Hopefully my future posts will be more organized and less disheveled.
Why guns and guitars?
Guitars have been a passion of mine for more than half of my life at this point. Even before I knew better, I was taking them apart and attempting to put them back together better than the factory had done.
In high school I was lucky enough to take some basic electronics classes which further fueled my lust for taking things apart and improving them. These classes inspired many botched jobs. But I am a firm believer in "We learn more from our mistakes than from our successes." I learned a lot of cruel lessons about doing something right from the beginning and not beginning projects until you have all of the parts. Now if only I could remember these lessons EVERY time I begin a new project.
Aside from guitars themselves, I also enjoy building and repairing effect pedals and amplifiers. Unfortunately, my current job requires lots and lots of hours. The pay is nice but it makes for very little time for hobbies which do not pay often or very well. Currently I must have a dozen or more guitar projects sitting waiting for attention.
I still remember the overwhelming feeling of power I felt when I revived my first DOA guitar amplifier. It was a 1954 Gibson GA77 that I had found in the trash in North Philadelphia. This amplifier had inspired countless other repairs and gave me the confidence I needed to continue on with this path.
In May of 2007, I got a job with a local (but major) guitar importer. My job was to set up and inspect the guitars for any major and glaring defects. It was an easy job, but it was also a very tedious one. After 9 months and at least 10,000 guitars, I couldn't take it anymore. I was fortunate enough to be moved to into an apprenticing electronic repair position. Many of "Troxell's Laws" still apply today. Things like look for the obvious. Look for man made problems. When in doubt, change out the input chip.
Somehow I also managed to pull the duty of drum repair. This was just a fancy title for a person who replaced or credited incoming drums from customers or swapped hardware. But it really was not a bad job. It was easy and it paid better than the guitar checking job.
All good things must come to an end. With the declinining economy, things got tough in the musical instrument industry quickly. This lead to routine layoffs or firings for minor infractions. I was not fired nor was I layed off. But with the loss of manpower and the same work needing to get done, I began to take on more and more responsibilities with no financial reimbursement. I left when I was asked to go back to guitar checking temporarily.
That was my only flirtation as a professional with musical instruments. I learned a lot and think fondly of most of my nearly 2 years there. I know that isn't that long time in the grand scheme of things, but in an environment where most guys don't last even 6 months, it is considered to be a real feat.
I bought my first gun while working for the musical instrument company. I had fired a gun before over a few summers while visiting my mom in Florida, but it never occurred to me to buy my own.
Once the thought did manifest itself, I wanted a revolver. I did my research and decided I wanted a Smith and Wesson revolver in .357 magnum. I was familiar with the name and didn't know much else.
I looked in the phone book for local shops and visited a few only to find that gun shops have the strangest hours sometimes. Finally I found a shop that was open and had a range. It is the range I still visit to this day. The shop people were pleasant and helpful.
They put a Springfield XD in my hands and sent me out onto their range. I did not like it. Maybe it was in my head since I knew I wanted a wheel gun. Then I tried a Smith and Wesson 686 they had in their rental case. Very conveniently, they also had a 686 in their used case with a 6" barrel and wooden target grips.
It was everything I wanted it to be. It felt good and shot smoothly. I bought it that day and began my collection. I recall other people telling me, "Warning, this could become addictive." How right they were, they may never know.
Bottom: Smith and Wesson 686-3 with 6" barrel.
Since that time, I have learned quite a bit about how guns work, how to take them apart and care for them, perform minor repairs/upgrades and when to ask for help. Guns can be dangerous. If you don't know what you are doing or are unsure of your abilities, STOP and get help.
I try to make it to the range once a week. It is how I find my zen. In all of the noise and violence, I like to find a little peace.
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