Nelskie said:
The truth of it is that there's an eleven year old kid here in Fargo that thinks his Spider amp is a piece of junk now, and a dad that thinks a bit lesser of me - thanks to your comments.
Really? Over an
amp? Wow. I would like to think that this would be an excellent time to teach the budding rock star about opinions, and how they don't matter
at all if he believes that his rig sounds good.
I really would hope that your friend doesn't think less of you for referring his son to this forum. The membership is friendly, and we don't get into anywhere
near the squabbling that occurs on other forums. Our content here is mild as well. I like that about TheFret.
I don't think you'll find anywhere in any of these posts that describes any Line 6 product as a piece of junk. Robert's comment was simply hyperbole, used in a humorous fashion, to illustrate his admiration for his Vox amp. Indeed, I think you'll find the description used in this thread of the Line 6 Spider as generally favorable, with the Flextone being an excellent amp. I would not feel bad at all having to go onstage with a Spider. What we were discussing was
my search for my next amplifier, and chronicling some thoughts along the way. This search for a new amp has taught me some important stuff about solid state/tube hybrid modelers, and I wanted to write some comments about it. That's what forums are for.
Blatant bias and subjectivity? Well, yes, we
all have bias toward a particular amp, guitar and effects. If we didn't there would only be one manufacturer of the same stuff. Choice is great, and comparing and evaluating new equipment (and sharing that here) is a tremendous way to foster fellowship among musicians, and also open each others eyes to new and different gear. I seem to recall a few of your posts helping me and others do just that.
It is impossible to consider the feelings of a person that reads this forum that we have no knowledge of. I have an idea... Have the young man and his parents log on and post. We can have an honest discussion about the pros and cons of Spider amps, and whatever gear he has. Be sure, though, that the discussion will be based on opinions and our likes and dislikes. I'm sure you can agree, though, that it will be friendly, truthful, honest and polite.
Nelskie, you were defending a young, impressionable lad that you obviously care for. That's admirable. It was also admirable for you to apologize. You cannot, however, hold Robert responsible for a comment made in jest that was obviously taken out of context. Your posts here are well thought out, articulate, and eloquent. I would hope that we could put this all behind us and continue talking about guitars, basses, amps, effects and artists. I value your opinion, as it has been dead on more often than not. Leaving over this issue is silly.
As for playing "devil's advocate," if it's too much of a challenge for you,
stop. How about posting more about gear, music and artists that are important to you... Or posting a clip of your playing? You know that we are good to everyone that posts here (with the possible exception of a spammer or two), and you might have some fun!
Robert's response was dead on, and a model of restraint. Other forums, if the Admin was the subject of such thinly veiled sarcasm, would not have given the choice of staying and continuing to take part in the discussion.
I'm not a moderator or an admin here, and I really hope that I haven't overstepped my bounds on this subject. If so, please PM me and I will happily delete it.
R :R 
