Dedicated Amp Forums = Fanboys

[alerich]

I bought a Soldano Hot Rod 50 about three years ago. Great amp. I mean, this is a really great amp. Still love it just as much as the day that I brought it home. I'll never sell it. Shortly after I bought it I joined the Soldano Amp Forum - a private forum not affiliated with the Soldano company. Pretty much all Soldano fanboys and more to the point all SLO 100 fanboys. I quit visiting there pretty quick. Last weekend I found a great deal on a new Boogie JP-2C John Petrucci Signature IIC+ head and bought it. Another really, really great amp. I joined the Boogie Board forum - again not affiliated with MESA Boogie. Pretty much all Boogie fanboys. It's not worth my time and trouble to wade through the chaff to read the one or two objective posts. Reading these two forums I am amazed that Mike Soldano and Randall Smith have not yet cured cancer, ended global warming and world hunger or secured world peace.

Why are there seemingly so few musicians who understand that these are simply tools and so many musicians who marry themselves to a certain brand or manufacturer to the point of excluding everything else? It's really sad.

[shooter]

It's really sad.

Yup!  As an amp builder, my biggest hurdle is "brand name".  I have had guitar players say things like; "damn this is a really great amp", only to hear a few weeks later they bought some "brand" re-issue, and bitch that, I don't like this or that on their "brand"

It's hard to overcome voodoo and lore

[Ritchie200]

Companies spend big bucks on feeding the beast. Even back in the 60's Marshall was touting all the big name groups affiliated with their brand. I wouldnt be surprised if some companies have paid social media plants these days pushing the myths you speak of. What I noticed on several dedicated forums was I doubt many of the posters even own the product or if they did they have not performed for anyone other than their cat yet talk like they have played the Garden.  This is a big part of the Marshall forum IMHO...  I mentioned on another thread I used to go there and give some history or some specific info on the Major but I got tired of arguing with the 14 yr old experts. I haven't been there in years.   On another forum dedicated to the Marshall Major, a guy was posting sound clips with his new Major that he just bought.  A great player, but the amp didnt sound right. He kept saying it was stock but I said there was something different about the tone stack and kept asking for gut pics. Then one day a new guy came on claiming he was this guys next door nieghbor.  He said this guys "New" Major was actually a Line6 with a tweaked Vox AC30 setting. We never heard from him again.  Anonymity of the net....


Jim

[silverfox]

I explain to my wife: The music industry is no different, FOR THE MOST PART, sorry but I felt if I didn't cap that it could be easily missed. The music industry is no different than any other fashion industry. The Gucci Purse, I've got to have that BMW, whatever. People gravitate towards what represents their personal desired image. For the most part, hanging indicators on their Identity. Dude, you should have got "Real Tree".

For true musicians, while they may pass through the Fashion Statement Phase, they will eventually settle on the gear that gives them their Iconic sound they are pleased with. If it's a good tone, the people will follow.

Brand identity = Personal image. As for me, I like too many different tones and sounds and can get a good number of them as well as play in those styles so I'd guess you'd say: I'm more of an "intellectual" that appreciates so many different styles that only a "High Quality Amp Modeler" will work for me. Like the Fractal Audio AX8, into a Tube Power Amp. But it's not a fashion statement. Just the essence of tone, so to speak.

silverfox.

[shooter]

But it's not a fashion statement

  Since outsourcing, I've created my own fashion line, typically a nice silk tie, maybe a RL shirt, board shorts and beat up sneakers, I call it homeless chic

I've sold 3 of my old ties that way!

[PRR]

> I've created my own fashion line

Couple grubby guys in a garage.

Harley-Davidson now sells a FULL range of clothing and fashion. In their own side-stores, in other venues, and my eyeglasses-shop had ONE nice set of frames, and it was H-D brand.

https://www.framesdirect.com/framesfp/Harley-Davidson-lakblasa/lb.html

No reason you can't sell SilverFox eye-shadow and boxer underwear.

[BetterOffShred]

I joined the Soldano Amp Forum - a private forum not affiliated with the Soldano company. Pretty much all Soldano fanboys and more to the point all SLO 100 fanboys.

Why are there seemingly so few musicians who understand that these are simply tools and so many musicians who marry themselves to a certain brand or manufacturer to the point of excluding everything else? It's really sad.

Let me first say, I love the SLO-100.  I have wanted one since I was 13, and I think it's one of the greatest sounding rock/metal amps ever made.   That being said, it does in fact draw a huge douche-canoe full of Fanboys (am I one? ) wherever it is discussed.   It doesn't help that Eddie played them for a while, and so did Lynch.   It's just one of those amps that has become iconic through modern rock and has a pretty versatile range of music types coming out of it.  I think a lot of people attach themselves to a brand to "differentiate" themselves from "the rest" when in fact they may just be furthering their own conformity.

Some great points have been made, such as that if you look at the really legendary players, they play different gear throughout the years, but they still sound like themselves.  Billy Gibbons ripping a $99 strat copy in a pawn shop through a line-6 1x8 pile is still going to draw a crowd and sound like Billy Gibbons.   There was a few years there where Joe Bonamassa was sponsored or whatever by Line-6 and playing their modeling gear. 

I am a guitar player first and an Amp/Effects building noob second.  My quest is always for more tones, and I'll probably end up with a basement full of amps and cabinets and guitars, but I go where my ear tells me.

And yes, as PRR mentions.. Harley-Davidson is the king of branding their image.  Or is it Imaging their brand?  Either way, every time I see someone go by on a motorcycle that costs more than a lot of cars, with brand new head-to-toe leather bedazzled with branding and tassels, I really admire their marketing department!  They even patented their tail pipe sounds..
-Brett

[shooter]

They even patented their tail pipe sounds..

I'm 10 minutes away from a down system, 1AM, I get pulled over by a bored Policemen, "know why I pulled you over?", sorry, no..."Your exhaust is to loud", As he's telling me this an open header Harley blows by drowning out the officer, and I say, you mean like that?,  His reply, oh, no, that's a Harley, and gives me a ticket

[DummyLoad]

They even patented their tail pipe sounds..    

they tried to trademark the sound. you can't patent sounds, only inventions. they would have to patent the engine layout that produces the resulting sound and that patent expired decades past.

--pete

[PRR]

H-D had a *Design Patent* (different from invention Patent) on the fork-and-blade V-twin. They claimed it was a distinctive design feature and sought to prevent Yamahonda et al from producing a Harley-clone.

Fork-and-blade is very old, not only at H-D but in such as the Allison V-12. However for many years H-D was the only US f&b motocycle maker.

F&b allows both cylinders to be dead in-line, eliminating a minor rocking-couple, a side-shake.

The extreme silly-ness came when I was walking around and around a Honda "V-twin clone", knowing something was off, but took a while to spot. It was a V-four! Disguised as a V-twin! Siamese intake and exhaust, water-jackets concealed the true cylinders (H-D already had wet engines). The give-away was two spark plug wires. One side. Two spark plug wires. Other side. While you can have two plugs per chamber, the spacing and overall proportions confirmed for me that it was a small-bore V-4 dressed as a V-twin.

An offset-rod V-4 will have a rocking couple but much smaller than a V-twin of the same power.

The usual way to phase a V-4 would not have the Harley exhaust beat. But it could be phased to fire cylinders in pairs, be the same as a Harley.

An offset-rod V-twin can use additional spinning weights to run as smooth as a f&b V-twin. Or clever rubber bushings can mask the small rocking couple. I assume this is how most big HD-clone V-twins are done.

[DummyLoad]

yes, i own a moto-guzzi V-11 and a BMW R9T - side-side torque rocking can be mildly annoying. both of them are shaft drive and shaft jacking in turns during hard acceleration or abrupt deceleration is much, much more annoying. chain or belt drive is superior in that regard.

in the past i rode H-D FXDX, XLR and FXST. FXDX was rubber iso mount engine/trans and pleasant to ride. 2002 XL roadster was a paint shaker, FXST softtail has counter-balance flywheel and was very smooth for rigid frame mounted engine. the weight increase and power loss weren't an issue with the "cruiser" market. the FXDX had a big-bore kit, hot cams, ported heads with a performance exhaust and it and would constantly set off car alarms. i had to drive through a parking lot near campus to get to the M/C parking lot, and on some days i'd have 7-8 car alarms blaring in a symphony... yes, it was childish, but still had a grin from ear to ear...


also had a triumph speed triple - it was chain drive 1 liter 3 cyl and made a unique sound - much like a cross of parallel twin and in-line 4: it howled and was much fun buzzing around town or carving twisty roads. the bike i miss the most was an aprilla falco - 60deg 4VPC, 1 liter V twin sport bike, with chain drive and very, very much fun.



--pete

[swandezvous]

What's funny is how many will buy the brand, and then have uncle Ron Dooly down the street do their half assed "mod", and call it "custom". That part is hilarious.

[swandezvous]

"It's a Marshall Plexi with a 'deep' switch mod... Makes it sound, you know... 'deep'".