It is good to see that line array speaker cabinet technology is now widely embraced by system installers (both new and upgrades) and the overall improvement in sound quality is quickly evident.

What is also evident, unfortunately, is how ugly many of these installations are, especially those that are retrofitted into existing spaces.

I can understand how an installer (i used to do sound system installations myself) might think that a half dozen black speaker cabinets hung against a white or light colored background might look “beautiful”.  After all, he probably risked life and limb in a personnel lift to get the system in place and knows that the sound in the room has been dramatically improved.

How difficult would it have been to paint the new cabinets in a matching or complementary color?  Apparently, pretty difficult, since nobody does it.

I realize that I’m not just talking about a can of Krylon spray paint here, but the results of a good quality paint job can pay off for years.  A smart installer knows that he can gain a competitive advantage at bid opening time if his proposal is the only one that takes how the new speaker hang will look when the install is finished.

Metal speaker grills instead of fabric and recessed rigging hardware and connector plates both make doing a quality paint job easier and there is inexpensive spary equipment on the market that is easy to use.

Next time you are listening to one of these “in your face” sound system installations, close your eyes for a minute and see how much better it would sound if you could just hear it instead of seeing it.

GoodBuyGuys.com is your online source for Permacel gaffers tape,Duracell Procell batteries,  Nashua duct tape, Bay State wire ties, Hosa and Entertainment One extension cords and OnStage Stand mic stands. We are proud to feature speaker cables from Mitee Cables.

Now, it appears that Google is ready to put their ability to serve up truly relevant search content on the shelf in favor of providing search results that are tempered by what our friends may have searched for or what we may have looked for in the past.

This is Google’s latest attempt to take on Facebook in an arena that Facebook owns, and lots of Google users are unhappy about it.

Instead of seeing information that the internet as a whole values because of the quality of the content (what is on the page and who links to it) you are more likely to see results based on your friends and colleagues have searched for.

I like my friends, but they are not who I normally choose to turn to when I want the kind of search results I used to get on Google.  They are good people, but I don’t think of them as primary resources for the kind of information I am usually seeking.

What might be even more important is that Google has been quiet about what they are doing.  Most people don’t realize that their search results might be very different than someone across the office or in the next dorm room.

The result of this change in Google’s search code,  something that might well be called “Facebook envy” has reminded me that there are lots of other useful search engines available that now better meet my needs.

Google needs to get back to what made them so successful in the first place.

GoodBuyGuys.com is your online source for Permacel gaffers tape,Duracell Procell batteries,  Nashua duct tape, Bay State wire ties, Hosa and Entertainment One extension cords and OnStage Stand mic stands. We are proud to feature extension cords from Hosatech.

It doesn’t have to be that way.

The use of electric space heaters with inadequate size extension cords or cables in poor condition creates a situation ripe for disaster.

Use of a cable too small for the amount of power that the heater draws means that much of the electricity consumed goes to heat generated in the extension cord, not in the heater.  Tucking the “too small” cord under a rug or behind a piece of furniture creates all the elements needed to start a house fire.

Extension cords in poor condition-frayed jackets, broken connectors, kinked cable-double the risk, as they can create both overheating and electric shock hazards.

If you use electric heaters, click here for a guide to choosing the correct size cable.

Click here for some tips on keeping your extension cords in good condition.

GoodBuyGuys.com is your online source for Permacel gaffers tape,Duracell Procell batteries,  Nashua duct tape, Bay State wire ties, Hosa and Entertainment One extension cords and OnStage Stand mic stands. We are proud to feature extension cords from Hosatech.

Today, Dec. 29, has been proposed as boycott Godaddy day, and thousands of customers are threatening to leave Godaddy in the dust and move their hosting and registrar accounts to someone else.

H.R. 3261, the Congressional bill, is bad legislation and threatens to remake the internet at its core.  It would allow a major transfer of internet control to a few major players and allow those who claim control of digital intellectual property to shut down small time web sites without due process.

We currently have in excess of three hundred domains registered with Godaddy and use them to host many of our sites.  We’re ready to see them in our rear view mirror if they don’t step up and get this right, and do it quickly. If  you are a Godaddy customer and want to put pressure on them to stand up and fight for their customers, give them a call at 480-505-8877.

GoodBuyGuys.com is your online source for Permacel gaffers tape,Duracell Procell batteries,  Nashua duct tape, Bay State wire ties, Hosa and Entertainment One extension cords and OnStage Stand mic stands. We are proud to feature extension cords from Hosatech.  We believe that a free and open internet is the key to job growth, economic development and more opportunity for everyone.

Particularly dangerous are the small “button” type batteries that power many toys and electronic devices.  They are small enough for a child to easily put into their mouth and they look just enough like something edible to make this scenario a likelihood.

Look for toys that have a screw cover for the battery compartment that can only be opened with a small screw driver and make sure that the door is securely latched before giving the toy to the child.

Check to see if the batteries are already installed in the device.  Toys that have loose batteries in the packaging are particularly dangerous, since they can be overlooked when the package is opened and then found later by the child.

Finally, double check to make sure that there are no spare batteries included with the device.  What might seem like a generous act by the manufacturer demands extra diligence on the part of the parent in order to make sure spares go into a safe storage location.

Wishing you and yours a joyous season from The Good Buy Guys.  You can see your holiday greeting by clicking here.

GoodBuyGuys.com is your online source for Permacel gaffers tape,Duracell Procell batteries,  Nashua duct tape, Bay State wire ties, Hosa and Entertainment One extension cords and OnStage Stand mic stands. We are prod to feature extension cords from Hosatech.  Our Duracell Procell batteries are the real thing and we sell them “Satisfaction Guaranteed”.

This is not news in itself, but the willingness of these CEO’s to make a commitment to have a program in place in 2013 is a very positive development.

The presidents of Duracell, Energizer, Kodak, Rayovac and Panasonic began discussions in 2010 regarding getting a nationwide recycling program in place and now finally seem willing to commit to a date for a program roll out.

Certainly, the logistics and science in getting a program into place are complicated, but it is hard to see how plans and discussions could be going into their fourth year.

We would love to be able to point our customers towards a reliable recycling option in their community, regardless of where they live.

Check back here and also at Recyclebattery.org to track their progress.

GoodBuyGuys.com is your online source for Permacel gaffers tape,Duracell Procell batteries,  Nashua duct tape, Bay State wire ties, Hosa and Entertainment One extension cords and OnStage Stand mic stands. We are prod to feature extension cords from Hosatech.  Our Duracell Procell batteries are the real thing and we sell them “Satisfaction Guaranteed”.

Importers and unscrupulous retailers can dramatically boost their bottom line by taking a low quality battery and rebranding/repainting it with the graphics from a more expensive brand.

It can be difficult to spot a counterfeit, but here are a few clues.

All major battery manufcaturers (Duracell, Procell, Everready, etc.) always include an expiration date printed directly on the battery.  Counterfeits often don’t include this info so that the product will have a longer perceived shelf life

Quality painting on a round surface is an expensive process.  Batteries that have a brand name but low resolution graphics are probably bogus.

Major manufacturers control their distribution chain carefully.  It is highly unlikely that someone selling batteries on a street corner in a large city is part of this chain.  Batteries sold this way are usually counterfeits.

Counterfeit batteries will not only have a shorter life than the real thing, but are more prone to leak acid which can quickly destroy expensive electronics and can be a serious health hazard if it gets on your skin or in your eyes.

Legitimate branded batteries are more expensive for a good reason.

GoodBuyGuys.com is your online source for Permacel gaffers tape,Duracell Procell batteries,  Nashua duct tape, Bay State wire ties, Hosa and Entertainment One extension cords and OnStage Stand mic stands. We are prod to feature extension cords from Hosatech.  Our Duracell Procell batteries are the real thing and we sell them “Satisfaction Guaranteed”.

The only constant in 30+ years of outdoor decorating is my extension cords.  I have many that date back to the 1970′s and they are as functional and useful as the day they were bought.  The only real change, based on the price of copper, is that now they are worth a small fortune.

A little extension cord care can mean that a well made extension cord can last a lifetime.

Proper coiling, storing in a dry place out of sunlight and keeping the cable away from sharp objects is all it takes.

Click here to watch a video on proper cable coiling.

Click here for some tips on extension cord care.

GoodBuyGuys.com is your online source for Permacel gaffers tape,Duracell Procell batteries,  Nashua duct tape, Bay State wire ties, Hosa and Entertainment One extension cords and OnStage Stand mic stands. We are proud to feature extension cords from Hosatech.

One of the things that always surprises me when we have issues with suppliers is how some of them seem to think that being “nice” to us, their customer, is what is really important.  That might have been the case in the day of the business lunch and the phone order, but electronic communication has pushed “nice” to the back burner, particularly when a supplier thinks that being polite can take the place of being informed.

It’s really difficult to be tough with a supplier when they think that kind words and thoughtful pauses can make up for not being able to tell me the status of my order or why i was shipped the wrong product.

What we want is information.  One of the greatest things about electronic communication is that it’s easy to set a business like tone without being compromised by someone’s attempt to “nice” their way out of a situation when they don’t have the answer you want.

In this day and age, being a good “listener” really means that you are a good reader.  We like it that way.

GoodBuyGuys.com is your online source for Shurtape gaffers tape,Duracell Procell batteries,  Nashua duct tape, Bay State wire ties, Hosa and Entertainment One extension cords and OnStage Stand mic stands.

There is no single better winter-proofing product than a roll of duct tape.  Duct tape is both sticky and malleable, so it is ideal for patching small, hard to reach air leaks.  Whether around a window, along a foundation, or in your attic, a strip or two of duct tape can quickly pay for the whole roll in heating savings.

Modern duct tape is available in lots of colors which make it much easier to match interior paint and exterior siding.

While it won’t last forever, the coating and adhesive of good quality duct tape will last the winter and the vinyl backing creates a seal that both stops air flow and repels water.

GoodBuyGuys.com is your online source for Permacel gaffers tape,Duracell Procell batteries,  Nashua duct tape, Bay State wire ties, Hosa and Entertainment One extension cords and OnStage Stand mic stands. We are your source for high quality Nashua 398 duct tape.

I have spent the last hour trying to come up with a usable set up for the latest version of Google’s G Mail, and I’m getting nowhere.  How can a company as progressive and powerful as Google completely fail to understand what users want in an email platform?

Now, I realize that Google is an advertising company and I am willing to accept some ads on the G Mail screen, so a little clutter is inevitable, but I have learned to tune it out.

However, not having the ability to control how the information on the screen is organized or having a logical way to index saved emails is incredibly frustrating.

Email was never intended to be a “conversation” and Google can’t change that, no matter how hard they try.  It is the lack of immediacy that makes it so much more powerful than a chat client or a message sent from a social networking platform.

Use of valuable Google tools like Google+ and Google Adwords requires having and using a G Mail account, so simply ignoring G Mail is not a realistic option.

How about giving us the option of a straight forward and simple interface that doesn’t look different every time I log on to my account.

It’s just a suggestion.

GoodBuyGuys.com is your online source for Permacel gaffers tape,Duracell Procell batteries,  Nashua duct tape, Bay State wire ties, Hosa and Entertainment One extension cords and OnStage Stand mic stands.

Today, we got a call from someone who needed extension cords to use in large walk-in freezers. The cables he was using were freezing and could no longer be coiled. It was easy to understand his problem, but not quite so easy to find the solution.

If you have ever taken the time to look closely at an extension cord, you’ll see that there is a lot of difficult-to-decipher information printed on or embossed into the cable. This information tells you what environments the cable is designed to be used in and the amount of current that it is safely rated to carry.

Putting this info directly on the cable is required if Underwriters Laboratory is going to give the item its blessing as something safe for consumers to use. Here’s a useful link to safety info from UL about extension cords and how they are rated.

In doing a little research for this customer I came across a very nice diagram of how extension cords are made and the characteristics that give each type of cable its unique rating. Here’s a link.

It turns out that the info our customer needed is included in a 3-5 digit code found on all extension cords. The code is assigned by the National Electrical Code and the data in question usually starts with the letter “S”.

If you want to know a little more, click here.

Anyway, it turns out our customer is going to need a cable with a jacket specification of SJEOW. The “O” in this code means that the cable has a thermoplastic jacket (flexible at low temperatures) and the “W” means that it is rated for outdoor use. Extension cords with this rating will remain flexible down to -45 degrees F.

GoodBuyGuys.com is your online source for Permacel gaffers tape, Duracell Procell batteries, MagLite flashlights, Nashua duct tape, Bay State wire ties, Electratrac and Coast Wire extension cords, OnStage Stand mic stands, and lots of other useful supplies for temporary power distribution.

One of my alerts is set to the search phrase “extension cord“.  Unfortunately, all too often this time of year these alerts also include the word “fire“.

Somehow, it seems that Christmas decorating and overloaded extension cords regularly make headline news.  While it’s easy to understand how this can happen, it’s also easy to prevent.

All electrical devices (including lights and powered decorations) are required to be tagged with information relating to how much power they consume.  This information is usually listed along with the term “watts”.  When you plug multiple lights or electrical decorations into an extension cord, it is necessary to add the total number of watts (also known as “current draw”) to determine what size of extension cord is called for.

If this simple arithmetic is a little daunting, there is an easier way to figure out if there is a problem.

Plug everything in, turn all the decorations on, and hold the extension cord in your hand for three or four minutes.  If the cord becomes warm to the touch, then it is overloaded.  Remove one or more of the items plugged into it and try again.

If you can’t reduce the current draw, then you need to increase the size (known as the “gauge” of the cable).  This can be a little confusing, as the smaller the gauge number, the higher the current carrying capacity of the extension cord.  That is, a 14 gauge cord has a lower current carrying capacity than a 12 gauge cord.

Finally, even if you don’t have an overloaded extension cord, running it under a rug or behind a wall can still create a fire hazard if air can’t circulate and remove any heat build up.  It should be left out in the open.

Take a minute to plan before you begin holiday decorating.  I don’t want to be reading about you in Google Alerts.

GoodBuyGuys.com is your online source for Shurtape gaffers tape, Duracell Procell batteries, MagLite flashlights, Nashua duct tape, Bay State wire ties, Hosa and Entertainment One extension cords and OnStage Stand mic stands.  We’ve got lots of products that make holiday decorating easier.

Still, there is a big bump in the road before online sales can really take off.  That problem is consumer concerns about security.

We get orders every day from customers who find us on the web, but then insist on calling us to place the order because they are uncomfortable with using their credit card at our web sites.

We’re happy to hear from them, of course, but  they never seem to realize that placing an order at a secure web site is much safer than giving your credit card info to a stranger over the phone.

We host and manage our own e-commerce web sites and can always assure you that you want be presented by any pop ups or phishing scams that originate from our server.

Unfortunately, if you don’t know what to look for, it is difficult to know when you are at a web site where you can make a secure purchase.

When you move from the catalog portion of one of the goodbuyguys web sites to begin an actual checkout, you will see that the “http:” part of the web address at the top of the page, changes to “https:”   That “s” means “secure“.  The “s” is an indicator that the details of your purchase will be encrypted before they are submitted over the web.

You’ll also see a tiny image of a padlock at the end of the address line.  Click on that padlock image if you want to know the details regarding who is certifying that the site is secure.

Here are some more tips to insure the security of your online purchase.

-Never provide your credit number in an email or instant message

-Use long, complicated passwords that use numbers, letters, upper case and lower case

-Purchase only from sites that have an “s” in the address line or show the padlock image

-If you have security concerns but still want to consider making a purchase, look for a phone number

-Check your credit card bill carefully every month.

GoodBuyGuys.com is your online source for Permacel gaffers tape,Duracell Procell batteries, MagLite flashlights, Nashua duct tape, Bay State wire ties, Hosa and Entertainment One extension cords andOnStage Stand mic stands.  Your security is our top concern.

Our (and your) security is certified by Usertrust.  You can read more about it here.

Why is it taking twenty minutes?  Because I am a “Returning Customer”.  That’s why.

I’m sure you have had this experience.  Because I have ordered from this company before, there is an account in their customer data base associated with my email address, so they won’t let me complete the order process without logging in to the account that I did not want to create in the first place.  So far, I have requested at least six times that they email me my password, but I still haven’t received one.  If I was a new customer my order would have already been completed, but because I am showing some loyalty by placing a second order, I am stuck at the entrance and the door has been slammed in my face.

We’ve found a way around this at our own web sites which will allow you to place orders as a “guest”, no matter how many times you want to order, so we know it can be done.  Our web developer has nicknamed this “no hoops”, as in “you don’t have to jump through any hoops to place an order“. You can use the same email address every time and never be turned away because your email address is already associated with an account.

I started this blog post when I requested my password and I have now completed it and have still not received it.  \

Time to find another toner cartridge supplier.

GoodBuyGuys.com is your online source for Permacel gaffers tape, Duracell Procell batteries, MagLite flashlights, Nashua duct tape, Bay State wire ties, Hosa and Entertainment One extension cords and OnStage Stand mic stands.

Today  Seth’s posting deals with how a business can keep prices down by having a customer do some of the work.  This is what internet pricing is all about.  When we are able to get you to do most of the time consuming work in setting up an account (read-data entry) and processing payments (read-credit card authorization), then there are savings that can be applied to our pricing.  A more direct  route between us and our customers means a more efficient operation. Thus, a narrower profit margin is acceptable.  No need for a middle man to do any hand holding on either side of the transaction.

We get the same phone call almost every day (different caller-same script).  It always starts out “ I found you on the internet.”  “We are a reseller and I was wondering if you have reseller pricing?“  I patiently try to explain that we do have scaled pricing, but it is based on how much you buy, not who you are.  It’s not like you found us on some sort of “secret” internet.  If you found us online, then so can your customer.

By asking for “reseller pricing” you are asking me to pay you to do work that I have already done-making our company easy to find by anyone who might need our products.

Unless you can convince me that by selling through you that some sort of value is added for the end user, then we will continue to do all we can to avoid the middle man.

GoodBuyGuys.com is your online source for Permacel gaffers tape,Duracell Procell batteries,  Nashua duct tape, Bay State wire ties, Hosa and Entertainment One extension cords and OnStage Stand mic stands.

This has led to more than a little confusion among our customers.

Here’s why.

If you are familiar with standard wall outlets, you are probably aware that there are two different versions of outlets that look almost identical.

The standard 15 amp duplex receptacle (wall outlet) has openings for two parallel blades and a semi-circular ground prong.  This has been standard for almost 50 years.

An almost identical version of this outlet has an additional slot set at a right angle as part of the parallel blade opening on one side.

If the outlet has this additional right angle slot, it is intended not just 15 amp service, but 20 amp service as well.

A true 20 amp connector (male) on an extension cord will have, not two parallel blades, but rather two blades set at right angles to each other.  Otherwise they are identical.  Same size connector body, same size blades, same everything else.

15 Amp(Nema 5-15)

20 Amp (Nema 5-20)

If we sold our “20 amp” extension cords with a  20 amp rated connector, they it would only plug into the version of the wall outlet that is designed to accomodate both types of blades.

20 Amp Wall Outlet(Nema 5-20)

While we are confident that the product we sell is designed to handle a true 20 amp load, in order to truly rate an extension cord as being “20 amps” it must have one of its connector blades at right angles to the other.

Want to know more?  Here’s a valuable Wikipedia article.

GoodBuyGuys.com is your online source for Permacel gaffers tape,Duracell Procell batteries, MagLite flashlights, Nashua duct tape, Bay State wire ties, Hosa and Entertainment One extension cords andOnStage Stand mic stands.   Click here to sign up for our newsletter.  Lots more good ideas at our Twitter feed.

October is national fire safety month, a time when everyone is reminded to change the batteries in their smoke detectors.

Purchasing a Firehouse Subs medallion funds a program called the Firehouse Public Safety Foundation which has donated over $3 million in life saving equipment to public safety agencies.

Duracell is providing 27, 180 9 volts in support of the program.

Don’t forget to change your smoke detector battery this month.

GoodBuyGuys.com is your online source for Permacel gaffers tape, Duracell Procell batteries, MagLite flashlights, Nashua duct tape, Bay State wire ties, Hosa and Entertainment One extension cords and OnStage Stand mic stands.

By default, settings for Word Press allow readers to post comments.  You can moderate the comments and decide whether you want to allow readers to see them or just delete.

There is a strategy among people who optimize sites for search whereby they post comments to blog sites and if the site allows the posting to be displayed, then it creates what is called a “backlink” (a link back to the poster’s own site) which, at least in theory, improves that’s sites performance with major search engines.

Most of the comments we get appear to be automated,  posted by robots, and probably from programmers whose native language is not english.

Here are a few recent comments:

When he recovers he doesnt give up and his next confrontation goes somewhat improved.

Good post. I be taught something more difficult on totally different blogs everyday.

We can’t give your site earlier than telling you that many of us seriously loved the coffee quality information you are offering on your visitors?

I experience fairly fortunate to have encounter your internet webpage

Digged google 30 mins, findally i get it, thanks!

Perhaps my favorite of all time:

These are impressive articles. Keep up the sunny handiwork.

Here’s where you can view our other blogs:

Allabouttape.com

Tapenews.com

Volleyballtape.com

Routesettingtape.com

Hooptape.com

Thetapeworksblog.com

GoodBuyGuys.com is your online source for Permacel gaffers tape, Duracell Procell batteries, MagLite flashlights, Nashua duct tape, Bay State wire ties, Hosa and Entertainment One extension cords and OnStage Stand mic stands.

Maybe this model is used in other industries, but this is the only one I am familiar with. These magazines are filled with dozens of really useful articles, and, many times, the advertising is filled with good info as well.

I use these journals regularly to find new products for our catalog. Its also really great to come across articles about our customers. I even saw one of our products in a photo accompanying a story about the NFL Playoffs.

Any student or hobbyist in sound, lighting or theater tech can easily begin receiving these journals by simply making up a business name. The magazines base their ad rates on the number of subscribers, so they are happy to add you to their subscriber list. They rarely do much to insure that you are a legitimate business with a large purchasing budget.

Journals like Pro Sound News, Sound & Video Contractor , Live Sound International, Church Sound Magazine, and FOH Magazine are yours for the asking. They have great columns, handy “how to” articles, and honest equipment reviews. The photo quality is first good and the editorial content, while advertiser driven, is still useful. Most of the writing is first rate.

Interested? You can sign up for regular subscriptions at any of the publication web sites in this article.

Goodbuyguys.com is a collection of web sites (including buytape.com, buybattery.com, buymicstand.com, buyextensioncord.com, buyaflashlight.com and buywireties.com) designed to deliver a great selection of production supplies.

I have been watching a lot of digital tv and I stumbled upon a telecast of a live radio show produced weekly by the company that broadcasts basketball games at the University of North Carolina, my alma mater. Apparently I was the only person who realized that people might be watching as well as listening.

This show is broadcast from a local restaurant and is done for a live and broadcast audience. The set consisted of the coach and the host sitting at a table with a banner slapped on it with duct tape ( wrinkles and all) and it looked like it had been lit with a couple of maglites. About half the time the single static camera shot was blocked by people walking back and forth in front of the camera, probably on their way to the bar.

Its difficult to understand how an organization that should be as media savy as an NCAA Division 1 athletic department could allow a presentation like this to be seen by anyone. It wasn’t good enough for YouTube!

The proliferation of digital television channels is going to mean that more and more program material that was intended to be heard but not seen is going to be broadcast. I’m not advocating that the bar for production values be set very high, but it’s got to be set higher than this.

GoodBuyGuys.com is your online source for Permacel gaffers tape, Duracell Procell batteries, MagLite flashlights, Nashua duct tape, Bay State wire ties, Electratrac and Coast Wire extension cords, and lots of other great products for the video production industry.

I had written several articles about stage collapses this summer and had been one of many in the production community who called for a re-examination of the standards applied to temporary stage structures.

I only realized recently that one very important part of the impacted community had not really spoken up.  This was because Cheap Trick guitarist and manager Dave Frey visited Congress to lobby for increased regulations on temporary stages.

As you may remember, Cheap Trick was set to perform on the stage that collapsed at the Ottowa Blues Fest on July 17.  Obvioiusly, these two have a unique experience in this area and speak with a voice that needs to be heard.

Nothing would bring about changes in this critical area more quickly than to have performers refuse to play in structures that did not meet strict codes and undergo thorough inspection.

A contract that specifies “no brown M&M’s” in the dressing room but says nothing about the safety of the stage is over due to be re-written.

GoodBuyGuys.com is your online source for Permacel gaffers tape, Duracell Procell batteries, MagLite flashlights, Nashua duct tape, Bay State wire ties, Hosa and Entertainment One extension cords and OnStage Stand mic stands.

Many years ago when I worked in the Technical Services Dept. at Duke University, we embraced a speaker cable connector standard that seems to have fallen by the wayside.  We used the standard XLR3 connector for speaker cables-the same connector that was used on microphone cables.

With my background in pro sound, I was familiar with both the quarter inch standard , and the Canon EP   multipin standard. I had never seen the XLR used for speaker cables.  I quickly became a convert. Here’s why.

Because speaker cables with XLR connectors have a male connector on one end and a female on the other, its easy to extend the length of a cable without an adapter.  Not using an adapter means not losing an adapter.  This is a really valuable feature when doing long outdoor speaker cable runs.

Each pin in an XLR3 connector is rated at 15 amps.   That’s more than enough current carrying capacity for most practical amplifier outputs.

The flexible strain relief boot on an XLR connector is flexible enough to handle 2 conductor 14 gauge, or even 12 gauge cable.

Each pin makes independent contact with the mating connector, unlike a quarter inch connector where the tip must make contact with the sleeve before it mates with the tip.

Finally the solid, easy to use locking mechanism on the XLR3 means that no additional securing of a connection is necessary when cables are linked together.

A couple of amplifier manufacturers adopted this standard back in the 1980′s, but they let it fall by the wayside when the industry as a whole failed to sign up.

On more than one occasion, I must admit that I used a microphone cable as a temporary speaker cable when I ran out of speaker cables.  Try that with a Speakon cable!

GoodBuyGuys.com is your online source for Shurtape gaffers tape, Duracell Procell batteries, MagLite flashlights, Nashua duct tape, Bay State wire ties, Electratrac and Coast Wire extension cords , OnStage Stand mic stands and quality speaker cables.

After being in the tape business for twenty years, it’s not every day that learn something new. When a customer shares a new tip with us, I enjoy passing it along to you.

We’ve been working with the US Volleyball Assoc. over the last year to help develop some new floor marking products. Volleyball matches are often played on basketball gym floors and this means that a temporary playing court must be laid out over the existing basketball lines. Its a lot of work!

Gym floors require a tape that won’t damage the floor finish when its removed and we have been supplying Shurtape 724 to a number of college programs for their floor.

Laying out a playing surface on a synthetic floor requires a different product. Vinyl tapeworks better and this is where a really clever technique comes in.

Our friends at USA Volleyball put their vinyl tape in the refrigerator. They learned that when the tape is cold it doesn’t stretch, meaning that the lines are straighter and the tape is less likely to contract and pull up from the floor. It’s a great idea and it really works.

Need some tape to put temporary markings on the floor? Check in the refrigerator!

GoodBuyGuys.com is your online source for Shurtape gaffers tape, Duracell Procell batteries, MagLite flashlights, Nashua duct tape, Bay State wire ties, Electratrac and Coast Wire extension cords , OnStage Stand mic stands , Dance Floor Tape and “value added” customer service. Check withus for all your temporary floor marking needs.

RSS Feed

Neutrik, the maker of a broad line of audio connectors, has a great new product that every sound person ought to know about.  Its a new style of XLR connector called theConvertcon.

How many times have you gotten to the end of a long XLR cable run, only to discover that you had the wrong gender connector in your hand?  The Convertcon makes that a thing of the past.

By simply sliding the connector barrel forward or back, a male XLR3 connector can become a female XLR3, or vice versa.  No more coiling and rerunning the cable or digging through your tool box for a turn around.

While the cost ($12.00 or more) keeps this connector from being practical to use on all mic cables, those special long run control cables or the ones you use to interface with someone else’s equipment are where this innovative connector shines.

The problem of running a long interface cable “blind” to a remote patch bay, an outboard production truck, or an unknown facility interface just got a whole lot easier.

GoodBuyGuys.com is your online source for Shurtape gaffers tape, Duracell Procell batteries, MagLite flashlights, Nashua duct tape, Bay State wire ties, Electratrac and Coast Wire extension cords , OnStage Stand mic stands and quality speaker cables.

I don’t watch much television, and if I do, its usually “late night”. I’m always surprised to see how prominently musical equipment manufacturers logos are displayed when you see bands on programs like Late Night With David Letterman or The Tonight Show. While its true that some of these players have endorsement deals with the equipment makers, others don’t. More importantly, in most cases companies like Yamaha and Tama aren’t paying the networks directly for this tremendous exposure. Meanwhile companies like Ford and GM are paying millions for advertising on the same shows that might be nearly as effective.

Its a lot easier to get video exposure for your band than it was a few years ago. You Tube, cable and satellite TV, and other online channels mean that performers using musical equipment have tons of opportunities to be seen. If you are interested in the possibility of getting some sort of endorsement deal, try using a little well placed gaffers tape to cover up the logos of any equipment that might appear in your video.

You can be sure that if someone from Marshall or Fender sees you using their equipment with the logo obscured they will realize that they are missing an opportunity to put their name in front of lots of eyeballs. With a popular YouTube video getting millions of views, this type of exposure can rival that of a 3 minute performance by a popular artist on a network program.

Equipment manufacturers pay lots of money to popular performers to use and be seen with their gear. There’s no reason that you should miss out.

GoodBuyGuys.com is your online source for Shurtape gaffers tape, Duracell Procell batteries, MagLite flashlights, Nashua duct tape, Bay State wire ties, Electratrac and Coast Wire extension cords and OnStage Stand mic stands. We’ve got gaffers tape in 13 colors!

Still, we sometimes come across tape art installations that take our breath away.

If you have a minute, you’ll enjoy these two videos.

http://www.vimeo.com/23322827

http://www.vimeo.com/24107126

GoodBuyGuys.com is your online source for Permacel gaffers tape, Duracell Procell batteries, MagLite flashlights, Nashua duct tape, Bay State wire ties, Hosa and Entertainment One extension cords and OnStage Stand mic stands.

He started with axes with elaborately painted handles and has moved on to other objects, each with some sort of embellishment.

Paying a premium price for one of his axes with a hand painted handle made some sense, because it combined a useful item with hand work done by a well known artist.

Bestmade.com’s latest offering, however, mystifies me.  It is a line of extension cords designed to look like extension cords looked 50 years ago.  They are covered in cloth rather than rubber insulation and appear to be almost impossible to properly coil.  They are restricted to indoor use and the offering says they are intended for “small” appliances, but the specs do not list a wire size.  If they are UL approved, I can’t find that info anywhere on the web site.

Retro for art’s sake is fine, and there is plenty about mid 20th century design that is worth preserving.  However this particular item looks like a good way to burn your house down.  Cloth covered extension cords were known to be subject to easy abrasion of the outer covering and were subject to being gnawed through by mice and squirrels.  Their cotton outer covering is flammable and they don’t have the ability to “grip” the connectors like a rubber-jacketed cable does.

We will continue to enjoy looking at Bestmade.com’s product offerings, but really think they should reconsider selling this product.

Oh, by the way.  The cost for their 10 foot extension cord?  $34.00!

_______________

Click here for extension cord safety tips.

GoodBuyGuys.com is your online source for Permacel gaffers tape, Duracell Procell batteries, MagLite flashlights, Nashua duct tape, Bay State wire ties, Hosa and Entertainment One extension cords and OnStage Stand mic stands.  Extension cords are one of our specialties.

Sun Kwak, a Korean artist, is using over three miles of black masking tape to create an abstract art installation at the Brooklyn Museum.

Deploying a special six inch width black masking tape provided by Shurtape, Kwak has developed a method of applying and then tearing the tape she applied to columns in the museum’s rotunda.  This appears as wavy lines and patterns contrasted against the museum gallerie’s walls.  The effect is stunning.  To a casual observer, it looks like thousands of feet of painted patterns.

The artist has spent almost 300 hours on this installation.

After that,  its three miles of tape headed for the landfill.

GoodBuyGuys.com is your online source for Permacel gaffers tape, Duracell Procell batteries, MagLite flashlights, Nashua duct tape, Bay State wire ties, Hosa and Entertainment ONe extension cords, OnStage Stand mic stands. Click here for lots of useful graphic arts supplies.

One of the ideas that comes up over and over is the timeless concept that “the customer is always right”. After many years of selling specialty products online and through catalog sales, I can tell you that nothing could be further from the truth.

I field at least a couple of phone calls every day from a prospective customer who needs to be talked out of making a purchase from us. This is sometimes harder to do than one might think, but I would always prefer to lose a sale than to sell you the wrong item.

Over and over, a customer will try to talk me out of recommending that they not use a tape product for an outdoor application because it does not have UV protection and is not intended to stand up to exposure to sunlight.

Time after time, I have to convince a customer that using an extension cord of too small a gauge will create a fire hazard.

I wish I had a nickel for all the times I have tried (unsuccessfully) to convince a caller that the performance of a ProCell battery is identical to that of a Duracell CopperTop.

It has always been our hope that by creating web sites that were deep with information that we could lead customers to make the right choice-a purchasing choice that would provide a product that met their needs. The same theory is at work when we provide information that should help a prospective customer realize that they product they are considering is not the right item to meet their needs.

Sometimes we lose a sale by insisting that the customer is not always right, but, in the end, this is a lot more satisfying than trying to always make the sale.

Are you someone who believes that conventional business wisdom is not always the way to go? Share your thoughts with us!

GoodBuyGuys.com is your online source for Shurtape gaffers tape, Duracell Procell batteries, MagLite flashlights, Nashua duct tape, Bay State wire ties, Enterainment 1 extension cords , OnStage Stand mic stands and quality speaker cables.