Calling all mechanical keyboard fans! The first ever Mid-South meetup is being held in Nashville, TN this April. You'll have the opportunity to try just about every mechanical switch known to man in a wide array of configurations. Plenty of various key caps, boards and accessories will all be there for you to try all while talking with fellow members from GeekHack and Deskthority. As if that wasn't enough, we have also been invited for a personal tour of MechanicalKeyboards.com (http://mechanicalkeyboards.com) Showroom!
Details
Date: Saturday, April 6th, 2013
Time: 10:00am
Location: Dose Coffee & Tea (http://goo.gl/maps/0ZAAn) and MechanicalKeyboards.com (http://goo.gl/maps/3e1Cb)
Proposed Agenda
10:00am - 12:00pm - General Meet-and-Greet
We'll meet at a local downtown resturant where we can eat, drink and be merry. Bring your favorite keyboard(s) to show-off and share. You'll be able to try out various different layouts and switch types and see how others have customized their boards.
Also scheduled to appear will be BossBorot's Ultimate Switch Tester Winter 2013 US Tour (http://geekhack.org/index.php?topic=39254.0) keyboard! :eek: This is a Filco TKL with virtually every Cherry MX switch imaginable. Everything from Green to Grey, Ergo Clears to Ghetto Reds. You'll have one-on-one time to see if your current switch is really your favorite.
12:00pm - 02:00pm - Visit Mechanical Keyboard (http://mechanicalkeyboards.com) Store
Load up and take a 20-minute drive out to Fairview, TN to visit Mechanical Keyboards. They aren't usually open on Saturdays, but ShakeR (http://geekhack.org/index.php?action=profile;u=14817) is opening up the store especially for us GeekHackers!
(http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8376/8443226094_2e4d7df94a.jpg) (http://www.flickr.com/photos/mashby/8443226094/)
MechanicalKeyboards.com Showroom (http://www.flickr.com/photos/mashby/8443226094/) by Michael Ashby (http://www.flickr.com/people/mashby/), on Flickr
You'll also be able to purchase anything they have in stock at the time, including keyboards, key caps and accessories. Mechanical Keyboards is the US distributor for Ducky.
02:00pm - Till - Wrap Up In Nashville
After our visit to Fairview, we'll return to Nashville for everyone to grab their vehicles. If we haven't talked each other's ears off by then, we'll take the party elsewhere.
Attendees
Please reply to this thread if you plan on attending and let us know if you plan to bring anything for people to try/sample. Below is a current list of those attending:
::: People :::
- mashby (http://geekhack.org/index.php?action=profile;u=23681)
- CPTBadAss (http://geekhack.org/index.php?action=profile;u=23841)
::: Keyboards :::
- Ultimate Switch Tester (http://geekhack.org/index.php?topic=39254.0) (Mx-Mixed)
- Focus 2001 (Alps White)
- KBC Poker (http://www.flickr.com/photos/mashby/sets/72157632914805027/) (MX-Black)
- KBT Pure CNC Limited Edition (http://www.flickr.com/photos/mashby/sets/72157632415216473/) (MX-Blues)
- KBT Race Pink Limited Edition (http://www.flickr.com/photos/mashby/sets/72157632249976584/) (MX-Blues)
- Filco MJ2 with Valentine's Set and DDR arrows (MX Blues)
- Leopold FC700R with Imsto keycap set (MX Blues)
- Cherry G84-4100 (Cherry ML)
- Filco Tenkeypad with MX Browns
::: Parts :::
- Silver Duck Poker Case (http://www.flickr.com/photos/mashby/sets/72157632669053117/)
- 3 Different Poker Plates (http://www.flickr.com/photos/mashby/8530038272/in/set-72157632914805027)
- 2 Poker PCBs (http://www.flickr.com/photos/mashby/sets/72157632855279271/)
- Plate mounted MX-Red switches
- Krytox 205 Grease
- Krytox 103 Oil
- Victorinox Oil
- MKC Aluminium Key Puller (http://www.flickr.com/photos/mashby/8446881217/in/set-72157632491898430)
- GH Stickers
::: Key Caps :::
- Mr. Interface Switch Try Bag (http://deskthority.net/marketplace-f11/introducing-the-mrinterface-switch-sample-bag-t3189.html)
- Cream Cheese n Green (http://www.flickr.com/photos/mashby/8424260247/in/set-72157632491898430) (SP DCS Profile)
- Black on Black PBT 104 (http://www.flickr.com/photos/mashby/sets/72157632834157157/) (OEM Profile)
- Grey on White PBT (http://www.flickr.com/photos/mashby/8513256143/in/set-72157632491898430) (OEM Profiles)
- Filco Ninja MJ2 Caps
- Stock FC700R Leopold PBT Caps
- WASD Sample Pack (including O-Rings)
- Soft Landing Pads
- Various Novelty Key Caps (http://www.flickr.com/photos/mashby/sets/72157632491898430/)
- CTPBadAss' keycap collection (http://geekhack.org/index.php?topic=19574.msg802503#msg802503)
Original Post
Just curious if anyone would be interested in a meet-up in Nashville, TN? There was some discussion in the Chicagoland Meetup thread (http://geekhack.org/index.php?topic=33239.0) and it only made sense to discuss it in its own thread instead of hijacking the Chicago one.
Option 1: Hang Out & Nerd Out
If there are enough people in the Middle Tennessee area, we could just meet up in Nashville, TN, nerd out on keyboards, have a few drinks, etc. We could also make a run out to MechanicalKeyboards.com (http://mechanicalkeyboads.com), which is about 20-minutes (http://goo.gl/maps/sHc2k) away. Figure we'd make it a Saturday and schedule time between 10am - 3pm, or longer if folks want to carry it on into the night.
Option 2: Let's Make A Weekend Of It
Another option is to make a run up to Unicomp (http://pckeyboard.com/) which is about 4-hours away (http://goo.gl/maps/3GkH8). Assuming they'd let us visit on a Saturday, we could rent a van and drive up to Lexington for a tour and maybe even spend the night. Either on the way up, or on the way back, we could hit the Kentucky Bourbon Trail (http://kybourbontrail.com/) and stop at a few distilleries and hopefully visit MechanicalKeyboards.com as well.
Depending how far people are willing to travel to get to Nashville, at most you're looking at two nights in a hotel, chipping in for van rental and gas. I'm happy to coordinate things if there's any interest.
Other Ideas?
That's just what's been suggested thus far, if anyone else has any other ideas, please share. :)
Updated the original OP with the following:
Based on the original feedback, it sounds like the simpler the meetup the better. I don't have an ETA as of yet, but I figured we'd meet up one Saturday in Nashville, TN and spend most of the day geeking out on keyboards. The current time frame is sometime in April, 2013.
Proposed Agenda
10:00am - 12:00pm - General Meet-and-Greet
We'll meet at a local downtown resturant where we can eat, drink and be merry. Bring your favorite keyboard(s) to show-off and share. You'll be able to try out various different layouts and switch types and see how others have customized their boards.
Also scheduled to appear will be BossBorot's Ultimate Switch Tester Winter 2013 US Tour (http://geekhack.org/index.php?topic=39254.0) keyboard! :eek: This is a Filco TKL with virtually every Cherry MX switch imaginable. Everything from Green to Grey, Ergo Clears to Ghetto Reds. You'll have one-on-one time to see if your current switch is really your favorite.
12:00pm - 02:00pm - Visit Mechanical Keyboard (http://mechanicalkeyboards.com) Store (Unconfirmed)
Load up and take a 20-minute drive out to Fairview, TN to visit Mechanical Keyboards. This is still tenative since they aren't open on Saturday's. We're awaiting confirmation to see if they would make an exception for us. The more we have confirmed the better to convince them it's worth the special effort. ;D
(http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8376/8443226094_2e4d7df94a.jpg) (http://www.flickr.com/photos/mashby/8443226094/)
MechanicalKeyboards.com Showroom (http://www.flickr.com/photos/mashby/8443226094/) by Michael Ashby (http://www.flickr.com/people/mashby/), on Flickr
You'll also be able to purchase anything they have in stock at the time, including keyboards, key caps and accessories. Mechanical Keyboards is the US distributor for Ducky.
02:00pm - 03:00pm - Wrap Up In Nashville
After our visit to Fairview, we'll return to Nashville for everyone to grab their vehicles. If we haven't talked each other's ears off by then, we'll take the party elsewhere.
Questions? Suggestions? Commments?
This is just a rough idea based on spending a half-day. If anyone has any other suggestions, or ideas, please share!
MeetUp Recap
Even though there were only two of us in attendance, CPTBadAss and myself met up at Dose Coffee & Tea and went "full nerd" on mechanical keyboards. Each of us had brought our small collection and between the two of us had just about every switch and key cap imaginable. Fully taking up a booth, we spent a good hour-and-a-half swapping stories and gear over a cup of coffee.
Around 11:30am we packed up and drove over to MechanicalKeyboards.com out in Fairview, TN. Buster was there to greet us and welcome us to the showroom. We apologized for not having a bigger attendance, but it didn't seem to bother him in the least and he ushered us over to the display room. There was a wider variety of keyboards laid out than the last time I was there and they were all hooked up and ready for us to take a spin.
(http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8392/8632251623_2b16d38a1c.jpg) (http://www.flickr.com/photos/mashby/8632251623/)
MechanicalKeyboards.com Display Room (http://www.flickr.com/photos/mashby/8632251623/) by Michael Ashby (http://www.flickr.com/people/mashby/), on Flickr
I did see that there was one KBC Poker with MX-Blacks left, but since MK.com always keeps one model for display, it wasn't for sale. That disappointment was quickly overshadowed by the fact that they had several KBT Pure keyboards with MX-White switches (http://mechanicalkeyboards.com/shop/index.php?l=product_detail&p=310). Neither CPTBadAss, nor myself had been that impressed with the Ergo Clear switches on the Ultimate Switch Tester (http://geekhack.org/index.php?topic=39254.0) we had tested earlier in the day, but we were both impressed with the MX-White. Having a full set of MX-Whites was very nice and it was everything I could do NOT to buy another Pure just so I could get the switches. :p
(http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8105/8633359806_2c09067c39.jpg) (http://www.flickr.com/photos/mashby/8633359806/)
KBT Pure (http://www.flickr.com/photos/mashby/8633359806/) by Michael Ashby (http://www.flickr.com/people/mashby/), on Flickr
Also on hand was a Cooler Master Quickfire that Buster had installed in one of the Vortex TKL cases (http://mechanicalkeyboards.com/shop/index.php?l=product_detail&p=212). That was one HEAVY case, but the CM looked really good in it. According to Buster, all he did was unscrew the USB jack from the board and it fit like a glove. The USB cable is permanently affixed inside the case and held very securely.
(http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8245/8633359376_841b18cbea.jpg) (http://www.flickr.com/photos/mashby/8633359376/)
Cooler Master Storm Quickfire (http://www.flickr.com/photos/mashby/8633359376/) by Michael Ashby (http://www.flickr.com/people/mashby/), on Flickr
We tested and played with just about every keyboard that was on display and then Buster and Caleb brought out even more keyboards, including a Ducky 104 that included a hybrid of Cherry MX switches. This one board had both MX-Red, MX-Black and MX-Grey switches in a really nice layout. In fact, it gave me some good ideas that I might use on my GH-60 later this year. The specific keyboard that we took for a spin was the Ducky DK9008G2 Pro Limited Edition (http://mechanicalkeyboards.com/shop/index.php?l=product_detail&p=372).
(http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8241/8633360784_4f3ffa291f.jpg) (http://www.flickr.com/photos/mashby/8633360784/)
Cherry MX Hybrid Layout (http://www.flickr.com/photos/mashby/8633360784/) by Michael Ashby (http://www.flickr.com/people/mashby/), on Flickr
In addition to MK.com showing stuff to us, we returned the favor by brining in some of our own gear to show the staff there. The CCnG set and the Ultimate Switch Tester (http://geekhack.org/index.php?topic=39254.0) were both a big hit and gave the guys a small taste of what the community is capable of. After testing keyboards and talking shop for a good hour, Buster took us on a tour of the rest of the facility.
Now, I've been to MechanicalKeyboards.com twice before and I've never seen anything more than just the display room. Buster showed us his repair center, which included a demo of his Hakko 808 Desoldering gun as well as the storeroom, where they had locker after locker of keyboards. It was overwhelming to see just how many keyboards MK.com keeps on hand.
(http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8121/8633364722_5d93946f6c.jpg) (http://www.flickr.com/photos/mashby/8633364722/)
Cooler Master Locker (http://www.flickr.com/photos/mashby/8633364722/) by Michael Ashby (http://www.flickr.com/people/mashby/), on Flickr
Towards the end of the visit, CPTBadAss starting making his final decision on which keyboards he was ultimately going to buy and that's when Caleb and Buster started handing out some swag. We each received some Thermaltake calendars and catalogs, but the real prize was a free Ducky velvet keyboard bag. As if that wasn't enough, CPTBadAss even got a discount on the boards he was buying!
(http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8253/8632257617_5cd13d5388.jpg) (http://www.flickr.com/photos/mashby/8632257617/)
Free Swag! (http://www.flickr.com/photos/mashby/8632257617/) by Michael Ashby (http://www.flickr.com/people/mashby/), on Flickr
The guys at MK.com could literally not have been more gracious and welcoming to a couple of keyboard nerds. They really made us feel at home and were happy to share in our enthusiasm. I can't thank Caleb and Buster enough for giving up part of their Saturday and open up the doors like they did.
After The Meet
After the short drive back to Nashville, CPTBadAss and myself were still riding the high of our visit and decided to enjoy a late lunch at Nashville landmark, The Pancake Pantry (http://www.thepancakepantry.com). World-renown for their breakfast where people stand in line for hours just to get into the door, a little-known secret is that their hamburgers are some of the best in town. Getting inside just before they closed for the day at 3pm, CPTBadAss and I both enjoyed the "Baldwin's Dipper".
A ground chuck beef patty surrounded by melted Swiss and American cheeses on grilled rye bread. Served with our famous sour cream and horseradish dip (menu (http://www.thepancakepantry.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/09/Pancake_Pantry_menu.pdf))
It's a damn good burger and the perfect way to cap off a great day. I had a blast!
More Photos
I've included a number of photos in this post, but you can view the full gallery of 29 photos at this link (http://www.flickr.com/photos/mashby/sets/72157633200776744/) on Flickr.