Tax return goodies?

[FrankenFretter]

I did a search and didn't see a posting for this yet, so....

Any plans for your tax return funds, if indeed you're getting any?

I'm not getting any guitars this year. Instead, we're getting a new bed and frame, a new printer (I will never, ever buy another Kodak printer), and I'm getting a few little things for myself. Some pedals, a new speaker and hopefully a seven-space guitar rack. Not quite as exciting as a new guitar, but I just got one of those not long ago.

For pedals, this is what I'm getting:

Biyang AD8 analog delay. Nice bucket-brigade delay, with up to 1100 ms of delay. Sweet!

Also, this:

TC Electronics Hall of Fame reverb. Toneprint series, so you can download tones off the Intrawebz from your favorite guitarists. Buying this used.

Also, this speaker:

I'll be pulling one of my vintage alnico Rolas from my 2 x 12 and replacing it with this. I want to round out the tone a bit, and this might just be the ticket. Also getting this used.

How about you?

 

[marnold]

Since I'm technically self-employed (at least as far as the government is concerned for Social Security purposes), I pay my own taxes quarterly. Anything leftover is just applied to next year's taxes. I try to keep it so I withhold about as much as I need to pay. We'll see how it goes this year because it is the first time my wife has worked full time since we got married.

I do have to laugh at people who look at a tax return as a major windfall of free money instead of what it really is: an interest-free loan to the government.

 

[Eric]

I do have to laugh at people who look at a tax return as a major windfall of free money instead of what it really is: an interest-free loan to the government.

I realize that, but in my younger years when I was less organized financially (i.e. before I met my wife and she did all of the bookkeeping) the tax return basically served as a built-in savings plan for me. The 'fee' was the interest I could have made on it had I kept the right amount in the beginning, I suppose. These days it just ends up going into savings, so once my life settles down I might look at matching up the regular withholdings a bit better.

As far as gear is concerned, I'm pretty set for now. Seeing how guitar gear is a journey rather than a destination (for me, anyway), I'm sure that will eventually change. For now, I'm working on my mad bass skillz.

 

[piebaldpython]

I do have to laugh at people who look at a tax return as a major windfall of free money instead of what it really is: an interest-free loan to the government.

Yeah, I see your point.........BUT.........my earnings vary due to OT and I am absolutely anal about not owing the Fed gov't a cent at the end of the year. I know way too many people who were SURPRISED....in a bad way. As Eric said, it's a savings bank you don't even think about and then you get a nice check......and vacation, extras and GAS are taken care of.

Thinkin' about getting this slide course from John Tuggle:
http://www.learningguitarnow.com/master-slide-bundle/

 

[deeaa]

I had that exact same delay! It's very 'vintage' and analog sounding, nothing like a regular digital delay. Quite liked it for thickening up leads some. The only problem with that kind of use is, short analog delays sometimes manage to give the guitar a kind of autotuned sounding vibe, as the delayed sound oscillates after the real one.

BTW out of professional interest, how does the taxation system work for you guys? What I have understood, you kinda calculate it yourself & pay it at some intervals, and then may have auditions etc possibly?
Also is it true that in many places you get paid on weekly basis? Are cheques still used for that?

Here it works so that we must give our employees a card that tells them how much of the pay they must pay for the government out of every (monthly) pay, and the net sum after they also reduce the union fees etc. will be paid to our bank accounts. That's the only option, unless you have a bank account you can't get paid. Never heard of weekly salaries either. I pay 36% income tax plus whatever fees included from my pay. Whatever I buy, already has a 21% VAT (or less in food and some other stuff) plus cars have like 102% tax applied, so all in all, over 50% of my total income is spent on various taxes. But, if you're like a student etc. you basically don't pay any taxes then when income is low, it's very progressive.

The best reason to become an entrepreneur would be that if you have a business, you can buy cars etc. for the business tax free, as well as anything else you need for the business...so businessmen can have really sweet cars etc. of course.

Then every year we fill in a form, where we must estimate how much will we make next year, also side jobs etc. and report possible deductions. For instance if I renovate my house I can claim all the worker costs as decuctions, and what I spend for commuting to work, and all kinds of stuff like that. Then, later on, we get a letter either saying we still owe this much to the government, or how much will we receive in returns. If married, you can choose to also balance each other's debts if any occur.

I always make sure I overestimate my incomes just a little, so I always end up with 500-1000 bucks in tax returns every year, and typically I spend most of that money towards my computer.

 

[Eric]

BTW out of professional interest, how does the taxation system work for you guys? What I have understood, you kinda calculate it yourself & pay it at some intervals, and then may have auditions etc possibly? Also is it true that in many places you get paid on weekly basis? Are cheques still used for that?

How frequently you get paid tends to depend on the job you have. For the hourly, schedule-driven jobs like working in retail, it's not unheard of to get a check every week. Most salaried workers get paid every two weeks, and for some people it's once a month. Most of the places I've worked recently have all but required direct deposit, where your paycheck just gets added to your checking account directly.

For taxes, you fill out a form that lists the number of dependents you have and other such things that would make your taxes lower. That determines how much money is deducted from every paycheck. You can put an artificially high or low number on there AFAIK. The reconciliation of your pay, tax bracket, deductions, etc. comes on April 15th. So if you've had too much money deducted from each paycheck, you get a check from the government. If you did not have enough deducted/withheld, you pay in.

 

[deeaa]

Alright...thanks...so it is much the same. Only I never heard of anything but monthly pay here, and I haven't seen a cheque in my life. Almost plastic and account transfers only these days.

Sent from my HTC HD2 using Tapatalk

 

[NWBasser]

I'm thinking maybe one of these:

http://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/BassFuzzDlx/

:dude

 

[Commodore 64]

I ordered:

4 5E3 Circuit Boards
2 Power Transformers (Edcor, Classic Tone)
2 Output Transformers (Edcor Classic Tone)
1 Cannibis Rex Speaker
A big *** Mouser order:
https://www.mouser.com/ProjectManager/ProjectDetail.aspx?AccessID=5B093BF134
and a bunch of stuff from www.tubesandmore.com
C-MD022-630 Capacitor - Mallory 150 M Series, .022 µF @ 630 V 10 6.70
C-MD1-630 Capacitor - Mallory 150 M Series, .1 µF @ 630 V 3 3.09
P-0802H Terminal Strip - 8 Lug, 1st & 8th Lug Common, Horizontal, package of 5 1 4.25
P-44 Dial Lamp - #44, T-3-1/4, 6.3V, .25A, Bayonet Base 1 3.00
P-ST8-193G Socket - 8 Pin Octal, Ceramic, PC Mount, Gold Pins 4 10.00
P-ST9-225 Socket - 9 Pin, Ceramic, PC Mount 4 7.00
R-R120 Resistor - Wirewound Power, 10 W, 120 Ohm 2 2.60
R-R250 Resistor - Wirewound Power, 10 W, 250 Ohm 2 2.60
R-R300 Resistor - Wirewound Power, 10 W, 300 Ohm 2 2.60
R-V38-1MA Pot - Alpha, 1M Audio, 3/8" Bushing 2 3.50
R-V38-250KL Pot - Alpha, 250K Linear, 3/8" Bushing 2 3.50
R-V38-25KL Pot - Alpha, 25K Linear, 3/8" Bushing 2 3.50
R-V38-5KL Pot - Alpha, 5K Linear, 3/8" Bushing 2 3.50
S-F316G Tolex Glue - 1 Gallon 1 53.95
S-H408 Nut - Wire, Small, package of 12 1 0.18
T-12AX7-S-JJ 12AX7/ECC83S - Triode, Dual, Spiral Filament, JJ Electronics 2 19.50
T-12AY7-GT 12AY7 - Groove Tube 1 23.00
T-12AY7-RCA 12AY7 - Triode, Dual, RCA Brand 1 33.20
T-6V6GT-TUNG-MP 6V6GT - Tung-Sol Reissue - Made in Russia, Matched Pair 2 70.00

I'm hoping this outlay will turn into a sustainable source of funds for future projects.

 

[Tig]

Fender Super Champ X2 Head
The X2 is the latest version that replaces the XD. I'm not sure what the differences are. I'll try to get some playing tim in before I go to work tonight.

 

[Eric]

Fender Super Champ X2 Head
The X2 is the latest version that replaces the XD. I'm not sure what the differences are. I'll try to get some playing tim in before I go to work tonight.

Wow, is that what

Oh, and HNAD for me next week...

was in reference to?

 

[NWBasser]

I'm thinking maybe one of these:

http://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/BassFuzzDlx/

:dude

Upon further review of various sound clips, I decided that's just too much fuzz for me. I'm more interested in some gritty overdrive than actual fuzz.

To that end, I ordered a Hartke VXL Bass Attack pedal. More tubey distortion and serves well as a DI pre-amp. I'll give it a go with guitar too and report the results.

 

[Eric]

Upon further review of various sound clips, I decided that's just too much fuzz for me. I'm more interested in some gritty overdrive than actual fuzz.

To that end, I ordered a Hartke VXL Bass Attack pedal. More tubey distortion and serves well as a DI pre-amp. I'll give it a go with guitar too and report the results.

Ah, bass. I hope to actually use my bass publicly for like the second time ever within a month or so; could be exciting. It's the only stringed instrument I currently have available to play at home.

 

[Bookkeeper's Son]

Actually, a tax return is the form one fills out and sends to the government. If you've overpaid you get a tax refund.

And I totally agree with Marnold about giving the government a free loan. It's bad enough that they mandatorily require withholding, so I'm not about to let the bastards have an advance any higher than my actual tax burden.

 

[NWBasser]

Ah, bass. I hope to actually use my bass publicly for like the second time ever within a month or so; could be exciting. It's the only stringed instrument I currently have available to play at home.

Sweet. Please let me know how it goes for you Eric.

What will you be using for an amph?

 

[Eric]

Sweet. Please let me know how it goes for you Eric.

What will you be using for an amph?

Well, I'm not completely sure how this church does it (yes, I do most public playing in church), but I 'auditioned' on some big Ampheg amph. It sounded good. Not sure of the model. It might end up going into the PA. Not quite sure about that yet.

But...I'm pretty jazzed at the opportunity to lay down some grooves. I intentionally didn't try out on guitar because I'm most interested in getting in some bass time.

 

[Tig]

Yep, that's the one!
Just 15 minutes of playing with all of the voices, and I am more than impressed. I was not expecting the Brit and Metal models to be so good! :rockya They sound much better than the Mustang's version of these. Well, using a 1x12 cab helps quite a bit, too. I was expecting the Fender models to be good, naturally. Also, the effects are quite intuitive to choose/adjust and more useful than the Mustang's.

I can't wait to dig in deeper.

(We only got a little over $900 returned this year, which is just right IMO.)

 

[FrankenFretter]

Actually, a tax return is the form one fills out and sends to the government. If you've overpaid you get a tax refund.

And I totally agree with Marnold about giving the government a free loan. It's bad enough that they mandatorily require withholding, so I'm not about to let the bastards have an advance any higher than my actual tax burden.

You're right. Both of you are right. But...

As Eric mentioned, when he was young and not so money-wise, it was a way to be sure that you'd have that lump sum every year. Some of us still use that for our end of the year bonus, so to speak. It's not the wisest thing to do with your money, I know. But at least I always have something every February to count on, and I never owe. This year I am having less taken out, so I have more take-home pay though. I think I'm forever paranoid since having to pay one year (yes, only one year).

By the way, I got my Hall of Fame pedal yesterday. I'm about to go try that out right now...

 

[Ch0jin]

I ordered:

4 5E3 Circuit Boards
2 Power Transformers (Edcor, Classic Tone)
2 Output Transformers (Edcor Classic Tone)
1 Cannibis Rex Speaker
A big *** Mouser order:
https://www.mouser.com/ProjectManager/ProjectDetail.aspx?AccessID=5B093BF134
and a bunch of stuff from www.tubesandmore.com
C-MD022-630 Capacitor - Mallory 150 M Series, .022 µF @ 630 V 10 6.70
C-MD1-630 Capacitor - Mallory 150 M Series, .1 µF @ 630 V 3 3.09
P-0802H Terminal Strip - 8 Lug, 1st & 8th Lug Common, Horizontal, package of 5 1 4.25
P-44 Dial Lamp - #44, T-3-1/4, 6.3V, .25A, Bayonet Base 1 3.00
P-ST8-193G Socket - 8 Pin Octal, Ceramic, PC Mount, Gold Pins 4 10.00
P-ST9-225 Socket - 9 Pin, Ceramic, PC Mount 4 7.00
R-R120 Resistor - Wirewound Power, 10 W, 120 Ohm 2 2.60
R-R250 Resistor - Wirewound Power, 10 W, 250 Ohm 2 2.60
R-R300 Resistor - Wirewound Power, 10 W, 300 Ohm 2 2.60
R-V38-1MA Pot - Alpha, 1M Audio, 3/8" Bushing 2 3.50
R-V38-250KL Pot - Alpha, 250K Linear, 3/8" Bushing 2 3.50
R-V38-25KL Pot - Alpha, 25K Linear, 3/8" Bushing 2 3.50
R-V38-5KL Pot - Alpha, 5K Linear, 3/8" Bushing 2 3.50
S-F316G Tolex Glue - 1 Gallon 1 53.95
S-H408 Nut - Wire, Small, package of 12 1 0.18
T-12AX7-S-JJ 12AX7/ECC83S - Triode, Dual, Spiral Filament, JJ Electronics 2 19.50
T-12AY7-GT 12AY7 - Groove Tube 1 23.00
T-12AY7-RCA 12AY7 - Triode, Dual, RCA Brand 1 33.20
T-6V6GT-TUNG-MP 6V6GT - Tung-Sol Reissue - Made in Russia, Matched Pair 2 70.00

I'm hoping this outlay will turn into a sustainable source of funds for future projects.

LOL, that's exactly the sort of present I buy for myself too! I have so many boxes of cool parts after ordering up for my JTM45 build. It's a shame some of the cool stuff will be hidden away in the head shell

In Aus our EOFY is June, so my tax return goodies decision is a way off yet

 

[Commodore 64]

Yeah, I have buyers lined up for 2 amphs, assuming they sound like I think they will once I get them put together.

 

[Tig]

Now, with barely legal photos!

 

[FrankenFretter]

Yeah, I have buyers lined up for 2 amphs, assuming they sound like I think they will once I get them put together.

That's awesome! Maybe next year I'll have you build me an amph with my refund.

 

[bcdon]

Now, with barely legal photos!

Very cool! How do you like it?

 

[NWBasser]

Yeah, I have buyers lined up for 2 amphs, assuming they sound like I think they will once I get them put together.

Very cool. Will your amphs give sceaming solos though?

 

[FrankenFretter]

Very cool. Will your amphs give sceaming solos though?

Only with dirt in the pullgain.

 

[sunvalleylaw]

Im self employed. I have not had a tax refund in forever.

 

[bcdon]

Im self employed. I have not had a tax refund in forever.

That's a good position to be in!

 

[Ch0jin]

Only with dirt in the pullgain.

100 Internet Points to you sir

 

[Commodore 64]

This morning I'm feeling very confident, as opposed to Tuesday. Tuesday was the day I had my 5E3 build apart for the upteenth time. I have been chasing some dragons since I got it put together. Something wasn't quite right. Troubleshooting was frustrating, tried LOADS of tubes in V1. The symptoms would change, but be similar too. Sometimes the amp would sound freakin' awesome, but sometimes it wouldn't. Then it started getting a terrible pulsating farty flab and crazy loud static. Found the problem with a chopstick...a filter cap with a cold solder joint. I replaced the cap. Stuck in the old used $11 6072 tube that I took a gamble on (that I thought was bad). Whammo. The amp roared to life. Acceptable hum, more than held it's own during rehearsal last night for 3.5 hours of driving it hard. It now sounds like I envisioned it would. Everybody liked my tone last night.

Another pleasant side-effect. The amp is so touch sensitive that I found myself using my fingers instead of the pick. I wanted to have my fingers on the strings, and it was wierd at first. Soon though, I could actuallyplay without the pick, although I never really did it much before. My fingers found the strings. I'm feeling awfully good about this hobby today!

Let me get a few builds under my belt. Next build is a 15w Bassman inspired circuit, based on the 5E3 PCB from PPwatt. I'm building it for a bandmate who had Bassman in the 70s and regrets selling it. We still have the bottom (2 x 15"), so that's cool. At this point, the idea is that he would pay me for the cost of the amp, if he likes it and it works. Gotta start somewhere. I'm definitely not comfortable taking money in advance for building an amp. The amp part, I'm comfortable with. The cabinet part, not so much.

 

[NWBasser]

Another pleasant side-effect. The amp is so touch sensitive that I found myself using my fingers instead of the pick. I wanted to have my fingers on the strings, and it was wierd at first. Soon though, I could actuallyplay without the pick, although I never really did it much before. My fingers found the strings. I'm feeling awfully good about this hobby today!

I went through the same revelation with my H&K tube amph. With the touch sensitivity, finger picking has become quite a treat. It seems to open up a whole new level of expression.