NYC Journal

Phil,

Many thanks. I’m avoiding the crazy stuff and just trying to discover tame trails. Not so easy. Blue Mountain is also a glacial deposit of boulders that is in the southern end of Peekskill in somewhat of a valley. That’s why there is a series of ponds and Dickey Brook.

They say Peekskill is the Gateway to the Hudson Highlands and many think it is the northern end by Route 9 and near the Bear Mountain Bridge, but perhaps this is only because the mountains emerge close to the Hudson River.

On the southern end of Peekskill is a lower elevation, markedly lower in elevation that it has a micro-climate of its own, and this region has a spring that is later by 2-3 weeks from only just two miles north.

I live in this valley where cold air settles, where there is often a mysterious ground fog in my back-backyard, and not far away just about 2 1/2 blocks away more inland is Blue Mountain Preserve that has two mountains.

To me the Hudson Highlands kinda begins about 2 1/2 blocks from my house. Just as a frame of reference I can hear the diesel Metro North train running along the Hudson River from my house, yet on my Audi GPS I’m 75-80 feet above sea level depending on the tide.

The City of Peekskill encompasses only about 4 square miles and has a population of around 25K. Most of Blue Mountain Preserve is actually in the township of Cortlandt, and pretty much the only the main entrance to the preserve is in Peekskill and only a small section of the preserve skirts Peekskill.

Another framing of scale is that at 1500 acres, Blue Mountain Preserve is just a little smaller than two Central Parks. Central Park is about 800 acres. Lots of granite outcroppings like in parts of Central Park, but bigger and more of them. Many of the trails exploit these outcroppings as part of the trail. There are ridges of granite that I would call dragon spines.

Hudson Street which leads east from the Peekskill Metro North station is a steep road climb that is about a quarter of a mile long. A 20 inch gear enables me to ride this climb to Washington Street. Pretty much you need mountain bike gearing on the road here. Hence the development of the “Newsboy.”

I do have three connected trails that are challenging that form a loop that happen to be close to my house. I can be happy with just that, but there are many more trails to check out…

I ride really conservatively now and will walk the bike rather than go gonzo. Those days are over, but the point you make is that things happen in a blink of an eye…

Only recently I learned that in the past I unknowingly had broken both my collar bones. Both very likely from crashes that involved me tucking and rolling to a stop. Of course all these years or decades went by and this injury never got any treatment.

I definitely need more protective gear to help prevent injury. I think I will always stay on the safe side and avoid risk and that means getting some body armor. As you know things happen in a blink of an eye…

Anyways, for me Blue Mountain is a good exploration, but it can be mucho dangerous, and I am seriously “under-biked.” There has to be a self imposed restriction and a limit to keep me safe.

There is no shame in being sane and safe.

Cal
 
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Today’s ride was in The Great Swamp again. What wonderful weather, nice and cool, but a bit breezy.

”Maggie” loves the Yo Betty. She feels really comfortable on the bike, and the UBER small size suits her well. I moved a top spacer underneath the stem to raise it about 5/16 inch. A previous adjustment was raising the seat 1/8th of an inch.

Some parts arrived from Jenson, and I was able to put the IBIS SS back together with new handlebars, brake cables, and new shifter cables. Back in the day you could custom order drop bars on a SS and they had this funky stem back then. I kinda used Nitto bars that were styled for an English Racer. I like the upright position for a change. I’m happy with the changes.

The Newsboy did well in the first real ride with the new 44/34 chainrings on the White Industry cranks. The shifting is perfection.

Perhaps the new pedals will get delivered tomorrow. They are lighter than the ones I have on the Newsboy now. The White Industry cranks and new chainrings added weight and now the Newsboy is close to 20 pounds.

Been looking into the body armor, and Yorktown Cycles is a dealer. We will have to swing by there. Also REI sell Troy Lee.

Cal
 
Cal,
One thing about REI is that they tend to sell last year's Troy Lee gear and don't have the current stuff available (most recent MIPS MTB helmets).
Definitely check Yorktown since the smaller independent shops have more ability to do custom purchases.

On another note, the Rudge Clubman is on hold while a few small parts are on order. The hub flanges are narrow, so I needed to order some spoke washers. I have Kool Stop pad inserts on the way. Campagnolo ball bearings arrived today from Wheels Manufacturing, so everything is getting overhauled. I had this crazy idea of using NLGI #00 grease in the bottom bracket and hubs, but I may need to drill the hubs for grease ports, since #00 is a grease that flows like cool molasses, but it still flows. When the clubman was made, the hubs had oiler ports and the bottom bracket has one. Since I'm using different hubs, I could drill them then borrow a set of grease caps from some of my old Sturmey front hubs which I have sitting in storage. That #00 grease is so dang smooth that I feel I owe it to this bike.

So, I had a bit of two stressful days at work and got home then worked on the Raleigh Mtn Trials for almost 4 hours.
For the most part, it is in one piece. All it needs are: brake pads, saddle installed, chain installed, tires installed, cables, and grips. I got the HiteRite installed and it is AWESOME. Cal asked about a name for the Clubman in a recent post and I'm not sure, but I know the name for THIS bike, which I will only say in text message or to a person's face. The hack paint job, red fork, pink frame, and small rear wheel remind me of a bit of my past, so this bike gets that name. I had installed the rollercam brakes with the bike rotated so the hardware wouldn't fall all over, then turned it upright in the stand, and while I was tightening the crank arms, I had a bit of a recognition and that name came to me. I may never utter it aloud here, but out on the trails, or at a RFF meeting I may. Perfect name from 24 years ago...

I need to hit my LBS for two sets of smooth post Kool Stops and some cable caps, but otherwise, I should be ready to go tomorrow. This is going to be a fun ride.
I'll probably finish the build tomorrow before I head up to Bucks County to check out my friend's bike collection in his barn. I've worked on some of his bikes, and he has some amazing pieces of history up there. I won't come home with anything tomorrow (maybe) but he told me to make a "shopping list" and he can bring stuff down piecemeal as he makes trips into Philly.

Phil
 
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Tonight is that Tommy Emmanuel show.

I am mucho excited.

I love the break in the weather.

Today I do a real ride with the new/old IBIS. There is something about the simplicity of a rugged 7-speed and the familiarity of a 3X crank that brings me back in history and my youth. Kinda like driving an old classic car.

My legs feel odd because of all the spinning. On the rides with “Maggie” I spin an easy gear at high RPM something that is not really natural for me. I figure it is good to develop smoothness and muscle memory, but evidently it uses different muscles. Perhaps at times I’m doing 120-125 RPM. Generally I’m a low cadence kinda guy around 80 RPM.

I also know that this spinning depletes localized glycogen stored directly in the muscle. From past experience this depletes very rapidly my stores of energy and in the past has led me to “bonk” where basically I run out of fuel surprisingly fast.

Everyone’s body chemistry is different…

Anyways I can see the melting of fat and it isn’t because of being dehydrated. The cool weather and strong breezes yesterday prevents the usual sweat baths.

They say biking burns about 400-500 calories an hour. A 2 hour ride is enough of a burn where it can compare to skipping a meal. Of course racing really opens up the secondaries, and then there is the need to refuel and rebuild…

I’m doing it a more gentle way. I am also towing along Maggie who is a 70 year old woman who has not been on a bike in decades, except for that bogus electric bike promo a few years ago. That bike was mucho heavy and was more akin to a motorcycle.

Today another ride…

Cal
 
Something that annoys many people is that I eat a lot and I stay skinny. Part of this is good genes, and having the right sized body designed especially or specifically for binge eating.

Last night I had a very light dinner of peanut butter granola from Trader Joe’s with a banana. I had a lite dinner because the big meal of the day was after our ride and it was a kinda late lunch. You should know that Elvis was a Capricorn like me and eating fried peanut butter and banana sandwiches was somewhat accredited to his death. BTW peanut butter and banana tastes mighty good.

But I know that today my gas tank is kinda empty, so I have to tank up and refuel for today’s ride. I had a quart zip-lock bag of leftover brown rice, so I beat 4 eggs from Trader Joe’s that are sold as a “loss-leader” all the time for $1.50 a dozen, and scrambled them using a fork to build up a texture and body to make a quart of fried rice for breakfast. Of the 4 eggs I use only one yoke to mitigate cholesterol overdose.

After the eggs are cooked the next step is to dehydrate the rice. Pretty much you just want to dehydrate the rice further, and know that the refrigerator previously helped the dehydration process. The idea is not to carmelize the rice but to firm up the texture, and this takes time on medium heat.

The final step is add some soy sauce, cook off the added moisture, and then add back the already cooked eggs and chopped scallions.

So a biker’s feast to prep for a long ride.

Food is very important in Chinese culture: long ago famines and hunger is deeply remembered; and instead of asking, “How are you doing?” In Chinese culture you would be asked, “When was the last time you ate?”

In other words food is the central reason to live. Same kinda is true for biking or any endurance sport. It is a license to binge eat. Not only will I burn though the quart of fried rice, I will also have to refuel and replenish with another big and heavy meal.

I met an engineer in Los Alamos who also was a guitar player through a mutual friend. Richard stood out because he stood at 6 foot 7” or so. His story is that he did not hit puberty until he was 18 and then his body went organically and naturally on steroids. When he graduated high school he received a full scholarship to Dartmoth to play football, his position was fullback.

They put him on a special diet and he grew to be 300 pounds of pure muscle. He complained that they kinda force fed him and that eating an entire London broil for dinner was fatiguing. In the end Richard was on the U.S. Olympic team as our discus thrower. He trained with Al Orter who was the U.S. multi Gold Metal shot put champion. Al Orter BTW was an engineer who worked at Grumman.

Richard also was a good looking guy, and somehow he did not flab out. He of course remained a muscular and kinda huge guy, he was sorta lean and all muscle like me, but of course not small framed. Richard said all he had to do is control his eating and things kinda normalized.

So biking is not only a lifestyle, but in a way is a promoter of an eating disorder of binge eating.

BTW after an epic ride food tastes so good, and vast consumption is so satisfying.

So now I am fueled for today’s ride. If I did not feast, I would run out of energy/fuel. In my case energy is not so much stored in my muscle, but kinda has to come from what is in my stomach. I am a bit like a thirsty race car as far as body chemistry. I can sustain a high output only if I have fuel.

Cal
 
The Mtn Trials is done.
This is a crazy bike. I set it in "granny" gear (26x20t) and almost immediately wheelied it on a test ride. Then I went and rode around our local cemetery and pulled a long endo, to my surprise. I dropped the rear harder than I wanted but everything is fine, myself included.

I made all those plans for the 26/30 crankset to work with the 20/16 freewheel and when I stuck the chain on, I realized that I had not accounted for the chainstay-mounted rollercam brake, which is why I begrudgingly added a chain tensioner. It's fine, just a little rattle here and there. One other thing I did was to adjust the Eno Eccentric hub so it is at it's lowest axis which allows a little more give for the taught spring in the tensioner and also raised the bottom bracket. I'll get a ruler in there but I think it's close to 14".

The front tire is probably the very last ever seen IRC Claw Comp, formerly known as the IRC Yeti FRO Pro, the tire that many of the Yeti team riders rode back in the mid-90s. This was and is my favorite MTB tire of all time, and this is the last one. When it goes I'll replace it with a Continental Cross King 26x2.3ish. Rear tire is a Maxxis something or other. It's a directional design that I mounted backwards, because the tread blocks are trapezoidal and the reverse mounting gives more surface area bite like a paddle.

The front brakes are NOS black DiaCompe NGC 982, the same brakes that the bike came with. I added the Gorilla brake booster in all its sun faded glory and it's perfect. The cantis stop incredibly well with the massive DiaCompe 4-finger "motorcycle" levers. The rear rollercam is definitely enough brake; easy to lock the wheel up. It's running Kool Stop salmon pads front and rear. I don't want to think about how to add that extra set of Magura hydraulics I have, simply no need, and it would be a massive pain in the rear.

With the saddle lowered, I can get behind it very easy. As a matter of fact, my post is about 1" too short for me even at max height, so this is not a long-distance bike. The handlebar is the original Nitto, as is the stem. My hack paint job reminded me of too much foundation makeup. Like I said, it's a crazy bike.

So here's an album of photos of the bike out in the boneyard:


I may be heading out to the trails tomorrow morning and will report back.

Phil
 
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Seeing “Maggie” bond with her Yo Betty today was very tender today. Seeing her get smoother for me was very rewarding. Still adjusting the fit. Raising her seat allowed more leg extension and made her a much better rider.

We met up with another couple on the trailway and became friends. They live in Peekskill too.

Now Maggie has a goal to do a century (a 100 mile ride). She is going into full biker bitch mode like I planed. Riding has become important to her.

We were encouraged to ride further north into the Harlem Valley.

For me seeing Tommy Emmanuel live was a bit overwhelming. The speed of his playing seemed overdone, and I felt a bit rushed. Somehow I felt something got lost.

He is a great player, but I kinda think his thrilling speed after a while got fatiguing.

The Paramount Theater is a wonderful Art Deco theater that is a great venue. Tickets were not costly either.

I kinda learned a lot from seeing him perform. A very different experience seeing him perform live.

Cal
 
I kinda learned that speed actually was a liability to guitar playing, and that sound needs some space, or otherwise everything gets kinda slurred. Like reading too fast you don’t register words and meaning gets confused and lost.

I wonder how retirement and my relaxed attitude changed my perceptions. Basically I hated the sense of being rushed.

While our rides are relaxing, they really are not taxing to me, none the less I enjoy them. I guess what I have learned is the question, “What is the rush?” and, “What is the purpose of rushing?”

I strongly feel that at last night’s show all I needed was a taste of a burst of speed to be fully impressed, and that I actually got more fulfilled by the slower passages in the show that to me offered wider dynamics, was more expressive, and also was more interesting.

My friend’s father stated that good music is more akin to being like good sex with movements, and changes in pace that lead to surprises, tension, and finally a release and climax.

I guess I am being more critical of my attitude and perspective more so than the work and disciple of an artist I respect who has skill and technic I will never attain. I will say that Tommy Emmanuel put out this energy I could not keep up with, he is 67, and in like a bike racing event, I got “dropped” and left behind. For me there was no way to keep up.

Please forgive the typo’s in the post above. It takes me time to process things. I am like an analog machine.

Cal
 
Our experience recently in New York’s Fashion Week indicated that as old people we were “invisible.”

The claimed 15 minutes of fame have elapsed and eclipsed for us and we are/were clearly under the radar.

We took note of how we hid in plain sight, and drew no interest by photographers in the street and at the shows. Basically it was like being in stealth mode and under the radar. We laughed and made fun of the situation, and actually were pleased that we had our livers back.

BTW it was clear we were the oldest people in the audience, and in the young people all around us was a display of desperation to get photographed and noticed. That use to be “Maggie.”

We welcomed our newly hatched privacy, and not being in the public eye. It was liberating and provided use with a great sense of freedom. We were emancipated, and got our lives back so we could take care of ourselves, relax, and ride our bikes.

Happy-happy…

Our agent was big-time too optimistic, and the fame Maggie once had has disappeared. In the world of fashion, “One day you’re in: and the next day you are out.” How true and actually best for us.

So now Maggie can’t wait to drop out of social media, but she needs it for her book release. Liberation awaits… We were so pleased. Privacy and being left alone is good for us.

Cal
 
I thought of a profound metaphor and analogy that rings true.

”It is not bad living in a dead end.”

“Maggie” and I literally live in a dead end because that is where our house is located, but also we live on the very edge of the city.

Then we think of how we lived and grew out of the world of fashion. That part of our lives and the chaos and rushing we are actively trying to put behind us to be unburdened, happy and free. The logical conclusion of that part of our life now is a dead-end.

The thing about dead inks is that they are both endings and beginnings that can anchor us So we can grow further.

Retirement to is a form of a dead end. The potential for further profound growth for me right now are these dead ends.

Note that I used: deadend; dead-end; and dead end. All different.

Maggie is annoyed and frustrated with needing social media until March because of her book release. What a burden. She can’t wait to dead-end that nusence. She now wants to move on an grow without it.

Seems like our agent still believes she is big in the world of fashion. Not…

I’m very cool with that. I have better things to do.

Cal
 
Calzone said:
I’m in agreement that those old style motorcycle brake levers are cool.

Leverage works.

Cal
Click to expand...
Cal,
I love old school levers, they offer more hand placement options and really allow for subtle feathering of the brakes. I have a set of NOS Shimano XT levers from the late 80s that I have been meaning to swap onto my Univega.
The bike itself is remarkably stable and predictable, when riding. It’s very responsive, but I can probably track stand it forever. If I could set up the rear wheel with a fixed gear, I’m pretty sure I could track stand indefinitely.
I didn’t make it up to my friend’s place yesterday, traffics was horrible and I would have been driving for almost two hours. I’ll make the trip one day, perhaps at the beginning of October when I have vacation planned.
I need to take my own advice and get some shin, knee, elbow, and possibly a neck guard, along with a greater coverage helmet, now that I’m going to be hopping over roots.

Phil
 
Phil,

On the IBIS SS with English Racer style Nitto bars the motorcycle levers kinda provide an on the hoods vibe that stretches me forward. Pretty much my favorite and most favored position on a road bike. Also allows me to feather or hit the brakes easily.

Mucho bueno.

Cal
 
I occasionally check the inventory at my local guitar shop here in Peekskill, and I found an amp I wanted. I figured out a deal that would be great for me. Basically a flat trade for a 1958 Korina lap steel with case and some emphemera, a 1930’s Supra frying pan lap steel with case plus a working/matching Supra tube amp.

All this gear I bought a long time ago for little money, and the prices have increased over more than 2 and half decades. I bought them as hard assets that I knew I could either barter or sell for cash. I knew time was my friend.

So in an excited manner I pitched my deal for a flat trade for a Victoria Regal that was sent back to the maker to be upgraded into a Regal 2.

This amp fits my style, has a 15 inch speaker, 1950’s TV front vanilla Tolex styling, 1950’s vintage Fender vibe with tweed tones, and boutique point-to-point wiring and a high end build hand made in the U.S.

The design of the amp is Class A and a special output tranny allows mixing all kinds of output tubes and rectifier tubes without any need for adjustment. I can make a 5 watt amp for recording or studio use, or I can retube and create a 35 watt amp with EL34’s.

Basically I will be able to tweak my tone flavor, my breakup, and my power output. The amp is not small and it weighs 52 pounds.

So I kinda had the excitement today of day-trading guitar gear. Lots of fun, where I traded collectible gear that I bought low that appreciated greatly, and bartered for gear that I did not want to spend cash on. Happy-happy.

Later in the week I think I will try to swing a trade on a rather rare Fender Blackface amp that generally is never available. This amp is a player, meaning it might not hold the premium value that a collector would want, but would be a great amp for a collector.

Know that the map I just secured was a consignment, so things got complicated. I allowed all the gear to be tested and checked for originality. Took about an hour.

I also know that the second amp I’m interested in is now owned by the store. This amp was only made for two years.

A hint is that Stevie Ray Vaughan used one of these amps to get his trademark sound. This next deal involves more value and is bigger. If it works out, pretty much I doubled my money, used barter again, and avoided sales tax.

Let’s see how good a salesman and chess player I am. The person I deal with is a friend, but the owner is the person I need to please. Inside smut and intelligence told me today that the owner would love what I have to offer.

I kinda need to think things through though. The item I’m thinking of trading is of more of a collector value than the amp, so down the road there could be big remorse. What I own is rare, highly desirable, and in a condition that would command a stiff premium.

Hmmm. A lot to think about. Deal: or no deal.

While I was day-trading the grandson was dropped off. He has a fever and is ill, but “Maggie” tells me he was searching the house looking for me. He looked under the basement door to see if the light was on, meaning if I was hiding in the basement working on bikes.

After a year of childcare this kid is really bonded to me. I feel I have a lot of influence with this little man, and at times, or most of the time he favors me over Maggie. Love is heartbreaking. He is growing so fast. He seems very drawn into my gear, bikes, tools…

When I brought in the amp he went to check it out. He kinda struggled trying to move it around, and it was interesting to see him and his determination in even trying with all his might to move it. Of course I annoyed him by picking it up and moving it just an inch. Of course he tried to move it again.

Later I will clean up the amp and sanitize it. This amp sells new for $3.2K. I got it for a steal because I used old money that stored value because of rarity, scarcity, condition, and age. I did not have to be greedy.

This makes me think I should not get the other amp, and I should keep my hard asset as the better investment. The new/old amp I just secured was only listed 8 days ago. The other amp I’m interested in as a “player” is languishing and has been in their inventory for a lengthy amount of time. This works in my favor. Hmmm and Hmmm again.

My own game of deal: or no-deal.

At the moment he is asleep.

Calvin the Shark
 
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The guitar amp I bartered for yesterday is a bit of a tone monster on a few accounts: first it has a very wet sounding reverb; next it has a built in vibrato that sounds like a Univibe; then it’s design is kinda crazy because of a special output tranny along with Cathode Bias allows to run the amp with not only a single tube, but also a pair of tubes to vary the power level.

On top of that this design allows one to mix and match 6V6, 6L6, EL34, 6550, and even KT66 output tubes. Every brand of tube kinda has it’s own signature tone, and now you can blend them. In addition this design also allows one to interchange tube rectifiers to vary the power supply voltages and also the amount of current that supplies the drive to the speaker.

There is an element called “sag” which is the tapering of current to the speaker as the current limit falls off. This greatly effects the attack, the bass response, the voicing, and the amount of smoothness.

This amp is a tube tweaker’s dream. Generally in many amps you are locked into the voice of one type of output tube, but not in this amp. Also know that amps with fixed bias require an adjustment to maintain the power tubes within an operating level. This design is called “fixed bias.”

To me “cathode bias” has a somewhat vocal tone and is or can be very musical. I find it more expressive, but fixed bias has higher resolution and definition. There is no free ride. In developing a voice and style on an electric guitar much of the sound comes from the interaction of the amp and speaker, but now I basically can custom tailor a lot of tone shaping that happens in the amp.

Pretty much I have mucho creative freedom here. Although the amp is not small and weighs 52 pounds, it offers the versatility of a stable of amps.

Today I went into my stockpile of tubes to create an inventory, and figure out an approach of how to start my tone shaping. Last night I plugged in and played around to get somewhat of a baseline. Out of the 7 tubes only 2 are NOS, and the remaining 5 are modern tubes.

A process of “tube rolling” will begin which is just trying to find a magic combination. Just know that there is mucho variation between brands, and each tube somewhat is an individual. Of course what makes this complicated is that there is a great amount of interaction. Things get complex fast.

Anyways, lots of fun…

Cal
 
A new bike joined our stable by surprise. My neighbor gifted us a tricycle from his childhood. It dates from April 1977, and he is my neighbor I call “The Monster” because of his great size. He was going to put it out on the curb as bulk trash to make space.

Anyways a very cool retro bike. Our grandson is a toddler that is a year old. It actually is great timing.

The seat is all metal and is styled like a farm tractor. The red color has a nice patina. I will have to clean it up. Some pitting on the handlebars, and the bell will have to be replaced. I’m pretty sure he will take after his grandfather and annoy people.

Cal
 
More forensics: the April 1977 red tricycle cost $12.99. The price was written in with a black magic marker.

I did a bike wash and detailed the new/old bike. It cleaned up nicely, and it is a really nice “survivor.” All original, but part of the bell was lost, so I took off the remains and saved it.

Anyways the one year old boy has a mucho cool retro bike already.

How cool is that?

Next after a run to Trader Joe’s, I will start some tube rolling. Know that I am a fan of NOS tubes, and I avoid the new production, although some of the new stuff is good. I feel the old stuff is special. Generally all the old stuff is good or great, but you can’t really say that about all the modern tubes.

I kinda have some snob appeal with the tubes made in the U.S., Holland, France, BritIan and Germany. Each has its own flavor or spin even though the specs are the same.

QC on the Russian tubes is all over the place at times: sometimes good; sometimes bad. QC on Chinese tubes is all over the place and not the best. I play it safe and don’t gamble. The odds are in my favor with NOS.

Also I kinda like/love the tubes that were specifically made for the military. Kinda durable and robust.

Right now I have an assortment of tubes organized and kitted out.

Cal
 
I installed all NOS tubes in the Victoria Regal 2 and started the process of tube-rolling. I thought I would favor a straight pair of 6V6’s because of what I read online and also my past history with Fender Deluxe amps.

It seems while I love the mids and rolled off top end of a 6V6, I also love the defined top end and extended low range of a 6L6. It seems a pair of 6V6’s needs some definition, and a pair of 6L6’s is too HiFi, but combine a 6V6 with a 6L6 and I get precisely what I want and need.

Pretty much too much of a good thing became just that, and the magic was found by combining the 6V6 with a 6L6.

Interesting that when I went low power and tried using just one 6V6 or one 6L6 I lost some of the thickness and depth I was looking for.

Then I rolled rectifiers and discovered I favored a 5Y3 which has mucho sag and the lowest plate voltage and produces the lowest amount of power. It seems the lower gain makes my sound smoother, richer, and more musical.

The dials go to 12, but basiocally I’m dialing in a clean sound with the volume set to 5. The tone is both rich and sweet.

Today was a satisfying day with a new/old bike (tricycle), and with my tube rolling.

Cal
 
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