An Alfa Romeo is normally a choice made with the heart, not with reason. This theme was also used in an old Alfa Romeo advert. In fact even my choice was purely of the heart, if not for a few hints of rationality. Basically the question is: why buy such an old and in some ways polluting car? My first personal answer might be: because I was looking for an Alfa Romeo, not a car in general. There are also newer models like the Giulietta, but they were at least twice the price. So the obvious choice was an Alfa 159.
Author: Pasquale Robustini
A guitar for my 60s
Non so come sia potuto succedere ma anche io sono arrivato in un battibaleno a 60 anni. Fa impressione solo scriverlo qui. Una bella età, nel senso che gli anni non sono pochi e per certi versi si sente; per altri non mi sembra di averli davvero. Sarà che continuo a strimpellare allegramente? Penso di sì, anche per quello. E forse perché ancora alimento i sogni, il sale della vita. Fin da giovanissimo ho sempre sognato di avere una Fender Stratocaster. Come è accaduto per molti, il mio idolo chitarrista ne utilizzava una ed è così che ho conosciuto il celebre modello di chitarra elettrica nato in California negli anni 50. La prima Stratocaster che ho avuto è stata una imitazione piuttosto economica, regalatami a 15 anni dai miei genitori. È tuttora il regalo più bello che io abbia mai ricevuto. La prima chitarra non si scorda mai e, sebbene fosse ridotta male, costruita con materiali di bassa qualità, fatta eccezione per gli ottimi pick-up della Di Marzio, ne ho un ricordo affezionatissimo e maledico il giorno in cui l’ho data via.
But am I even capable of appreciating the differences between various phono cartridges?
Here I go again. I had already written an article about the same excitement, on the wave of enthusiasm after the purchase of a new Grado Prestige Blue 3. I was delighted to be back listening to records with a Grado cartridge, not least because I love their philosophy of doing business and their history; their cartridges are still hand-assembled in a Brooklyn workshop using 50-70s instruments and watchmaker’s tools. The reality is that I came to resell the Blue 3 because, sadly, I just didn’t like the sound of it. Did I set it up wrong? But my Shure M97HE sounds great. Had something changed in my taste? Was my memory of a nice Grado sound linked to the use of the prestigious 8MZ stylus that I then stupidly damaged? Or am I unable to discern?
The klon wars
The world is strange, people are crazy, and the extent to which this is true can sometimes be seen in market dynamics. I am by no means an economist, but as a buyer and sometimes seller of electronics, be it hi-fi or guitar electronics, I realise how sometimes it gets to the point of sheer madness. Now, allow the guitar that had once belonged to Jimi Hendrix, Eric Clapton or David Gilmour; the fetishism in this field can almost be understood, just as one can understand the desire of an enthusiast who also has considerable financial means to own an instrument that had once belonged to a music legend. Even if vintage guitars cost as much as a good new car of a certain level (indeed, vintage cars themselves can cost impressive sums of money), it’s fine… those who have so much money they don’t know what to do with it will invest in such purchases. But what I have seen happen within a few years before my eyes with a simple guitar pedal effect is surreal. Guitarists know what I’m talking about, others don’t (but who’s going to read me anyway): meet the Klon Centaur!
Now we’re talking…
Era un bel pomeriggio di sole del 31 ottobre 2023. Dopo pranzo mia moglie ha accompagnato me e nostro figlio alla stazioncina ferroviaria semi abbandonata da dove sarebbe partito il treno leggero che ci avrebbe portati nella cittadina dove avrei completato il passaggio di proprietà della mia “nuova” auto. In realtà l’auto ha 2 anni in più di quella che va a rimpiazzare. Ma è di categoria superiore ed è una di quelle scelte che si fanno quando a un certo punto decidi che si vive una volta sola e che certe soddisfazioni te le meriti pure. La tranquilla attesa al bar con mio figlio è benvenuta, aiuta a pregustare l’evento, una cosa che ormai pensavo sarebbe stata difficile da realizzare. Invece alcune vicissitudini hanno voluto che potessi (o forse dovessi) prendere in considerazione di comprare un’altra auto. Ho scoperto che potevo di nuovo accedere ad un piccolo credito ed ho trovato l’auto che desideravo. Dopo circa 3 anni una nuova Papalfa sarebbe entrata in famiglia..
Papalfa 2.0? Alfa Romeo and me
My relationship with Alfa Romeo began when I was a child born in the mid-1960s when it was customary to play with toy cars and imitate “grown-ups” driving a car. I do not consider myself a real car enthusiast in the strict sense and I have not had many Alfa’s, in fact, only one so far. But from an early age I was fond of the legendary Alfa Romeo models of my childhood. I was enchanted by the cars around town, I would ask my father what model they were and which one was the best. I still remember that back then my father thought that the Alfa Romeo Giulia was the best car in those days. And that was my imprinting. The Giulia was the car of the police force and bad guys. The “cop” movies of the time were full of chases between Alfa Romeos. Their performance, the road holding in particular, was legendary.