Fryette Valvulator GP/DI Guitar Amp

llmonty · Post by **llmonty** » Wed Oct 30, 2013 6:54 pm

vvv wrote:
I am reading this as you saying that JW's posts are 50% "not useful", and I'm calling you out on that.

I think your post is more a commentary on the state of these boards than anything else. Now that there are fewer knowledgeable people posting on here Jim's posts stand out even more. Many of them are clearly off topic and argumentative. Maybe a fun way to fill some time. Or maybe in his own small way he is acting like an internet Mr Miyagi for audio students. Teaching you without you even knowing it. Wax on, Wax off.

Yes, Jim knows his stuff and has many insightful posts. They just usually aren't in response to a question. Maybe I would raise my 50/50 estimate if you want to print out all of his posts, and reverse engineer them to come up with a question that was never asked. For example: "How can I turn a 1966 Fender Deluxe into a DI AND a Twin?" Why yes, I see your point. TOTALLY USEFUL!

vvv · Post by **vvv** » Wed Oct 30, 2013 9:21 pm

Well, FWIW, in this thread, and not having re-read his posts, I learned that he tried and didn't care for the Fryette, loves his Deluxe and other amps, got good prices on them (granted, years ago) and has been able to successfully modify the Deluxe to do many or all of the same things, and worked on McLaughlin's amps (I knew about Zappa's) and Dweezil is still using his stuff.

I believe that he gave context and credentials for his opinion of the amp in question, an opposing viewpoint regarding old equipment, and some laughs in the meantime.

I mean, I gotta figure I'm about 33.33% on topic about 33.33% of the time - the 50-50 figure was inaccurate, arbitrary, and a pretty un-necessary and ineffective near-insult.

dented42ford · Post by **dented42ford** » Wed Oct 30, 2013 11:53 pm

I'm going to stay out of the argument - I respect Jim, but I have to say that trying to compare getting a fifteen-year-old amp for $160 thirty years ago to getting a product that is actually pretty innovative (try putting a SFDR into a gig bag) for less than that (inflation) is pretty laughable. Not to say that HE is laughable, or that his opinion is laughable, but what the GPDI offers is in no way related to what he does - and there is no way you could build it with 50's tube tech, you'd have to at least venture into the early 90's...

Anyway, I just wanted to pop up and share the videos we've been working on - there are more on the Kickstarter page, but these are the most interesting. Feel free to ask any questions, and please pardon me if I've missed something - I'm a bit sleep deprived, trying to keep up with all the communications and content for this thing!

EDIT: Apparently, I can't post videos inline on this forum, so below is a link to the playlist...

Fryette Valvulator GP/DI Demo Videos for Kickstarter

Dan Phelps · Post by **Dan Phelps** » Wed Oct 30, 2013 11:56 pm

I'm certainly not slagging on Jim or his perspective. I welcome it, even if I ultimately decide it doesn't apply to my situation.

I will say that his first post was incredibly vague and it took some digging to connect how "I like my classic fenders that I bought for $150" was actually helpfully connected to the conversation about the Fryette. I didn't know that he's modded the piss out of his Deluxe Reverb...so his original post is more of a head scratcher than anything else.

If he had started with "I've modded my amps to do all this stuff a lot better than the Fryette..." That would have been a whole other thing...it would have been context.

Anyhow...back to talking about gear, and not Jim's communication style...

Jim Williams · Post by **Jim Williams** » Thu Oct 31, 2013 8:32 am

FWIW, I don't do amp work for anyone except myself. Please don't ask me for that service. The purpose of these posts is to get people thinking, and maybe a bit out of the box.

I'm pleased to know that some of you get it.

If any of my posts offends some of you, IDGAS.

MoreSpaceEcho · Post by **MoreSpaceEcho** » Thu Oct 31, 2013 8:37 am

you're a jerk.

Jim Williams · Post by **Jim Williams** » Thu Oct 31, 2013 8:45 am

Very classy.

MoreSpaceEcho · Post by **MoreSpaceEcho** » Thu Oct 31, 2013 8:50 am

i don't care. you haven't contributed anything useful to the thread. the rest of us are talking about a tube di device. you're talking about your deluxe reverb. it isn't helpful. you don't think the gp/di sounds good. fine. leave it at that.

chris harris · Post by **chris harris** » Thu Oct 31, 2013 9:22 am

But he knows a metal head when he sees one, based on the bruises on their foreheads. Typically advice based on that kind of first-hand informed expertise would cost you at least $35.

I bet he's as well-versed in metal guitar tones as he is in tact and charm.

And, c'mon guys.... Everyone knows that there are only one or MAYBE two tools that are ABSOLUTELY CORRECT AND RIGHT for any given task. And, obviously none of them were made recently. Anyone purchasing ANYTHING that is not listed on the "Dweezil plays my amps!" guy's list of approved and worth-the-value gear, is just a sucker who thinks they're making music, but who is actually making what we REAL musicians refer to as "noise". FWIW YMMV IDGAS.

I'll freely admit to posting my share of shitty posts on this forum. But, almost all of them are in response to someone else being shitty, or ignorant, or arrogant, or misinformed. I think that being shitty, just for the sake of embarrassingly tooting your own horn is classless. And, to be shitty to someone asking for help or advice is even worse.

Jim Williams · Post by **Jim Williams** » Thu Oct 31, 2013 9:33 am

MoreSpaceEcho wrote:i don't care. you haven't contributed anything useful to the thread.

At least I use my real name.

chris harris · Post by **chris harris** » Thu Oct 31, 2013 9:46 am

Here we go... Bow up, old man. Scott's not trying to hide behind a fake user name. He's just been participating in this community since long before it was common practice to use your real name. It's no secret who he is. So, what difference does it make now that you know his name is Scott? What now?

chris harris · Post by **chris harris** » Thu Oct 31, 2013 9:54 am

What is it with so many audio electronics guys and these unbearably arrogant egos and epic internet flameouts?!?! I'm lucky to have some good local guys to work on my gear. I'd hate to have to rely on audio message boards for finding a good tech. Jim is one of the most highly respected techs in the audio message board community (which should be noted, is not exactly the same as the audio engineering community). And, while I'm quite sure he's very good at what he does, I'd be turned off by the narrow mindedness and arrogance.

dfuruta · Post by **dfuruta** » Thu Oct 31, 2013 3:05 pm

chris harris wrote:What is it with so many audio electronics guys and these unbearably arrogant egos and epic internet flameouts?!?! I'm lucky to have some good local guys to work on my gear. I'd hate to have to rely on audio message boards for finding a good tech. Jim is one of the most highly respected techs in the audio message board community (which should be noted, is not exactly the same as the audio engineering community). And, while I'm quite sure he's very good at what he does, I'd be turned off by the narrow mindedness and arrogance.

Actually, the most knowledgeable audio electronics people I've interacted with have been very nice and helpful. That would be over at GroupDIY. Here it might just be a big-fish-in-a-small-pond sort of thing.

MoreSpaceEcho · Post by **MoreSpaceEcho** » Thu Oct 31, 2013 4:17 pm

Jim Williams wrote:At least I use my real name.

Scott Craggs, posting from beautiful South Boston, MA.

now lets put this silliness behind us and get back to talking about the gp/di.

gotta say that 'i'm the one' guitar tone is pretty damn convincing.

Dan Phelps · Post by **Dan Phelps** » Thu Oct 31, 2013 10:22 pm

MoreSpaceEcho wrote:
Jim Williams wrote:At least I use my real name.
Scott Craggs, posting from beautiful South Boston, MA.

now lets put this silliness behind us and get back to talking about the gp/di.

gotta say that 'i'm the one' guitar tone is pretty damn convincing.

Yup. I'm excited particularly for the "gainier" tones.

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