Jim's Alley Gadget Shop

I'm a dad, a bicycle tinkerer and rider, backyard putterer, lo-fi photo taker, lazy blogger, tube amp repair/build and guitar hobbyist (ex- pro gigging player but now "just a jam guy"), and more besides.

The guitar in the photo is my old beat up 1977 Les Paul model "55-77" TV Special, which I've had since it was new; we kinda grew up together. Look close, and see I was testing whether strings over or under the tailpiece makes any difference - it really doesn't. And yet- it's like the "Secret Ingredient" in Kung Fu Panda: if you truly believe one method of wrapping your strings makes your Les (and you, and your noodle soup) sound, play, and taste better, then it probably will.

That old Gibson won't ever be for sale, but from time to time I'll list some cool pedal or mic or tube amp or ancient speaker or strange guitar or interesting gadget.

Although it's in another state/province, the alley is real, and so is my shop, which is in another dimension of the space time continuum - I bought the place from Gyro Gearloose when he retired. It's a work zone full of gadgets, gewgaws, and gizmos: bike parts, various old tools, transformers, tubes and test equipment, always an uncompleted guitar or amp project, and possibly an experiment involving previously undiscovered fissionable material not yet listed on the periodic table. Never a dull moment in Duckburg!

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