X-T4 in Silver arrived today
I've actually been looking at the Fuji website today. I do not need another camera. I have sufficient, and need to consider space.
But by Christ do they look good....
I have zero GAS for new camera gears lately because there is no opportunity to photograph what I usually do. So bought a Fender Strat instead.
It's very worn looking and the saddles are all rusty - I hope it was cheap.
Is that a custom shop relic? Hopefully she plays nicely
I've been a strat player from '90 when I bought my MIJ F strat until just a couple of years ago, when suddenly a Les Paul made complete sense and it's almost all I use live for non-slide now. At home I have a strat laying around in the livingroom to pick up & noodle, but when I go out the Tokai comes with me.
I did see a G&L ASAT Tribute last week for good money that really tempted me, but I play so little it's impossible to justify.
Yes! Not mine actually, I stick to bass and acoustic - belongs to the OH - you must have the same taste in sound... that elusive sound.... not to mention playability etc.Ha, J20 too?
Narh.....I did think about it but I didn't want to spend that much, this is everything i want from a CS but the sticker. Nitro lacquer, RW board, vintage tuners, custom shop 69 pickups, rekic, checking etc. It's a 2008 MIM Roadworn series. It weights under 7lbs.
that elusive sound....
Yes! Not mine actually, I stick to bass and acoustic - belongs to the OH - you must have the same taste in sound... that elusive sound.... not to mention playability etc.
Nice. I have a featherwieght MIM here (the one in the livingroom) that's like that: veneer RW board, BG pickups, Wilkinson tuners, Steel block trem, but the wear is all from use (was in bits when I got it, and it's not pretty under the guard). Pretty sure it's a squier with the little circular squier logo that went on the top of the headstock sanded off, but it plays fine. I really need to get the old MIJ refretted as it's almost unplayable, but it's a maple neck, and that is expensive/involves butchery.
You have a bad caseWhen you start building amps to try to find that sound, as well as swapping out not just speakers, but positioning different sized bits of foam inside the cab and annealing valves in liquid nitrogen (seriously) THAT'S when you know you're looking for that elusive sound.
You have a bad case
My son has taken up playing bass and I was shocked at the difference our fingers made to the sound, despite exactly the same guitar and amp setup. I had read it made a difference but I was utterly amazed. His sound was far more muddy.
Sorry this is slightly off the GAS photography topic.
My other passion in long distance rifle shooting, ie 1200m or more. It's a shame you can't get custom built cameras like you can rifles..!!
View attachment 281586
This was built for me and set me back around £4000, and another £1500 for the scope. Nothing good comes cheap..
I think every hobby starts out around a couple of hundred pounds then can get to £5k very fast. A boutique tube amp is about £2k, and a high end guitar is £2k+ too, and we haven't talk about pedals or recording equipment. You can easily drop £10k on a few guitars, amps, pedals.
I think every hobby starts out around a couple of hundred pounds then can get to £5k very fast. A boutique tube amp is about £2k, and a high end guitar is £2k+ too, and we haven't talk about pedals or recording equipment. You can easily drop £10k on a few guitars, amps, pedals.
I've never spent that kind of money TBH. The most expensive guitar I ever bought was either a JJ goldtop (£650 new at a show) or a Heritage H150CM bought used from the US. The strat was £215 in 1989. My AC30 was bought used for £275 in 1977 and that's probably the closest I've ever had to a £1000+ equivalent amp. Main amp these days is a Pignose G40V (like a bassman in a tiny cab with a 10" speaker) with an eminence Ragin Cajun speaker and slightly non-stock valves (12AT7 in V1 IIRC). I do like pedals (really need to flog some) but happy to use budget Chinese stuff that mostly sounds good - having the right speaker makes an enormous difference to how good or bad an overdrive sounds.
It's been fun trying guitars, but I'm down to 10 or so electrics, 3 acoustics and 3 basses these days. It took 20 years to realise that there are great guitars at all price points, and when I play electric slide it's with a First Act Lola that I paid £35 for.
Indeed.. my first shotgun cost me all of £150.00. Move it on 50+ years and I have two that I could sell for £20k each, another two that would probably, on a good day, fetch £7-9k each. I have a friend who is a gunsmith and makes beautifully crafted English shotguns. The starting, entry level price.... £25,000..!! Order a Purdey or a Ho;lland & Holland and you'll wait a year for it to be made and you'll have paid over £90,000..
Perhaps we're all better off with cap guns, Kodak Brownies and a 1960's Epiphone..!! LOL
This was built for me and set me back around £4000, and another £1500 for the scope. Nothing good comes cheap..
Indeed.. my first shotgun cost me all of £150.00. Move it on 50+ years and I have two that I could sell for £20k each, another two that would probably, on a good day, fetch £7-9k each. I have a friend who is a gunsmith and makes beautifully crafted English shotguns. The starting, entry level price.... £25,000..!! Order a Purdey or a Ho;lland & Holland and you'll wait a year for it to be made and you'll have paid over £90,000..
That is big money @ManxTom! Makes photography seem far less of a financial commitment.
Very true what you say @Raymond Lin. The better you get, the less some things matter, but it can be easier to play a more expensive instrument e.g better action, holds it's tuning etc. Also there is the 'fun' factor and the pleasure of playing a beautiful instrument. My first bass was £40 and had a horrendous action and weight balance. I ended up swapping it for an Olympus XA2 - a sign of what was to come
@ancient_mariner I have 2 basses left now - a Warwick Jazz and a Musicman Sterling. Both sound massively different depending on where you pluck. Much prefer the sound of the Sterling, but it's a heavy beast and unless I'm gig fit, it can make my back ache.
1200m is insane! I've only ever fired on a 100/200m range. Was given a nice Krupp rifle to shoot with. Felt very well balanced, seemed to suit me very well (better than a left handed rifle I was also given to try, seeing as I'm a southpaw). Asked how much such a rifle would cost to buy (as I was considering the possibility of moving to Norway, and taking up shooting as an activity), and was told it would be around 30,000 Norwegian Kroner (about £3000 at the time, so about £5,700 in today's money). Without the scope.
I don't get that. It's a shotgun. You can get one for a monkey, down the old Dog and Duck. And they'll kindly shorten it for you...
Yes, and you can go to M&S and get a suit off the peg. It will fit you, ok-ish. Shotguns are all about fit. Having a gun made by Purdey or H&H means it's fitted to your exact requirements. If you have shot a rifle then you'll know how it feels in your shoulder, was the reach to the trigger comfortable? or did you have to stretch? That's what is called 'length of pull', Now consider the 'length of pull' wearing a T-shirt.. then wearing a shirt, sweater and coat.. it changes with what you wear. A custom built gun will be made to find a 'sweet spot' that suits all occasions regardless of what you're wearing. Probably visiting the gunmaker two maybe three times for fitting - just as you would for a bespoke suit. Oh and I'd stay clear of the old Dog and Duck... minimum legal requirement for shotguns are barrels no less than 24"..!!
AZ6.. here you go. This target was shot at 600 yards... good few years ago now..!! My eyes were better back then..
View attachment 281628
Is that 10, 20, 30 and 50cm diameter rings? If so, that is very, very impressive at 600 yards!!! That grouping shows very good consistency. I quickly got to be able to consistently hit the 10 cm circle, and the 5cm inner bull at 100m, but given you're over 5 times the distance, that is much more impressive in my book!
The '10' spot is 40mm. Here's some others..
Minimum requirement for deer stalking is five shots in to 2.5"at 100m, shot prone, kneeling and standing - off sticks.
,,,I did find it amazingly therapeutic and meditative though.
Absolutely. Get on the range and have other 'stuff' in your head and you'll never shoot the groups you want. Your state of mind, posture, breathing all come into play. I can be very 'Zen' like, I have watched outstanding shooters 'get in the zone'. Eyes shut, concentrating before the shot, almost 'seeing' the shot. Of course in a hunting scenario it's totally different. All senses are geared to seeing and hearing and being totally silent and still. Deer are wary creatures with amazing sense of smell and hearing. Let them know you're around and it can be a day wasted. If you still want to shoot, get yourself out to Bisley. There are lots of clubs who operate out of there, you might find something you like..
You can get good sound on any level, like cameras, you can get good photos with any camera. What I realise is that the better I am at something, the less gear I need. I fool myself thinking I need all this stuff, it makes me a better guitar player (it does not) but I buy it anyway....with cameras I am much more confident in my abilities and I can work with what I've got.