Get off my LAWN! "Grumpy Old Farts"

[2tonic]

Pants for the ladies were strictly immoral. But so were mini skirts. Can't win for losing

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I'm sensing a splinter in 3....2....1....


As a youth of 14 I was enlisted (read that "fortunate enough") to assist a very comely lass, 3 years my elder, who, clad only in a microscopic (for the day) bikini, had the misfortune of alighting atop a rather rustic, lakeside picnic table. A quick turn, on her part, resulted in a stunningly long splinter, in her.....part.
My duty was clear.....as the only party present with a large fixed blade knife, I carefully cut the offending spear loose from the tabletop, so as to more delicately remove it from it's current repository. This was made all the more difficult by the eyefuls I was being presented with, due to her nervous shaking (she could have been cold, as she was soaking wet) and fidgeting. I'm not sure, to this day, which of us was more nervous, but my technique must have inspired confidence, in her mind, as, once freed, she chose me to handle the, um......indelicate withdrawal procedure.
After I disentangling her swimsuit from the dart, she tossed them, in order to give me a clearer view.
Boy,....did she give me a clearer view....
I suggested calling for professional medical assistance, but her distress led her to insist on an immediate removal.
I complied, but dispatched two of her girlfriends to summon an ambulance, anyway.
I withdrew an 11" piece of silvered cedar, which had pierced her right lower buttock, transited through an extremely delicate outer portion of her unmentionable, and deeply imbedded itself in her left buttock.
I can't imagine the force of her movement, to cause this level of trauma, pushing an admittedly razor sharp spike of wood through 2" of muscle, some amount of....ahem, and 5" of more muscle, but she must have been hell in a Twist Contest!
Came out cleanly, little blood. She was obviously still experiencing great pain, but to a much lesser degree.
She thanked me, and apologized in case she embarrassed me, as the EMTs rolled up to take her for some professional tidying up.
I'm not sure if my voice was audible or not, when I remarked to myself that she was the one..... um..bare assed.
Oddly enough, we encountered one another, many times, over the next few years, and never felt any discomfort about the event. I even dated her younger sister, who was my age, later. Turns out it was Big Sis who put in the good word for me. Different times.

 

[SoulReflection]

I'm sensing a splinter in 3....2....1....


As a youth of 14 I was enlisted (read that "fortunate enough") to assist a very comely lass, 3 years my elder, who, clad only in a microscopic (for the day) bikini, had the misfortune of alighting atop a rather rustic, lakeside picnic table. A quick turn, on her part, resulted in a stunningly long splinter, in her.....part.
My duty was clear.....as the only party present with a large fixed blade knife, I carefully cut the offending spear loose from the tabletop, so as to more delicately remove it from it's current repository. This was made all the more difficult by the eyefuls I was being presented with, due to her nervous shaking (she could have been cold, as she was soaking wet) and fidgeting. I'm not sure, to this day, which of us was more nervous, but my technique must have inspired confidence, in her mind, as, once freed, she chose me to handle the, um......indelicate withdrawal procedure.
After I disentangling her swimsuit from the dart, she tossed them, in order to give me a clearer view.
Boy,....did she give me a clearer view....
I suggested calling for professional medical assistance, but her distress led her to insist on an immediate removal.
I complied, but dispatched two of her girlfriends to summon an ambulance, anyway.
I withdrew an 11" piece of silvered cedar, which had pierced her right lower buttock, transited through an extremely delicate outer portion of her unmentionable, and deeply imbedded itself in her left buttock.
I can't imagine the force of her movement, to cause this level of trauma, pushing an admittedly razor sharp spike of wood through 2" of muscle, some amount of....ahem, and 5" of more muscle, but she must have been hell in a Twist Contest!
Came out cleanly, little blood. She was obviously still experiencing great pain, but to a much lesser degree.
She thanked me, and apologized in case she embarrassed me, as the EMTs rolled up to take her for some professional tidying up.
I'm not sure if my voice was audible or not, when I remarked to myself that she was the one..... um..bare assed.
Oddly enough, we encountered one another, many times, over the next few years, and never felt any discomfort about the event. I even dated her younger sister, who was my age, later. Turns out it was Big Sis who put in the good word for me. Different times.

So, to summarize, are you saying you got your picture taken?

 

[bobyoung53]

I too was a B3 dolly lifter back in the day for our keyboard player. I picked up an M3(much smaller and still the Hammond sound) when I played keys in one band. At least I could lift one end up onto my mini pickup tailgate by myself and then lift the other end and slide it on in.

These days, There's a fine line between bravely and gravely. Seems the older you get the line finds you.

Same here, it used to take 4 of us, one on a corner to lift it out of the truck and bring it inside. I still occasionally talk with the keyboard player, I don't think its left his cellar since the 80's, he was in the middle of restoring though last time I talked with him.

 

[shadowtippy]

Recalling Mark Twain's observation that a cat who sits on a hot stove will never sit on a hot stove again, but neither will she ever sit on a cold stove again.

I had a cat that liked to sleep on the toaster oven. If the oven had been used, the cat would wait, impatiently, until it cooled enough for him to take his preferred resting spot.

 

[bobyoung53]

So Beans, I wanted to double-check my answers with Andy since I do not speak for, nor am I an employee of Mesa. I do get some inside looks, but the answers below are my words. Andy felt they were accurate.

Your first question is tricky one from a safety and legal liability perspective. As you know, if someone gets hurt doing something they weren't explicitly warned against in the simplest and most unambiguous terms, there is an opening for a lawsuit. So, because of safety regulations (which have to be satisfied both in the US and internationally for products like this), and the need to address the lowest possible common denominator when it comes to techncial skill/knowledge/experience, when the top of the amp needs to be removed, everything inside the amp becomes non-user serviceable. This is because if the amp is powered up, seriously hazardous voltages are present close to the tubes. Additionally, the mains fuse is not intended to be replaced, it is a safety device that opens upon a catastrophic fault and replacing it could lead to additional damage or dangerous conditions.

Not trying to start any trouble here but this means that if the amp needs a new tube or the fuse blows it needs to be taken to a tech?

 

[mikeoso]

I kind of like that thinking ahead is actually required (or was, back when I was learning to fly) by Federal Aviation Regulations and/or the Airmen's (now rebranded "Aeronautical") Information Manual. Good ol' FAR/AIM: Acronyms R Us. The kind of thinking they required fit my notion of what was only proper and sensible for operating a flying machine, or pretty much any undertaking, as long as a woman wasn't involved, in which case any sensibilities I may have possessed flew right out the window.

my grandfather, father, and uncle, all pilots, used to tell me, "There are old pilots and there are bold pilots...but.."

 

[beans-on-toast]

Not trying to start any trouble here but this means that if the amp needs a new tube or the fuse blows it needs to be taken to a tech?

I think that it serves as a blanket safety warning. But at the same time, you should be able to change a tube. Logic dictates that Mesa wouldn’t sell the tubes to individuals otherwise, only to techs. They don’t void your warranty if you change a tube. In this litigious society, it also allows the manufacturer to cover themself.

 

[shadowtippy]

Maybe the owner told him one of the storage units was his when he signed the lease.

Or maybe he's a Grifter doing his thing.

Seems to me that you might want to contact the landlord and ask why the new resident is eyeing one of your storage units.

My house fronts one street and the other house fronts the next street over. I own mine and I have no idea who owns the other one. I just thought it strange that the neighbor would think he should have access to a shed that is clearly in someone else's fenced, with a lock on the gate, yard.

 

[shadowtippy]

Or maybe it was a wishful joke. Next thing they’ll want to borrow your lawn mower. Then comes a request for power tools. A slippery slope.

He would be free to use my lawn mower, as long as it doesn't leave my yard.

 

[beans-on-toast]

my grandfather, father, and uncle, all pilots, used to tell me, "There are old pilots and there are bold pilots...but.."

There are also Parrot pilots.

[Invalid or Expired Link Removed]

 

[Charlie Tango]

my grandfather, father, and uncle, all pilots, used to tell me, "There are old pilots and there are bold pilots...but.."

Yeah, "fall down go boom" from not even too far off the ground will ruin your whole day.

 

[GwenOnBass]

# landings = # takeoffs is a good rule.

 

[GonePlaid]

My house fronts one street and the other house fronts the next street over. I own mine and I have no idea who owns the other one. I just thought it strange that the neighbor would think he should have access to a shed that is clearly in someone else's fenced, with a lock on the gate, yard.

 

[GonePlaid]

He would be free to use my lawn mower, as long as it doesn't leave my yard.

 

[Al Kraft]

Not trying to start any trouble here but this means that if the amp needs a new tube or the fuse blows it needs to be taken to a tech?

Well if the fuse blows, IMO it should be seen by a tech to be sure something bigger isn't wrong. For me as an enigineer (and I'm not speaking for Mesa or Andy), when a deliberately designed weak link/sacrificial part does it job and protects the expensive stuff, I want to be sure it was just a faulty sacrificial part or fluke event.

As for the pre-amp tubes it's doubtful IME that many users will ever need to replace one as they are not quite the consumable item likes power tubes. That said, it does happen. Additionally, despite the advice in the manual some folks will want to experiment with other tubes.

This is where it gets tricky with all warranties and reasonably protecting a comapny legally through the required safety warnings on everything from cars to vacuum cleaners to lawnmowers. The industry practice for safety and/or other reasons (e.g. emissions compliance rules, or atmospheric contamination by release of ozone depleting refrigerant) may be to not do something yourself but have an authorized service center with a certified tech do the work - that might even be a law in some states for certain things. Now if I was the lead factory global technical trainer who trains and certifies all Rolls Royce technicians at the dealerships, I'd laugh and likely just do a lot of the work on my own car or my lawn mower myself...and I'm guessing no one would consider me unqualified.

Now if you damage something while doing the work you were specifically instructed in writing to have done at an authorized service center, there will likely be some discussion of what the warranty is going to cover. I hope my answer doesn't come across as flip or dismissive, it's just that you can imagine that genral direction at the top level has to be written with the thoughts in mind that you are writing to the masses and not experts in the technology.

Andy and/or Mesa might have a better take on it, and I do not speak for them. In my mind this is a risk/reward type of thing for the DIY consumer and for the comapny. Since I'm an engineer with over 42 years in advanced military and aviation technologies, I'd likely change a tube myself. However, if an item is under warranty I would probably call the company first, register my problem, establish my credentials/capability to troubelshoot/address it, agree on what I will and will not do, and get their buy-in that my warranty would still be intact as long as I stay within those boundaries. Being able to send a picture of what I find with my smartphone also helps folks feel a little more comfortable making exceptions IME.

 

[GwenOnBass]

"No user serviceable parts inside" might make for a potentially useful tattoo, yet uncertain where it should be tattooed. I don't want anybody unqualified changing my tubes just to see if they can tell the difference in tone.

 

[SoulReflection]

"No user serviceable parts inside" might make for a potentially useful tattoo, yet uncertain where it should be tattooed. I don't want anybody unqualified changing my tubes just to see if they can tell the difference in tone.

Yep, it's bad enough for qualified people to change your tubes .

 

[Charlie Tango]

# landings = # takeoffs is a good rule.

Absolutely paramount. No bent aluminum is a bonus.

 

[Charlie Tango]

"No user serviceable parts inside" might make for a potentially useful tattoo, yet uncertain where it should be tattooed. I don't want anybody unqualified changing my tubes just to see if they can tell the difference in tone.

I can imagine some changes in tone that could occur with different types of <cough> servicing.

 

[GwenOnBass]

I can imagine some changes in tone that could occur with different types of <cough> servicing.

The field of forensic protology could be an emerging specialty.