Differences in a Gibson and Epiphone SG

My Guitars

These are my video reviews of my guitars. They go in the order that I purchased them.

Awesome weekend and the G.A.S. Attack

My Favorite Movies

Another video blog for you. If you guys dont like the format just let me know and Ill go back to writing.

 

Chain Stores vs Mom and Pop

After writing my blog on Capitalism I decided that  I would write a blog on an issue within an issue. Large chain stores taking business from smaller mom and pop ran stores. It is a difficult decision but hopefully I can find a medium between to the two. Also to throw a wrench in the mix I will also consider online retailers too.

Most of my experience in chain stores in Wal Mart and Guitar Center, maybe a few other ones but these are the most familiar to me.  These stores are nice because everything is in one spot you can get groceries, shoes, CDs, all in one stop. With music stores they have a huge selection of gear that very few small stores can compete with. They also have pretty darn good prices that are the lowest around, thus making it hard for small stores to compete.  Now the one thing that most stores of this size lack is service. Usually they hire people pretty cheap who dont really care they just want the pay check.

Mom and Pop stores on the other hand dont have the selection of the prices but they have quality. Small stores wont sell cheap stuff because that influences opinion of the store. Huge stores can have cheap brands because they have such a huge demographic group they can afford to piss one person off, small stores cant.  Small stores also have great service because they need the repeat business. They are always friendly and usually learn your name and overall are much more personable and knowledgable about the product.

Now online stores are another story. I have bought a lot of stuff online because of price and convience, not considering the service. In my experience with some site like musiciansfriend.com and sweetwater.com they have awesome service and theyphone reps actually know their stuff. The few times I have had a problem with an order they fix it and they have done a great job. Then there are other sites that are just terrible with service. You call and they have such bad customer service reps that its not funny. Online they do have some conviences like price and direct shipping plus, a huge selection, but the service can be lacking.

Now we have looked at the pros and cons of all of these businesses  now here is my recommendation on how to juggle all these options. Buying frm a huge chai store shoud entail stuff that you dont need service on, like CDs,games, lamps. Menial stuff that if it break  you  can buy it again.  Mom and pop stores are better for stuff that may require service. Guitars, amps, stuff that you plan on keeping for quite a while or stuff that costs a lot to begin with. Online stores can be used when you dont have access to readily.

Guitar Rig

So I decided to try something new and start doing video blogs. My first one will be about my guitar rig. I have an overview as the first video. The second video is a pedal and amp demo, sorry about the bad sound quality. The third video is of m guitars  Hopefully you enjoy it.

 

 

Capitalism and Michael Moore

Over the past few weeks I have been seeing commercials for Michael Moore’s “Capitalism: A Love Story” movie. I have to say this outrages me that he has the nerve to say Capitalism is BS. I will admit it does have its faults but nothing is perfect. Companies may have unfair control over the government but needless to say they arent really hurting normal Americans rights. Most of the time they buy off a legislator its most likely something to do with big business, something most Americans arent involved in anyway. It would bother me if they were paying senators to vote to take away our rights but they mostly keep to their little business realm.

Business has become a pretty cut throat  where small mom and pop stores cant compete with huge chains like Wal Mart. But needless to say that is the beauty of Capitalism. The people who provide goods and services the cheapest will prosper will the other dont. You may say that I have a cold hearted view of this but in reality in the truth. I someday hope to open my own guitar store. To get business you have to have two things low prices or awesome service. Hopefully I can have a little of each in my store but we will wait and see. Anyway the reason that chains prosper is prices, but mom and pop stores have the service part. I will admit that I do go with price sometimes but most of the time I will go with service.

I have noticed that mom and pop stores still have a fighting chance in some areas. Out here in rural Nebraska the closet urban  shopping area is 4 hours away. So there are still quite a few family owned stores in the Midwest.  In a big city it is an entirely different beast, because there is a ton of competition, which is great for us the buyer.

The reason I see Socialism and Communism as less functional is for several reasons. Socialism destroys competition between companies to make the best and cheapest product. This propels innovation in marketing, development, construction, etc. Trying to remain competitive is Capitalism its the lifeblood of the system. Communism also destroys competition but it also undermines hard work. I realize that people work hard for years and never make millions and some people work little and get tons. In Capitalism if you work hard you will most likely suceed, sometimes you wont because competition is tough. In Communism whether you work hard at a job or you slack off you get the same wage, so much for working hard to get ahead. I also see Socialism as reducing the quality of the goods because they are the only place to get them, so they can make them expensive and shoddily. Where as with Capitalism the competition forces you to have the best otherwise you wont make it.

Lately a lot of previously capitalistic countries are turning socialist. The reason I think this is happening is laziness. People dont want to work hard to get paid they just want to get paid for nothing.  People see it as th easy way out and dont think the decision through.  It is a very appealing to people especially this day in age where everything comes easy. Hopefully people begin to see the faults in socialism and see capitalism isnt the beast that Michael Moore portrays it to be.

Rodeo Cruelty

Before reading this please watch this video. And also check out the website.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iMxv6imqRXc

http://sharkonline.org/

This stuff just makes me angry because of how uninformed these people are and how little they think. This is just ridiculous, you can tell that this guy is not from a rodeo background with the comment about the clown hitting the horse with his hat. He also is against hunting, horse slaughtering, bull fighting, and pigeon shoots. Now I will admit that bull fighting and pigeon shoots are pretty cruel because the intentional unnecessary killing of animals, but the rest of it has a purpose hunting provides food, horse slaughter keeps lame and injured horses off the market, and rodeo is entertainment and a job. Now Im going to argue these point by point so the slow dumb witted idiot who put it out can understand me.

Rodeos are a part of American culture, always have always will be.  After watching the video I will admit the cowboy was an idiot for roping the bull. But other than that his points are ridiculous. If you look at his other videos they are all about rodeo cruelty. He specifically goes after Cheyenne Frontier Days for there mistreatment of animals, but they havent had one killed in years there.  This gentleman obviously doesnt realize that all these events came from working on ranches. And people still do them today they same way as they always have. They rope the cows hold them down, and brand them. All in a days work and rodeo is just an extension of that. Overall he doesnt understand the mindset you have to have to be around big animals. First off you have to be rough once in a while, otherwise the animal will get rough with you. People see some ways of horse training to be mean, and some are but if you let a horse push you around it always will. Secondly they are animals and they do have instincts. If you watch the interview with the owner of the bull that killed Lane Frost, he will say that it was the nicest bull around. Something went through his head that day that made him go after Lane, and nothing could predict it. Thirdly, everything is unpredictable. That man could have roped another bull and it may have not done a thing. It all depends.

The gentleman goes after the rider because he was supposed to fight the bull off. What was he to do the horse had already been gored the damage was done. At least he didnt get back on and ride some more and he put the animal down out of kindness. The rodeo clown was not trying to hit the horse  he was trying to hit the bull. Once again this guy has no idea what he talking about with rodeos.

Hunting also is an American tradition that helped found this nation. He makes it sound as if we kill just to kill, when in reality we kill to get meat. I realize that beef is readily available at your local supermarket but game animals are more nutrious than beef.  There are times when hunting is bad such as during the 1880s when Buffalo Bill and others were killing Buffalo for their hides.  Other than that hunting is just a normal survival mechanism.  Most carnivores and omnivores hunt for their meat, same as we do, so please make a video regarding animals abusing other animals.

Hunting also reduces animal population and that helps to prevent diseases such as Wasting Disease in deer. If the population gets to big than the disease spread and kill of the population to a sustainable size. Wasting disease is terrible and it really makes the deer suffer and it is much worse than being shot. Once again this guy has proven he hasnt done his research.

Horse slaughtering is a very terrible thing but I have to say that I am for it. There are times that animals have no other purpose but to just be put down. Horses are the same way but some people  eat them. Its the same as killing cows but I didnt see an article about that on his site. Oh wait that might affect his quality of life. If you are going to shake the stick make sure you shake it at everyone not just what doesnt affect you. There are people that make a profit sending horses to the killers and it is bad, but the killers help supply food to other parts of the world and allow the animal to be used for another purpose after their death.

I do agree with him that bull fights are pretty bad. Those are just the killing of an animal for sport even though they used to give the meat to the poor in days of old. It is still a cruel way to kill an animal. Also the pigeon shoots are pretty cruel and they are not hunting at all. Its shooting fish in a barrel.

Overal this guy has a lot of misinformation, whether it comes from true ignorance or just his own inability to look at the facts.  He needs to take a step back and look at things in the bigger picture and realize that some of these incidents by people do not make the whole establishment bad.

This is the email I wrote to the guy and I will post a response if I get one. I also commented on the video but its not up because they didnt publish it.

Dear Sir or Madam,

My name is Jared Albers. I am a college student at Chadron State College and am a member of the rodeo club. I am not your stereotypcal cowboy in attire but in attitude I am 100% Country.I live on a ranch with six horses and I also help other ranchers with there cows.

 Now I am outraged at your wide stereotyping that all rodeos are bad, along with the rest or your site. First off you have you set there and complain about calves getting roped and thrown to the ground. They do that everyday in the real world to brand the calves, let me guess you dont like that either. In regard to your video about the horse getting gored that horse was in there to herd the bull into the back, as it as done at most rodeos. Another fact to show your ignorance is that you said the clown tried to hit the horse. What are talking about the clown was trying to get the bulls attention, like tapping someone in the shoulder, only the horse moved into it. I have been around rodeos for years and never seen any of the atrocities you have mentioned. Also all animals have instincts including you and me. They are usually much more behaved because they are used to the routine but sometimes they flare up and explode. Look at the bull that killed Lane Frost, it was described as a very gentle beast and then it turned around and killed a man, something it had never done.

 Your hunting part of the site talks about the useless killing of deer. Actually this is basic natural selection if we did not hunt Wasting disease would run rampant and kill deer in a much less humane way. Plus the health benefits of game meat are much higher than that of domesticated animals. But again ignorance is bliss for you.

 I agree horse slaughter is bad but since moving to my current residence I have changed my mind. Next door are 4 horses that are skin and bones, hair in knots, hooves curled up, and one has a terrible cough. These horse are bred every summer to help the owners make money. But she doesnt but the money back into the horses. These horses need to be killed and why not give the French some food. I agree the method of killing is very inhumane and that should be changed but slaughterhouses help get rid of horses that are no longer useful. Instead of having to pay several hundred dollars to get your horse put down and then have the body removed you can get some money and invest it in another horse. Something I find intersting is that you have yet to do an article on the the terrible ways cows are killed because its exactly the same as horses. Way to be hypocritical and attack and establishment that doesnt affect you but turn your blind eye toward something that directly affects how you get supper.

 Your other two articles on bull fighting and pigeon shooting are right that is not just useless killing. There is no sport in it because the animal is trapped like a rat. Maybe you could do something about the individual people that are abusing animals much more than rodeos, hunters, and slaughterhouses are doing. You can say Im just some Right Wing Animal Killing Cowboy and dismiss my facts. Also I like the fact you can only leave one comment per video on youtube because you cant disprove all of these facts. I also would like you to take a look at this site.

http://rocknrollcowboy.wordpress.com/

This is my personal blog. Now why dont you go stick your nose in some books and actually research.

 Sincerely,

 Jared Albers

Here is my video response to their video whic he would not allow as a response, obviously cowering behind his false facts.

Islamic Day of Prayer

I know tons of people support Obama and his ideals to help people out. Now Im all for helping people but his stuff is getting old and people need to wake up to the insanity of Mr. Obama. At the start of the Mr. Obama issued a proclaimation about National Christian Day of Prayer but did not hold a ceremony like Pres. Bush. Before George W. this was the tradition to issue a proclaimation with no ceremony no big deal. As of recently I have been hearing rumors about a National Islamic Day of Prayer with a ceremony and everything. I researched this and hears what I came acrosss, take a look for yourself.  Make sure to look at the bottom of the page.

http://www.islamoncapitolhill.com/

This is ridiculous and people need to stand up for what they believe in, whether you are a Democrat or Republican this is wrong. He is promoting a religion that is practiced by the minority in America more than he promotes Christianity. According to religoustolerance.org 76.5 % of American identify themselves as Christians. America was founded on Christian ideals, yet keeping Church and State separate. Now this wouldnt be such a big deal if it was a proclaimation without a ceremony, but he is giving the Muslims more promotion than Christianity which is the majority. Now President Obama need to have a National Jewish, Hindu, Christian, Wicka, Atheist, etc Day of Prayer all with ceremonies.

If Mr. Obama believes that having a Christain Day of Prayer with a ceremony is against separation of Church and State what the hell is this. This is the same religion (though not the radical side) that just 8 years ago flew planes into 3 buildings and a field in Pennsylvania killing thousands. And now lets have a huge ceremony for them when we cant recognize our major religion in America. I may sound like a biased hick but the radicals and the peaceful Muslims all read from the same book, which must promote some amount of violence for the amount killing going on in the Middle East right now.

So my fellow Americans and Christians I hope that you all will take a stand on this issue and email, mail, or call the man himself and tell him whats up. Here is what I sent him.

Dear Mr. Obama
I am your typical gun toting, red white and blue bleeding American, and I hoped our President would be the same, I guess thats a far cry from the truth. I am righting this letter in regard to your National Islamic Day of Prayer Procliamation and ceremony. First of all I will argue that this offends more people than the National Christian Day of Prayer that you just issued a proclaimation fearing people would be offended by a ceremony. American was founded upon Christian ideals and the majority of Americans are Christian whether it be Catholic, Lutheran, Methodist, etc. It seems that you have more respect for the minorites and their wishes than the majority of Americans. Just because you were elected doesnt mean you can do whatever you darn well please. You need to still answer to me…the American citizen. Secondly if you think that the Christian Day of Prayer violates the  separation of Church and State what do you think Islam is? I would hope that you will offer up a public apology for offending me along with numerous other American citizens that are also Christian.

Hopefully this offends you as it has me. Obama is destroying America and its ideals and one we will wake up in the USSA (United Socialist States of America) and you know what, Im gonna get the hell out when it does.

Ebay…A Poor Mans Best Friend…Sometimes

This past week I was purchasing some new gear to get me ready for my new band, and I of course went to ebay. In my past blogs I have talked about how great Ebay for getting gear and at good prices. Once again I scored some awesome deals at awesome prices,  after my success I decided I would see about posting one of my guitars on there because I dont play it and it deserves a good home. I did some research and it actually is quite expensive to post on stuff on ebay. They first have an insertion fee that you pay when you place the auction on ebay. Then if the item sells they charge you a fee based on the final price. If it doesnt you have to go and repost the item and pay another insertion fee.

For a long time I wondered how come some people just have these ridiculous prices on items that you can buy way cheaper. For example I was looking for a Boss DD-3 Delay pedal, and there were some that were at good prices then there was a 80s MIJ (Made in Japan-in guitar talk that is usually good) Boss DD-3 and they were asking 129.00 for it plus like 7 bucks shipping. You may think that is awesome but a brand new DD-3 is 109.00 with no shipping from musiciansfriend.com. This was a buy it now or best offer item so I offered 85 thinking this guy would come down. He didnt and the lowest he would go is 110 plus shipping, which to me is dumb. 

 I wondered what makes his pedal so special compared to any other MIJ pedal on ebay. I honestly thought this guy was just being stuck up about his pedal or he was some pawn shop that paid the new price for it thinking it would sell. Needless to say I didnt know that ebay charges quite a bit for placing ads on there, in the hopes someone buys it the first time. But this just isnt guitar equipment it is everything cars, real estate (yeah I didnt know ebay was in real estate either), CDs, games, you name it they charge for it. It surprises me how many good deals you can still find on ebay when they charge so much to put it on their site. If you buy something for like 50 bucks new and decide you dont need it and put it on ebay you are prolly going to have to raise the price to like 60 bucks just to get your money out of it. I think ebay should charge one rate and its based on how much it sells for. Lets say in the future they do this. and they charge 5% of the final price.  Lets go back to our item at 50.00 dollars. Ebay would get 2.50 for placing the ad on their site. If they sell 100 items at 50.00 thats 250.00. The price is more reasonable for the buyer and the company is still making money.

This is prolly not going to happen because capitalism is awesome and if they are making money doing it, more speed to them. Now for us the sellers I have a recommendation. If you arent trying to make a huge profit and are just trying to get rid of something ebay is the way to go. Another thing people do is pawn shops and those are about as bad as ebay except they pay you way less so they can it turn make a profit it on it. Now there are times that you can “screw over” a pawn shop and that is if you are lucky enough to BS the guy that something is authentic. This may seem mean but I have seen them do it to kids. Now my example of this is pretty terrible and hopefully this is an isolated incident. I had looked at this nice Les Paul at this pawn shop and they were asking a little more than an Epi LP is worth. I inquired as to why and they said it was a 52 Reissue. So I went home and looked all over for a 52 Reissue LP, nothing came up. So I called Gibson with the serial number and they said there was no such thing as a 52 reissue and that it was just a plain Les Paul. So I went in there and said ill give you 250 (less than half of what they were asking) for the LP. They said that ridiculous its a 52 Reissue I said well why dont you quit lying about it because I called Gibson and they said there is no such thing. I made quite a seen there and they ended up kicking me out that day. Well I make regular trips to check out guitars and there was a kid and his dad talking price about the LP. Well the dad wasnt wanting to spend that much and this kid could play and his old guitar was a POS (he was trading it in). Well they were over looking for another one  because they couldnt afford it. I asked the guy what they were asking on the “52 Reissue” and he said 600. I said you want to know something funny there is no such thing as the 52 Reissue and told the guy my entire story and he went back and offered the 250 and they looked right at me because they knew I had them. Needless to say they came down because they guy threatening calling the police about selling under false pretenses. Needless to say I havent been back because any place that is willing to screw over a child doesnt deserve my business.

Now anyway back to my help for the sellers. I know newspapers are on there last legs but post an ad in the classifieds, its usually pretty cheap, and you get to keep all the profits. Another good thing is that sometimes the newspaper put the ad in their online classifieds. The nice thing is they reach the old people and people that dont access the internet but also provide you with an online one to reach that crowd also. Another thing is post ads in stores that have bulletins boards, and be sure to ask permission because its polite and sometimes they will rip it down if you dont.

My last option I have to offer you is try putting an ad on craigslist. The downfall is all the spam emails you get and it reaches such a wide area people want you to ship stuff. Number one dont ship no matter what, if they want it that bad they can come get it. The best part about this is that it is free and yo get to keep all the profit for yourself.

There you have it the best ways to sell stuff online or off.