My conclusion about guitar gear forums

Karl Houseknecht

Karl Houseknecht

Power User
I was a regular poster and supporting member at The Gear Page for years. Then I started realizing something...

Much like Indiana Jones in Raiders of the Lost Ark, if you removed me from the equation, the ending is the same.

So I removed myself from TGP for a month, and guess what happened? I was happier, practiced more, played more, and was happy with the tones from my gear. I don't have GAS for anything. And...the same debates rage on those forums with or without me.

Now I haven't posted here for a while either except for one or two over the last week, and you know something? I don't need to. I'll keep an eye out for firmware updates, but I think my time spent frequenting forums is done. Time to spend time where it matters.

Later!
 
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I noticed you missing - also Nicolas over there has been quiet for about the same amount of time. Lots of Helix fanboys talking in hyperbole (Helix has sent everyone "reeling," Native is the "knockout blow" to other modeling companies lol). Comparison threads filled with the same defensiveness as always and very little new information being shared. God forbid someone should ask for help - the threads just seem to devolve into petty arguments over verbage or someone being more right than someone else.
 
My forum addiction comes and goes. It seems to disappear completely when I have gigs coming up, and now that I'm in three different projects, I'm nearly cured. ;)
 
mixministermike said:
I noticed you missing - also Nicolas over there has been quiet for about the same amount of time. Lots of Helix fanboys talking in hyperbole (Helix has sent everyone "reeling," Native is the "knockout blow" to other modeling companies lol). Comparison threads filled with the same defensiveness as always and very little new information being shared. God forbid someone should ask for help - the threads just seem to devolve into petty arguments over verbage or someone being more right than someone else.
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I can live with Helix fanboys. I are one. :D It's a great unit and deserves the praise, as does Helix Native. That's truly a great platform but, so is my AX8, which I absolutely love. I don't have gear allegiances anymore. I like what I like and can get great tones out of those two modeling units and all the amps I own.

Yeah, the petty arguments are what finally did me in. It's the same ones over and over again and for what purpose? I don't feel like I need "help" anymore from the forums unless there's something legitimately wrong, and how often is that? I've figured out how to get the tones I want and no amount of forum reading is going to get me any farther. There were no forums when I started playing. There wasn't an Internet either. We just played and had fun. That's what I've rediscovered.

At first I checked in with TGP and didn't post. Then I just stopped checking in altogether. If I could delete my account, I would, but like here I just deleted my signature and profile picture and turned off forum alerts. For a while, I just checked in here too and after this thread, I won't post anymore. I'll pop in now and again to see if there's new firmware but I have to be honest...why bother? I could have stopped upgrading a long time ago and not noticed the difference.

Enjoy the journey, folks!
 
I discovered this many years ago. Even before forums. I stopped buying music magazines. I stopped going into music stores and browsing. I stopped hanging around forums specializing in gear long ago. I'm happier and more productive, kind of. Most importantly I don't have too much GAS. I never got engaged in The Gear Page. Just found something's too stupid for my time. Nothing against anyone else who loves it. Just a personal thing.

Music is something I do. It's not so much what I read about. I love it here because I'm still learning about this Fractal thing!
 
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Karl Houseknecht said:
It's a great unit and deserves the praise, as does Helix Native. That's truly a great platform but, so is my AX8, which I absolutely love.
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I don't disagree, it definitely owns the bang-for-the-buck crown IMO, especially at $800 discounted vs $1300 for the AX-8. But the last couple months, that's not enough for the fans at TGP. No, it needs to be impervious to all criticism and no longer slightly behind Kemper and FAS in modeling realism but truly better in every conceivable way. Simply being the best choice for an individual is not enough, now the Helix is empirically the best modeler. :confused:
As someone who is cross-platform in nearly every part of my life, the hyperbole gets a little much.
 
mixministermike said:
I don't disagree, it definitely owns the bang-for-the-buck crown IMO, especially at $800 discounted vs $1300 for the AX-8. But the last couple months, that's not enough for the fans at TGP. No, it needs to be impervious to all criticism and no longer slightly behind Kemper and FAS in modeling realism but truly better in every conceivable way.
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Well, the Helix isn't better in every conceivable way. But I'd go even a little farther and say that in some cases, it's just as good. But yeah, fanboys tone it down a notch. My guess is that these types of opinions arise from being able to only own one or the other and then feeling the need of justifying their purchase. I'm blessed to be able to own whatever gear I want, but I only keep whatever works for me. They both work for me.
 
Good on you man. Forums are great at times- questions, problems, learning... But if more people in this world would be willing to walk away from the internet I think a number of things would improve. Not only the silly arguing and general sociopathy that develops online, but I really think it bleeds over into the real world. Just like us staring at gear and conversations about gear makes us GAS and devolve into (generally) pointless discussions, I think the same thing happens in the realm of politics, education, etc. And we're the worse for it.
And don't get me started on celebrities.
 
I've scaled way down on my browsing and posting.

I check in here once in a while, but more often than not I just look at Cliff's recent post history to see if there's anything exciting and new. Sure is quiet on the FAS front.
 
We shall strike your biased statement from the records then ... and continue to antagonise mods at all possible times.:D

... and what's with this thread anyway? People posting to say they don't post? C'mon ... you know you'll be peeping in fairly regularly ... we'll talk about you if you don't ;)
 
Forums and online life in general tend to consume more time and energy than they merit. Especially guitar forums, because guitar knowledge is mostly folklore, mythology, misunderstood truths and guesswork. I spend more time on the Fractal forum than anywhere else online, mainly because the signal-to-noise ratio is so high here.
 
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