ilovefuzz.com

So I found out at FSB about a rolling shitstorm at TGP and HRI about blooz lawyers and their money being parted.

Vertex was a reputable company that assembled pro pedal boards, occasionally with some pedal customization, for a certain elite tier of guitarists with impressive chops who bore the living hell out of me. Larry Carlton, Robben Ford, Michael Landau, others. Nice enough looking pedal boards designed to work reliably, all good and fine.

Then they start marketing pedals with their name on them at a premium price. One I had seen was a modded Arion Chorus with true bypass switch sticking out like a Keeley switch mod and allegedly magic broken/wrong values like Landau's magic Arion, all at a premium boutique price. Yes, color me skeptical.

Then they came out with a wah--feh. To me, if it's Vox/Crybaby family, a wah is a wah, and anyone who can solder can make a cheap Crybaby sound like just about any "magic" wah with a small purchase of non-premium parts. But I get it, people spend time developing their magic tuning and want to recoup the cost.

Except the development cost was picking a cheap stock wah to rebadge as Vertex's own custom design. They just put their name plate on a stock BBE Ben Wah and added something like a couple Benjamin's to the price. And sold it to blooz lawyers.

Enter the TGP cycle: glowing reviews from happy purchasers, gut comparisons, embarrassed evasion and coverup, and several 1000 post threads of shitstorm. Huge Racks had apparently been tight with Vertex but have thread locked their own shitstorm, with the conclusion that Vertex is basically cheating their customers.

Take aways: I like how upfront ILF builders, and most of the ones we like, are about what they are building and what they're doing--they'll tell you what original circuits they're riffing on and what they're doing with it when they aren't delivering something much newer. And if you want a good Crybaby-type wah, the BBE might be pretty decent.

Anyway, we've seen this shit before and laughed at it heartily, like Freakish Blues's repainted Joyo pedals with red dot. Only real reason I bring it up is so there is a search hit here for Vertex.

I've been reading about this one since it was posted over on FSB. My my, have times changed.

Gone Fission wrote:Except the development cost was picking a cheap stock wah to rebadge as Vertex's own custom design. They just put their name plate on a stock BBE Ben Wah and added something like a couple Benjamin's to the price. And sold it to blooz lawyers.

You forgot about the magic mojo goop. That stuff is expensive, you know.

Not long ago, FSB was degooping expensive pedals and exposing what was under the goop. Linking to their site was disallowed at other forums (still is at some). FSB members were called "internet terrorists" for exposing the well-known myth of security through obscurity.

Now, places like TGP have non-technical, home grown users tearing their own gear apart to see what is really under the goop. This should be a lesson: hiding your circuit under goop is the equivalent of posting a big sign that says, "open here for secrets."

BTW, it seemed immediately likely to me that Vertex could be a shady company when I read their description of their "Landau Chorus," which is obviously a rebrand from an Asian manufacturer: "Modified and Handcrafted in California". Mmm hmm. It sure looks like it. Lots of low-output builders have the money to make a custom case, as evidenced by the lack of pedals in Hammond boxes in the marketplace.

Mike

i've never had a bad experience with any builder here.

brian: on the real, say somthing bad, i dare you

john lyons: it took a while, but boy was it worth it, my double beat/warp customs look CRAY

ian: fast response, super honest, amazing sounding pedal

laowiz: cat wouldn't even build me nothing because he was afraid the circuits i wasn't asking for him to build me wouldn't be up to his standard of where he wants them to sound. THAT is something. his stuff looks so amazing, still GAS bad for it.

Gone Fission wrote: Take aways: I like how upfront ILF builders, and most of the ones we like, are about what they are building and what they're doing--they'll tell you what original circuits they're riffing on and what they're doing with it when they aren't delivering something much newer. And if you want a good Crybaby-type wah, the BBE might be pretty decent.

+1

I really like reading these ILF posts about shitstorms at other forums, actually.

I love these stories. It seems to me that scamming the rich is like shooting fish in a barrel. I grew up around a lot of crooks and scammers and learned very early on that if something sound too good to be true it usually is. Also that it is greed that gets people conned. And no one is as greedy as the rich. Thank Allah for the decent builders and people around ILF.

KaosCill8r wrote:I love these stories. It seems to me that scamming the rich is like shooting fish in a barrel. I grew up around a lot of crooks and scammers and learned very early on that if something sound too good to be true it usually is. Also that it is greed that gets people conned. And no one is as greedy as the rich. Thank Allah for the decent builders and people around ILF.

+1

"No one is as greedy as the rich". True, and it works the other way around too. No one is as rich as the greedy.

I doubt any of the ILF builders get filthy rich from their hours and hours of r&d'ing in their basement. Working hard, being upfront and honest, and trying to create somewhat unique shit...I doub't that'll earn you as much money as the Vertex type of "builder" make. Don't want to put 'em all on a pedestal or anything, but I don't mind repeating this: Nothing but respects for the chumps that do it for all the right reasons.

frigid midget wrote:Working hard, being upfront and honest, and trying to create somewhat unique shit...I doub't that'll earn you as much money as the Vertex type of "builder" make.

I don't really agree with this.
The "vertex-type" people you refer to make a lot of money over a short period.
Then someone spills the beans and their brand is done for.
Someone like Dr. Scientist has been around for a while, making great pedals, and has a highly trustworthy name.
I think that having a solid reputation is worth FAR more than selling a few shitty overpriced things, in the long run.

It'd "worth it" for me too, but unlike a vertex sort of business, it's not easy/quick money. I guess it's like comparing a bank robbery to a 9 to 5 honest job.

I'm sure, or at least I hope, that the Dr Scientist people can someday retire on their own private island in the Bahahama's, or at least some realistic real world version of that:)
While nobody will remember the by then bankrupt Vertex style companies, let alone respect them.

Otoh, shady businesses like that wouldn't even exist if it weren't for snobby blues lawyers with more money than common sense:idk: