I’ve just realised, 20 years ago, as people at work started returning from summer holidays, my great mate Mike_Strat alerted me to a forum on the Guitarist Magazine website, where guitarists would apparently chat about all manner of things - string tensions, true bypass pedals, valves biasing, the Lydian Dominant mode, but also about a load of other crap and nonsense, totally unrelated to guitar playing. So I joined up and started reading the various chats, and within a couple of days I found myself contributing to them.
20 years later, and after many iterations - intermusic, musicradar, temp-fab, and now this place - which is 8 years old as I found out today! - I just felt like saying what a wonderful community and resource and distraction it’s been. I don’t know how many hours I’ve spent on here. Probably 20 x 365.25 x 2 hours, or something horrendous. Which is nearly two years full-time. 4% of my life so far. 6% of my waking life. Omg.
I have learned so many useful things that I’ve actually needed to know, e.g. how to tune a piano, repair a fridge, replace a tap washer, set up a recording studio, soooo many things. And also from the sidelines I’ve picked up many useless tips as well, such as how to chizzle a guitar, how to delay a laminate flooring project, how to choose a toaster, all manner of nonsense. I’ve seen arguments and flounces, and I’ve seen long lasting friendships made, I’ve bought, sold, given and been gifted many things with many new trustworthy friends, and I’ve seen untrustworthy people routed out. And of course I’ve had the pleasure of meeting many forumites and their predecessors over the decades, which I didn’t think would happen, and which has been awse.
In fact when I joined I never dreamed I’d still be reading this shite 20 years later.
So anyway, thanks v much to the people who keep this alive - admins, mods, contributors alike.
Cheers
Comments
You'll have to pick up a guitar and learn to play it soon.
It's a great place and I spend a lot of time here - a great big thank you to all the contributors, from an enthusiastic, but old, leaner.
I'm not locked in here with you, you are locked in here with me.
Although...I might be able to compete with your "actual time online", given the way I've spent the last 8 years or so...
I'm not locked in here with you, you are locked in here with me.
It's helped me become less of a jerk
Who remembers Sad Old Man?
Remember, it's easier to criticise than create!
Supportact said: [my style is] probably more an accumulation of limitations and bad habits than a 'style'.
It’s also been a massive source of support when I’ve needed it, whether it be my wife’s cancer, work worries, depression etc - there’s been times where I’ve opened up on here more than I ever have to actual humans.
Supportact said: [my style is] probably more an accumulation of limitations and bad habits than a 'style'.
Supportact said: [my style is] probably more an accumulation of limitations and bad habits than a 'style'.
I missed the tempfab bit though - just kept on logging on to musicradar in the vain (and ultimately dashed hope that they would bring it back to life... I found out about this version when I visited the Oil City Pickups website.
I was Nitefly back then, but became imported_Nitefly for a while - what was that about?
I can remember going to a Northern Gasfest organised by Lixarto in Middlesbrough, and one in Bristol organised by Rockbabe (her last one?).