Currently there are some individuals on the internet who don't agree with
my opinions. I have no problem with that. I also have no problem with
profanity & flaming. I actually welcome the publicity.
I do have a problem with moronic dealers and losers who don't sign their
names to their flames. I have problems with other dealers who seek to denigrate
anyone by pretending to be a consumer and flaming someone just because he either
beat you to a sale or refused to sell you something.
Most people are not aware that
Guitar Center owns Harmony Central.
Where I get flamed regularly.
I
have been flamed for my opinions and my views. Cool. I have been flamed
for my intelligence level, Cool. I have even been flamed for talking about
where I eat, Cool. I have been flamed for being too busy to answer the phone
properly, that's all cool. I just wish these people weren't so ashamed of their
own opinions that they try to cover up who they are with fake hotmail addresses
and fake user names.
If you have a problem that & you want to make public.
Say it loudly, Say it proudly and don't be a coward, Use your real
name, I always do !!
Ed
Jan 8 1997
The PSYCHOLOGY OF INTERNET
BASHING
The Institute of Forensic Psychology of the University of
Applied Science of Aspen did a research on the fast growing phenomena of so
called Internet-Bashing.
Internet-Bashing is a new way of anonymously personally
insulting mainly prominent persons by questioning their work as well as their
personality on the internet.
Internet-Bashing - the new hype in Anglo-Saxon internet culture. The study was
based on Internet-Bashing on German director Uwe Boll. The American medical
journal "NEW PSYCHOLOGY POST" talked to Dr. Ann-Rose Kahn, in charge of the
study and its results.
NEW PSYCHOLOGY POST: Your research was
based on which method?
Dr. Ann-Rose Kahn: We started to analyze qualitatively and quantitavely. In the
beginning the texts were analyzed on the statistical frequency of certain words,
word groups and word forms. What mainly interested us was to learn how big the
used variety and vocabulary of certain words was. We soon learned it was not
very big, it repeated itself constantly.
NEW PSYCHOLOGY POST: Does that mean the average
internet-basher has a low IQ?
Dr. Ann-Rose Kahn: No, on the contrary. The quality analyze of the texts showed
that the average internet-basher has an average IQ, can communicate
intellectually but is not using this ability or is unable to use it. The average
internet-basher has a higher than average level of education but is limited to
use and communicate the learned skills. The very intense and concentrated use of
superlatives or negative connotations is very interesting too. Those are typical
indices for strong deficits in self-esteem. It also underlines the fact that
these persons take their time to bash on such an intense and very emotional
level with one single person. They try to create closeness to the person they
bash on. This is, of course, artificial. None of them has a real contact to the
people they bash on.
NEW PSYCHOLOGY POST: Mr. Boll is famous for adapting
video games for the big screen. So those are persons that hate him for doing so?
Dr. Ann-Rose Kahn: That does not explain the level and the intensity that is
used in the Internet-Bashing towards Mr. Boll. It was the trigger to begin with,
but is definitely not what is motivating these anonymous persons to continue.
The very distinctive usage of swearwords as well as
negative superlatives underlines how helpless these people are in real life.
They are typical victims in their own created internet world. They compensate
their own inability of dealing with themselves and concentrate their emotions on
prominent persons. This can create sort of a domino effect: Finding
others who jump on this too is creating an artificial union, a made up family on
the net. Chat rooms and internet boards deliver a perfect meeting place for such
individuals. It is about getting attention, being noticed, being someone one
cannot be outside the home.
NEW PSYCHOLOGY POST: Any further noticeable cognitions
in your research?
Dr. Ann-Rose Kahn: Yes, it stands out that homoerotic intensions/feelings
seem to play a huge part in this new internet phenomenon. The very high level of
very concrete sexual connotations is a clear hint for that. So far
Internet-Bashing is a mainly male dominated phenomenon.
NEW PSYCHOLOGY POST: Is there something like a
"TYPICAL" Internet-Basher?
Dr. Ann-Rose Kahn: Surprisingly, yes. The average Internet-Basher is male,
single, between 20 – 30 years old. He has a low social
competence, lives on the net. He has a strong homoerotic intention which he is
unable to live out and distinctive inferiority complex. Most of these men still
live at their parent’s home or close to it.
NEW PSYCHOLOGY POST: Thank you, Dr. Kahn for this
interview.
Update Oct 3 2008
People Hate Me For Some Of My
Opinions.
They hate that anyone should ever
dare speak out against a popular Iconic name like Enron, ooops I mean Gibson!!
When a company invests hundreds of millions of dollars into advertising it buys
them followers. It doesn't buy them intelligent consumers it buys them the
Lemmings, Nebishes & the weak minded.
This is only my opinion, The last time I
checked you are allowed to have an opinion in this country. However there are
people who would seek to eliminate our basic freedoms and call anyone who
doesn't agree with them names and even go as far as to say they were untrustworthy.
It's usually very easy to spot these comments on line because they never talk
about anything technical it's always something to do with name calling or making
false accusations.
There's never any real meat to the BS they are spewing
but it is a bit unsettling. Lets face it, No one likes to be called names.
I guess I could shut the F up and stop telling it like I see it. I mean how easy
would that be.
This situation reminds me of the Darwinian theories that the ignorant would
rather weren't taught in our schools.
The ignorant and uninformed will always be
afraid of anything they don't understand or anyone who doesn't agree with them.
I write a lot of these rants
to get people to think!!! Sometimes
you have to shock them a little,
Sometimes there just isn't a politically correct, nice way to say, that a
certain product, or a certain company SUCKS !!!!
Sorry but I will continue to be the Ralph Nader of the guitar world even if it
makes me unpopular, I'm not running for public office, so I just don't
care !!!!!
If someone doesn't want to do business
with me because of my opinions, I don't care either, It's their loss as much as
it is mine. However I have found that quite a few people like my no BS
policy!!!!! You just can't win em' all.
Ed
Speaking Of Ralph Nader....
I recently saw a real video where the police would not
allow Ralph Nader to enter the presidential debates.
The cops told him to leave or be arrested. This was
during the time when he himself was running for president. He had a ticket but
the police had the building surrounded and they all had photographs of him
because the two candidates were afraid that he would raise questions that they
could not answer. He even had a personal invitation from the actual network who
were televising the debates.
He was denied a spot in the presidential debates
over and over again. It makes me ashamed of our political system.
Just another reason why
the country is starting to turn into third world dictatorship. Next they will
try to disarm us what then, The Oven's?
The FBI investigated Ralph Nader for years, they tried to find some dirt on
him and they couldn't, They even started rumors that he was gay etc etc.
What a crock. Even if he was gay which I am quite sure he isn't!!
So What !!!
Ryan to me
show details Aug 31 (1 day ago) Reply
Hey Ed<
I was recently on a Les Paul forum and I noticed this hateful assed
post about "why does Ed Roman hate Les Pauls?"...I hate Les Pauls too.. matter
of fact...my review of a Les Paul could be summed up in two words: "shit
sandwich"...anyway...they go on and on about how terrible of a human being you
are but not one.. I repeat NOT ONE could respond, or even bring up, the facts
you state about Les Paul necks, headstock angle, cheap wood, foreign
construction that claims to be from the U.S. You've deprogrammed me...and
seeing these people bitch and bitch about you and they like Les Pauls "just
because" and "they rock" and "Ace Frehley plays them" isn't good enough in my
book... I come from Missouri.. the show me state..& I've been shown
your guitars.. I've been in your shop...and I've also seen Les Paul's..
played them..
Hell my father has an original 52 without a serial number he bought at a pawn
shop in 1964 that's been sitting in a case and sees the light of day once every
5 years when he gets it out.. It's a 50 something year old piece of
shit...oh it gets a tone, sure...but hey if I eat at a Mexican restaurant my
asshole will produce a tone too.. big deal !!
Peace on the hill brother!!!
Ryan
Missouri.
Thanks for your letter and your support, I
appreciate it. People are people!!!
Forgive them father for they know not what they are talking about. Ha Ha
What were you doing on that stupid forum anyway ???
I can convert that 52 to a 58 or 59, I can make it playable anyway !!!!!
Some vintage geek will buy it on Ebay, because he thinks the mojo will rub off
on him.
Thanks Again
Ed
Hey Hammy, Wanna Come Out
& Play ???
Ed
Finally, someone with real knowledge…The Gibson neck has never ever been a
stable component, aside from the breaking problem.
I’m 62, been living guitars for over 40 of those years, and I have NEVER come
across a Gibson (LP or SG in particular) that had a neck I could actually trust:
Both new or vintage, 5 piece of not, in makes NO difference, the design / shape
/ dimensions materials / geometry / engineering are just ALL wrong. So wrong
that tuning stability was absent, and simply moving the guitar while playing it
is enough to flatten/sharpen the whole guitar…frightening… Like a bolt on with
some bolts missing..
It was as if the weight of the headstock was enough of a mass to actually bend
the neck, under even moderate movement. I realized the guitar had to be kept
perfectly STILL to avoid de-tuning problems while on stage.
I really thought it was just me. Why is everyone nuts about a Les Paul?? I could
never find one (and I looked for many years) that didn’t have this neck weakness
problem (not to mention the “bump” where the neck joins the body, another really
common and really bad thing).. Fact is they are fraught with problems, any one
of which make the guitar unreliable at best, or totally unplayable.
It was many years ago that I stopped looking for a “stable Gibson” and gave up
the chase, I’ll never own another one, and I can’t help but feel that, Anyone
that does own them either don’t play them, or can’t hear the pitch shifting, or
stands perfectly still while playing them.
Even while fretting the damn thing, one needs to be careful not to push forward
or pull back in the slightest, especially at the first position, unless you want
an inappropriate vibrato effect, a ½ tone shift was easily accomplished without
even trying.
I’ve seen Les Paul in person I shook his hand & spoke with him, his hand is the
most delicate thing I ever held, evidently he designed the most delicate
instrument to match his playing style, and no on warned the general public of
the eminent danger of musical instability and total catastrophic failure of the
neck itself…..
Then there's always the idiot “musicians” who pride themselves on how many
guitars they’ve broken in their “careers”…
I know you’re busy, I just came across your Gibson neck weakness article, and
wanted to add my own 40+ years of similar disappointment bordering on distain
for the entire Gibson fallacy. Everything you’ve said, I have experienced.
So at 60 years old, the “bolt on – set neck” battle rages full tilt in my head,
Maybe I’ll try a set neck JET??
The Ozone Ranger
Response from Ed Roman !!!!
I usually don't print letters from people who don't sign their names, But I am
in total agreement on this and it was well written and articulate. The
public does need to know this.
I have become tremendously unpopular among many Les Paul lovers, PRS Lovers
etc etc they bash me on the internet constantly because I am taking the
unpopular stance.
I call them as I see them !!!!
I'm not running for public office so I don't care!!!! No one ever has
challenged the physics or truthfulness of my articles. They just call me names.
(Sticks & Stones may break my bones but names will never hurt me.
Ed
THE PUBLIC NEEDS TO KNOW !!!!!!!!)
Ed,
I too am one of those people who've read and heard horrible things about you.
After having read some of the articles that you've written, I've come to think
that you are a damned intelligent individual, and that all the BS and vitriolic
diatribes against you are the work of lesser minds which are preoccupied with
petty jealousies fueled by the self-loathing of their own personal inadequacies.
You have expressed the essence of one of my personal philosophies, to wit : A
smart man learns from his mistakes; an intelligent man learns from the mistakes
of others, in one of your articles.
As a former supplicant who worshipped at the altar of the great god Gibson, I am
grateful and proud to say that your informed opinions have made another convert.
I also share with you a deep loathing of
Corporate America and the control it attempts (quite successfully, it seems ) to
exert over us all.
I could go on, but I have too much to say, so I'll leave it at this : I'm
looking forward to meeting you, if possible, when I make my first visit to your
store. Although my discretionary income precludes the purchase of one of your
fine instruments at this time, I must needs see your facility and some of your
work with mine own orbs !
Thanks for having the concern and the integrity to establish and publish such a
great web site !
From this point on, I shall to spread the word !
Thank you,
John Shank
NLVNV
Response From Ed Roman
Hello John
Thanks for your very well written letter, you are obviously not
intellectually challenged. Most of the letters I get from flamers are so full
of spelling, grammar, punctuation mistakes that it is laughable. They never
have their facts right either, but that's another story for another day.
People have flamed me for 15 years since I decided to imprint my
personality onto my website. Most people in business prefer to remain bland
and boring rather than risk any political problems or flaming.
Personally, I just don't care, I didn't start this business to win any
popularity contests, I started it because that's what I do. When I started Ed
Roman Guitars I was in retirement mode, I had just sold my business of 20
years (East Coast Music Mall) and the building it was located in. I had a lot
of money, easily enough to retire, I surely did not need to work. (I just
enjoy working) !!!
The business has grown unbelievably since I started it back in late 1994,
In my wildest dreams I never expected it to do as well as it has. Which proves
to me that my sometimes arrogant attitude about what I say has greatly
benefited my business.
I don't hate any of those flamers, After all most of them really don't know
me. They usually are just going along for the ride.
"Father forgive them for they know not what they do" Ha
Ha !!!
Many of them I'm sure are "Married with Children" work in a shoe store &
really have no money, no future and no real life. Many of them have saved up
for several years to buy the biggest most expensive thing they will probably
ever own (A Gibson Les Paul or a PRS Custom)
Here I am just some jerk from Las Vegas who says that their pride and joy is
not all that great. I'm denigrating their sacred cow. Of course they will hate
me for that. They call me names and say all sorts of nasty things about me but
noticeably they never (Not even once) challenge me on what I actually say. I
don't believe that they could, They just call me a butthead and write me off.
I don't like it much when they call me dishonest, I really do try to tell it
like it is even to my own detriment. Again though, even the ones that call me
dishonest, can never seem to relate an actual situation where I have been
dishonest. They simply say it! Weaker minds will just follow them blindly.
People like this spew their hate loudly and with a lot of conviction. It
simply isn't true of course but that doesn't stop these clowns from saying it.
From their point of view, they just must think that I do my negative
comparisons simply because I sell one and not the other. They could not be
more wrong !! The fact of the matter is, I just choose to carry the ones that
are better. I do my research before I start to carry the product in the first
place. I did a complete reversal on Ibanez when they brought their prices
down. At one time I though Ibanez was unfairly overpriced. When they finally
adjusted their pricing I started recommending them again.
Some dealers hate me & my store because I am very aggressive when it comes
to beating their prices, I am generally a lot less expensive except on limited
edition hard to find rare guitars. I will probably never have the lowest
prices on those types of things. I will however always have many different
unique and special guitars that people won't find any place else.
Dealers also hate it that I am a retailer that also manufactures guitars. They
feel I have an unfair advantage over them!!!! The facts are always self
explanatory and irrefutable, The only thing they can do is badmouth me and
make up BS rumors that I am out of business.
One afternoon about 6 months ago We did a little test, We anonymously
called every music store in town looking for directions to "that really big
guitar store that everybody's been hearing about" All of them but one, told
my phone shill that "Oh, I heard they closed down and went out of business"!!
One guy from Guitar Center who shall remain un-named actually had just
purchased 2 Rickenbacker bridges from us within the week. ( I hope he reads
this) He said he had heard from 3 or 4 people that we had closed.
(the operative word he used was "heard)" By saying
"he heard" that instead of stating it as a fact he can always weasel out of
the fact that he was lying.
We get a lot of lookie loo's, be backers and geek's a gawkin' but anyone
who buys something gets a very high level of service from the store.
You can't please all of the people all of the time, Ya just gotta try !!!
Thanks again for your kind letter and your support, I won't let you down
!!!
Ed Roman
Hmmmmmm
