I have heard that coiled cables are not the best for a guitar, unless you like treble loss.  

Quote from: Paul MarossyI have heard that coiled cables are not the best for a guitar, unless you like treble loss.  

They seemed to work well for Jimi.

Take care,
-Peter

"They seemed to work well for Jimi."

Hmm... I didn't know that.  

Quote from: Paul MarossyThey probably won't sell those parts much longer. They seem to try to make their money selling you a cell phone package. Everytime I go to a RadioShack, they are pushing those stupid picture phones. Leave me alone already!

I did get some good deals on clearance items, resistors, IC chips, etc. I have noticed that in the last two years their electronic parts stock has dwindled and dwindled. They are over priced, too, but sometimes I'll pay an extra buck or two so I don't have to wait for a part for a week via mail order.

]
That's exactly how all of the one's around me are going, they don't even bother to keep the parts drawers sorted and stocked, and if you ask the stoner behind the counter doesn't know/care.
The only thing I get from there lately is 9v battery clips, solder, and resitors if I need something I ran out of.

Radio shack is shit, but I probably deserve it for stealing thousands of dollars worth of parts there when I was an adolescent. Er, whoops, did I actually say that out loud? Heh heh heh...

Remember, kids, low quality's tolerable if you can get it for free... (I'm speaking to the people under 18 here whose parents do not mail order anything and can't get a job for more than six bucks an hour... your situation is quite familiar to me with the exception that minimum wage was way less back when I was in it!  )


drew
www.toothpastefordinner.com

When I moved out of the house, minimum wage was $3.35 an hour.  

Many many moons ago, Radio Shack actually sold a chemistry set and they had these really cool "assortment" boxes of random stuff for $5 I think at was. They had LOTS of chips including a good selection of logic and all kinds of neat stuff. The guy behind the counter was a long time Ham radio operator and the ex-mayor of the town I grew up in. Those were the days.

Out on the road today, saw dead-head sticker on a Cadillac,
a little voice inside my head said don't look back you can never look back.

-Peter

Eagles Rock!

So far I think I've used Radio Shack's 22-guage stranded hook-up wire for every pedal I've built. I often think I should find a better source for wire, but I usually run out of wire right when I'm in the middle of something, and Radio Shack's just up the street from me. Quality and prices and pushy salespeople aside, Radio Shack has saved me from more than a few frustrating times.

The reason the people behind the countors are never helpful is that they're on commission.  Not only that, but they keep statistics of sales.  Its actually _bad_ for them to ring up a $1 resistor purchese, because it brings _down_ their "sales average."  So they try to sell you cell phones, which brings it up.  One of my friends worked there and tried explaining the whole thing to me, even though I still don't totally understand it...

Here in Des Moines, we have 5 or 6 radio shacks. They're not all equal. The newest one has everything sorted and stocked and they all just converted over to the drawers instead of the stupid sliding panel. I won't go to Radio Shack for $1 worth of parts. I always end up buying at least $30 worth.   I also like those little radio controlled race cars they have, but given the choice between those and components, I'm choosing the latter every single time.

I too love those curly cables. They add mucho capacitance, but if you have a bright guitar and a bright amp, then you are loving these cables (like Jimi and Stevie did).

By the way, concerning the salesmen, when they start asking you if you need help, just give em a real dirty look that says "You couldn't help me, you can barely find a toothbrush, ya bastahd!" That usally gets them to leave you alone.

Quote from: javacody
By the way, concerning the salesmen, when they start asking you if you need help, just give em a real dirty look that says "You couldn't help me, you can barely find a toothbrush, ya bastahd!" That usally gets them to leave you alone.

I DO THAT ALL THE TIME!

In rochester we have 2 radioshacks, both of which are about 100% equal.  I've used 1 RS chord.  After maybe a month, I threw it away and never regretted it... then again, it wasn't curly.

-Colin

Just tell the counter person that you are looking for 8 ohm speaker cables. :lol:

Seriously, if everybody finds a clueless sales person and helps to educate them when they can't answer your question, the world will be a little bit smarter of a place.

Take care,
-Peter

There are two RS shops within a half mile [one is at Summit mall in Akron], and it has a much more limited selection of Stompbox related items...the other still has the full variety of RS stompbox related stock, ..that being a relatively limited amount.

I was just joking about the dirty look thing.   :lol:   They ask me if they can help me, usually after I already have 5 components in my hands, and I say "No thanks, I'm just looking."   :lol:

Hrm.  Like others have said, I'm one of those who heads up to Radio Shack to scrounge for that one part I forgot and don't want to wait another week for - we've got 3 or 4 in my area, and they're in various states - there's one a little ways out of town that has a lot of back stock for some reason - things that RS doesn't seem to carry anymore, including older components and things.  There's a couple of Radio Shacks here, though, that are staffed with pretty competent staff.  Older guys (and one younger fellow) who really know their stuff, and aren't hesitant to help.  One guy in particular, I've learned a lot from him, he's shown and explained me some things.  All these guys, we commiserate about how RS has gone up in $ and down in selection on the DIY parts.  They've never been hesitant, the more knowledeable staff, to point me in the directions of other catalogs and companies for getting stuff, even when they had it.  I dunno, I guess my local RS's are the anomalies?

there were a couple of times where i would play this gig out
in the middle of nowhere in mississippi in this little town.

they had a combination of a drug store, auto parts shop, and radio shack.
this place had stock from the early eighties with tons of it just laying
around the floor in boxes.  many of them had the original prices
which were a whole lot cheaper.  pretty cool.

i may go back this summer.  hopefully it will be as i left it.
they also had some guitar gear (strings, picks, etc) in display
cases.  i love those kind of shops!

Quote from: sfrI dunno, I guess my local RS's are the anomalies?

You betcha! Around here it's more like work permit highschool kids driving RC dunebuggys off the counter and showing me every kind of PVC/duct/vinyl tape when I asked for something conductive....

There used to be a place around here with eveything in plain little cardboard boxes (either that, or the display cards had yellowed...) lined up on those gray steel shelves that shops usualy keep in their back room, only this fellah had'em out front. Great quasi-warehouse vibe, good prices, family owned and operated. Sadly, gone under...


Those were the days, indeed, Peter.