helmut_hofmeister
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User ID: 846
helmut_hofmeister
3d ago
Good question. Frame of reference: I did the Lycra thing on weekends and early morning training, but I also commuted about 18mi each day in street clothes. Rode daily, weather permitting.
(adjusts jaunty cycling chapeau and assumes casually deliberate pose)
Before bike lanes, bikes rode with cars, between them, filtering up to the light at each stop. At lights, you’d safely be out in front of the cars, visible to all, front wheel just behind the crosswalk. Head start at the light so you’re seen, cars catch up, repeat. It was a thrill and required some guts but that kept tourists and entryists at bay. I can’t say whether fewer cyclists got hit by cars back then, but in any case all this stayed in the traveled lanes of the streets where wheeled vehicles belong.
(Aside: Food Delivery bikes were old mtn bikes back then and they just rode on the sidewalk (illegal but selectively enforced)).
Gradually the city added more and more bike infrastructure along with the (anti-car) street redesign / project zero in the 00s and teens. Cars got squeezed, and these new bike paths provided lots of space that might have been intended for bikes, but in reality just became multi-use space. Or more accurately no man’s land.
Litany of issues with trying to use a NYC bike lane: it’s the Wild West now. They’re laid out such that you have to cross 3-4-5 lanes of vehicles at opposite-way intersections; many but not all are between the sidewalk and the row of parked cars; all cyclist rightly fear getting “doored” by a parked vehicle; bike path use is not preserved for cyclists so inevitably there is a black SUV, a police car, a vending cart, an UBER, a yellow cab or three, and/or a hundred pedestrians using it as an extension of the sidewalk, driving you into the street unexpectedly; the aforementioned e-bikes are everywhere as are oblivious tourists on citibikes.
The worst part was that once these lanes showed up, expectations changed. It felt like a theft of the commons or eternal September or something like that. Bikes, formerly road users like cars, were in a weird place where the core users were squeezed out by all the above, but were no longer welcome or expected on the roads.
I would inevitably just take my chances in the streets. And if you’re quick enough you don’t really piss off the cars much.
helmut_hofmeister
3d ago
I was a long term road cyclist in NYC from 2000 to 2017. I also kept a car in Manhattan the entire time, so I have the experience of all the major interest groups being discussed. I lived through the progression from bike messengers weaving in traffic to the design and implementation of stupid and dangerous bike lanes to this e-bike situation.
Nowadays I have a hard time defending “cyclists” without lots of “no true Scotsman” style gatekeeping and I have kind of given up on making the cyclist case. I am a road rider, I know how to ride with cars and around people, but my breed are the minority.
The difference I think is the e-bikes. People riding e-bikes are not cyclists. They haven’t learned the skills that usually go along with being able to maintain those 20+ MPH speeds. They’re dangerous electric mopeds. Now when I visit, it’s terrifying.
helmut_hofmeister
3d ago
I had a similar relationship with my background and just how WASPy it all is, including a family camp on a lake in the northeast US. Ultimately, “For the kids” is what made me realize it’s less about the snobbery and more the sense of timelessness and continuity of having such a touchstone.
I am reassured to know that I can go to a place that I’ve connected to in different ways and at different times, and it makes me grateful for my ancestors having preserved this for my benefit. Planting a tree for your descendants to sit beneath and all that. Makes me well up.
The place is now in my mom’s cousin’s name, and I have become very concerned about preserving it after they pass.
helmut_hofmeister
3d ago
I’m among those fortunate to have such a family property on a beautiful lake in the northeast US. It’s been in my mom’s family for 4 -5 generations, we have pictures of my great grandfather sitting by the dock. It’s a modest place and while it’s worth a lot of money now, it hasn’t really ever been much more than a camp. Our neighbor’s beach house is much fancier, but they just bought it 26 years ago.
As I get older and my own family grows, the thing that I realize is that this is truly priceless. It’s one of the few things in my life that someone infinitely richer than me can’t just buy, and it’s something I am actively working to preserve for future generations.
helmut_hofmeister
28d ago
Not sure how well known this is - but if I ever get to Sydney I want to check out the HMAS Sydney / SMS Emden memorial. I think it’s just an old (but intact) WWI war trophy in Hyde Park somewhere, but it’s great tale, especially for military history aficionados.
helmut_hofmeister
2mo ago
Thanks for fleshing that out a bit. Sounds like your dad had a pretty good approach. FWIW I asked because I’ve got a kid on the way and I’m concerned about providing an environment that encourages the consideration of alternative viewpoints. Thanks again
helmut_hofmeister
2mo ago
Kind of tangential, but would you mind briefly expanding on what your father considered “mono-culture” and how he discouraged it? My dad’s mantra was probably “actions have consequences’ but he also had a great disdain for bandwagon-type behavior and it struck me as potentially similar.
helmut_hofmeister
2mo ago
Love this plan overall.
For wiring - for a kind of best of all worlds scheme that’s not too complicated: Standard V/T controls with a .68 or 1.0 microfarad capacitor (dark) and a push-pull to bypass the tone completely/or have different cap values (bright switch) or use a no load pot for the tone so it’s completely out of the mix when dimed.
Pickups: Duncans are great. I built a very vintage-sounding P with an SPB-1 and GHS precision flats (and a foam mute over steel threaded saddles). Not crazy high output but it has that thud and is warm and dark for sure. I would guess AII’s are a bit more 60’s voiced than the SPB-1, but we are not talking modern here in any case.
My favorite boutique P pickup is the Arcane 65, and I’ve had good luck with a few others too, Fralin and Fender vintage ‘63 come to mind. Any of these and more will get there. Pickups are a matter of personal taste and voodoo guitar parts synergy anyway. The right flatwounds are most of it probably.
Necks: I usually buy a Fender neck unless I need something specific. For example, I play fretless and I hate lined fretboards, so I have used Warmoth fretless bass necks almost exclusively. I’ve got one that’s about 30y old and one that’s about 5Y old. they’re consistent and high quality.
Oh, invest in lightweight tuners :)
helmut_hofmeister
2mo ago
Sorry for the slow reply.
you for sure will have a major head start and avoid a slew of potential headaches buying at least a basic formed body - the brodge/neck/pickup alignment is the key and MOST aftermarket is based on Fender specs, so even a rather unfinished body will get you there and allow you to experiment with the finish. Of course you can also buy a fully finished or paint ready body or one parted out from a factory guitar. If you’re in the States/North America, there’s an eBay seller called Tone Bomb that does good basic shaping and they’re inexpensive. Warmoth, Allparts, and WD all make finished and unfinished bodies at various prices, etc.
I have gotten away from too much sanding and finishing, in the interest of spending more time on the wiring and setup and to avoid the dust and fumes, but it was an invaluable experience to start from a rougher stage for sure.
I’d be interested in hearing what parts you are thinking about - pickups and wiring options and such. even with simple circuit like on a P bass there a lot of options depending on your preference and price. I’ve had fun and good results working on everything from $200 Indonesian Squiers to fancy American Fender stuff, the main suggestion I’d make here is to not mix spec quality too much.
helmut_hofmeister
2mo ago
Setup: neck relief is step 1. the truss rod is only for neck relief (curvature) once the bass is strung up and neck is under tension. Capo 1st fret, fret last fret, measure string to fret distance at 8th fret. A good machined fine measuring tool in 64ths helps here but you could use a feeler gauge or post it notes in a pinch. Off top of My head Fender recommends .015” in relief.
Once relief is set, adjust intonation by ear (12th fret should match 12th fret harmonic) or by measure (34” 1st strong and staggered back by string gauge - works well enough.)
Then adjust nut slot depth and bridge saddle height to set action. For a low B you might need to widen any stock nut. Good nut files help a lot but are $. Nut should be cut to about .01 inches above the height of the 1st fret to account for relief.
Shimming: You’d shim the neck at the heel of the saddles don’t adjust low enough for appt. 5/64” action measured at the 17th fret
helmut_hofmeister
2mo ago
Bridge setup - if your bass body doesn’t come with the standard 5-hole Fender pattern or piloted pickup mounting holes, you have to mount the neck and pickup to the body and go from there. A cheat/hint: if you’re using p bass parts, then a factory pick guard CAN be a good visual aid but don’t rely on it exclusively.
Bridge placement: The 1st string saddle (G or D in your case) should measure about 34” from the witness point of the nut, the other saddles staggered slightly away from the nut. So leave yourself room to use the intonation adjust screws to fine tune. For side/side positioning - use a string or elastic to mimic the string path on either side of the neck - easier to do than explain.
helmut_hofmeister
2mo ago
Notes on finish: I’ve done tru oil on walnut, ash, and a random 80’s Ibanez p-copy that I stripped.
I didn’t do a stain but you’d do that first. I’d probably hand rub it with a rag.
I also didn’t bother with filling the grain past a certain point on the walnut or ash - those are open grained and I like the look. That said you can fill the grain by sanding wet with the oil and wiping the residue away. TO is best applied gradually in small thin amounts.
helmut_hofmeister
2mo ago
This has been a hobby of mine for many years - I’ve built dozens of fender-shaped parts casters including selecting the bits, setups, fretwork, wiring, some woodwork/routing, and finish work. It’s generally not a value proposition if you care about resale value but you can really specialize. The tools are expensive and specialized but you can get by with a few basics to start. I’d start with a few questions. Are you a player? What kind of guitar project do you have in mind? What skills do you have or how involved, etc. glad to discuss what I’ve learned.
helmut_hofmeister
4mo ago
Leviathan shaped hole perhaps
helmut_hofmeister
4mo ago
Direct quote from an in-law, western North Carolina, circa 2005: “what kinda coke y’all want? Sprite?”
helmut_hofmeister
6mo ago
Lynn, Leslie and Kimberly were all common enough male British names too.
helmut_hofmeister
7mo ago
If I’m remembering correctly, there was a radiolab / NPR something podcast on this very topic
I have to say, as an accomplished and fast road cyclist, e-bikes have ruined everything. People’s skills and awareness generally rise with experience and the shortcut (e-bike) means the roads are now packed with idiots who don’t know what they’re doing. You expect a rider who can pace at 20-25 mph to have the skills commensurate with their fitness. E-bikes ruined that. It’s decidedly worse now for actual cyclists. Delivery guys and out of shape people without the situational awareness of a seasoned rider have no place on a heavy, dangerous electric moped going 25 mph.
helmut_hofmeister
10mo ago
I think that this has changed over time. I am old enough to have known many WWII vets and they almost universally hated the Japs and did not really admire them even in the most begrudging fashion. the common adjectives describing Japanese soldiers would have been more like fanatical, honor bound, or suicidal. More like a death cult than an army. I think over the period of the Cold War, when Japan became more and more of an economic and strategic ally, and as the WWII generation died out, that shifted. In the popular worldview, movies like TORA TORA TORA and later films like Letters from Iwo Jima contributed as well.
helmut_hofmeister
11mo ago
I’m 99.9% lurker too and I echo your sentiments exactly. Headlines elsewhere invariably drive me here in lieu of their own native comments sections. There’s nowhere else.
helmut_hofmeister
11mo ago
Probably can provide some advice - It largely depends on what your role will be but here’s a bit of what I’ve learned (25Y in the private sector, now sr. mgmt). Since it’s a new environment for you, first off I’d listen and observe. try to get a sense of who among your colleagues get things done, if you’re interacting with managers be cognizant of where the alliances and fissures between areas are, listen more than you speak at first. Some orgs are internally competitive, some are not, a lot depends on the personality and attitudes of the corporate leadership. Of course YMMV depending on your particular situation.
helmut_hofmeister
1yr ago
Husband to a US physician here and I have to say that this comment and some of your previous ones strike me as very accurate based on my observing her med school / residency / fellowship and placement experiences. They can’t pay people enough to work in underserved areas. $500k a year is good money but not necessarily worth it to live in a cultural desert full if resentful unhealthy poor people, boring food, bleak weather, etc. some doctors HAVE to choose their specialty for financial reasons, etc.
helmut_hofmeister
1yr ago
Antony Beevor’s book on the Spanish Civil War is excellent and comes from a relatively neutral perspective
helmut_hofmeister
1yr ago
Having met Bill Clinton in a random and non-political situation, I can say that this is spot on. Guy was on the way to Chelsea’s bday party or something and I remain convinced that he would have preferred to stand there chatting with me instead.
Depends on the car’s stability and handling characteristics. 100 mph does not feel that fast in something like a BMW or a Lexus, generally I’d be worried more about getting pulled over than road safety in the conditions you describe
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