crunchee

I'm thinking along the lines of what did happen, and what kind of cautionary tale there is behind this amp. Maybe there's a guitar playing lawyer out there that'd be happy to take her ass to court pro bono.

So, which parts of the circuit are supposed to be encased in epoxy, or are they pre-gooped before assembly?

It kinda depends, used to be many years ago that the US standard voltage was 117 volts (and you'll see some older [mostly antique] appliances including amplifiers specifying that), though I've seen it mentioned before as low as 110 volts; and there's been some discussions on the HFC from time to time about locations and even buildings not being necessarily consistent voltage-wise, as far as gig-worthyness goes. Here's a fun article for the world travelers among us: Mains electricity by country - Wikipedia When I was stationed in Japan (West Coast of JP, and apparently according to the Wiki article above, there is a difference between that area and their East Coast), I used an US voltage electric alarm clock. Even though I lived on base, the power grid was apparently local (100 volts). My US-voltage alarm clock worked fine for radio, but time-wise it would lose about an hour daily, and I would have to reset it frequently to keep from staying in bed too long. Fun! I was too lazy to buy a Japan-standard electric alarm clock, so no Hello Kitty clock for me, unfortunately. Edited to add: Don't forget about the EVH Variac debate, too!

Taking a cue from the OP, here's the latest in stage wardrobe...and yes, it's an actual advertisement currently making the rounds on US cable TV, I shit you not: Men's Liberty TV Spot, 'The Guitarists' - iSpot.tv

Maybe they were tight on space for carrying spare emergency exit slides? Delta flight makes emergency return following exit slide separating from plane : NPR

+1! That's why VHT's Special 6 is on my list, and I own a couple of the head version...it's very much like an old Fender Champ (or Gibson Skylark), handwired too, but it also has jacks for 4, 8, or 16 Ohm speakers (or speaker cabs) for maximum versatility. The VHT Special 6 Ultra has this same speaker capability as well, plus a send/return effects loop and a line out, plus an extra 12AX7 tube for more gain. Both come in combo or head versions. It sure ain't your granddad's Champ/Skylark!

This one might qualify, especially since it sold within a few hours for $495:

I like the Post-Fryette VHT 18 watt Standard amp (not to be confused with the slightly later and different VHT Classic 18 model), I have a couple that I bought cheap several years ago when VHT closed out the line, and it's all I've used as a 'big' amp (relatively speaking) ever since, with the exception of the Mojotone 18 watt head amp that I bought from HFC member Fractal. All of them handwired, tube, and plenty loud. There's chassis gut shot photos of the VHT Standard amp here: NAD: VHT Standard 18 (18W Clone) - 18Watt.com I also have a couple of the small VHT Special 6 amp heads (one 12AX7 preamp tube and one 6V6 power tube, SS rectification) also handwired and bought cheap: VHT Special 6 (soundonsound.com) VHT also offers a higher gain version called the Special 6 Ultra, that uses two 12AX7 tubes instead of one, along with the 6V6 power tube: VHT Special 6 Ultra Amp Review - Premier Guitar And speaking of Dumble (or "Dumble-like"), plus I know that some HFC members like Thomann's for gear: Edited to add: Is anything really a bargain anymore, or just 'less expensive'?

I've owned a couple of 1965B cabs before, if you're looking for a cab that's lightweight and tote-able that's made to '80's JCM800 standards (no particle board), I'd definitely recommend them. The original 80's Celestion 10" speakers didn't do much for me, but there's no shortage of 10" speaker varieties to replace them with nowadays...besides, somebody out there might like the originals. When shopping for the old 1965B cabs, I rarely if ever encountered the 2x12' equivalent 1966 model. Does anybody know if they have a following like the Model 1965 cabs?

Congrats! Keep an eye on your indoor humidity, I was stationed at Twentynine Stumps in California for a few years, and it gets plenty dry in the desert. Also, keep your small pets indoors, coyotes like to chase them down and eat 'em.

I do a lot of 'comparison shopping' with gear I already own, especially when it comes to prices and to gear I bought during the pandemic and The Great Recession. That's one good thing about inflation, it makes it much easier to say no to a new acquisition. Besides, I can look all I want as long as I don't spend any money.

Maybe they'll finally get around to making Marshall stacks standard equipment in Honda vans:

My back aches from just looking at those.

These cubes remind me of the old Peaches Record Crates, though the ply cubes are likely more sturdy than the original crates or the repros, and cheaper too. Ah, the price of nostalgia! No affiliation BTW, and it costs nothing to go down Memory Lane by looking: https://www.peachesrecordcrates.com/

That is one nice lookin' axe, that's a fantastic build! Your buddy should be very pleased! So, is there a "Bond, James Bond" connection with the serial number?

Seriously, is that a real working neck? Looks like something meant to propel spitwads in Junior High. And how much do you have to tighten the truss rod to keep it straight under string tension?

Not all Hamer USA Standards had one-piece mahogany backs...I had one in natural (plain mahogany, no maple top, dot inlays. no binding) with a curved neck heel that was a two-piece body, and I've seen others in plain mahogany with the same curved neck heel that were also two-piece bodies. I also had a plain mahogany (no maple top, dot inlays, no binding) USA Standard with the typical squared neck heel that maple-topped Standards had, that had a one-piece mahogany body. I believe both of the ones that I had were made in 1996. Maybe the shape of the neck heel had something to do with it, or maybe it was just coincidence. I dunno. That being said, there's old pictures of 'old growth' mahogany trees that were HUGE, not quite as big around as a redwood tree but still plenty big, as big if not bigger around the middle than a full-sized old oak tree. Good luck finding one that big anymore.

That's one of those 'Dewey Decibel FlipOut'guitars, isn't it? http://www.deweydecibel.com/guitarpage.html

I lost interest in his playing even faster than his playing. I just did three short 'jumps' over the entire video rather than play the entire thing, it was much more than enough for me.

I wouldn't recommend trying to find other stuff in the dark with a Luminlay-equipped guitar, though!

That sounds like what's left of my guitar stash since The Great Recession first hit...which has been...damn, for about 10 years. I've thought about selling off my bought-new-in-Japan '96 Hamer RN Signature Standard Custom before, but I stop myself every time. Standards aren't all that plentiful OR available, possibly less so than a Tally, depending on if either one's (or both) got custom features or not. On a lighter note, here's a story about Torture By Earworm...I think I might try this someday, next time I find a busy place with a juke box (not necessarily with What's New Pussycat or a Tom Jones song, BTW), but I don't think I'll stick around for the whole thing: YooToob has it available in real time, too...It's Not Unusual starts at 14:22:

Very sad to hear this, 51 is way too young. RIP Annette.

Beautiful work, Mike; and congrats, Chris! LOVE that guitar!

Looks fine to me.

You might find his blog about his Gibson LP Custom Shop guitar interesting: http://www.billyduffy.com/stories/new-gibson-custom-shop-flame-top/