At one time (not too long ago) there were very few blowups on this Forum. There was the occasional troll or jackass (you take your pick on which label applied) that would pick a fight or make a ridiculously inflammatory claim, but they seldom stuck around. 

The few that did stick around were duly chastised and would straighten up and fly right...I was corrected a couple of times early in my association here due to double posting (same post or question on two different sections of the forum). I learned  from the correction, adjusted my method of posting (mostly by learning where to post what type of question) and have had no problem since.

There was one guy who would dig in with an unpopular or inaccurate viewpoint until he was totally discredited, but he would often either adjust his thinking or he would just agree to disagree...but he rarely posts anymore (although I think he occasionally cruises and scans the Forum). I think he never developed that "filter" that prevents a person from saying (and posting) the random thought that hits his mind, but we enjoyed the jousts that resulted, because they were all in good fun for the most part.

Lately, there have been a couple of people (one in particular) who haven't had the sense, humility or respect to take the hint (or outright instruction) to play by the rules. Whether it was youthful enthusiasm, cognitive disabilities or just outright mendacity, they didn't contribute to the good of the Forum...in fact, their inability to add to the upside has created a huge downside. By doing so, they're missing out on some pretty cool things.

What some people may not realize is the beauty of this Forum. We have guys with vast, irreplaceable knowledge of all things guitar and music. Arjay's knowledge of vintage amps, Ceri's ability to recall the odds and sods of Fender history (as well as his ability to resurrect a Phoenix'ed body), AndyBigHair's generosity in sharing unique custom schematics, and so on...the list of helpful, insightful members here would be unending.

The entertainment value is invaluable as well; Nevin's self-deprecating humor, Niki's young curmudgeon-in-training comments, SuperKid's young and sarcastic take on things...

Reading (and sharing my own) accounts of the triumphs and pitfalls of live performances from guys who have been around the block (like RebelSoul) and youngsters (like TexasGuitarSlinger) is a blast.

Real life user reviews from people who can be trusted (or at least you know where they're coming from) are great too.

I've listened to music I never would have encountered otherwise. I've "met" people who are cool, funny and talented far beyond my meager abilities. My world view has grown due to the international nature of this Forum (I only wish my Spanish were better, so I could get more knowledge from those forums as well). I've learned about guitars, effects, amps and "stuff" I never knew existed.

Brad does a great job of refereeing all this stuff, but he hasn't clamped it down to the point that would border on fascism, and we should thank him for that. We have fun, there's very little profanity or hatred, there's no racism, and that's hard to find nowadays...yet we're all able to express our opinions.

There are certain websites (Gibson especially) whose Forums consist of, "This sucks!", "No, you suck ", "No, YOU SUCK!", and ultimately I don't visit anymore...I don't like watching Jerry Springer, why would I like reading the same thing?

I hope I haven't contributed to any negativity on the Forum. If I have, it was unintentional. I want to thank all the good guys (I know who you are, even if you don't) and invite the others to either straighten up or leave.

I want to go back to where a certain dead Texan's Strat was securely in a museum (or his widow's possession, or where ever it actually is) and I had never heard of Muso's. Let's all do that together.

Peace out, my brothers and sisters...

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Good Vibes To Y'all!



Screamin' Armadillos
Texas Roadhouse Music
Guitar/Slide Guitar/Harp/Vocals

My favourite people on this forum I am not going to count because I will forget some. But of course there are the "League Of Extraordinary British Gentlemen" (AndyBigHair, Ceri, Nikininja, The_Nutter and more), and their yankee counterparts (Screaming Armadillo, Rebelsoul, ZZdoc, Tim Drake, Jah Soldier, Soul Body and the Chief him self CAFeathers and many more) Our youngsters like Super Kid, Riley (with his long screen name) Tochai, Floyd_the_Barber. And many more that I will probably think of later.

And I miss the posting of many that haven't been around lately like CC, Wild_Rose and LadyVendettaAngel.

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Deyr fé
Deyja frændr
Deyr sjálfr ið sama
En orðstír
Deyr aldregi
Hveim er sér góðan getr

Cool post - and a much better description than I could give on some of the reasons this forum is where I go first when I get some free time

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Steve

I am fairly new to the forums but that one joker seemed to hijack what is a great place to share and get information in the short time that I have been on. Hopefully he learned his lesson but it does not appear to be the case. Screamin' Armadillo, very impressive post.

I have to admit that this has been a great place to visit with people,and there has been some people that I feel like I know from around the world that I'll never get to meet in person...there are possibilities for the folks here in the States,and as I get close to retirement I would like to get out and maybe meet a few of y'all...and maybe even get "across the pond".
It's a shame that some kids have caused so much trouble lately...and we have really tried to help one in particular to no avail...they have a resource of vast knowledge at their fingertips here that I could have never imagined all those years ago when albums,books and other musicians were the only way you could learn to play guitar.
"To all of y'all"...how's that for a classic Southern phrase?... who put up with me and my sarcasm and truly warped sense of humor,thanks so much!! I feel like we could have one helluva jam...hope to keep on enjoying the good times here for a long time to come.

Nice letter there Armadillo!
I follow your posts man.
Keep ´em long and tasty, like a fine solo!

Thanks everyone out there for your unconditional help on everything from compressors to divorce to sharing humorous stuff and top music links!

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FIGHT!

Great post Screamin' Armadillo,it's all bad enough that there are people out there who go out of their way to disgruntle people they know but it takes a special kind of obnoxious tool to go out of his way to annoy people he doesn't know.Your message should be required reading for newcomers.

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'65 Strat,65 Mustang,65 Jaguar,4 more Strats,3 vintage Vox guitars,5 Vox amps,'69 Bassman with a '68 2-15 Bassman cab,36 guitars total-15asst'd amps total,2 vintage '60s Hammond organs & a myriad of effects-with a few rare vintage ones.

Great post.

Let's not overlook BrotherDave for all things low and loud. He is the guru of the Bass.

+1

Scream'in A,

Your Sir, are a true gent mate. May your boots be blessed with the nipples of a thousand ostriches.

While we're giving shout outs to some of the forum greats, I'd like to mention our very own Celestial Genius, Martian, who regularly imparts expertise and knowledge (from the vast depths of his gargantuan alien cranium) to those in need.

Good stuff!

Andy

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Pending Greatness

I liked it
Yeah that was good
Could have been better though
well just a tad
overall I'd say so so
or just so
yeah, so or ok for me
went on a bit eh
thought it would never end
my head was melting near the end
I need aspirin
and a lie down

FG1, eh?

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1984 Squier Contemporary Stratocaster
1986 Peavey Envoy 110
1967 Kingston Acoustic

Well. If we're naming names...

Here's a list of some of the people I like on the Forum:



And here's the list of the people I don't like:



You know what? I think it's going to turn out fine.

Cheers - C

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I'm relatively new to the forum and lurked for a long while before joining in any conversation because truthfully, I didn't know a pick from a pick-guard!

I think I know the difference now ...but still I like to read what others have to say more because I'm learning. Lots of great stuff here on this forum. Occasionally I get amused by the political debates but it's not my game, so I stay out of those. I haven't been able to contribute much to the forum in the way of educating anyone on guitars or amps but if there's something that I know about, I'll chime in. And I try to verify any statements I make before I make them so I don't look like a fool! Last thing I want to do is incur the wrath of the more knowledgeable ones here! It would scare me away!

I think the reason for some of the posts is for nothing other than some folks wanting to increase their post numbers to become the latest 10,000th poster ( is that the right word? ), and become a "Rock God" or whatever the title is for reaching that milestone.
It'll take me a long time to get there, If I live long enough! Until then, I'll just contribute where I can.

As for those here just to increase post count or blood pressure levels, I'll report them to Brad as I have in the past. The Forum, this Forum, deserves to be used productively and not for obvious trash. And No, I don't consider myself a Censor. Just someone who doesn't want to waste time on reading useless posts.

my $.02...I'll go back to lurk-mode.

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-T

"You can't spend what you ain't got, you can't lose what you ain't never had" ~ McKinley Morganfield

I have to admit that I haven't been on herre nearly as much as I used to be. I must have really missed something because I did not think that things were getting that bad again.

I know that ocassionally that I post a little sarcastically here and there; however, it is mostly done tongue in cheek. I mostly try to stay out of badgering. I for one would like to say that this Forum is (in my opinion) one of the best forums on the net. I like coming here to learn and discuss guitars. This is the only fourm that does not belittle people for their gear (most of the time).

It seems that every few months there is a little outbreak of craziness on here, but it usually settles down and goes back to normal. I too miss some people that used to post on here, but I see less and less posts from them until they fall off the grid.

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RK

2007 Fender Highway 1
2012 American Deluxe
2015 MIM Dave Murray HHH
2010 Fender Blacktop
1987 Fender Avalon Acoustic
2012 Marshall DSL 15 watt head

SA,
Extremely well said as usual. Your postings have also been extremely informative, as have your boots and socks .

We all know (and no need to mention as we are most of us gentlemen) of whom you speak. Perhaps, a day will come when it dawns on he whose name cannot be spoken (sorry, Harry) that his posts have been looked upon as musings of a youngster with a vivid imagination (lies) and will change his ways.

I have over these last couple of years learned a lot here, laughed a lot, had a few political "discussions", and even as I reduce my playing to a minimum for various reasons, will continue to read and occasionally put in my 2 cents.
Serge

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Current Gear: Ron Kirn Barnbuster Tele,
Marshall: 1971 SuperLead 100>1997 1960-TV, bunch of pedals
and a 1987 Porsche 911 Carrera coupe named Veronica