Well cop this, my maternal grandfather was Norwegian, my maternal grandmother was Scottish (McDonald of the Isles), my father’s side is Cornish.
100% pirate ancestry (by the Powers!)
2 Likes
I think a healthy distrust of private companies is a good thing. The potential for unethical use of your genetic material may seems a bit ‘tin foil hat’ but look at companies like Purdue. They brought a product to market (Oxycontin) that they knew had addiction problems and years later here we are. Thounds of lives ruined for what? profit. 23AndMe aren’t doing this for altruism.
So what does recreational DNA tell you. You’re a mix of DNA? Yeah we know that already. And? Does finding out you’re 3% Inuit suddenly make want you to go ice fishing?
Apple wants me to give them my fingerprints to make it easier to log into my phone. Yeah No thanks Tim, hard pass.
Old article, still relevant questions.
2 Likes
I agree with you 100%. This article has a lot of good points. I would also distrust any legislation that in theory would protect consumer’s data, because laws also can suddenly be changed.
Potentially the risks outweigh the benefits. We couldn’t know how that data would be used. Suppose someone has a recessive gene that could cause a serious disease, and insurance companies buy data from genetic testing companies (because it is in their best interest), and then the person is denied an insurance plan because of that. Or, their children could be denied insurance or coverage. And maybe their nephews could be denied insurance, because their parent’s siblings have the wrong genes. It is very concerning that the MyHeritage’s database has been hacked, as they offer both family tree services and genetic testing - I can only imagine how some companies could use that information. Or governments.
1 Like
It’s also by definition impossible to anonymize, and unless you are a clone made entirely from scratch with a new DNA sequence, even if it could be you would still be identifiable by familial link if any of your relatives ever got a test done, which is nearly a mathematical certainty over time.
While that might only sound like a problem for people trying to hide something, consider that you are only considering the current situation and not all potential future usage. You have potentially just handed over a unique biometric identifier for you and opened it up to all potential future DNA analysis and the outcomes of such studies.
It’s not something I would do just for shiggles.
1 Like
Everything is true what you all said. I share the same concerns - now even more than when we did it.
I still would do it again - not with a US company though. It’s all wild west in the US.
Here in Europe we have very strict rules to protect users, which I very much agree to.
So, to be a little serious (for once - I’m sorry):
My original reason to do it were to identify certain genetic risk factors, something that was legally restricted in Germany at the time (possibly still is). It could be done only on doctors advice, only in certain cases … and you would not direcly get access to results. That was not an option for me.
I will not comment my results, but I can say that it made me truly reconsider my life style, in the sense of: live healthier, have (even) more fun (which includes living less healthy) and not take things to seriously … EVER!
Everybody will die eventually … but not all endings are pleasant, so I find it’s good to know and assess certain risks and act accordingly. Every other factor (like the ones you mentioned) have no value, compared to the knowledge I gained.
3 Likes
Yep that’s a great reason to do it. There are completely valid and worthwhile reasons for DNA analysis and I would absolutely not hesitate in such a case. I have considered it myself for similar reasons due to some conditions my parents had.
3 Likes
A few years ago we thought about using Dante Labs. It’s European. Don’t know the latest status of them. There might be better competitors, like Centogene, which is German.
Germany has VERY strict laws, cause of it’s eugenics past and also very strict privacy laws cause of Gestapo and Stasi experiences…
2 Likes
Thanks, but I’m good. In the end I decided I don’t actually want to know 
2 Likes
I understand completely.
I had this discussion a lot with friends when we did the tests.
Most of them don’t want to know. Some things can’t be changed anyway, some people cannot handle heavy stuff. I respect that. When you get not so good results, it is a shock to cope with. You need to be aware beforehand and be prepared.
But it’s in my nature to know and to understand everything I encounter (hence WHYING_ dutchman), and the unknown is always and issue for me, be it small things (bass) or significant things (my destiny).
In the end it’s not about only knowing about things you cannot change (which would be depressing) but about knowing about things you cannot change and how to live your life BEFORE the inevetible happens. It must lead to consequences that are positive. And it did.
So, for me it helps. But I do understand that this is not for everybody…
2 Likes
I’ve been pretty opposed to all of the 23andme type companies, but another valid use case for it is my daughter. She was born when I was 18 and month before I graduated high school. She did the test when she was old enough and found the familial link to my cousin who put her in touch with me. With my time in the military moving around and having a pretty common name, I doubt she would have ever found me.
4 Likes
Ah .. it took a few seconds to understand that constellation.
That would actually be my reason against it! I had some pretty wild times in the 80s/90s/2000s and though I tried to be careful, you never know, especially when you party hard and stay awake for much too long (…), if you know what I mean.
Now I will be afraid, everytime somebody rings the door bell, thank you very much 
(Also, one of my ADHS park punk girls reminds me so very much of myself - she is unbearable, really. I hope she does not discover DNA tests … and I don’t ask about her mother anymore…)
But: good for you (and especially your daugther). You always speak very loving about her, so in your case it makes sense…
3 Likes
Ok, the Barney Pickguard is done!
Result:
Control plate needs to be done still…
How did I do it?
Original state of pickguard:
Glue on some plastic sheeting, to get rid of unevenness
Epoxy massacre:
Pressed firmly with magnets, so it’s even
Plastic sheeting cut to pickguard:
Mark new PU holes using template:
Drill holes for new pickguards, to determine where to cut:
Result when cavities are cut:
Cut car wrap to shape:
Lookie lookie: structured car wrap. Me likey!
Almost finished:
Done:
3 Likes
Oh my, I can’t get over how terrible it looked like in the beginning. How did you get it into that state? Looked like it fell into a furnace, then dropped into the ocean, and was swallowed and crapped by a tiger shark 
And you still managed to transform it into something beautiful! You are an artist! A very determined and obstinate artist! 
It looks beautiful!
What kind of car wrap is that, does it have a texture? It looks interesting. I wonder how long will it take before the park punks will want to order modded basses from you.
I almost forgot to ask, how does it sound like now with the new pickups?
1 Like
@Whying_Dutchman I’ve recently aquired a new MV-4MSB, and would love to replace the terrible tuners that come with it. This is a very long thread, so was wondering how you got the smaller Gotoh tuners to fit well in the end?
Wow…it looked super cool at this stage, but the end product you got to is nice too 
2 Likes
You are obliged to read the whole thread!
Just kidding:
The Gotoh’s are 14mm, the hole is 17mm (a little more, cause imperial inchouncegallonfahrenheits), so you need this:
https://www.amazon.de/dp/B0B713DB5W?ref_=ppx_hzod_title_dt_b_fed_asin_title_2_0
But: I would get matching size tuners if I were you, 17mm or 17.x mm. Gotoh is great and cheap, if you browse the internet a little. Where are you based?
I did the conversion to 14mm, cause I had some Hipshot Extenders lying around.
I made some previous conversions before: going from P/J to H/H and then H/H/H.
Also I had to learn about material and tools, so I made mistakes. Many mistakes.
While making a pickguard from scratch, I totally failed - so it’s better to always customize an old one … until it does not work out anymore.
Then I need to revisit making my own pickguards. I have all the materials here, also the tools. I just don’t dare to start on it.
I am very determined, always. But not an artist, really. Just somebody that learns from YouTube and ignores some “advice” here
It’s 3M 2080 car wrap, and that’s really the best one. You can get A4 samples for 4-7€, and that’s sufficient for a pickguard and control plate. So it’s cheap, durable (!!!), easy to apply (and remove). You could change it every few weeks - if you wanted to…
Yes, it has a texture. I like!
3M 2080 has many colours and effects, even colour changing:
It sounds … great!
A bass player I know from the park sometimes comes over with his 5 string 4000€ bass. It’s a monster!
He played my “new” 3 Humbucker bass and was like “Whoaw, that’s almost too much!”.
It can go very very “deep” now, but you can make it sound precise by switching some or all PUs to single coil, effectively Jazz bass mode.
I was afraid that the tone would become fuzzy. But it does not.
Also, the new config inspired me to place my thumb on different pickups, depending on the tone I want. The neck pickup is dark but does not cut very well through the mix (ideaöl for Kaizers Otchestra double bass stuff though). The bridge PU is thinner, the center is good for most cases.
I know what you mean - but that’s just the picture/lighting. In reality it did not work out. Also the plastic sheet is great cause heat resistance (for applying car wrap), but it crumbles quickly. So it’s not good as outer layer.
1 Like
I understand. After all, they are somewhat thick and it probably isn’t very easy to cut exactly in the right shape, with the curves and all. I wouldn’t know what tools to use.
I’m a master in procrastination! The only things I’m very diligent about are work tasks. But when it is something related to my hobbies and I’m my own boss, I might buy all the tools and materials, and then I keep them very well organised in a drawer for some years until I forget about them. Especially if the thing I want to do is somewhat complicated or I’m not sure how long it will take.
This is so awesome. I watched some videos. I didn’t know what car wrap was, and was surprised to see one could cover an entire car with this kind of material. Interesting that some have textures. That’s very cool and unique looking for a pickguard. I have never seen textured pickguards.
Is it easy to remove the wrap, in case you wanted a different look?
Sounds very cool! 
1 Like
If you’re a professional and have the tools & the space, use a router with a copying bit. There are some people here that know there way around routers and are happy to give advice.
If not, discover your inner child and use a jigsaw. This will be the tool for my next try. And by “my” I mean “my grirlfriend’s” as she has motorical abilities I will never poses
Whatever you do: NEVER EVER use a Dremel for that. It s#cks … I know…
Same here, but only for everything “overhead” (financial stuff, authorities, etc.)
This is where I get mine:
It’s fantastic stuff and very addictive. I want to wrap EVERYTHING in it, but my girlfriend objected to it
It’s very easy!
BUT: don’t do it for pickguards and control plates every few weeks. The issue is not the car wrap itself, but the wood screws that become loose after some time if you keep unscrewing/screwing. There are works-arounds (thread inserts), but that might going to far (I did it for one bass though, and it’s great).
Yeah! It’s a running joke in “my” other forum that I could add three additional Jazz pickups … but I really am not going to do that. This bass has reached its optimum stage (except the nut and possibly the bridge).