The ULTIMATE upgrade.

SGFan said:

Update - because it was past 7 days, Reverb will not force the seller to refund. I only post this because Tyler has not responded to any attempt on my part since the day I received the harness. The last few people that purchased had less than satisfactory things to say. Mods, if this is not allowed, please let me know. However, Tyler Fitzgerald is still selling these harnesses on Ebay. His Ebay name is tyfitzg-15. I implore people to not purchase them. I am considering what I received to be interstate fraud and I am posting this with the hope that no one else is out $550 for a harness.

Tyler if you read this, please refund me my money and I will gladly send the harness back to you.

Les Paul Vintage Centralab Sprague Bumble Bee Drop In Wiring Harness | eBay

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charliechitlins said:

You dodged a bullet.
All that crap is a waste of good money.
There...I said it and I'm glad.
A cap is a cap is a cap... It's the value that matters.
Same with pots.
They're a variable resistor with a carbon trace.
Look inside. It's a wiper that goes across a piece of carbon.
No mystery mojo.
I mean... It's your money to spend, obviously, and if it's your hobby to tinker and try to hear differences, that's cool.
Maybe I'm a dope, but I've been gigging, tinkering and chasing tones for 45+ years, and I can't listen to a guitar, mod it, and listen to it again 2 hours later and pick up subtle differences...even with guitars I've known intimately for years.
I can quickly swap tone caps with alligator clips and listen for differences, but I cannot hear a difference in different kinds of caps...value, yes....construction, no.
I can definitely hear a difference after installing a treble bleed, which is a mod I've done many times for myself and others.
I still think, though, that the vast majority of guitar players will be more satisfied by sitting down with YouTube and learning that cool lick or chord that you always dug, than soldering electronic bits into your guitar.
And I can promise you that VERY few of the guitar players you admire are chasing tone with caps, pots, thumbwheels, etc.

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marshall1987 said:

This is so true.....

Many of the touring pros playing arenas invest in expensive Bradshaw switching units and rack gear. For these touring pros it's folly to think a little tone cap or volume pot is going to have any meaningful affect on the guitar sound. The trend lately is for no big guitar amps or speakers cabs on stage. ....as more and more players are using "in-ear" monitors. Most often the guitar signal chain is routed/sent out to the mixer board of the PA system to provide the live sound the audience hears.

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marshall1987 said:

A wise man once said....." a fool and his money soon part company".

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charliechitlins said:

This is true, of course.
It took me awhile to figure this stuff out.
A very few people are taking their cues from the pros.
In a lot of hobbies, the feeling is, "This is what the big boys are doing, so I'm going to get as close to that as I can."
What we have here is more like a hobby in, and of, itself...like coin collecting or something.
As somebody who does little tinkering and upgrading, other that to keep my stuff (and my chops) in top nick for gigs, it took me awhile to come to terms with the folks who are in it for the gear alone...they seldom play an entire song, play some pentatonic licks, and try to achieve THAT ultimate tone.
I used to resent it a bit because, for me, a guitar is for playing music and my nerd-quest is the PLAYING.
It's cool.
To each his own...usually.
I still bristle at stuff like "conversions".
I don't see the difference between that and putting Super Distortions, Schallers and a Floyd on a '54 Lester.
Sometimes I backslide on being benevolent towards the tone tinkerers...like I just found out, a couple posts ago, that those high zoot wiring harnesses cost f....f....five hundred and f...fifty bucks.
I almost spit out my coffee.

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ajtonly1 said:

To each their own,

Tone is a personal search. Some people are happy with straight into an amp. Some people like effects.

The funny thing about our search is that it is our own. Just because mine differs doesn’t mean my way or beliefs are the best.

So I don’t bash people for what they want or are looking for. And neither should anyone on this forum.

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Flogger said:

Nothing like a smooth taper on a silky, low torque pot.

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Joshabr1 said:

I really hate to see this. I vouched for Tyler and I also have been pretty much cut off with him. He stopped communicating about 2 months ago. And that’s BULLSHIT. No matter what you have going on in your life a simple text or call is never to much to ask. I am truly sorry if my post cost anyone money.

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Keep your eyes open for a Tyler Fitzgerald.

“There are things known and things unknown and in between are the doors.”

Door#1
I have spent a great deal of my evening reading and absorbing this thread along with others. The comments, replies, and the overall opinion of those you who expressed your thoughts.
Apparently, everything is good until it isn’t right?
Take these next words as you will, but please keep in mind. We are all here for one purpose, correct?
Our love of music, our never-ending quest for that tone in our minds, and most importantly our mutual respect for our fellow musicians.
It was quoted somewhere:
“ In part, I owe him for driving me to figure out how to salvage old Centralab components and make them useable for the modern player.”
And so if that credit is due, then why take it away?
Why express your sympathies in one reply, while later conveniently utilizing those same shortcomings to financially benefit your business?
Did this Marketing Strategy increase your buyer footprint, elevate your reputation, or increase overall sales?
Ethical business professionals would agree that derogatory marketing is, to say the least, of poor taste.
In some circumstances, this is grounds for termination, various penalties, and depending on severity, legal action.
Furthermore, and I say this with a very strong foundation of veteran experience in Consumer Satisfaction, a career in Information Technology, Customer Relationship Management, and Business to Consumer Sales, some of you had a less than stellar experience.
I understand that this has yet to be confirmed and I apologize.
We take full responsibility for dropping the ball.
Stay tuned while I elaborate.

Door #2
December 2021– Merry Christmas and a new fiancé. Tyler asked me to Marry him. Everything was perfect. I think someone wrote a song somewhere about perfect.
I would conduct my busy work upstairs and Tyler would focus on his work downstairs. At the end of the day, he would grab his axe and cut chords.
It was at that moment my gift of song escaped my lips, and with music no matter what happened, no matter the time, no matter the weight the day forced us to bare, we melted into music.
He had an unrivaled passion for his craft. Many lonely days and nights passed as he would work for hours and hours attempting to meet demand and most of all, honor his dedication.
But as I said before, everything is good until it isn’t right?
My fiancé resided in what some would call a shoebox with persistent rent increases from a former bandmate, and I became the conflict of interest.
I was being called a squatter for simply spending time with him, even my dog was subjected to prejudice as well.
“Happy Holidays! I need you to be out by the first.”
That was the phone call he received 10 days before the new year. Great timing huh? Regardless of the daunting circumstances, I looked at Tyler and assured him that we could do it over a weekend.​

January 2022:
The harassment did not stop, and as quickly as he could, while sending out what orders he could, he poured his life and his business into boxes to stay with a friend until our future home was vacant and ready for us.
For the month of January, Tyler continued to work in temperatures averaging 25 degrees in an unfinished attic and struggled to complete orders while dealing with limitations.
I have seen him express countless times that while they were metered multiple times throughout the building process, the parts are subject to fluctuation.
Please keep in mind that capacitors are passive electronic components that are used to store energy. The capacitor is heavily affected by temperature and humidity. In short, the capacitance can decrease by 40% when exposed to low temperatures.
1. Show of hands if you knew this.
2. Does everyone here live in the Northeast? Specifically, New Hampshire?

At the end of the month, once more, the business got BACK into boxes. It is time once more to move.
I understand that some of you were in an agreement about delays, but this move was not easy.
Tyler and I were both starting over. We did not own a fork, and it blew our minds that purchasing a kitchen trash can could possibly require a down payment and financing through your preferred institution.
(Help yourself to Google shopping – we settled for a base model at $100 – bags not included)

February – Early Spring 2022
The general consensus is that this is when Tyler’s decline began, correct?
But so did the pressure rise.
There was no longer a work/ life balance for Tyler as he was flooded with phone calls at all hours of the night.
Before you open your mouth, I am not saying, nor will I say, “You People”, but I woke up to multiple phone calls.
Furthermore, I understand that these parts are desired, and the desire to play an instrument that houses these parts is comparable to touching a woman.
The expectations set for Tyler were nearly impossible to meet every single time.
There wasn’t enough time, and he was punished simply because he is human and not a machine.
Tyler’s gift is his hyperfocus, but when you limit that, you begin to attack his character, his core, and his drive.

Every day I watched Tyler desperately try to hold onto his reputation for a business that he LOVED. I watched as his stress, communication, and his almost lifelong passion for the burst seep through his fingers like sand. Did you know he joined the newly formed Les Paul Forum at 16 years old in 2002? Through high school he had a successful side business there selling vintage reproduction parts he made at home.
As things spiraled Tyler began to punish himself.
He knew he let each of you down, but he also let himself down.
Everything imploded.
This man that was full of passion, who loved what he did, collapsed emotionally.
Day and night I held him as he self-destructed over this loss.
But in the same respect, you also lost.
While carefully reading your words of disappointment I did see genuine concern, however, on the other hand, I also read quite a few colorful messages.
Please keep in mind that we are talking about a dude that simply wanted to share his hobby with you. He wanted to share his love of vintage electronics and a tone that is no longer found in stores with YOU.

How many of you failed a Test? How many of you made a mistake? How many of you fell off a bike, ate the concrete, and came up bloody. How many of you exhausted yourselves for a trade to learn, to fail, to learn, to try again to keep trying until you succeeded?
How many of you just simply gave up, complained, and quit when your experience was not absolutely perfect?
Do you throw your plate of food at the waiter’s face because the order was not correct?
Do you run down the driver that cut you off on the Freeway because they didn’t use their blinker?

Late Spring and Summer.
This has been the most difficult Summer Tyler and I have ever been through.
I became extremely ill – after multiple visits to the Emergency Room, we were faced with an absolutely terrifying possibility.
On the day that my CT scan was scheduled to rule out cancer, I hugged my fiancé and said
“Today will determine the rest of my life with you”
I have never felt more human in my life.

Shortly after that, we got another phone call.
Tyler’s Father In Law was admitted to the Hospital with heart failure.
It is then that Tyler watched his fiancé (me)fall apart.

However, in the midst of my worry, Tyler’s health began to deteriorate, and quickly.
We received yet another fine opportunity to spend the night in the hospital.
A healthy adult male in his thirties should not be at risk of a heart attack and stroke.
After enough blood work and tests to host a keg party for Iron Maiden’s zombies were performed, we still have no answers.
All we have is consistent Tachycardia that Tyler fights through on a daily basis.
There were days when Tyler could not get out of bed. There were nights when I would massage every aching muscle in his body because he couldn’t walk.
And then there were moments when I begged him not to give up because an online thread and an unfortunate review does not define a man’s character.
It is okay to not be okay.
At 34, I never imagined I’d begin a conversation with:
“Would you like to talk about our disabilities?”
Every day is a silent battle that is fought to simply exist, and with every passing day, parts of you that were strong begin to grow weak.
Not that it is any of your business but since we are on the topic of transparency I have held this man in my arms as he spoke with me at length about what went wrong, what happened, how it happened, and just how despondent he feels.
And so I leave you with this...

To the colleagues, peers, clients, and friends he has let down, he is truly sorry.
To the ones (and we know who you are) that have reached out, he takes full responsibility for disappearing, but we think of you often and are thankful for your friendship.

At this time, privacy is still a priority for Tyler as he processes the decisions he made, what improvements could or should be made, and also how you truly feel about him.
It is said that in anger you will make the greatest speech you will ever regret, and I am certainly not here to point fingers, but in truth, aside from his own mistakes, NO ONE gains from this.

Thank you for your time and attention.

Respectfully,

Sweet Melissa

“There’s a lot of different forms of communication, but music is absolutely the purest one.”​