Why We're Better Than TGP... what?

[AGWAN]

START RANT

I find it odd that UW, a site that should be dedicated to one brand... is actually a less biased site then TGP.

I've posted there all of a week, and I'm just about done with the place.

when I registered here I was JUST starting to learn about guitars. I met a bunch of people with a bunch of varied opinions... and they pretty much all got along.

More importantly. the people here could SUPPORT why they felt a certain way. (say about Gibson) and back it up with compelling arguement.

Afterwards. we usually all stayed chill.

And I ended up LEARNING in the process.

I'm not saying we're not totally biased. but we're smart about it. we also generally don't think a magical coveted guitar is going to make us better. generally materials quality and oh... TALENT does that.

I've tried TGP, SevenString and a few others.

you guys are really the only ones I actually ENJOY talking to.
END RANT

 

[back2thefutre]

UW is so nice they even let me participate :binkybaby: :headbang: :icon_jokercolor: :icon_thumright:

 

[dNA]

I feel you on that. I was a member on SevenString years ago, and I really liked the little community we had at one time. feels a lot like the vibe here. but that went downhill eventually - maybe as it got bigger. Who knows. either way, this is my go-to forum. a lot of good eggs in this basket

 

[Disco Scottie]

I'm a member and have posted on TGP, Birds and Moons, the Kramer Forum, and probably a few others I'm forgetting. The latter two I mentioned, as well as UW, are definitely more enjoyable to participate in. I think there's more of a camaraderie when everyone in the room is into the same thing. TGP can be great, but you have to know how to navigate amongst the "cork sniffers". I've learned a lot from many different sources over the years. I wish I had access to this kind of knowledge when I started in the 80s.

 

[Jusatele]

I had given up on guitar forums years ago, seemed most of the guys on them were jerks. I can remember listening to one guy rant about the soloing on a certain Disc so I got it and it was just a a bunch or repetitive shred. You could have picked up the latest copy of ''insert name here'' guitar mag and copied the lessons pages and played the same thing.  I started to notice that discussion always followed what you could buy in that months rag. I got bored real fast, unless you were hip, you got no respect. Artist like Buck Owens or Barney Kessel would be put down as untalented hacks by guys who had never heard them play. Here we build guitar that honor guys like that.
We also have such a diverse group of musical taste here it is refreshing to listen to the sound bytes. I was digging on the Young Hookers Videos as much as CornFlower videos.
And we all dig on it, I also have been amazed at how much info you can get here by just asking, and I mean good info.
Most important is they put up with my dry humor

 

[dmraco]

whats TGP???

 

[Cagey]

whats TGP???

TGP = The Gear Page.

It's a very large musician's forum, with a wide variety of special interests. Several things about it are somewhat unique. First, a surprising number of manufacturer's reps/owners/engineers/etc. are active participants, so you sometimes get answers directly from the horse's mouth, so to speak. There are also some famous artists who post there, and some not-so-famous but in the industry on a professional basis. Finally, there's a substantial population of members who are known or referred to as "cork sniffers". That is, people who believe their opinions are sacrosanct on a variety of topics having to do with whatever aspect of music they're involved with. To defy them is to risk being outcast and ridiculed. These are the people who buy Dumble amplifiers and other "boutique" gear that your average human can't afford or isn't interested in.

Generally speaking, newbies aren't made to feel accepted unless they bring some major talent or knowledge to the discussion, or are suitably deferential in their respect for the big dogs. Even then, you may have to have a fight with a "made" guy and win it.

It's a strange place. I suspect their lurkers outnumber their posters by about 1000:1 ratio or better. But, people go there because there is a lot of high-priced and experienced talent wandering around. Still, a great deal of it is opinion, so you still have to take a lot of it with a grain of salt.

 

[Jusatele]

the way I see it
TGP is a place where you are looked down on for owning a Fender Twin Amp
but in truth, the Fender twin is the work dog of the industry, I guarantee if you go out and look at 15 bands playing onstage in clubs, that you will count over a dozen Fender twins.
Now, I may Just be in the class of a club musician, but I do know that a good piece of gear and a boutique piece, And if it was up to me I would put my Collection pf Vox's up against a bunch of boutiques any day of the week, I can go out and gig and abuse my Vox's and they will play again the next night after being bumped around with reliable tone and operating were some of those boutique rigs you need a tech to fiddle with them every night. All I carry is a sore set of tubes. in case I burn one out. MY cabinet front cloth may be brown and my head cloth blue but I do not give a flip as I wanted that stereo cab with those Speakers. And Yes I have played some Mexican made Strats I would love to have right next to my American one, but do not mention that. I guess what I am trying to say is some of the equipment you have heard in famous recordings would be sniffed at if you owned it, but it was ok because EC used a Danolectric foot pedal for that song. he was looking for a sound. ( THEN WHY THE %&!* CAN'T JOE SHMOE? )

 

[Cagey]

I've found that outside of some rare and outrageous differences, a good musician is perfectly capable of dancing with whoever (s)he meets and is happy to do so. The subtleties of most "boutique" gear are lost on probably 99% of the people out there, be they musicians or not. So, to get into heated arguments over the pros and cons of of one Fender/Marshall/Vox clone vs. another is pointless. Granted, there may be functional/tonal/quality differences that make some version of some guy's clone more practical or approachable for a given musician, but overall, most amps are more the same than they are different.

 

[Jusatele]

guess it is up to personal experience then Cagey
I stopped going there years ago because of guys believing BS ruled. Their may have been a change since then but at the time I was there if you did not have a 62 or earlier fender your stuff was shit. and if you're combo amp could never compare to a stack.
I was in the trenches when most of those posters were sucking teat, and they are the experts because they all read the same guitar rag.

 

[Cagey]

It's still the same, and I don't hang out there much at all for the same reasons - I've got gear older than many of their posters and have at one time or another owned much of what they think is magical now back in the days when it was new. It makes for amusing reading sometimes.

 

[Strat Avenger]

START RANT

I find it odd that UW, a site that should be dedicated to one brand... is actually a less biased site then TGP.

I've posted there all of a week, and I'm just about done with the place.

when I registered here I was JUST starting to learn about guitars. I met a bunch of people with a bunch of varied opinions... and they pretty much all got along.

More importantly. the people here could SUPPORT why they felt a certain way. (say about Gibson) and back it up with compelling arguement.

Afterwards. we usually all stayed chill.

And I ended up LEARNING in the process.

I'm not saying we're not totally biased. but we're smart about it. we also generally don't think a magical coveted guitar is going to make us better. generally materials quality and oh... TALENT does that.

I've tried TGP, SevenString and a few others.

you guys are really the only ones I actually ENJOY talking to.
END RANT

You've obviously never been called a "douche" by anyone here, for simply having a differing opinion about something.

Don't be fooled; Internet discussion forums are all the same.

 

[dNA]

You've obviously never been called a "douche" by anyone here, for simply having a differing opinion about something.

Don't be fooled; Internet discussion forums are all the same.

haha. I feel you on that too. But don't let yourself be turned to cynicism. While there have been more heated arguments and hot-headed name-calling on these boards lately (you all know who you are), if you really look at the discussions on a whole, this is a very tame board with fairly open-minded participants. We've managed to stay out of the excessive social/political/moral arguments that made me leave SevenString.org (I had seriously stopped learning or reading anything about guitars by the time i was done)

 

[OzziePete]

I think it was the TGP that I learned about the Barefoot monitor speakers, from a guy worked with Brian Wilson on the SMiLE project, so there are some heavyweights on there....Not that I could afford that sort of monitor for my home studio project, but it was good to find out some opinions about gear like that. Mind you, people like that could be signed endorsees of gear, or have some close connection to manufacturers, so you sometimes might get suss that they are trying some sophisticated spamming technique on you.

If that forum is a bit feral maybe us 'good guys' could wander over there and spread some love around? Mind you we've had some nasty moments here too......don't mention politics, Schaller- Hannes bridges here, or try to start up guitar playing tutorials!  :evil4:

 

[AGWAN]

You've obviously never been called a "douche" by anyone here, for simply having a differing opinion about something.

Don't be fooled; Internet discussion forums are all the same.

haha. I feel you on that too. But don't let yourself be turned to cynicism. While there have been more heated arguments and hot-headed name-calling on these boards lately (you all know who you are), if you really look at the discussions on a whole, this is a very tame board with fairly open-minded participants. We've managed to stay out of the excessive social/political/moral arguments that made me leave SevenString.org (I had seriously stopped learning or reading anything about guitars by the time i was done)

...I actually am pretty sure I know which Member Avenger is talking about... And I'm just glad that member is in the MINORITY.

And yeah, I'm sure there is a lot to learn there, which Oddly, is the main reason I join Guitar Forums... But there is more than one way to get that info, and if the person posting it can't explain WHY they feel they're right. I'm not storing that Nugget in long term memory.

Take the Gibson thing for example. It wasn't that someone told me they were crap.

When I was told that, I was like "...Nah"

then I went to the store and checked for myself, then people posted pictures of their Flaws on various boards.

then it was clear to me they have gone to crap. but there was evidence.

I didn't just jump on the hate bandwagon.... Gibson Earned it.

and they earned it from a guy that can Enjoy a 200 dollar Ibanez.

If you can't please me... the hell... who is pleased with those things?!

 

[Disco Scottie]

Oh, don't get me started on Gibson.

I'll just say this... my Edwards and Greico LPs are all I need.

 

[AGWAN]

"Its not a real Les Paul if its not a Gibson, you wanna-be"

Good thing I like Tele's then, huh ass?

*goes on rampage*

 

[Strat Avenger]

Yeah, 'not trying to turn this into a Gibson thread, but that comment reminds me of how much I LOVE my ESP "Les Paul" (EC series). It sounds as good as any Gibson I have ever heard, AND plays like a dream. It feels better in my hands than any Gibson Les Paul I have ever played. The neck is SO comfortable. Not too thick, not too thin. No string buzzing or any other problems. Came stock with Duncan JB/'59 pickups with chrome covers. 'Cost a LOT less than a Gibson.

Back to the original topic: I occasionally lurk at TGP, but have never signed up for a user account, so I can't post there.

 

[The Norwegian Guy]

I love my Gibson Les Paul Standard and my Gibson Custom Shop ES335
But I do feel that gibson has lost its mojo through the past years. They have produced nothing but LESS pauls recently.

 

[Strat Avenger]

I love my Gibson Les Paul Standard and my Gibson Custom Shop ES335
But I do feel that gibson has lost its mojo through the past years. They have produced nothing but LESS pauls recently.

Yeah, I love Les Pauls too. I'm not saying they all suck. Gibson has just gotten too big in the last couple of decades.