rant this thread will probably see.

That’s exactly how I looked when I wrote it!

 

[chazmo]

I have a Subie WRX which has pretty much everything I want and nothing I don't want. Love the car; it's perfect for me. It's versatile and I can run it year-round. To do that, I have two sets of tires (and wheels), one for summer and one for winter.

[CharlieROTD] : The TPMS (tire pressure monitors) only recognizes only one set of wheels. I have to go to the dealership (!) to reprogram the computer each season. And, to add insult to injury, they charge me $20 to do it!

Now, that's a multi-part rant right there with a lot to unpack.

1. How DARE they build a car that can't easily support the seasonal transition from summer to winter wheels!
2. How DARE they not even provide some way for the customer (me) to do that without a special tool!
3. How DARE they make it so that a local garage or tire shop can't reprogram the thing!

There's simply no excuse for the engineers not allowing for at least two sets of sensors to be programmed in at the same time. And, worse, it's clear that some sales idiot must've dictated this so that customers would be dragged back into the showroom. Do they realize that that's the only stain on an otherwise perfect car (for me)? No, they probably got promoted.

[/CharlieROTD]

 

[GAD]

I have a Subie WRX which has pretty much everything I want and nothing I don't want. Love the car; it's perfect for me. It's versatile and I can run it year-round. To do that, I have two sets of tires (and wheels), one for summer and one for winter.

[CharlieROTD] : The TPMS (tire pressure monitors) only recognizes only one set of wheels. I have to go to the dealership (!) to reprogram the computer each season. And, to add insult to injury, they charge me $20 to do it!

Now, that's a multi-part rant right there with a lot to unpack.

1. How DARE they build a car that can't easily support the seasonal transition from summer to winter wheels!
2. How DARE they not even provide some way for the customer (me) to do that without a special tool!
3. How DARE they make it so that a local garage or tire shop can't reprogram the thing!

There's simply no excuse for the engineers not allowing for at least two sets of sensors to be programmed in at the same time. And, worse, it's clear that some sales idiot must've dictated this so that customers would be dragged back into the showroom. Do they realize that that's the only stain on an otherwise perfect car (for me)? No, they probably got promoted.

[/CharlieROTD]

Probably because you are part of the 1% of people who still change their tires seasonally.

As for the engineers, I guarantee you it's not their fault.

 

[chazmo]

Probably because you are part of the 1% of people who still change their tires seasonally.

As for the engineers, I guarantee you it's not their fault.

To be honest, GAD, I doubt that's true (the 1% thing) with the WRX/STi models. It's probably at least 2%!

 

[adorshki]

People who throw fast food leftovers in the street really are "special".

As I was picking up ant covered french fries and tartar sauce containers from the curb back in the city years ago, I asked my neighbor's wife "Who the hell does this?" and without a hesitation and a smile she said "I do!".

People...

 

[GAD]

To be honest, GAD, I doubt that's true (the 1% thing) with the WRX/STi models. It's probably at least 2%!

That seems about right.

 

[bobouz]

Newer cars without CD players! Besides the map function, I’d happily trash all the infotainment stuff for a quality built-in CD player. And a painful demise to whomever decided they should pull the auxiliary-in jack, too!

 

[GAD]

Newer cars without CD players! Besides the map function, I’d happily trash all the infotainment stuff for a quality built-in CD player. And a painful demise to whomever decided they should pull the auxiliary-in jack, too!

My car has all three and I can't remember the last time I used the CD player. I do use the Bluetooth connection (and also have a direct USB connection) but by FAR what I use the most is the built-in hard drive, and even though I'd like to rant about not being able to upgrade the disk space, my car also has SD slots so I can just drop in an additional 256GB. I do wish it recognized FLAC files, though.

The only car where I absolutely adored the CD player was my Acura TL because it had 5.1 surround sound and played DVD-Audio disks and that thing sounded sublime. Sadly, DVD-Audio didn't really catch on but the (I think) five DVD-A disks I had were amazing, including Queen's The Game remixed for 5.1. Wow.

The user interface on all of them, though, is abysmal. Holy crap it's bad, so when it comes to usability I'm right there with you.

 

[walrus]

Speaking of Subarus and CD players, I am very content with my '11 Subaru Outback with a factory 6-CD changer and 6 Harmon Karden speakers. 126K miles, with hopefully 100K left to go!

walrus

 

[chazmo]

Speaking of Subarus and CD players, I am very content with my '11 Subaru Outback with a factory 6-CD changer and 6 Harmon Karden speakers. 126K miles, with hopefully 100K left to go!

walrus

Excellent. I'm thinking of getting an aftermarket sound system at some point for my WRX, walrus. And I hope I get high miles out of mine too!

 

[Guildedagain]

Very happy with the 80W Panasonic cassette deck in my 1995 Legacy wagon, though I seldom listen to anything but the car when I drive, and if I do, it's the college Jazz station.

 

[chazmo]

Tuesday ROTD: I got nuthin.

 

[The Guilds of Grot]

I have a Subie WRX which has pretty much everything I want and nothing I don't want. Love the car; it's perfect for me. It's versatile and I can run it year-round. To do that, I have two sets of tires (and wheels), one for summer and one for winter.

[CharlieROTD] : The TPMS (tire pressure monitors) only recognizes only one set of wheels. I have to go to the dealership (!) to reprogram the computer each season. And, to add insult to injury, they charge me $20 to do it!

Now, that's a multi-part rant right there with a lot to unpack.

1. How DARE they build a car that can't easily support the seasonal transition from summer to winter wheels!
2. How DARE they not even provide some way for the customer (me) to do that without a special tool!
3. How DARE they make it so that a local garage or tire shop can't reprogram the thing!

There's simply no excuse for the engineers not allowing for at least two sets of sensors to be programmed in at the same time. And, worse, it's clear that some sales idiot must've dictated this so that customers would be dragged back into the showroom. Do they realize that that's the only stain on an otherwise perfect car (for me)? No, they probably got promoted.

[/CharlieROTD]

Is the re-programming not available from somebody on line?

 

[chazmo]

Is the re-programming not available from somebody on line?

Hey, Grot. It can only be done by Subaru service.

 

[bobouz]

Speaking of Subarus and CD players, I am very content with my '11 Subaru Outback with a factory 6-CD changer and 6 Harmon Karden speakers. 126K miles, with hopefully 100K left to go!

walrus

Yes, we have a 2010 Forester, running like a champ at 122,000 miles, and a great CD player to boot. Unfortunately, my ROTD above has to do with our new RAV4 Hybrid. We really like the car, except for that one darn CD player glitch!

 

[bobouz]

Hey, Grot. It can only be done by Subaru service.

I too ran into something back in April related to that goofy tire pressure system on our 2010 Forester. The tire low-pressure light came on during a 3000 mile road trip from the Oregon coast to Phoenix & back. After learning about the dealer reset issue, I pulled into a Subaru dealership on the last day of the trip, and was told the sensor in the left front tire was bad. Replacement cost - $200, with no guarantee that another sensor might not go bad the next day. Solution - drove on home & covered the warning light with a small round black-felt sticky.