Doing Things Wrong

No More Reviews

Alas, it seems my supply of cheap Chinese stuff to review has dried-up completely. If fact, all the cheap Chinese stuff has dried-up - just look at eBay. Oh well, I don't need another "Phas" pedal anyway. A number of the products have disappeared from Amazon as well, but the pedals are still in stock, and they're even cheaper now.

"Vintage Phas" on the right
The sad thing is, these are actually not bad!
At least Home Depot still loves me - check out my free workbench
I was really looking forward to getting one of these


Today I got my set of Alice bass strings, 105-85-65-45. They were packed in individual sealed plastic sleeves, similar to every other kind of string. The diameters are all within 0.001" of spec. The lengths are as follows:


Well, I ordered up one of these headless bridges for about $60 shipped, and after three weeks, here it is:

As you can see, I disassembled one of the gear mechanisms. The one-piece gear and spool appear to be solid brass, held in the bracket with a c-clip. The gears actually work surprisingly well, smooth, with just a little slop that would disappear under string tension. Everything is also lubricated, which I did not expect from China. I am surprised, the quality of materials and design of this unit is much better than I expected. You can see how the knobs pull out on the shafts for easier adjustment.


Transmitter, the receiver is almost identical.

First, I am bound to state that I received this item at no cost for review. Having gotten that out of the way …

I always wanted to try a wireless transmitter, so when lotmusic offered me this one for review, naturally I accepted. The design is simple. An internal battery in each piece is charged by USB, Y-cable provided. A mechanical on/off switch conserves power.



First, I am bound to state that I received this item at no cost for review. Having gotten that out of the way …

I am astonished at what is included in this beginner's kit for only $50. You get:


Danelectro Companion Guitar
Danelectro Longhorn Guitar
Danelectro Pro-1 Guitar
Danelectro Pro-1 Bass
Danelectro Silvertone 1443 Bass
Danelectro Silvertone U-1 Guitar
Danelectro Silvertone 1448 Guitar
Danelectro Silvertone 1457 Rescue Guitar
Danelectro Silvertone 1457 Guitar
Danelectro '63 Guitar
Danelectro "Super-63" Guitar
Danelectro Silvertone 1450 Guitar
Danelectro Silvertone 1472 Amplifier
Danelectro '67 Hornet Guitar
Danelectro Longhorn Bass

Danelectro is my favorite type of guitar, simply for the genius of their unorthodox, inexpensive, yet highly effective designs. I love the tone of old-growth masonite. If you are looking for details, the Pro-1 Bass is the most complete build documentation.