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Here is my Jeff Beck Strat Story


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One time I had this friend who played in a band in New York City, we were both living in South Jersey at the time and my friend comes over in a panic and says can I borrow your Strat for the weekend I have a gig opening for Jeff Beck at a club in NYC, and my guitar is in the shop (or whatever reason he gave me) So like a dummy I lend him my brand new black Strat (With 22 frets I might say)(one of those early 22 fret neck Strats) Anyways he comes home with the guitar on that Monday and I go over his place to recover my Srat and he tells me that Jeff Beck for some reason did not have his guitars with him, so he asks my buddy if he can borrow his (my) Strat and my buddy lends it to him. I was a bit pissed at the time because my rules on guitar loans were; "you do not let other players use my guitars". I stressed that to him several times before he took off with my strat.

 

Consequently I came up with a new rule. I never lend any of my instruments or amps to anyone. I later on had a hum-bucking pups put in the rear and Demarzio Stacks put into the middle and front of that Strat. and it was awesome, I also had a friend who did marquetry inlay some mushroom art into the guitar face. Later on I gave that guitar to my kiddo who still has it.

 

The guy who borrowed that guitar is now a professor at a college in NYC, I have not seen him since that guitar loan/return those many years

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+1 I don't loan my equipment (up to and including Jeff Beck). I will let my buddies play a guitar or two while I'm present, but that is usually just to let them feel the new guitar and get their comments on playability when I first come by a new addition to my guitar family. I don't loan amps or PA's either. :cool:
Take care, Larryz
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I have some select, solid friends that I can trust with guitars or amps.

But, they have their own gear mostly.

My bassist will loan me a bass amp if I ever need one, bass gigs have been few and far between lately but that's nice cuz I don't need to own one.

 

I'd be happy if Jeff Beck played one of my guitars, especially if I got to hear him! Cheers, Kuru

It took a chunk of my life to get here and I am still not sure where "here" is.
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Rule Number One for using one of my guitars: I will be nearby (measured in feet, not miles) at all times. Your hands must be clean, and you will not have any sort of hard object like a belt buckle than can produce any kind of visible mark on my guitar.

Rule Number Two: There are NO exceptions to Rule Number One.

Rule Number Three: If you are Jimmy Page, Jeff Beck, Keith Richards, Ted Nugent, or any other guitarist whom I highly respect, Rule Number One still applies to you.

I rock; therefore, I am.
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Sharkman, if that's your main guitar in your avatar photo, I get it.

 

I gig a LOT and I don't want to worry about my guitars. Add in that I've been a guitar tech for decades and do all my own work.

 

I build "screwdriver" guitars - Parts-O-Casters. My current favorite (top post in the Favorite Guitar thread) has a Squier body. That guitar was at a local pawn shop, described as "does not work, no sound" and $25 out the door. The usual problem, somebody tried to use a pair of pliers to tighten a loose output jack and twisted one or both leads off. Slapped it all on another body (sunburst, boring) and sold it long ago.

 

I would be offended if a drunk puke bile on it but I don't care at all if it gets scratched or chipped or whatever. If it was super nice one like your avatar photo, I would be super pissed off.

 

I stopped takng my Gibson ES-335 to gigs a long time ago. Just "beaters", I can set them up to play as good as anything out there and they sound good. That's all I need and a big load of worry off my mind.

Cheers, Kuru

 

It took a chunk of my life to get here and I am still not sure where "here" is.
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I don't have a Guitar I can afford to lose, so in that regard, I don't have one to lend, period. That's really what it comes down to, for me.

 

I might, maybe, hand over one of my Guitars to a pro like Jeff Beck or Marc Ribot, with a "You break it, you bought it" understanding attached, because at worst, I would expect they'd have the means (read: $$$) to replace it, but even then, I wouldn't lend them my 1984 Custom Legend.

"Monsters are real, and Ghosts are real too. They live inside us, and sometimes, they win." Stephen King

 

http://www.novparolo.com

 

https://thewinstonpsmithproject.bandcamp.com

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Kuru, yes, that picture is my main guitar. It is a Carvin CS6T that I had custom built back in 2008. You would need a magnifying glass and good lighting to find a scratch on it anywhere, if there is one. And if Jimmy Page wanted to borrow it, I would have to be there when he was playing, and then I would put it back in the case when he was done. I am that obsessive with my guitars.
I rock; therefore, I am.
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Kuru, yes, that picture is my main guitar. It is a Carvin CS6T that I had custom built back in 2008. You would need a magnifying glass and good lighting to find a scratch on it anywhere, if there is one. And if Jimmy Page wanted to borrow it, I would have to be there when he was playing, and then I would put it back in the case when he was done. I am that obsessive with my guitars.

 

Carvin guitars are very high quality. I haven't looked at the Keisel site to see if they offer wider fatter necks now.

Had one of their basses and except for being heavy I could not find any fault with it. It played and sounded fantastic. Somebody else's fun now.

 

We are all different, I am sort of scared of pristine, beautiful guitars and usually don't play them. :- D

No dings on anybody, would love to see a larger, clearer photo of yours, I can tell the top is gorgeous! Cheers, Kuru

 

It took a chunk of my life to get here and I am still not sure where "here" is.
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We are all different, I am sort of scared of pristine, beautiful guitars and usually don't play them. :- D

That is the one reason I began buying cheapo guitars, it does not matter how scratched up it gets or if someone steals it (Although I do take care of them fairly well) If something happens to a cheapo guitar, the loss is minimal. I have 2 of them, an Agile Strat Clone, and an Ibanez RG 321. I think I have about $900 in both of them. which includes $200 in hard-shell cases. I had to set them up myself with minimal fret filing and I also put $150 into a set of Fender Vintage Noiseless pups in the Agile Strat Clone which is included in the $900 I mentioned above. And truth be told both of them have been in use for about 10 years without any troubles after setting them up initially. And in fact I like them both better than any Fender or Gibson guitar that I have ever owned, and I have had about 20 to 30 of those over the 53 years that I have been playing.

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DBM, you understand my way of going about things. I use padded gig bags with backpack straps. Put my little amp and bag o' tricks on a folding luggage carrier and it's one trip in and out of the gig. with one hand free to open doors.

 

If the club is small and needs PA, I bring my Fishman Loudbox Performer since we only need 2 mics. Our singer/leader has a larger, modular PA and we bring whatever amount of that needs used for the size of the room (or outdoors) and the volume that is appropriate.

 

If somebody wants to sit in I tell them "Don't touch my amp" because i don't want them turning up and getting all crazy. Most of them hand my guitar back immediately when they check out the scalloped fretboard. Scaredy cats! :- ) Someday somebody will play it and hire me to scallop theirs.

 

I don't intentionally beat up my guitars either. It is just one less thing I have to think about. I mentioned not taking my Gibson ES-335 to gigs anymore above. It's not because it is pristine, it's got 1,000 gigs on it easily.

It's that the headstock has never been broken. I've repaired a few Gibson headstock breaks, it always makes me sad even if the guitar is not mine. So Ginger (she's red) stays at home...

It took a chunk of my life to get here and I am still not sure where "here" is.
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@Kuru I take very good care of my guitars also, they live in their cases unless they are in my hands. Two of my three guitars have almost no flaws, the only one that has a few minor blemishes is my homemade parts-caster which is 35 years old or so. Since I don't play out (since the late 60"s up to the mid 70's or so) I have no problems with people who want to sit in. I remember once letting someone use my amp on stage and he turned the thing up to ear shattering volumes, so I went up and shut the amp off in the middle of his little musical masturbations (If he don't respect my stuff, I do not respect him). He got all pissed, but we were a band consisting of day job construction workers, so he knew better than to start something. After that no one used my amps on stage. My answer was; if you ain't got your equipment here, go get it if you want to play here tonight..........

 

I also never use anyone else's equipment. I would not try anyone's guitars, simply because I respect their love of their stuff, and truth be told I do not play well with other folks instruments. My guitar habits are geared to my instruments, so I do my best work on my own stuff.

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@Kuru I take very good care of my guitars also, they live in their cases unless they are in my hands. Two of my three guitars have almost no flaws, the only one that has a few minor blemishes is my homemade parts-caster which is 35 years old or so. Since I don't play out (since the late 60"s up to the mid 70's or so) I have no problems with people who want to sit in. I remember once letting someone use my amp on stage and he turned the thing up to ear shattering volumes, so I went up and shut the amp off in the middle of his little musical masturbations (If he don't respect my stuff, I do not respect him). He got all pissed, but we were a band consisting of day job construction workers, so he knew better than to start something. After that no one used my amps on stage. My answer was; if you ain't got your equipment here, go get it if you want to play here tonight..........

 

I also never use anyone else's equipment. I would not try anyone's guitars, simply because I respect their love of their stuff, and truth be told I do not play well with other folks instruments. My guitar habits are geared to my instruments, so I do my best work on my own stuff.

 

I don't beat my stuff up but I also do not like to worry about it. The friends that I know and allow to sit in on my gear are almost all afraid of the scalloped neck. Life is pretty worry free!

I play acoustic guitar and 12 string, nylon string, bass, banjo, lap steel and switch from Gibson scale to Fender scale lengths all the time. I can't do the same things on an acoustic guitar that I can on an electric guitar so I do different things. I like playing other guitars, even if I don't like them!!! May not make sense to everybody but I am not everybody!

 

I am overly cautious with new or pristine guitars, I find that inhibiting so I simply don't play them. Cheers, Kuru

 

It took a chunk of my life to get here and I am still not sure where "here" is.
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+1 I like playing my different guitars with different necks and feels, electronics, etc. Acoustic Taylor steel string, Acoustic Taylor nylon string, Acoustic Takamine Parlor steel string, Gibson LP, 3 Fender Strats (ebony, maple, rosewood), Epiphone ES-175, Conti Heirloom, Taylor T5, Taylor T3b...sold or gave away my Jag and Jazzmaster recently. My guitars may not all be pristine but they have few dings and I don't loan them out! :cool:

 

My "Favorite and Comfort" guitar is my semi-hollow archtop Conti Heirloom jazz guitar (which I waited for about 10 years to buy), so I'll post this on the other two threads as well too LOL! :cool: :cool:

Take care, Larryz
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@Sharkman - just beautiful!

 

@DBM & KuruPrionz - All of my Guitars live in HSC's with humidifiers, and all of my other gear lives in padded gig bags, or cast-off laptop bags. I definitely know that feeling of "Damn, I don't want to see the first ding on this nice new Guitar", but I know it's eventually going to happen. Still, no reason to be careless, even with your "beater" Guitars.

 

I've never been a big fan of gig bags for Guitars, in part because I'm tall. Carrying a gig bag like a backpack while walking through a doorway seems like an invitation to a headstock break; OTOH, I've had Guitars take a serious fall, while in a HSC, and not even go out of tune. I'm a big believer in Tolex-covered plywood.

"Monsters are real, and Ghosts are real too. They live inside us, and sometimes, they win." Stephen King

 

http://www.novparolo.com

 

https://thewinstonpsmithproject.bandcamp.com

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@ Sharkman, that's a great looking guitar!

 

@ DBM, Kuru, Winston, et al, +1,000 I keep all of my guitars in their cases when not in use. Keeps the dust out of the switches, pots, electronics, body, etc. I never leave home without a hard shell case. When it comes to dings, I want to be the one who puts them there, so I don't loan my guitars. The cases also help with humidity and temperature changes. I have a humidity/temp gauge in my music room. I leave the door open on the room and closet where my guitars all live. They get the same temp treatment that I do from the heat and the cold. The humidity stays around 45. In the summer is when we get a very dry heat. The AC will dry things out so I put a swamp cooler in one of my windows and it puts moisture back in the air. I am able to monitor and keep the humidity under control by switching to AC whenever the swamp cooler (evaporative cooler) can't keep up (i.e. outside temps over 100). I also have a whole house fan and use it in the summer every morning to avoid turning on the AC as long as possible. I haven't been burning wood and the gas heater doesn't affect the humidity. When I start using the fireplace/stove, I'll monitor the humidity changes, if any. as they will dry things out. :cool:

Take care, Larryz
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Thanks Sharkman, that is a beauty!!!

 

Winston and Larry, as a guitar tech for decades - two things I've seen as a primary cause of damage, neither of them were padded gig bags.

 

Strap"locks" - I approve of (and use) the Schaller straplocks but a few of my guitars/basses have the strap permanently fastened with 2 longer than stock screws and two washers (small center hole, large diameter).

The Dunlop stuff was crap (and may still be), I've glued a few Gibson headstocks back on when Dunlop strap locks failed and in a couple of cases Dunlop even paid the luthier bill although they did not compensate the owner for the loss of value. The strap on my 86 Gibson ES 335 Studio has been attached since about 1990 and it is not going anywhere.

 

I do not trust strap buttons at all, they are probbaly better than some of the strap locks since they don't create a false sense of security but in my experience fixing broken guitars, they have been responsible for damage.

 

My guitar straps do not come off. Many guitar cases do not have room for a permanently attached strap, padded gig bags do.

 

I am also tall at 6'3", run my backpack straps out as long as they will go and with one exception (bass) I've never even come close to the top of a doorway. The bass does scrape the top just a bit, it is a maple neck and I am not worried about it breaking.

 

The other cause of damage is poorly designed guitar stands. The Hercules are far and away the best affordable guitar stand although I've seen a "copy" that looked nice too. I've heard "It fell off the stand" too many times!!!! Putting your guitar away in a hardshell case during set breaks is the best option but usually means unplugging and removing the strap then reversing the process when break ends. I don't do that.

 

Not so worried about humidity changes, the electrics that are out are all solid bodies with substantial finishes. My acoustic 6 and 12 string are 100% graphite - Rainsong guitars. Other wood acoustics (just a couple of them) stay home in their cases unless needed for a special gig or recording.

 

We are all different and our circumstances are different (and often dictate our responses) so please take heed of your guitar straps and stands and do what you do!!! Cheers, Kuru

It took a chunk of my life to get here and I am still not sure where "here" is.
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We have high humidity, I keep my Strat in HSC and my Squier in a gig bag. I don't have hearing or air, ceiling fans in bedrooms and living room and a heat lamp in the bathroom. I have room humidifiers in bedrooms and living room.

I don't let people use my guitars. I only have 2 and can't afford to have someone damage one.

I use Lakota Leather straps which are a very soft leather. I'm told they are like glove leather, I've never worn gloves so I wouldn't know. They do require strap locks. I use Fender strap blocks, they are like a hard rubber washer and they hold really good.

 

I love Jeff Beck. Becks Bolero is near the top of my play list. He seams like a rebel, someone not controlled by TPTB.

Jenny S.
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@KuruPrionz - +100 on Schaller strap locks! I put them on all my Electric Guitars, period. Never liked the Dunlop design, so I never tried them. It pays to check that everything is tight, even in the Schallers, but I've never had a set fail on me.

"Monsters are real, and Ghosts are real too. They live inside us, and sometimes, they win." Stephen King

 

http://www.novparolo.com

 

https://thewinstonpsmithproject.bandcamp.com

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@ Kuru,

 

1. I've only had one MIM Nashville Tele that came with a gig bag instead of a HSC. The padded bag was of excellent quality and I trusted it over cheaper gig bags. When I did use one of the cheaper gig bags before finding a case to keep the scratches off, the Tele I was using always rode up front with me until I found a HSC for it. Even solid bodies can be affected by humidity. The Nashville Tele wood around the string through orifices shrank a little and some would loosen up a little but it didn't create a problem (just a little more time stringing on some of them that would slip out) till I glued them back in.

 

2. +1 1,000 on cheap music stands causing dings when guitars fall off of them. I solved that problem by purchasing my 3 way Hercules heavy duty guitar stand with the locking holders. I like it so much that I bought a heavy duty Hercules mic stand too. Keeps people from knocking my teeth out with the mic LOL! And the mic from accidently taking a fall by getting knocked over...plus fast adjustments going from standing to sitting, short to tall people, etc.

 

3. I usually do not use strap locks as I like to sit down and play. Back in my standup days, I had them on my Strats and Teles. They too would come loose (similar to the string through orifices shrinkage). A little wood glue on the screw solved the problem. Some of them are different sizes in the gold a silver and you want to make sure you had the right ones before heading out to the gigs...I may have had both Dunlop and Schaller and haven't been using either for quite some time. My stock Taylor, Gibson, etc., straps stay on just fine without them.

 

4. +1 we all have different circumstances especially with humidity and just need to pay attention (especially on acoustic guitars with solid tops).

 

:cool:

 

 

Take care, Larryz
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I love my guitars, but I'm not really that precious about them. I admit that I'd get a bit twitchy if just anybody wandered into a gig, picked them up, and started going off on them. I think that's rude, really.

 

But Jeff Beck isn't just anybody...Frankly, I'd only be pissed if he didn't autograph it and let me have pictures of him playing it. The value of my guitar would at least double if I could prove he played it.

Always remember that you are unique. Just like everyone else.

 

 

 

 

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But Jeff Beck isn't just anybody...Frankly, I'd only be pissed if he didn't autograph it and let me have pictures of him playing it. The value of my guitar would at least double if I could prove he played it.

 

Truth be told I like Becks playing a big bunch, I was not pissed at Beck, I was pissed at Joe Cxxxa Jr. for lending my guitar out without my permission. If Joe Cxxxa Jr. called me and asked, I probably would have OK'd the lend at the time. (Aside from the fact that I do not worship guitar players or movie stars or anyone famous) I can appreciate the skill and soul of someones art but none of them are really special to me. I lost that special feeling for the famous when Roy Buchanan hung himself in jail. I was grieving over that loss until I realized I did not know him personally (But I did meet him backstage at a venue somewhere in Pennsylvania near Philly, he was very generous with his greeting to me), so I willed myself not to grieve for those famous folks and from then on I do not grieve over those I do not know personally and like. My kiddo still has that guitar by the way.

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@ Kuru,

 

1. I've only had one MIM Nashville Tele that came with a gig bag instead of a HSC. The padded bag was of excellent quality and I trusted it over cheaper gig bags. When I did use one of the cheaper gig bags before finding a case to keep the scratches off, the Tele I was using always rode up front with me until I found a HSC for it. Even solid bodies can be affected by humidity. The Nashville Tele wood around the string through orifices shrank a little and some would loosen up a little but it didn't create a problem (just a little more time stringing on some of them that would slip out) till I glued them back in.

 

2. +1 1,000 on cheap music stands causing dings when guitars fall off of them. I solved that problem by purchasing my 3 way Hercules heavy duty guitar stand with the locking holders. I like it so much that I bought a heavy duty Hercules mic stand too. Keeps people from knocking my teeth out with the mic LOL! And the mic from accidently taking a fall by getting knocked over...plus fast adjustments going from standing to sitting, short to tall people, etc.

 

3. I usually do not use strap locks as I like to sit down and play. Back in my standup days, I had them on my Strats and Teles. They too would come loose (similar to the string through orifices shrinkage). A little wood glue on the screw solved the problem. Some of them are different sizes in the gold a silver and you want to make sure you had the right ones before heading out to the gigs...I may have had both Dunlop and Schaller and haven't been using either for quite some time. My stock Taylor, Gibson, etc., straps stay on just fine without them.

 

4. +1 we all have different circumstances especially with humidity and just need to pay attention (especially on acoustic guitars with solid tops).

 

:cool:

 

 

It is more humid here than not. The least humid it will get outside is when it is really cold and all the water is frozen. Those times are pretty brief.

It gets sort of dry here by August but compared to central California it's pretty moist. I have a Rainsong 6 and 12 string, all graphite and unaffected by humidity or reasonable temperature changes.

 

And I got the double Hercules stand because the day I wanted a single Musicians Friend had the double for a couple dollars more. I bring one guitar to a gig, very rarely 2 and never 3. It takes up less space on stage and our singer hangs his guitar on it too. We play a lot of duo gigs so that's handy.

 

If you are playing Teles, they are remarkably durable guitars. I've re-glued a few Gibson headstocks, only a couple of Fender style and they both had Floyd Rose nuts installed so much weaker at the nut than a standard Fender. Strap locks don't matter as much then. I'll still use the washers though, never had the screwholes shrink that much. Usually nothing tootpicks and Elmers won't fix!

 

It took a chunk of my life to get here and I am still not sure where "here" is.
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+1 I had to use the toothpicks and Elmers' glue once LOL! usually just a little Elmers keep the screw from backing out...

 

I like having the 3 way and my buddies make sure the stand is always full, no vacancies LOL! I used to bring two guitars to a gig and leave one in the case or on the stand...

 

:cool:

Take care, Larryz
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If you are playing Teles, they are remarkably durable guitars.

 

A studio client of mine tells of coming home from a gig one night & getting into such a terrible fight with his girlfriend that he flung his Tele (in a HSC) out the living room window of their 2nd floor apartment, to the sidewalk below. He went down & retrieved it, took it out, & it was not only unscathed, it was still in tune. Unbreakable.

Scott Fraser
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If you are playing Teles, they are remarkably durable guitars.

 

A studio client of mine tells of coming home from a gig one night & getting into such a terrible fight with his girlfriend that he flung his Tele (in a HSC) out the living room window of their 2nd floor apartment, to the sidewalk below. He went down & retrieved it, took it out, & it was not only unscathed, it was still in tune. Unbreakable.

 

 

I always say that you could take a Tele and beat a wall full of Les Pauls into useless husks with it, then go play a gig!!! :- D

 

Maybe an exaggeration. I do know the strike point, you could lop off a lot of headstocks without anything more than some cosmetic damage to the Tele.

 

Your friend's story does not surprise me in the slightest. I've been playing Teles (mostly Parts O Casters) for a LONG time. One of my favorites was mentioned above - at least the neck was.

At that time I had put a Tele together with a Floyd Rose install. I was in a Heavy Metal Funk Americana band and one night we had the crowd all worked up into a stew so I held my guitar up like an offering and dropped it onto the stage. The Floyd nut weakened the headstock and it cracked badly. Since the strings were clamped at the nut and the nut stayed put, it was still in tune!!!!

 

We played an encore, me on the Tele with the headstock dangling.

I glued it back and still use it, great neck that's been to 1,000s of gigs. That was over 30 years ago!!! Cheers, Kuru

It took a chunk of my life to get here and I am still not sure where "here" is.
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+1 I had to use the toothpicks and Elmers' glue once LOL! usually just a little Elmers keep the screw from backing out..

 

:cool:

 

I also did that many times on all kinds of wood products including guitars.

 

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