Well that's the best on this clusterf**k

[paisleywookiee]

I’m still avoiding the content, but based on @JiveTurkey descriptions of “prog elevator fusion jazz”


…

Are you familiar with Mark Lettieri? He’s the real deal absolute mind fuck monster guitar player

Yeah, unfortunately I don’t care for a lot of the music I’ve checked out, despite him being an amazing player.

 

[Sascha Franck]

Well, IG is his only remaining social media platform and while it still has 733K followers, he’s had to limit who can comment on his posts because people are lighting him up nonstop.

Fwiw, out of interest I just looked around his IG channel - and it's sooo cringeworthy.

 

[FuzzyAce]

Sadly I don’t think it’ll matter next month…there certainly is a “there’s no bad publicity” to this clusterfuck

Anything is possible.

*coughs in Vertex

 

[SillyOctpuss]

Anything is possible.

*coughs in Vertex

That's true. How the hell does he have 246000 subscribers? Crazy

 

[DrewJD82]

That's true. How the hell does he have 246000 subscribers? Crazy

He was able to disappear just long enough for things to cool over, by the time he started making videos again I’m assuming he picked up an entirely different audience than what he had previously, doing a bunch of DIY/tutorial vids then landing some celebrity-ish interviews.

IMO, it’s most likely he won’t fuck up again. There’s just enough comments popping up regularly to let him know people have eyes on him and are never going to trust him with a few most likely going out of their way to see if they can find a crack in the current Vertex. The scrutiny will remain deserved for a while simply due to how the shitshow played out. If he fessed up immediately this would all have blown over a long ass time ago, it was him doubling down for WEEKS despite the very obvious bullshit he was spreading that earned the eternal scrutiny.

I also can’t really fault his re-entry into social media, going the DIY/Tutorial/Tips route was a good move, outside of the bad advice he gave at one point when a few known builders spoke up to prevent people from blowing up their amps. I think it was the right move putting what knowledge he does have out there without trying to sell shit at the same time. He was doing pedalboard wiring videos, making pedalboards, small mods, shit that he could technically charge for. I’m not sure I’d be able to offer someone a better path to moving forward than that.

My only current gripe with him is the Rig Doctor title. David Philips has been the Rack Doctor for decades and they’re both LA based, that’s just shitty. I’d have to imagine that’s got him a few extra customers along the way.

 

[SillyOctpuss]

He was able to disappear just long enough for things to cool over, by the time he started making videos again I’m assuming he picked up an entirely different audience than what he had previously, doing a bunch of DIY/tutorial vids then landing some celebrity-ish interviews.

IMO, it’s most likely he won’t fuck up again. There’s just enough comments popping up regularly to let him know people have eyes on him and are never going to trust him with a few most likely going out of their way to see if they can find a crack in the current Vertex. The scrutiny will remain deserved for a while simply due to how the shitshow played out. If he fessed up immediately this would all have blown over a long ass time ago, it was him doubling down for WEEKS despite the very obvious bullshit he was spreading that earned the eternal scrutiny.

I also can’t really fault his re-entry into social media, going the DIY/Tutorial/Tips route was a good move, outside of the bad advice he gave at one point when a few known builders spoke up to prevent people from blowing up their amps. I think it was the right move putting what knowledge he does have out there without trying to sell shit at the same time. He was doing pedalboard wiring videos, making pedalboards, small mods, shit that he could technically charge for. I’m not sure I’d be able to offer someone a better path to moving forward than that.

My only current gripe with him is the Rig Doctor title. David Philips has been the Rack Doctor for decades and they’re both LA based, that’s just shitty. I’d have to imagine that’s got him a few extra customers along the way.

Yeah there's some good points in there but I can't watch his content and certainly wouldn't send any money his way. Not when there's other people who are actually worth supporting. Grifters, liars and thieves don't change IMO.

 

[James Freeman]

That wooden 100lbs surfboard is probably still lighter than my LP Standard.

 

[Dom Mcsweeney]

Holy moly, Giacomole

 

[DrewJD82]

Yeah there's some good points in there but I can't watch his content and certainly wouldn't send any money his way. Not when there's other people who are actually worth supporting. Grifters, liars and thieves don't change IMO.

I dug the sound of what I heard in some Steel Stringer pedal demos, but not enough to buy one, even used!

 

[SillyOctpuss]

I dug the sound of what I heard in some Steel Stringer pedal demos, but not enough to buy one, even used!

My favourite was when be complained about his pedal being cloned AFTER we'd all learned what a gifter he was.

 

[FuzzyAce]

Yeah there's some good points in there but I can't watch his content and certainly wouldn't send any money his way. Not when there's other people who are actually worth supporting. Grifters, liars and thieves don't change IMO.

Forgiving and forgetting are 2 different things for sure. I'll never purchase anything from him, although I would not wish him ill-will if he's turned himself around.

 

[DrewJD82]

Forgiving and forgetting are 2 different things for sure. I'll never purchase anything from him, although I would not wish him ill-will if he's turned himself around.

Spot on.

 

[la szum]

Thicc Beato..

View attachment 43298

 

[la szum]

I’m enjoying the hell out of watching all of the usual suspects on YouTube milking the hell out of this whole Giacomo Turra fiasco for clicks.

This little prick had a signature guitar for fucks sake. This industry is a fucking joke.

Yup.

Incestuous circle-jerk implodes and now we get more incestuous circle-jerking going on.

It all comes off like an The Infinite Loop of Incestuous Circle-Jerking.

To me.

 

[la szum]

My favourite was when be complained about his pedal being cloned AFTER we'd all learned what a gifter he was.

He listed the "returned" Vertex NOS Axis Wahs on Ebay for like $100 bones with Free Shipping immediately
after that all went down. I was like, "This will be a cool conversation piece."

So I bought one.

It arrived in 2 padded Flat Rate Envelopes taped together and he only paid for one of the Envelopes. So guess who had to
pay "Postage Due" when they arrived at the Post Office? Yup. Me.

That's when I realized, "This is just who he is. Always look to cheat/game the Game to his advantage---even
when it comes to $6 or $7."

Now he's just a fatter, but still vainglorious version of his former unwashed self.

Oh, and people are dumb. Generally speaking. A guy like him can't do it alone.

 

[DrewJD82]

Every couple years I’ll dig up the OG threads where the guys were un-gooping the pedals. I watched that all go down in real time and each day was like a new episode of Lost, “WTF is going on, are we going to find out what the hell this is about?!?!”, then the string of defenders, only one I recall feeling bad for because he did believe he was doing the right thing at the time speaking in Mason’s favor and IIRR, didn’t learn the truth until Mason finally fessed up and then he came back and apologized to everyone, while most likely being more angry than anyone who had gotten ripped off.

 

[SillyOctpuss]

Every couple years I’ll dig up the OG threads where the guys were un-gooping the pedals. I watched that all go down in real time and each day was like a new episode of Lost, “WTF is going on, are we going to find out what the hell this is about?!?!”, then the string of defenders, only one I recall feeling bad for because he did believe he was doing the right thing at the time speaking in Mason’s favor and IIRR, didn’t learn the truth until Mason finally fessed up and then he came back and apologized to everyone, while most likely being more angry than anyone who had gotten ripped off.

We were visiting my wife's parents in Southern california when it all kicked off. Roaming Internet on my phone was super expensive at the time so I only had Internet access at their house. I'd read all the updates every morning with breakfast and when my wife would want to go somewhere I was like "nooo I'll miss something funny". Mike Laundau's response offering to pay for anyone who been scammed pedal was an unbelievable gesture. Guy was a legend through the whole thing.

 

[la szum]

Every couple years I’ll dig up the OG threads where the guys were un-gooping the pedals. I watched that all go down in real time and each day was like a new episode of Lost, “WTF is going on, are we going to find out what the hell this is about?!?!”, then the string of defenders, only one I recall feeling bad for because he did believe he was doing the right thing at the time speaking in Mason’s favor and IIRR, didn’t learn the truth until Mason finally fessed up and then he came back and apologized to everyone, while most likely being more angry than anyone who had gotten ripped off.

Same. It was fascinating. The Cease and Desists. The Michael Landau letter in Episode 8 of Season 3
was special.

That was like Peak TOP, for me. Actual good was done. Now? Maybe not so much. Hell, I bet
Mason has bought Ad Space on TOP.

They deserve one another at this point.

 

[AutomationBias]

Every couple years I’ll dig up the OG threads where the guys were un-gooping the pedals. I watched that all go down in real time and each day was like a new episode of Lost, “WTF is going on, are we going to find out what the hell this is about?!?!”, then the string of defenders, only one I recall feeling bad for because he did believe he was doing the right thing at the time speaking in Mason’s favor and IIRR, didn’t learn the truth until Mason finally fessed up and then he came back and apologized to everyone, while most likely being more angry than anyone who had gotten ripped off.

It was amazing, too, because those wahs had been hyped so hard on the forum. You had all of these guys slowly coming to terms with the fact that they'd been suckered, and a handful just refusing to believe it. It's happened a couple of times with boutique amp and guitar builders who take preorders, too.

 

[la szum]

Neither one sounds that great, in my experience. They Wah the Wah, sure, but I have others that sound far superior to me.

Marketing is some powerful shit and a drug that we all end up huffing on.

Makes me respect more those folks who are not selling all the time. Just be a dude or dudette once in awhile. It's ok.