swt61

Nothing a shovel can't fix. Congrat guys!

Sorry to hear that Ken. It's not that often anymore that anyone actually succumbs to the disease. It's a terrible way to go, and I hope Gary is in a better place now.

Yes, but now that the surprise is out should I still wait until your Birthday to send it?

I was a scrawny little shit in school, and did have one epic bully incedent. This guy that was a hell of a lot bigger than me, and a year older, kept fucking with me when I was about 12. Now I'll tell you all the truth...after getting hit a few times by the asshole I was scared and just wanted to get the fuck out of there (behind the school gym). He kept taunting and punching me while his friends cheered him on. I had a few friends nearby, but they just wanted me to take a stand when I was too scared to. Anyway the truth is that while I was trying to escape the situation I accidentally clocked the shit out of him (bloody nose and all), and my friends thought it was a diliberate punch and starting cheering me on. The guy lost his taste for fucking with me after that, much to my delight.

I thought it was about time to buy a high end compressor...

Damn! That kid really got slammed! That'll teach the little shit.

I bet that's not the first time you've uttered those words!

Hope you had a great Birthday Larry!

I really like that pic aerius!

Wayne it's been my experience that puberty aged boys are not at all repulsed by the thought of intimate contact with another male. Many tend to be scared shitless of the consequinces of their peers finding out about any said intimacy, but I can speak first hand to the willingness of almost all of my friends and acquaintances back then, as far as anonymous sex is concerned. And though most of those encounters started out with myself as the "gay" party that provided said stimulation to the "straight" party, that was a passive recipient, many of the boys I fooled around with began to join in as an active participant, without prompting. Part of that may have been the fact that they had come to realize that I did not kiss and tell, and some of that may also have been curiousity at what was almost a freakish looking endowment on a then 100 lb. kid. Either way repulsion was not something I encountered often at all, and I was quite active at that time. I believe that repulsion is far more a learned response to societies roadblocks and squeemish ideas about same sex activities. Now I'm not at all one who believes that inside every straight man lives a gay man, like some of my brethren like to think. Far from it. I believe that we all fall somewhere along the Kinsy scale. I just believe that men like yourself that exist way over at the straight end are far more infrequent than you give credit for. It's been my experience that many straight guys that are secure in their sexuality are not repulsed by the idea of male on male intimacy. I'm not saying that they want intimacy with other males, I'm saying that the fact that they know that they don't desire intimacy with other males leaves them far less affected by such an idea. Repulsion and fear are linked together very closely IMO. I'll use Colin and Ari as a case in point. IMO Colin and Ari both are straight men that have no desire for male on male sex. However Colin and Ari both were very comfortable hanging out with Fitz and myself, in the Castro, in a gay bar. It's my opinion that the reason they were perfectly comfortable, and showed no signs of repulsion at the somewhat intimate nature of other gay inhabitants of the bar is because they're quite comfortable with who they are. I also believe that many of the HC members that were at MOAII showed the exact same sense of ease about gay men in general. As for the number of men willing to cross the same sex borders, you'd never believe the number of married "straight" men that make their way into gay sex clubs. And many of them act quite miffed if you show no desire in 'servicing' them. I imagine even Shelly knows exactly what I'm talking about. It just seems to be much more about availability of someone that can satisfy one's sexual desires/needs, than it is about prefernce IME. Many straight guys are more willing to cross lines to get what they want than I think you've been privvy to. IMO that doesn't necessarily make them gay, or bi for that matter, it just makes them needier than others perhaps. I have no doubt that if they could find women that would attend to their needs in a casual and secretive manner, that's where they'd be going instead. Now please don't in any way think that I'm suggesting any kind of latent homosexuality in yourself or anyone else that feels a sense of repulsion at the thought of gay sex. I truley believe that you're probably as straight as they come. I just think that many men don't have the same uneasiness that you feel, even though I don't think that they're anymore 'gay' than you. I'm just opening up the idea that you may have been conditioned to feel more uneasy about it at some point in your life. While it is true that some gay men seek out straight men for sexual encounters, and I can certainly understand the uneasiness or even anger that can cause, IMO it's a small percentage of the gay population that does so. Most of us prefer to have consentual sex with another male that shows the same desire/attraction for us as we do them. One way sex is rather boring and even degrading IMO. And I also find it no different than a straight guy trying to pick up a woman that is obviously less than interested. So I just don't understand where the fear stems from, but many people tend to fear those that are different from themselves.

Look youngster, you're just digging a deeper hole. Justin Bieber will sound pretty much the same on any amp, so your query really isn't that important anyway. Trying to talk shit to our good friends will win you a permaban pretty fucking quick over here sweetie. Now go outside and play like a good boy.

Dear God those are hidious!

Nobody else has mentioned this, and maybe nobody else would care about it, but IMO having one of, if not 'the' first KGSS Justin built would be worth something in it's own right. I'd consider that a collectors piece, and would want to retain the early workmanship. Of coarse if you only have funds for one amp that might be different, in such a case I'd ask the seller for a refund and buy a new or newer KGSS. It's a simpler solution, and I doubt that Justin needs the headache. The first headphone stand I ever built (Duggeh's) is not the prettiest, or my best work, but it still has a significant meaning for me.

Actually Jason, I think the number of boys that experiment with other boys of puberty age is quite high. From the friends I had, have talked to as adults and other people as well, I'd guess the number as high as 50-75%. And I don't see why that would be a surprize to anyone. I mean you take a kid in the onslaught of puberty, with hormones raging, and he's hearing all these stories of circle jerks, blowjobs and actual penetration, and how great all of that feels. He quickly determines that the girls of his age are not where he's going to be able to experience these feelings first hand. However, many of his male friends are looking for the same experiences, and males of that age are generally more likely to view casual sexplay in a more positive light. Once it's determined that your buddy is not going to spill the beans about your fun times, it's all but a forgone conclusion. It's much more a matter of availability than preference. And why many guys feel guilty or ashamed about those experiences later is hard for me to understand. Homosexuality is about a preference for same sex partners, not about same sex opportunities, so doubting ones own sexuality, or feeling shame about youthfull playtimes just seems silly to me. I had sex with girls at those times when having sex with guys didn't present itself. I don't beat myself up over that Oh, and I had a girl crush on Wynonna Ryder. But I didn't want to be her. Being gay in Texas is a challenge, at least in this part of Texas. I just think of it as a time out of sorts, and that can be a good way to re-think one's priorities. I'm sure I could meet a nice guy in Texas, but then that'd be something to tie me down to Texas, and that's not a consideration for me. Luckily for me I'm in no hurry. Oh, and be careful. Women can react badly when dating a guy prettier than them.

Mmmm. Assholes!

This thread is good in that it reminded me that we sometimes talk about headphones here.

You give good phone! Break a leg Jacob!

Enjoy it Steve!

That's not the muscle that's supposed to get pulled on your Birthday.

Happy Birthday Ryan! Do something fun!

Just catching up in this thread. Sad, sad news. Sorry Mike and Nate.

Yeah, I've offered him my F5, which is basically done, but will need a few small modifications for speakers (just has K1000 output now). Most likely he'll get the PASS integrated though, and have a one box solution. Source is another story all together. Craig, whenever I finally build my own house, I will build a large subwoofer enclosure under the floor or stairway, that will vent into the main listening room. Most likely not a horn, but a seriously large enclosure, with 18" drivers.

Sorry to hear that. I'll never understand why education isn't the last thing to be cut. Haven't we learned yet the damage that does?

He's building a girl, in his basement.

Solid state will work better with small children, and for me low power, well built, great sounding gear means PASS. Although I bet numb's recently sold M22 would also have been a great choice for amplification.