Potins et ragots du monde des pédales d'effets

retro channel c'est pas ceux qui ont sortis un ampli transos qui sonne comme un dumble ?

freestompboxes.org (c) 2007 - 2011
August 18th, 2011 - 18.00 CET
Freestompboxes.org has been going through changes, some of which didn't go quite as expected. This resulted in the somber fact that the forum has not been accessible for more than a day. This is due to the sheer incompetence and lies of the previous host who, after a third server and fourth ip changes, to lose the entire contents of the newly uploaded website. At this point, we had no choice but to go and look elsewhere. As far as Europe is concerned, Sweden seems to be a haven where the law is most rigorously respected as far as false copyright infringements are concerned. The problem has always been that we are in the strictest sense in compliance with even US copyright laws, when one takes into account the principes of 'fair use'.

Despite being a non-profit, user-based community project, the site has come under attack of people who seek to safeguard the knowledge they build home businesses on from becoming public. Such attempts will always be doomed to fail, not because of websites like freestompboxes.org, but due to the very forces that are the internets.

We are currently working hard to get the website up again, hopefully this page can stand as proof of the fact that we are not dead. Thanks so much for your patience and support.

Here's my three-strikes-he's out for Billy and the pedals.

1) I gave him a Shoe Gazer and Rocket a long time ago, and when I met him in person and mentioned the Shoe Gazer, he said something along the lines of "It's a great fuzz, but you can't use that live... you know?" ... No, I don't know Billy. Tell me why you're too afraid to do anything interesting with your live sound anymore. Oh right, everything has to be pristine and perfect these days or vintage and unprogressive... just like you.

2) The Rocket diss in the "Stompland" video. The Rocket was not designed to emulate the sound from Rocket. The pedal is a nod to the song, and a love letter of sorts to Siamese Dream... but anyone who's actually spent good time with it knows that it goes WAY beyond that... so his obvious misunderstanding (through undoubted little use) of the pedal was kind of annoying. What made it pretty fucking infuriating though was that I was in the middle of developing the pedal which I -thought- I was working with him on (the Silver Rose) to make a fuzz that would fit his "modern yet vintage" fuzz needs.... and to have him publicly (metaphorically and literally) toss the Rocket aside was a real shit move in relation... to well EVERYTHING going on that point. Fortunately no one gives much a shit about Billy anymore in regards to such things, so any business lost because of his off hand comment isn't business I'm worried about. It was just a dick move. I like what a good friend of mine in the industry said "When it comes to fuzz, you're bigger than Billy Corgan... fuck him."

It's true... I'm selling Silver Roses like crazy... not because of anything Billy did... but because people like what I do, and could give two shits at the end of the day who uses my pedals... but still... I don't do well with idiots and assholes, and Billy fits the bill (lol) of both these days.

3) The Silver Rose. I spent well over three grand developing the Rose for that ungrateful asshole. I listened to what he wanted, developed something that was far beyond what my business usually does, went through a costly research and development process, and ultimately sent him around $1k worth of gear on top of all the R&D costs during the SR time... and what came of his use, or thanks, or anything for that time spent?

Nothing. The guy didn't say shit in response to all that hard work. As a matter of fact, just for shits, I decided to toss the name of a fellow pedal builder his way who was building a pedal he might like, just as a last... we'll see what happens. So what happens? The fucker writes back the next day saying he'd love one of those!

lol

The guy has the attention span of a carrot.

Seriously though. I'm unapologetic in any of this, and glad to finally just cut ties with the guy. He is definitely the epitome of the fallen hero story that seems to eventually play out to anyone and at least some of their heroes over time.

So yeah... this is the pedal side of things... but beyond that, once again... there is so much about Billy Corgan beyond the music and gear that I just don't vibe with... actually ALL OF IT.... and the music isn't there anymore... so fuck him.

One cool evening, I run into someone I see regularly out and about...we get to talking, and one thing leads to another, and she invites me back to her apartment...she makes me some soup, and after I am fed full, pulls me into her bed...the lights are turned off, and we start kissing...each time I try to touch her ‘down there’, she moves away from me and tenses up...this goes on for about 10 minutes until I finally ask if there is a problem...she says "there is something I have to tell you", and proceeds to tell me that she is a he...I jump up and flip on the light...she/he says "look, it’s not a big deal, I won’t tell anyone, please stay, I’ll do anything you want me to do"...I beg off politely, saying it’s not really my trip, and I’m *boom* out the door, on the street laughing to myself (how could I not know! Oops...) it occurs to me that I always thought she was a kind of weird looking girl anyway...I walked the 20 minutes home in the middle of the night, and was relieved to get back safe...I go inside, walk to the bathroom and throw on the light, and gasp when I see the massive hickie on my neck...of course, the next day the band is rehearsing, and when they see the mark, ask who I had ended up with...I lie and say it was a tourist type girl who had already left town...after a few weeks, friends start coming up and asking me if I had slept with the he/she...I feign ignorance at the whole matter, but I start to get angry because I felt I had been duped innocently, acted honorably, and now some sort of revenge was being played out...after a couple more weeks of this, I finally pulled "her" aside and said not so politely that if he didn’t stop telling people what had happened, that I would break both his arms and his legs...and that was the end of that...