The Douchey Douchbag

[nitrous12]

This is a pretty small community and its not difficult to see some members prefer one modders work to others for a host of different reasons. Its our freedom to form those preferences and even defend them if it feels right to do so. I see some prefer modders as a whole and others more on an individual replica basis taking what they think is most accurate no matter who its from.
If anything my take has been that Rossness has always preferred Salvation stuff. No problem there. He recently had the luxury of trying out JF stuff first hand and formed new opinions both good and bad of the individual mods based on first hand experience and what he is after. No problem there either.
Its not difficult to read a round the board and see his comments about liking a replica from one modder over the equivalent from another that shows no favoritism as you go down the list. Wasn't impressed with the Rverb and liked the Stonerverb. Not big on the Cali-Lead but finds the Terrier very accurate to what it replicates. Obviously here found the Salvado didn't get him the SLO tone while this douchbag thing does.
I honestly didn't read anything in his posts that suggested this was meant to put down one modder as a whole or attack credibility in any way. What is wrong with stating our disappointment in a given mod not being authentic to our ears while expressing excitement about another that does? Happens all the time.

So I apologize for contributing to the rabbit hole this thread got thrown into, but I guess I felt like adding my perspective to this unnecessary path it headed down.

 

[Mattfig]

This is a pretty small community and its not difficult to see some members prefer one modders work to others for a host of different reasons. Its our freedom to form those preferences and even defend them if it feels right to do so. I see some prefer modders as a whole and others more on an individual replica basis taking what they think is most accurate no matter who its from.
If anything my take has been that Rossness has always preferred Salvation stuff. No problem there. He recently had the luxury of trying out JF stuff first hand and formed new opinions both good and bad of the individual mods based on first hand experience and what he is after. No problem there either.
Its not difficult to read a round the board and see his comments about liking a replica from one modder over the equivalent from another that shows no favoritism as you go down the list. Wasn't impressed with the Rverb and liked the Stonerverb. Not big on the Cali-Lead but finds the Terrier very accurate to what it replicates. Obviously here found the Salvado didn't get him the SLO tone while this douchbag thing does.
I honestly didn't read anything in his posts that suggested this was meant to put down one modder as a whole or attack credibility in any way. What is wrong with stating our disappointment in a given mod not being authentic to our ears while expressing excitement about another that does? Happens all the time.

So I apologize for contributing to the rabbit hole this thread got thrown into, but I guess I felt like adding my perspective to this unnecessary path it headed down.

I am not helping either. This has never been solved nor can it be. I guess I read too much into what Ross was saying. He's been cool all along and I was surprised to read it. Perhaps it is my mistake.

There's just so much BS in the air around here for me as an old timer. I have had and appreciated mods from everyone. I do my best to not say anything beyond a mod I dislike is "not for me." This game has got me fed up.

 

[drewiv]

Matt, look at your sig. Does that look like the sig of an unbiased individual? Are YOU the one with the alternative motive? Food for thought.

KOOL. AID. (?) Serious? I have many modules from several modders.

I NEVER speak out over a one modder over another, but this blind attack, by you, is indefensible. Go to bed, it's obvious who's there... to everyone.

 

[ricky]

Wow! Matt, I totally respect you and your videos, your playing and taste. However, on this one I beg to differ with you. I read and re-read this thread and I do not see any bashing of any modders and certainly don't see Rob having any part in any of this. Personally I think you owe an apology. I own mods from both. There are things about my Buddy that I like and there are things things about my XMG that I like. If I were to make a negative comment about the Buddy or the XMG it does not mean I am bashing Rob or Antonin.... it means I am expressing an opinion. Nothing more. As a matter of fact, I had a VooDoo Twin and others liked it. It did not quite nail the tone for me so I sent it to another modder and had it re-worked. It does not mean that I am bashing Trace as I respect his work. it just means that someone else got closer to what I wanted and that is a matter of opinion.

 

[Mattfig]

You are all entitled to your opinions and thank you for the kind advice.

My sig was once all JF mods too. I will probably add a new one soon. The point is, I have probably got 100 PMs from people about that very thing drew. I give Rob respect and always have. I see this forum becoming ridiculously slanted and it bothers me. Sorry to disagree with you guys on this. Yep, I took a shot, one that's been taken before many times before. Yet now this forum forgets how this all started and I read about how the modders would all be buddies if they hung out. Talk about a fairy tale. The new guys here have been indoctrinated into this and it bothers me.

There needs to be balance here.

 

[drewiv]

My sig was once all JF mods too.

I guess, more or less, that is the question. Why the flip and then then flop and then then flip? Some of us have been here to witness it all. I'm not trying to be a douchey *********, but what is behind the migration?

 

[Johnny Wadd]

I do believe that not every mod is for everyone...

Otherwise - We'd all have the same amps/gear/guitars/pickups etc...
and... by that logic - We would all sound the same.

Variety, differences, and everyones personal tastes all come in to play here... just like religion, politics, etc..
Those differences in tastes, beliefs, opinions, etc - make America the greatest country on the planet - "The Great Melting Pot" so to speak..

This Forum or maybe better yet, this MTS System is a microcosm of the very same thing - Republicans/Deomcrats - Christians/Jews - Marshally / Fenderish, High Gain / Clean - etc..
We all have our own tastes, preferences, beliefs, etc..

Those differences in a guitarists tastes for tones - is what gives us the Jeff Becks, the Steve Vai, the Angus Young, the David Gilmours, eddie van halens of this world.. thats a musical world in which ive enjoyed for all of my life.

I dont think its any secret to anyone on this forum where I fall in the realm of things - and Im ok with that. I'm happy with it, Its my choice / preference, and its my 'Grailtone" - I dig Salvations work, I think its top notch, I will shout it from the mountain tops! - The videos i do - I do it because i want to... I dont get paid for it - or "discounted" work or anything.. In fact - Ive never asked for anything like that.. I do it because I believe in it and i want to share it with everyone.

We are a community - a community of tone chasing - amp humping freaks who will pick apart anything to the smallest detail to "perfect" what we believe is OUR own Grailtone.

I'm not sure what to say here - I have a certain feeling about this whole post and the contents of it - I'll keep that to myself for now and just keep doing what i came here for in the first place - get a great tone..
I'll let my video's and the tone speak for itself.

I think I'm starting to ramble.. or maybe i just have been rambling this whole time... and Im sure the Scotch isn't helping that... lol

Rock on !

\m/ \m/

Johnny

 

[VitaminG]

Drink the Kool Aid?

The Salvo Signature Modis touted as "just that good" even quoted to emphasize he believes it isn't?

Now the tone is NAILED. And he won't be fooled again by the false advertising.

Sure, nothing going on here at all. :roll:

Those who have been around here don't want this back around I know, but this is getting frustrating to watch and say nothing.

I can't believe the way Ross lit up all of those other Soldano products too - the Avenger, the Hot Rod. He clearly has it in for the company with this anti-Soldano campaign he is waging. Oh, apart from the SLO100, which he considers his holy grail.

fwiw, I've only heard of one modder actually taking potshots at other modders by putting labels in their products.

Ross's post seemed to me to be an exuberant celebration of a new mod that nailed a particular tone that he was after. He felt that the other mods that he tried, while being great in their own right, didn't quite hit the mark.

Somehow you've read that to be a coordinated campaign by the modder who made it to disparage another modder's work? Would you run to Rob's defense if someone independent of Antonin popped in here to praise their new Salvation creation which they felt gave them exactly the tone that the equivalent JF mods hadn't quite provided?

It seems you've had a rush of blood and read way to much into Ross's review. Gods forbid he be excited about his new toy and want to provide a point of reference by sharing the similar mods he's already owned & used

 

[iekobrid]

I read about how the modders would all be buddies if they hung out. Talk about a fairy tale. The new guys here have been indoctrinated into this and it bothers me. There needs to be balance here.

Between.... what, being civil and not?

 

[Mattfig]

If that's how everyone feels, cool. It is my mistake.

I get heated up about all this stuff because I have followed it for a while and owned much of it. I love it all.

 

[Mattfig]

My sig was once all JF mods too.

I guess, more or less, that is the question. Why the flip and then then flop and then then flip? Some of us have been here to witness it all. I'm not trying to be a douchey *********, but what is behind the migration?

The migration was that Rob and I stopped working together and I went elsewhere. The thing is: I have tried my absolute hardest to answer every inquiry about this very thing by saying something complimentary about both modders. Just a change in the times. Many of you guys know this.

I didn't say that JF claimed "x" and it couldn't be more wrong. When I read a direct comment about Salvation Mods and it's Kool-Aid mentality, that's where I started getting pissed and I know I didn't handle it in the best way. I literally love this stuff and this forum.

 

[JD]

All I know is that I like a little drama once and a while and I just got it. lol

I've been here long enough to witness the deeper rooted stuff to know where Matt is coming from. There have been weird coincidences but maybe that's all they ever were. Who knows, I know I don't, and I have other things to worry about during my day. Obviously Matt is passionate about MTS and I appreciate that about him. His videos and forum chat have done more for MTS than any other thing.

By the way, we were jamming some Ratt last night and I let another guitarist play through my JF Slo...he was blowin away by it. He said that it is the Ratt sound. I said, yup, I saved myself a lot of money by not having to buy a Soldano.

I haven't bought any modules for a long time. I have never owned any Salvation because of the wait times and the shipping over seas but I would love to try some out some day.

JF's work has been good to me as has Scott's from SG. When I got my SG MK22 for the first time, I jammed with it for about 2 hours with a big smile on my face because I finally had THAT Marshsall tone I had been looking for.Where is Scott anyhow??? He doesn't seem to be modding modules which is what he was born to do...somebody go find him and lock him in a room and put him to work.

Not sure what I will buy next. I just know it won't be gooped. :? :lol:

 

[Kapo_Polenton]

Thanks for the positive press Ross and I'm so happy you are loving this mod. Those knobs you sourced really hit the spot.

This module came out fantastic. It's an SL-OD100 under the hood with a tweaked Focus circuit (a bit tighter), a touch more gain and a modded tone stack for more Treble sensitivity. It was a joy to play and I was very happy with the outcome.

Enjoy!

Good ears then Ross.. the two albums you mentioned are also my idea of ideal SLO tone.

Tweaking the base circuit is what I felt the module also needed. I like the SL-OD100 but it was mainly for the crunch channel. Even at that, I wished the crunch channel had a bit more oomph. The lead channel was not focused or tight enough for me so I am glad that these issues have been addressed. Any chance this could be known as the "SL-OD100T" for those who want the "Tighter" version? I think that would be a great idea.

I guess that also answers my questions about the JEt City amps (though i see that there are Soldano circuit mods available for these which might bring them closer)

 

[Kapo_Polenton]

For the record, I also didn't see this as Ross slamming Salvation.. in addition to having a few of their mods, it is pretty clear that Ross' ear has been chasing the SLO tone for a while though. Heck, we all love it. more often than not there is praise for mods on this forum... sometimes too much so. Being able to say that mod xyz just doesn't cut it makes the product better in the long run because it is feedback. In addition to that, just like in the real world of amps, some people just don't like the sound of certain circuits..

The irony of it all however, is that Rossness changes his mind about 3 times a week on what he likes so before long, something should come a long to replace it zing!

 

[The Rossness]

I'm bitting my tongue Matt. My mom uses the expression "You win more flies with honey than you do with vinegar".

You used to be Rob's biggest supporter. Why all the hostility towards him and his mods? What did he do to you? After you sold all your JF mods, I could have sworn I saw you praise in a thread how good the venom and Vybe deluxe were, yet you sold yours.... It almost seems to me that you're trying to do marketing for salvation mods. ? Last year I thought the MarkUS was such a good module, I bought a MarkV. The MarkUS is the one and only module I've ever bought and sold and bought back. Truthfully, It doesn't sound like a mesa. Its better sounding the the MKV. I'm not doing marketing for Antoin. Even If he were giving me free modules, if one of them wasn't up to par, I'd share my feelings openly. How can things be improved upon if the status quo is blatantly accepted? I don't pull any punches when it comes to my reviews. I try to be open and honest. Look at my youtube channel. I try and post honest reviews from a consumer standpoint. Because I'm not a great guitar player, I get **** all over with negative comments. While not great by any stretch of the imagination, my playing has improved. Instead of deterring me, the comments make me want to play better. I'm still going to share my opinions openly regardless of what people think of me.

I've played modules from about every pro/ semi-pro modder out there besides Pete, and while some of their mods are great, other are steaming piles horse ****. IMHO, the Salvado Deluxe isn't a steaming pile of horse ****, Its just a regular POS. It has a nice lead tone, a cool faceplate and people talking it up to be some colossal sounding module, but for me, and my finicky as heck ears, it wasn't. Keep in mind Matt, the only tone I want a soldano module to sounding like are the two examples I posted.

I posted this in my review:

"In full disclosure- When asked about different mts modders from people on this forum, I was never too keen on Jaded Faith Mods. I had a few of them, but they never did it for me as much as some of the mods, from other modders. So when I was interested in possibly getting another JF mod, I decided I needed to play them first and took an almost 4 hour trip down to see the man himself."

If I were doing marketing, why would I say that?

How about this one... modules I can't recommend.
Salvation MashAll+- Boomy, too thick. Can't dial the thickness out of the module. The Jose setting sounds good. The rest is ******
JF 1959RR- Did the classic rock thing very well, but didn't sound like a heavy metal marshall to me. And when I got mine, a switch was broken. I have a JF mod that does the cranked marshall sound very well. the 1959rr isn't it.
Friedman Brown Eye- The BE100 amp is amazing. The module based on it, sucks like the NY Yankees. I had to run my tubes very hot to get the module to sound good (I had 2 brown eyes and they both needed hot tubes). The tubes were running so hot, the other modules I had in my RM100 didn't sound so good with very hot tubes. I can't recommend it because of the poweramp issue.

Maybe I can end on a good note. I don't favor one guy's mods over another. In the past, I was a heavy supporter of the work Antoin did and thought it was far superior to everything else out there. I'm not a fanboy in the least though. I'm open minded. In the non-MTS world, I'm a flaming liberal progressive socialist, maybe that will tell you something about me. If something comes along that's better, why not embrace it and embrace change? The conservative way of thinking is set in the past and the past is accepted. I, The Rossness, accept the future. For the style of music I play, the Douchy Douchbag is great and the salvo is the pits. What's so wrong with that? What's so wrong with my opinion? Why jump down my throat for sharing my opinion honestly?

I don't have or hold grudges against the Salvation guys. I was one myself. I'd very much like to get the buddy module. I'd also very much like a Silverado. I'd like an Egnater Armageddon in a MTS format as would I like an Axe FX. Why can't we all just get along?

 

[Kapo_Polenton]

Good post Ross. Nothing wrong with opinion and saying that in your own opinion, a mod just doesn't do it. There are plenty of praise posts for Salvation floating around and plenty of "JF xyz mod didn't do it for me" also floating around.

Personally, when i recorded clips a while back of my own Brownstone module vs the judge and SL-OD100, I thought my Brownstone killed both of them on recorded clips for the Ratt/Dokkenish sounds. It's ok to say.. that's the point of the forum. Share opinions. If everyone wants to hold hands and love every mod in existence than this place would get boring..

 

[JKD]

I've seen people post 'best module EVAH!' and then sell it.

I've seen people be 'respectful' and tone down their negative criticism, which is OK to a point...because a mod isn't for them

Maybe if we could just stick to posting honest opinions about mods and what we do/don't like and stop reading into things?

Let's just accept that we are all gear addicts here....HEH

 

[iekobrid]

I haven't sung Kumbaya since my age hit double digits, and I have absolutely no intention of buying the world a Coke and keeping it comp-a-ny. I think disagreement can be useful and healthy and I probably enjoy a good argument way more than I should. (Just ask any of the women I've driven away.)

But there's a pretty clear line between expressing a reasonable brand preference opinion and maligning someone's business ethics and personal character. Making (not-so-)passive-aggresive comments about a modder then defending with "I've always shown respect and would buy from him again" reminds me of the old trope of someone criticized for using the N word protesting, "I'm not racist, I used to have a black friend at work!" And someone rationalizing "I've been around here a long time, I know the truth" -- in a thread where the majority of the posters (OP included) have older forum join dates than they do -- is just silly. (I'm paraphrasing here, of course. These are not direct quotes and i'm open to the possibility that i've grossly misconstrued things that have been said.)

That said, when Matt formally announces the new business venture he's mentioned elsewhere, unless it is something that has literally never before been attempted or conceived of on god's green earth I not only expect but encourage him to compare and contrast it to other products / services / methods that have come before. I welcome informed opinions and find identifying touchstones a crucial part of the purchasing decision process.

 

[The Rossness]

Thanks for the positive press Ross and I'm so happy you are loving this mod. Those knobs you sourced really hit the spot.

This module came out fantastic. It's an SL-OD100 under the hood with a tweaked Focus circuit (a bit tighter), a touch more gain and a modded tone stack for more Treble sensitivity. It was a joy to play and I was very happy with the outcome.

Enjoy!

Good ears then Ross.. the two albums you mentioned are also my idea of ideal SLO tone.

Tweaking the base circuit is what I felt the module also needed. I like the SL-OD100 but it was mainly for the crunch channel. Even at that, I wished the crunch channel had a bit more oomph. The lead channel was not focused or tight enough for me so I am glad that these issues have been addressed. Any chance this could be known as the "SL-OD100T" for those who want the "Tighter" version? I think that would be a great idea.

I guess that also answers my questions about the JEt City amps (though i see that there are Soldano circuit mods available for these which might bring them closer)

As for my Jet city... It to was better than the Salvado for getting me the Lynch Mob/ Ratt tones. It also had a clean channel. I felt it excelled when I was using my baritone guitar. However, it wasn't hi-fi in the least and sounded kind of generic. The EQ also wasn't as sensitive as a usa built soldano. It wasn't a bad amp, just nothing special. When I sold it, I was asked to send it to a modder and I wonder what it will turn into???

 

[JD]

I read the problem post again. Rossness is clearly taking shots at Salvation. Why did he not just tell us how awesome the JF Slo is instead of warning us that the Salvado doesn't sound like a real Soldano and later on calling it inaccurate. Heck, I bet a true audiophile will tell you that 2 Soldanos don't sound the same, so what is "accurate"?
My guess is that if I had a JF Slo, a Salvado and a real Soldano to play around with, I could get them all sounding very similar and most people wouldn't be able to tell which is which.