Buying american made guitars has become absurd, especially considering Fender does poly finishes. At least with even the cheapest Gibson I’m getting nitro, it took some real effort. Fender charging more and more for CNCed, poly sprayed bodies should not be sustainable.
I just bought my first Martin a couple of months ago. It it beautifully made. I haven’t been able to put it down and my electrics have been gathering dust.
- Ron Kirn makes amazing Teles and Strats in Florida. He cuts the bodies himself - they aren't partscasters - and finishes them with nitro. They're an insane value.
- Bill Nash makes great Teles, Strats, and P-basses. Yes, they're partscasters, but I didn't find a better Strat than my Nash S-57 until I got a Custom Shop at an insanely low price.
I don't know why I typed that. Clapton gave the interview in 1965, referring to his 1959 les Paul instead of the 1964 "Les Paul" he also played, which lost the name in 1962 and became just the Solid Guitar.
If he wants to try some Lace Sensor Man O' War pickups, their model for the J-Bass, in his choice of colors, let me know. He's welcome to them. I have a box full of Man O' War elements that I used for a previous version of the Harmonicaster that I'm no longer using.
Just hit American giant for 3 more long sleeves. That makes 8 for me so far. The quality is way better than the cheap carhartt ones I’ve been gifted and if you size down they also make you look yoked. Make sure you aren’t looking to have another kid when you start wearing them.
Smith optics, which I will warn does not make everything out of its MFG in Utah but does make a lot there. is having up to 40% off right now. I grabbed two pairs of sunglasses for under $300 which is a fantastic deal.
I've had smith optics shooting glasses for years. They've been great. Some gun blog did a test in which they stopped a .22 short round.
Not-so-great: when I made a warranty claim on them, I spent several weeks being told that despite having a lifetime warranty, they were no longer under warranty.
It eventually got sorted out with a CEO email and threats of an attorney general complaint, but was a pain.
Yikes- I tend to lose or break 2 pairs a year like clockwork so I never get far enough to have a warranty claim. The all plastic construction is nice and durable, but if you take a nasty fall skiing they will still explode and not fuck your face up like metal frame sunglasses (which is a feature, not a bug). I’ve been shooting and skiing in them for 3+ years now and no issues, but this is good to know.
Not that I can tell. It appears ALL of their lenses are done in Utah as well as final assembly of many products, and the prescription glasses appear to be all USA. But there’s no easy way to tell what frames are imported, it appears.
They claim 125 employees in Utah, which is sizeable enough for me to spend money there personally.
Very nice grab. I snagged a pair of lowdown cores in black/polarized black and lowdown XL 2s in tortoise with chroma pop brown lenses for under 3 bills. They seem to be dynamically altering what was getting discounts
In the 1990s, I produced a series of three CDs of sacred and traditional Christmas music, arranged for string quartet. When the first CD came out, the musicians had a live performance on the NBC Today Show, on a Sunday morning before Christmas--that cleaned the shelves nationwide (back when there were shelves). And each new release spurred sales of the back catalog.
In time, Steinway & Sons Recordings bought me out. Steinway & Sons now offer FREE streaming. Because it was a "total divorce" sell-out, I do not profit in any way, and no musicians or arrangers profit in any way, from steaming, downloads, or physical sales.
I can tell you that some time after the first CD came out, I got a handwritten letter from a woman who was losing a battle with brain cancer, telling me how much that music meant to her. After I stopped crying, I said to myself, "Well, now I know why I was put on this earth."
Funny... my favorite Pick-Up Line for Nice Jewish Girls is:
"It's almost Hanukkah! Can I trim your Bush?"
Hanukkah Bush, that is.
(If that makes no sense to you: Wishy-washy Jewish parents have been known to get a Christmas Tree for their kids, put a Star of David at the top, and then call it a 'Hanukkah Bush.')
Between my wife and I we own three Lynskey's. I have built a few for friends. Unless you are racing at a pro level, you'll be happier with a titanium frame. It's a genuine forever product.
Gustin has a good deal for those who are able to be patient.
I bought a R300 Lynskey a couple of years ago. SRAM Rival AXS wireless shifting - its just brilliant. Recently upgraded wheels to Bontrager carbon rims. The bike is sweet and fast.
In one of the old guy groups I ride with there are 2 Lightspeeds, and 2 Holland Ti/carbon frames.
Flowfold makes minimalist wallets and bags out of recycled sailcloth and it’s all manufactured in Maine. They’re having a 35% off sale which is great. I really like minimalist wallets and I don’t think there’s a thinner wallet available than their Vanguard bifold wallet, which I have had for years.
Their sailcloth is ultra thin and wears like iron. My wallet still looks new. A big plus is that on a hot humid day the wallet stays dry in your pants pocket, unlike cloth or leather, because the sailcloth won’t absorb moisture at all.
Love my set. However I have to be vigilant, diligent, and militant about not letting the other occupants of the house mingle the bits with the various Harbor Freight stuff floating around.
My general attitude is never loan a tool that I won't mind replacing, and only to friends and one specific neighbor with a good track record.
As to borrowing tools, my father taught me that, when possible, always return something in better condition than you received it. Thoroughly clean borrowed tools, fill the gas tank, whatever.
Any time I travel to where I've been before I get offers to borrow their car / truck / whatever because they know it'll come back clean and filled with any niggly little things fixed .
I fed my family with my tools so no, not for loan .
oh absolutely - if your tools are your livelihood, that's different than they're being for hobbyist or home repair use, as is the case with me.
My brother-in-law was a mechanic for many years. He kept an assortment of shit tools - mostly Harbor Freight or other cheap Chinese stuff he'd use when force was the only option and he didn't mind them being broken or damaged - and would loan those when someone asked to borrow something.
My God, I'd almost kill to update/upgrade the flatware in this house...if there weren't still two adult children here who apparently eat forks along with their food. I don't dare upgrade until I'm dead or they move out, which in this Boomer housing market, so yeah, I'm not going to get my hopes up in regards to having at least two matching forks in this house.
Our foster boys did God knows what with table spoons, when we'd get down to three or four I'd line them (they boys) up and read them the riot act, oddly this always made the gone missing spoon reappear .
We never lost a fork nor ice tea spoon oddly enough .
Goldenrod oil cans are made in the USA by people who care and are available through a lot of usual online retailers. Great if you do engine work where things need a squirt of lube in the garage, on the nightstand, at the track, wherever. Usually less than 40 bucks, so a pretty good stocking stuffer.
Fightshop dot com has a 10% sale running and free shipping on all punch/kick bags. Some of their stuff is made in USA pro quality, like pro boxing gloves for 2 grand, but there are some workout pieces like bags and whatnot. But you have to sift for it. Prolast is a brand they sell, and it's the biggest boxing/striking equipment manufacturer made in the USA.
"Fightshop dot com has a 10% sale running and free shipping on all punch/kick bags."
Well, I didn't want to have to spend the money, but I haven't had anything to vent my physical frustration on ever since my mother-in-law (thankfully) died, her head was the perfect height for any sort of roundhouse combination.
Andy's leather, not me, has rifle sings and other fine pew accessories, dress belts, "page holders", coasters, ammo cuffs, and other stuff on sale. He supplies slings for factory rifles made by Ruger and other makers, does stuff for gunsite, etc. I have a bunch of his slings and page holders. And he made the bookmarks I include with book sales, which people love. He can even do custom orders for colors, emboss logos in items, etc. if you want a family crest or whatever.
Brew bikes, a mountain and road bike maker, offers classes on how to build your own frame- which is a good intro to Tig welding, right here in Western NC. A bunch of their premade frames and stuff are on sale for Black Friday.
"Great if you do engine work where things need a squirt of lube in the garage"
I personally prefer the "close eyes, aim half a quart of oil at whatever you think might need lubrication, casually toss at general direction of target" mode of lube squirting, thank you very much.
(Don't look now, but a 16oz unit with the flexible hose just might be winging its way to my home)
From my inbox:
Bill's Khakis - 30% off sitewide
American Trench - 25-30% off sitewide
Dodo Case - 25% off (now disappointingly making cases only for Apple products)
Red Land Cotton
Parrot Canvas - 25% off
Dodo Case now 30% off for BF.
My wife and I have 2 king sets of Red Land Cotton sheets. Can't recommend enough!
Not sure if 25% qualifies as worthwile: https://www.1620usa.com/
Seems worthwhile.
25% off the Am Pro Ii gets them almost back to the price they originally were 4 years ago. That annoys me more than i care to say.
Yup. I paid $1,480 for The Commander's Jazz Bass in September of 2024.
Buying american made guitars has become absurd, especially considering Fender does poly finishes. At least with even the cheapest Gibson I’m getting nitro, it took some real effort. Fender charging more and more for CNCed, poly sprayed bodies should not be sustainable.
I just bought my first Martin a couple of months ago. It it beautifully made. I haven’t been able to put it down and my electrics have been gathering dust.
I purchased a Martin around 70 years ago. I still play it, the sound is beautiful. I paid a few hundred for it and it is now valued at thousands.
pssst....
- Ron Kirn makes amazing Teles and Strats in Florida. He cuts the bodies himself - they aren't partscasters - and finishes them with nitro. They're an insane value.
- Bill Nash makes great Teles, Strats, and P-basses. Yes, they're partscasters, but I didn't find a better Strat than my Nash S-57 until I got a Custom Shop at an insanely low price.
New guitars suck. Zero mojo.
Sir, that's what Clapton said in a very famous interview! But he was referring to the 1969 Les Paul, as opposed to the 1965 he was playing :)
They didnt make a Les Paul in 1965, but point taken!
I don't know why I typed that. Clapton gave the interview in 1965, referring to his 1959 les Paul instead of the 1964 "Les Paul" he also played, which lost the name in 1962 and became just the Solid Guitar.
If he wants to try some Lace Sensor Man O' War pickups, their model for the J-Bass, in his choice of colors, let me know. He's welcome to them. I have a box full of Man O' War elements that I used for a previous version of the Harmonicaster that I'm no longer using.
Just hit American giant for 3 more long sleeves. That makes 8 for me so far. The quality is way better than the cheap carhartt ones I’ve been gifted and if you size down they also make you look yoked. Make sure you aren’t looking to have another kid when you start wearing them.
Ain't nobody getting knocked up if I'm wearing it tight, but appreciate the tip.
Fear not the vasectomy .
-Nate
Smith optics, which I will warn does not make everything out of its MFG in Utah but does make a lot there. is having up to 40% off right now. I grabbed two pairs of sunglasses for under $300 which is a fantastic deal.
I've had smith optics shooting glasses for years. They've been great. Some gun blog did a test in which they stopped a .22 short round.
Not-so-great: when I made a warranty claim on them, I spent several weeks being told that despite having a lifetime warranty, they were no longer under warranty.
It eventually got sorted out with a CEO email and threats of an attorney general complaint, but was a pain.
Yikes- I tend to lose or break 2 pairs a year like clockwork so I never get far enough to have a warranty claim. The all plastic construction is nice and durable, but if you take a nasty fall skiing they will still explode and not fuck your face up like metal frame sunglasses (which is a feature, not a bug). I’ve been shooting and skiing in them for 3+ years now and no issues, but this is good to know.
Interesting, very cool. Stupid question, is there anywhere obvious on the site where it's made? I'm not seeing anything one way or the other.
Not that I can tell. It appears ALL of their lenses are done in Utah as well as final assembly of many products, and the prescription glasses appear to be all USA. But there’s no easy way to tell what frames are imported, it appears.
They claim 125 employees in Utah, which is sizeable enough for me to spend money there personally.
Thanks. I definitely need another pair and I don't really want aviators for this pair, which knocks out American Optical and their 20% off.
Got CAMO TORT Revelrys, appreciate the heads-up!
Very nice grab. I snagged a pair of lowdown cores in black/polarized black and lowdown XL 2s in tortoise with chroma pop brown lenses for under 3 bills. They seem to be dynamically altering what was getting discounts
Dearborn Denim. 15% off site-wide.
https://dearborndenim.us/
FREE CHRISTMAS MUSIC!!!
In the 1990s, I produced a series of three CDs of sacred and traditional Christmas music, arranged for string quartet. When the first CD came out, the musicians had a live performance on the NBC Today Show, on a Sunday morning before Christmas--that cleaned the shelves nationwide (back when there were shelves). And each new release spurred sales of the back catalog.
In time, Steinway & Sons Recordings bought me out. Steinway & Sons now offer FREE streaming. Because it was a "total divorce" sell-out, I do not profit in any way, and no musicians or arrangers profit in any way, from steaming, downloads, or physical sales.
I can tell you that some time after the first CD came out, I got a handwritten letter from a woman who was losing a battle with brain cancer, telling me how much that music meant to her. After I stopped crying, I said to myself, "Well, now I know why I was put on this earth."
http://steinwaystreaming.com/steinway/album.jsp?album_id=518065
"May G-d bless you and keep you, may He maketh his countenance to shine upon you."
Thanks!
To paraphrase Georgios Panayiotou, Last Chistmas, you gave us this music. Absolute banger Christmas tree trimming music.
Funny... my favorite Pick-Up Line for Nice Jewish Girls is:
"It's almost Hanukkah! Can I trim your Bush?"
Hanukkah Bush, that is.
(If that makes no sense to you: Wishy-washy Jewish parents have been known to get a Christmas Tree for their kids, put a Star of David at the top, and then call it a 'Hanukkah Bush.')
The music is great. It's become a favorite with my family.
Ordered a couple of jeans and some tees from Origin. Thanks!
Between my wife and I we own three Lynskey's. I have built a few for friends. Unless you are racing at a pro level, you'll be happier with a titanium frame. It's a genuine forever product.
Gustin has a good deal for those who are able to be patient.
https://www.weargustin.com/store/jeans-476-cone-mills-heavy-denim-indigo
One of these days i will get a titanium bike and actually ride it
I bought a R300 Lynskey a couple of years ago. SRAM Rival AXS wireless shifting - its just brilliant. Recently upgraded wheels to Bontrager carbon rims. The bike is sweet and fast.
In one of the old guy groups I ride with there are 2 Lightspeeds, and 2 Holland Ti/carbon frames.
I have three Lynskey and have put a lot of miles on my low-spec R275 road bike. Never been happier with a road bike.
Flowfold makes minimalist wallets and bags out of recycled sailcloth and it’s all manufactured in Maine. They’re having a 35% off sale which is great. I really like minimalist wallets and I don’t think there’s a thinner wallet available than their Vanguard bifold wallet, which I have had for years.
Their sailcloth is ultra thin and wears like iron. My wallet still looks new. A big plus is that on a hot humid day the wallet stays dry in your pants pocket, unlike cloth or leather, because the sailcloth won’t absorb moisture at all.
I bought the tool sets when you wrote about them.
Chapman Manufacturing has some of its driver / bit sets on sale...
Love my set. However I have to be vigilant, diligent, and militant about not letting the other occupants of the house mingle the bits with the various Harbor Freight stuff floating around.
DEATH TO THOSE WHO CO-MINGLE! Or at least banishment to a life spent using tools purchased at AutoZone.
Those who support themselves and their families know to never loan tools .
-Nate
My general attitude is never loan a tool that I won't mind replacing, and only to friends and one specific neighbor with a good track record.
As to borrowing tools, my father taught me that, when possible, always return something in better condition than you received it. Thoroughly clean borrowed tools, fill the gas tank, whatever.
Yep ;
Just so .
Any time I travel to where I've been before I get offers to borrow their car / truck / whatever because they know it'll come back clean and filled with any niggly little things fixed .
I fed my family with my tools so no, not for loan .
-Nate
oh absolutely - if your tools are your livelihood, that's different than they're being for hobbyist or home repair use, as is the case with me.
My brother-in-law was a mechanic for many years. He kept an assortment of shit tools - mostly Harbor Freight or other cheap Chinese stuff he'd use when force was the only option and he didn't mind them being broken or damaged - and would loan those when someone asked to borrow something.
Point6 and Grip6 for socks, wallets, belts.
Independence Chicago running a sale with many USA brands on its website.
I will vouch for the Grip 6 belts and buckles. I've been wearing them for years.
10% off until Monday!
https://www.andrewlarsonblacksmith.com
Libertytabletop.com for awesome flatware and utensils, actual 18-10 stainless and MiUSA. 25% off with code BLACKFRIDAY25 good until 11/30
My God, I'd almost kill to update/upgrade the flatware in this house...if there weren't still two adult children here who apparently eat forks along with their food. I don't dare upgrade until I'm dead or they move out, which in this Boomer housing market, so yeah, I'm not going to get my hopes up in regards to having at least two matching forks in this house.
Interesting .
Our foster boys did God knows what with table spoons, when we'd get down to three or four I'd line them (they boys) up and read them the riot act, oddly this always made the gone missing spoon reappear .
We never lost a fork nor ice tea spoon oddly enough .
-Nate
Goldenrod oil cans are made in the USA by people who care and are available through a lot of usual online retailers. Great if you do engine work where things need a squirt of lube in the garage, on the nightstand, at the track, wherever. Usually less than 40 bucks, so a pretty good stocking stuffer.
Fightshop dot com has a 10% sale running and free shipping on all punch/kick bags. Some of their stuff is made in USA pro quality, like pro boxing gloves for 2 grand, but there are some workout pieces like bags and whatnot. But you have to sift for it. Prolast is a brand they sell, and it's the biggest boxing/striking equipment manufacturer made in the USA.
"Fightshop dot com has a 10% sale running and free shipping on all punch/kick bags."
Well, I didn't want to have to spend the money, but I haven't had anything to vent my physical frustration on ever since my mother-in-law (thankfully) died, her head was the perfect height for any sort of roundhouse combination.
WOMEN .
Can't live with 'em, not allowed to shoot 'em........
-Nate
Andy's leather, not me, has rifle sings and other fine pew accessories, dress belts, "page holders", coasters, ammo cuffs, and other stuff on sale. He supplies slings for factory rifles made by Ruger and other makers, does stuff for gunsite, etc. I have a bunch of his slings and page holders. And he made the bookmarks I include with book sales, which people love. He can even do custom orders for colors, emboss logos in items, etc. if you want a family crest or whatever.
andysleather.com
Hans Schantz does the Based Book Sale quarterly, which is a collection of conservative and Christian authors. He's assembled a list of Black Friday Sale books. https://basedbooksale.substack.com/p/black-friday-book-deals
Brew bikes, a mountain and road bike maker, offers classes on how to build your own frame- which is a good intro to Tig welding, right here in Western NC. A bunch of their premade frames and stuff are on sale for Black Friday.
2025 had a hiatus on classes because of Helene, but one can schedule out for 26'. https://www.brewracingframes.com/bicycle-frame-building-classes.html
"Great if you do engine work where things need a squirt of lube in the garage"
I personally prefer the "close eyes, aim half a quart of oil at whatever you think might need lubrication, casually toss at general direction of target" mode of lube squirting, thank you very much.
(Don't look now, but a 16oz unit with the flexible hose just might be winging its way to my home)
"A squirt of lube on the nightstand." You must have been an English major.
Or, some kind of freak.....
-Nate