Metropolous Shutting Down

[greatmutah]

Yeah George really wasn't doing anything like his replicas in a long time. The closest to that was his recent GPM-45 (can't remember the last four digits of the SN) emulation amp he was doing but that was kind of a proof of concept amp for him to do the Metroplex Mk II. Coupled the master volume and emulation circuit with the front end of a proper JTM 45 with a couple extra things: Selectable bright caps, Fx Loop. But they weren't a direct replica. He did the same thing with the MP Mk II but used his own amp as well as EVH's Marshall to generate the stock channel and 12301 channel (including using a dual gange mid pot for 25k in the stock and 50k in 12301 channel). So currently if you're looking for closer to historically accurate, I'd say Germino. And if not that then Ceriatone.

 

[László]

I played through one of his recent amps a couple of years ago at Motor City Guitar. My goodness, it was a fantastic amp!

I was with my son, who was in for a visit and does very cool musical things as a producer and musician in LA. He was impressed with it, too. It's a shame he's closing up.

 

[ax84ch]

It's not easy to run a business. There is a lot of stress from a lot of different areas. People who have not had to run a business can sometimes be immune to the stuff like "everybody gets paid before me, if I get paid". People who work for a company can just up and leave and get another job that suits them. People who own a company are often wrapped up with it like a python.

 

[greatmutah]

Not the same by any stretch of the imagination but… when I was in high school I worked in a restaurant. Family owned. Washed dishes for a couple years and was a line cook in my last few months. Wound up leaving shortly after. One of the owners was heavily involved in the day to day minutiae of things. Probably one of the bosses I respected the most because he wasn’t afraid to get his hands dirty. Be it expoing food, working on the line or even doing dishes. I saw him do it all. And he wasn’t young. He was in his 50s/60s. A couple years after I left, he passed away. I stopped in when I found out to ask what happened. Cancer. They took a baseball sized tumor out of his stomach. And he was supposed to be at home resting but he was worried the place would fall apart without him there so he came back into work well before he was ready. Just didn’t know how to not be working. So that definitely didn’t help. Point is, he was very much wrapped up in it like a python, as said above. And couldn’t let his grip go and let his siblings/co-owners (I mean his sister just did the books so she couldn’t do that much but I’m sure his brother had it handled) and managers step up and let himself relax and try to rest up. Or maybe the cancer was so bad he just figured he’d rather be working if he was going to die. I don’t know. But I think about him every now and again. Dude definitely made an impact on me.

 

[la szum]

I am pretty sure the worst thing you can do for your long-term physical well-being and financial health
is own/run a Restaurant. Ok, maybe a Bar is worse.



What a brutal business. Making and selling amps is child's play by comparison.

 

[la szum]

I played through one of his recent amps a couple of years ago at Motor City Guitar. My goodness, it was a fantastic amp!

I was with my son, who was in for a visit and does very cool musical things as a producer and musician in LA. He was impressed with it, too. It's a shame he's closing up.

Love that shop. My folks had a house in Waterford for a few years in the 1990s and early 2000s.

 

[László]

Love that shop. My folks had a house in Waterford for a few years in the 1990s and early 2000s.

I do, too, It's old-school, like music shops were back in the '60s and '70s before the days of Guitar Center and Sweetwater (though Sweetwater was a studio whose sole product for sale was sounds for Kurzweil synths and samplers at first, and it was a one-person operation when I got into the music biz!).

I got a similar vibe from Gruhn's in Nashville when I was visiting for an AES seminar there in the early '00s, though Motor City is much larger.

There were some interesting shops in Detroit when I was growing up, each one had its own vibe. Most are gone now, sadly.

 

[greatmutah]

The big ones still around Detroit that aren’t GC are Motor City Guitar and I’d say Huber and Breese. Elderly over in Lansing still does well too.

 

[hunter]

There’s a Gofundme for George, set up by Peter Arends (founder of Ampete, then designer at BAD, then CEO at BadCat, …)

Donate to Honoring George Metropoulos's Dedication and Craftsmanship, organized by Peter Arends

George Metropoulos designed and built fantastic amps with a me… Peter Arends needs your support for Honoring George Metropoulos's Dedication and Craftsmanship

www.gofundme.com

 

[AutomationBias]

There’s a Gofundme for George, set up by Peter Arends (founder of Ampete, then designer at BAD, then CEO at BadCat, …)

Donate to Honoring George Metropoulos's Dedication and Craftsmanship, organized by Peter Arends

George Metropoulos designed and built fantastic amps with a me… Peter Arends needs your support for Honoring George Metropoulos's Dedication and Craftsmanship

www.gofundme.com

Wow. George's Facebook post is really worth reading. Such a great attitude about such a hard decision. I have even more respect for him now.

 

[la szum]

The big ones still around Detroit that aren’t GC are Motor City Guitar and I’d say Huber and Breese. Elderly over in Lansing still does well too.

B's in Mt. Pleasant is totally killing it. I am amazed and what Brian and the crew are doing there. It's
totally roadtrip worthy for anyone in the Great Lakes region.

 

[László]

B's in Mt. Pleasant is totally killing it. I am amazed and what Brian and the crew are doing there. It's
totally roadtrip worthy for anyone in the Great Lakes region.

I guess I need to check it out at some point!

 

[greatmutah]

I love B’s. Never physically been but my wife and I have ordered a few cat pedals from there!