# Is it just me or has SS.ORG gone really quiet?



## JP Universe (Jul 29, 2015)

I feel like over the last 6-12 months that the activity in this place has decreased a lot. Hell, I feel like i'm not posting as much as I used to and I don't know why?  What gives?


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## Emperor Guillotine (Jul 29, 2015)

Ditto to this. It seems like activity is decreasing. I'm noticing that majority of where I'm looking, threads I'm following/reading/etc., it's a lot of the same guys posting. Seems like many other members have just flaked out of here or just don't post much anymore. I, myself, haven't posted as much as I used to. Shoot, I even owe you guys on here five NGD threads (going back to January) and I've just been slacking on getting them together.


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## Mike (Jul 29, 2015)

Yep


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## Sumsar (Jul 29, 2015)

Hmm agreed. I very rarely start threads but rather post to stuff I see pup up in the new "live post"-update. But yeah especially these last summer months there has been nothing but NGD's and FT post. Better start something so spam-tastic as the "unpopular opinions"-thread to get people going again


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## MrYakob (Jul 29, 2015)

As someone who relies on reading this forum to get through the day I've definitely noticed it too, ironically I've been posting now more than I ever have (which is still not a whole lot )


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## synrgy (Jul 29, 2015)

Guilty. I'm more of a lurker these days, than anything. Also in the 'owe several NGD threads' camp. 

Happens. The defined shared interest of this forum is still extremely niche in the grand scheme of things, not to mention that as people's lives continue, their interests and/or priorities invariably shift in unexpected directions. I had to learn a long time ago that life gives precisely zero effs about one's plans.

Having little to do with this community specifically, I definitely grew - over time - less interested in getting into any political discussions on the internet. I used to read/post in those threads a lot, but I've kind of trained myself to stop looking.

More generally, I'm guessing that many of us who used to post with frequency are just plain 'busier' than we used to be, for any variety of reasons. Some have found success through their musical pursuits, others are eyeballs-deep in new families/marriages/kids/etc, others might simply be enjoying a much needed summer vacation, others may be preparing for Mars colonization.. Who knows?! C'est la vie!


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## Mike (Jul 29, 2015)

I think it would have been funny if no one replied to your post to help illustrate the point.

A good part of it is probably the younger crowd off of school enjoying friends, summer, vacations etc. Things will probably pickup in September when people need something to do to avoid studying and work.


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## Don Vito (Jul 29, 2015)

The djent craze of the early 10's is over, and forums in general aren't popular anymore. Most other forums I used to browse still have the same group of people who signed up 5-10+ years ago.

Tbh, the only reason I still make an effort to post here is because I'm weird and want to reach 5k posts. I probably would have stopped coming 50 posts ago if it weren't for that. I like using anonymous sites. Too much pressure having an account and trying to make a name for yourself in a community.


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## MoshJosh (Jul 29, 2015)

I'm trying to actually play guitar these days instead of only reading about them haha

But seriously I'm pretty happy with my gear right now so no more NGDs or "what should I buy" threads to post.

Also without rep there's less incentive to post NGD. . . Silly I know but since we got rid of rep I've skipped 3 NGDs something I would never do in the past


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## Sumsar (Jul 29, 2015)

^but you get thanks nowadays instead  ?


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## KJGaruda (Jul 29, 2015)

MoshJosh said:


> Also without rep there's less incentive to post NGD. . . Silly I know but since we got rid of rep I've skipped 3 NGDs something I would never do in the past



I actually noticed this as well. When Rep was removed, I noticed an almost immediate drop in traffic. Things get shared less often, new threads seem to pop up less, etc. 

It's human nature to need some validation, and that's what rep provided. Not saying that's the _only _reason the site seems quiet, but I'd say it's part of the general explanation, along with people just being busy and it being Summertime. I'd be interested to see how activity would rise if rep was brought back.


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## MaxOfMetal (Jul 29, 2015)

The number of daily users and posts has not really dropped. Going back a couple years the daily average has been between 1200 and 2000 registered users. Highest ever was something like 4000 in a 24 hour period, but that was in like 2010/2011 during a very drama filled week that culminated in Alex making some changes around here.

We have more Contributing members than I ever remember seeing. 

Things seem a little slow because for the first time in a long time there isn't any builder drama. There was a time not to long ago when about once every couple weeks another builder would go off the deep end.


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## Mike (Jul 29, 2015)

MoshJosh said:


> without rep there's less incentive to post NGD. . . Silly I know but since we got rid of rep I've skipped 3 NGDs something I would never do in the past



#greenbarsmatter



Sumsar said:


> ^but you get thanks nowadays instead  ?



only when you're op.


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## asher (Jul 29, 2015)

Mike said:


> only when you're op.



only time I'll ever be called OP.

I think it could also have to do with a number of the recurring PC&E trolls finally being banned, so there is much less furious posting going on down there


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## Noxon (Jul 29, 2015)

Maybe it's the summertime lull? Or maybe it was the combo of the rep system being disabled, the huge stench that came up when Alex said there were a few relatively big changes coming, and the changes to the rules in the classifieds. I'm not saying that is definitely the reason, but that seems to be right around the time things got kinda quiet around here. I've only been here since early 2012, but the vibe is drastically different now compared to when I signed up. I still love it here, but it's changed.


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## vilk (Jul 29, 2015)

Super slow. It's driving me crazy, because the past couple weeks my work is also really slow (I'm only on when I'm at work, generally.), so it's killing me extra bad. My favorite is PC&E and honestly there's been not even 3 posts there for like 2 weeks now.


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## OmegaSlayer (Jul 29, 2015)

In my opinion the market and luthiery has become a bit stale after a period that was a mini-revolution.
It's an effect of the crisis were manufacturers play it safe and don't innovate that much, except something here and there.
In the latest 3 NAMMs I only got excited for the fanned fret Ibby...not saying there wasn't any good guitar (Schecter raised their quality a lot, Caparison made the great C" series, and other stuff...), but nothing as revolutionary (The Ibby 9 with that scale is a bit stupid to me)
The more innovations, the more hype, the more people willing to write on forums.
And for a big revolution in guitar manufacturing we need a guitar genious that pops up every 10 years or so, bigger and more revolutionary than Tosin (Tosin would have the skills to try something even more crazy but he's not doing it).


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## Locrain (Jul 29, 2015)

I have noticed that the amount of posts is very low compared to the amount of people viewing a forum. Like in the ERG forum, sometimes there will be 100 or more people active, but the place is DEAD.


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## Sumsar (Jul 29, 2015)

@OmegaSlayer

I think the next thing is the bigger companies beginning to build headless guitars. The boden OS and the Carvin Vader seem to have been very succesfull, so I wonder if any of the "standard manufactors" (Ibanez, Schecter, Jackson, ESP etc) are going to take a try at a $500 - 1000 Headless, just because there seems to be a market for it, and clearly there is no indo / corea produced headless at that price point. But I guess at least for ibanez it will depend on how the very niche market fanned fret guitars sell.


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## troyguitar (Jul 29, 2015)

Ever since I moved away from civilization in 2012 I pretty much stopped doing music stuff. I finally realized as well that my playing sounds the same no matter what gear I have so I stopped buying/selling gear for the most part == not much to contribute to forums. Especially since I hate almost all of the music that is popular here anyway. Get off my lawn.


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## Fat-Elf (Jul 29, 2015)

Because I left. But now I'm back. Prepare your anuses.


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## tacotiklah (Jul 29, 2015)

I check every day and I post in threads that pique my interests. Activity has slowed a fair bit for sure, but like Max, I just chalked it up to being the summer and people discovering that there's a world out there besides the internet.


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## Metaldestroyerdennis (Jul 29, 2015)

Ever since I got a rig I feel like I can live with forever I just stopped posting. I'm here just about every day but I lurk now.


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## FILTHnFEAR (Jul 29, 2015)

synrgy said:


> Having little to do with this community specifically, I definitely grew - over time - less interested in getting into any political discussions on the internet. I used to read/post in those threads a lot, but I've kind of trained myself to stop looking.



Same here. Though I will say there are several regular posters in the PC&E section, that while I disagree with some(or alot) of what they say, I really enjoy their posts because it makes me think about things and consider other views on certain subjects. And in cases change my outlook which is what those kind of discussions should be about. Those same people are able to discuss/debate/argue a topic with respect and tact without being total douche bags up on their high horse. Others are so grating with the presentation of their views I have to remind myself to leave it be, or risk being banned most likely.  So I tend to stay away. 



MoshJosh said:


> I'm trying to actually play guitar these days instead of only reading about them haha



Truth right there. I spend so much time reading about guitars and gear I feel guilty for neglecting mine.



tacotiklah said:


> being the summer and people discovering that there's a world out there besides the internet.



Huh? Is that what the bright light on the other side of my window is?

Damn, there *are *things going on outside. But .... that, it looks hot. *closes blinds, cranks AC*


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## MaxOfMetal (Jul 29, 2015)

Folks like drama. It's entertaining. 

Without the fraudulent builders, racist/sexist/homophobic PC&E posters, shady sellers/flippers, etc. this place may seem more boring. We just might all have to talk about guitars. 

To add to that, for the first time in a very long while companies are putting out what 90%+ of even what the most discerning player wants means few are complaining. 

Look at all the complaints that are irrelevant now.


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## OmegaSlayer (Jul 29, 2015)

Sumsar said:


> @OmegaSlayer
> 
> I think the next thing is the bigger companies beginning to build headless guitars. The boden OS and the Carvin Vader seem to have been very succesfull, so I wonder if any of the "standard manufactors" (Ibanez, Schecter, Jackson, ESP etc) are going to take a try at a $500 - 1000 Headless, just because there seems to be a market for it, and clearly there is no indo / corea produced headless at that price point. But I guess at least for ibanez it will depend on how the very niche market fanned fret guitars sell.



Bah, I don't get headless guitars.
You have less volume and mass to slap on the face of your bass player when you're wild on stage.


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## cwhitey2 (Jul 29, 2015)

I'm still here!

I would say, for me personally that I do more reading now that I know all the answers to the 'stupid' questions 

I read older posts more than anything. Very few interesting new posts... Especially in the new music area.


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## tacotiklah (Jul 29, 2015)

FILTHnFEAR said:


> Huh? Is that what the bright light on the other side of my window is?
> 
> Damn, there *are *things going on outside. But .... that, it looks hot. *closes blinds, cranks AC*



You and I are of like minds on this. Why do things when you have a steam account and netflix?


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## tedtan (Jul 29, 2015)

I've noticed this, too.

And I've been away over the past few months myself. I've been busy buying a house, selling my old house, helping my girl sell her house, managing/implementing a project at work, went on vacation, etc., so I just assumed the decrease in traffic was because everyone else was busy with real life, too. But I still try to check in at lunch on those days when I eat in the office, even if even if other commitments keep me from posting as much.


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## Pav (Jul 29, 2015)

MaxOfMetal said:


> Folks like drama. It's entertaining.
> 
> Without the fraudulent builders, racist/sexist/homophobic PC&E posters, shady sellers/flippers, etc. this place may seem more boring. We just might all have to talk about guitars.
> 
> ...



You got me there! Even though most of it happened before my time here, I'll still occasionally sort through some old tales of the likes of BRJ and Mark Cameron. Fascinating situations.


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## Alex Kenivel (Jul 29, 2015)

I've been posting less because I just end up getting banned every few weeks.

Things might start picking up after the release of the Fractal floor units


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## leftyguitarjoe (Jul 29, 2015)

I'd rather have a smaller, genuine community.


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## Konfyouzd (Jul 29, 2015)

I haven't really noticed a lack in traffic. I've noticed a lack of posting about topics that actually spark my interest anymore. That said, a lot of the same kinds of threads I initially joined to read still pop up rather frequently. Things like:

-Pickup wiring help
-Pickup selection
-Technique development
-Ear training
-Etc

I still see new threads about that almost all the time. It simply seems like the topics of newer threads are nothing new to anyone that's been around for a bit. Further, like others, I really have less and less interest in debating politics on the internet with each passing day. It just doesn't seem worth it.


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## Konfyouzd (Jul 29, 2015)

leftyguitarjoe said:


> I'd rather have a smaller, genuine community.



I bet that's what the OG members say too. Aren't they all over at MG?


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## BlackMastodon (Jul 29, 2015)

I still check on here several times a day and I have noticed OT is a little slower going than usual. But the Luthiery & Modifications sub-forum is still holding up and that's my favourite spot here so I'm cool with it. I just post less because I don't have as much to say in threads I want to post in I guess.

I think the rep system being taken away might have contributed, but also probably because it's summer and people might be away and such. 

I just find it funny how big of a stink we made to keep the Off Topic sub-forum away from all of the other Off Topic sub-forums and now they're all quieter.  

Also who the hell plays guitar more than reading/talking about it? Bunch of weirdos if you ask me.


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## Sumsar (Jul 29, 2015)

Agreed on the politics thing, I did join discussions now and then when I first joined about a year ago, but as I am pretty much a communist by most American standards it is seldom fruitfull discussions 

Nowadays I enjoy the music production threads both of ways of recording and mix feedback. Maybe one should join a music production forum?

I used to hang out at the UG forums, but most of the time it was just 2000 15 year old kids wanting attention. I really, really like this forum, people are helpful, honest and all knowning about pretty much anything.


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## pondman (Jul 29, 2015)

MaxOfMetal said:


> The number of daily users and posts has not really dropped. Going back a couple years the daily average has been between 1200 and 2000 registered users. Highest ever was something like 4000 in a 24 hour period, but that was in like 2010/2011 during a very drama filled week that culminated in Alex making some changes around here.
> 
> We have more Contributing members than I ever remember seeing.
> 
> Things seem a little slow because for the first time in a long time there isn't any builder drama. There was a time not to long ago when about once every couple weeks another builder would go off the deep end.



Only a short matter of time then.


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## Emperor Guillotine (Jul 29, 2015)

leftyguitarjoe said:


> I'd rather have a smaller, genuine community.


Reminds me of that little saying from when I was in high school: you want to have a handful of real, actual good friends, as opposed to everyone trying to passively call themselves your "friend".


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## asher (Jul 29, 2015)

Alex Kenivel said:


> I've been posting less because I just end up getting banned every few weeks.
> 
> Things might start picking up after the release of the Fractal floor units



I was just thinking this: the gear world has calmed down for now, mostly. The KPA and Axe II varieties have all stabilized at the refinement stage. There aren't new tube amps that aren't totally boutique to get everyone nuts like the 5150III. I guess we'll see what happens with the Helix and the FX8.


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## BucketheadRules (Jul 29, 2015)

MaxOfMetal said:


> Folks like drama. It's entertaining.
> 
> Without the fraudulent builders, racist/sexist/homophobic PC&E posters, shady sellers/flippers, etc. this place may seem more boring. We just might all have to talk about guitars.
> 
> ...



"Oh for god's sake SSO, you've got everything you wanted, now will you just SHUT UP?"

And maybe we have


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## theo (Jul 29, 2015)

I think for me, I Was first venturing into the recording world and online communities. More and more threads now are becoming "eh seen this before, oh that question again" and I'm becoming more selective with what I participate in.


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## bhakan (Jul 29, 2015)

leftyguitarjoe said:


> I'd rather have a smaller, genuine community.


I feel like this could be part of the slower posting. While this forum has always been big, I feel like there used to be more "regulars" who you saw posting all over the place and it made the community feel a little tighter. When you have a larger, more disparate community there's less reason to post on anything that isn't directly relevant to you. For example, I'm not going to post in the BoO megathread to say I don't like the new song, because others have already said what I would say, and nobody really knows who I am or particularly cares whether or not I personally like the song. 

It's the tradeoff of community size. On one hand the knowledge base here is huge now, and any question you need answered can be answered, but you lose some of the actual human interactions.


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## brutalwizard (Jul 29, 2015)

I havent really been posting much here. All my closest SSO homies i have on facebro.


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## MaxOfMetal (Jul 29, 2015)

theo said:


> I think for me, I Was first venturing into the recording world and online communities. More and more threads now are becoming "eh seen this before, oh that question again" and I'm becoming more selective with what I participate in.



Which ties into how the ebb and flow of online communities such as these works. 

Look at the join date of everyone in this thread. Pretty much all from around 2011 to 2014. Most of those who frequently participate in this place really only stick around for a few years, and it's like that with a lot of forums. 

Everyone talks about the "old days" when the guys who started this place were still here, but they were mostly gone when I signed up. So from 2004 to 2008/2009. 

It's looking like the 2011-2013 batch of folks are starting to move on, which isn't a bad thing. 

I think a lot of it has to do with how our hobbies evolve.


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## MFB (Jul 29, 2015)

Hey, I'll have you know I'm still here...

For some reason


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## BlackMastodon (Jul 29, 2015)

I definitely spend more time on this site than I do playing guitar, but that doesn't mean I don't learn things about guitars/playing from here which is something I love about it. That's why I spend so much time in the Luthiery section and have since I joined. There is an absolutely stupid amount of information and resources in this forum and I don't see myself leaving it behind any time soon. 

People are gonna move on but every now and then even some of the much older members post again. Maybe a lot of the people leaving or spending less time on here do have other commitments, or they aren't into guitar anymore, or they are into guitar way more. They might just not have the time to spend on the forum while still keeping up with life. It's the way she goes sometimes.


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## SeditiousDissent (Jul 29, 2015)

I'll be more active when school starts in a few weeks. After my kids get settled down, SSO becomes a great time waster during the day. I usually keep a window open at my desk so I can check whenever.


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## Steinmetzify (Jul 29, 2015)

Depends on what I'm into; when I first joined I really jumped into the 7 string forum; went from that to Gear and Equipment, then the Extended Range forum....found the Luthiery section and that's where most of my posts are now, as that's what I'm into atm...the build threads are cool as hell. I stay far far away from P&CE and always will. I usually skim the top threads and if I can help someone out I will, and if someone posts a badass NGD they get some love from me. 

I'd kick that I'm less into NGDs since rep disappeared too, but it's all good. Anyone that knows me personally plays all my guitars or gets pics since we text stuff back and forth.


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## flint757 (Jul 30, 2015)

My frequency depends on what's going on at my job. If I'm posting more during the day then nothing is going on at work. Work has been non-stop all summer for me. Things will slow down late August and I'll likely be on a lot more again.


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## MoshJosh (Jul 30, 2015)

Also the site is quite because those mods are to good at their jobs! Every time I come upon a "about to be a sh*t storm" thread, it gets locked before anyone can get a comment off.

Example someone just posted an ESP 40th anniversary model (8 string with crazy melted looking finish we were all drooling over) for sale with only stock photos and pretty much no info and now its gone!!! We all could have gone in like "AWWW HELL NO" but nope. . .


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## TechDeathWannabe (Jul 30, 2015)

I mainly lurk, and every other day or so I try to update a thread I started, but if my rookie perspective counts for anything, I haven't seen much a decline since I joined. It has seemed slower throughout the day though.

That being said, I also hadn't been here very long when the rep system went away, which as others have pointed out, seems to have affected people's posting rates.


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## Dooky (Jul 30, 2015)

I feel like there has been a significant drop in NGDs. I was almost going to post something about it in here a couple of weeks ago.


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## Hollowway (Jul 30, 2015)

Yeah, I have only posted a handful of times in the last 2 months. I used to post 4-5 times per day. And I haven't done any recent NGDs. I know t might not seem like a relevant reason, but for me it's the lack of rep. It was sort of the measurement we agreed on as a community. And once it was gone it was hard to motivate myself to post interesting things. It would be like not recording how much weight you lift, or how fast you run a mile. With no measurement there's no drive. Interestingly, I've been posting a lot more on FB and IG. I didn't think about it until now, but I think the fact that I can measure likes has drawn me more toward that. I know we can get "likes" on here, but I was very much used to the rep system, because it was such a prominent feature here. A lot of people probably think that makes me a vain person, but I'd be willing to be that there is something in psychology to say that people do more when they are being measured or graded.


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## Chiba666 (Jul 30, 2015)

Not the biggest poseter, but leep an eye on things. I think people have started using Serach instead of asking the same questions over and over. Either that or its summer.

It's summer isnt it, I mean who uses search functions.


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## OmegaSlayer (Jul 30, 2015)

If rep means so much for people I would say to get it back but only in guitar discussions and with severe rules, where personal offences get the offender insta banned.


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## Mike (Jul 30, 2015)

Hollowway said:


> Yeah, I have only posted a handful of times in the last 2 months. I used to post 4-5 times per day. And I haven't done any recent NGDs. I know t might not seem like a relevant reason, but for me it's the lack of rep. It was sort of the measurement we agreed on as a community. And once it was gone it was hard to motivate myself to post interesting things. It would be like not recording how much weight you lift, or how fast you run a mile. With no measurement there's no drive. Interestingly, I've been posting a lot more on FB and IG. I didn't think about it until now, but I think the fact that I can measure likes has drawn me more toward that. I know we can get "likes" on here, but I was very much used to the rep system, because it was such a prominent feature here. A lot of people probably think that makes me a vain person, but I'd be willing to be that there is something in psychology to say that people do more when they are being measured or graded.



Whether I like to admit it or not, rep definitely incentivized me to put in time to make content. A little reward for some effort definitely can be a motivating factor, even if it is just some fake internet points.


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## redstone (Jul 30, 2015)

I'm pretty sure most people here don't buy new gear and help others just to get some rep points. It's just an off peak.

- Too few musicians gave others enough musical reasons to buy a 35" 10 string guitar (downtuned djent isn't exciting for most). Maybe the biggest buyers all got their 35" 10 string guitars and realized it was all hype and not that inspiring to play.

- Everything has been said about the axe-fx/kemper vs amp, people know what they worth and won't start new polemics. 

- Winter Namm couldn't be farther.


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## Mike (Jul 30, 2015)

No ones saying people buy new gear just for rep, but rep was reason enough for some people to post about what they bought and write a nice review or do a demo. 

I have definitely noticed a decline in NGD's/NPD's where a user includes a thorough review and maybe a video or soundcloud recording of what it sounds like.


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## ghostred7 (Jul 30, 2015)

OmegaSlayer said:


> If rep means so much for people I would say to get it back but only in guitar discussions and with severe rules, where personal offences get the offender insta banned.


This.

Being one of the newer people here (in the grand timeline of this forum), I found the rep system an easy means for users to be be abusive. It allowed someone to paint a negative picture on another user over simple disagreements. The biggest problem I saw was the comments and reasoning behind neg-repping a lot of the times. If I was a new user coming here and saw person 'x' giving advise on something, I'd check their rep. When the neg-rep wasn't anything more than "derp" or "pull your head out of your ass," all it does is immediately invalidate any opinions in the eyes of the new user....WITHOUT any actual accuracy check. 

I think the rep system here being gone is the best thing to happen to the forum IMO. If you're posting b/c rep is your motivation then there's probably a decent chance that the content you're posting about is only 'meh' in the first place. 

If you enjoy the community, you'll come here and share stuff of substance with or without the rep system.


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## McKay (Jul 30, 2015)

Djent is hair metal and it's 1993 would be my guess. The "SS.org" demographic isn't growing anymore, when I first came here I was in my teens and loads of dudes in good new bands would post.


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## asher (Jul 30, 2015)

ghostred7 said:


> This.
> 
> Being one of the newer people here (in the grand timeline of this forum), I found the rep system an easy means for users to be be abusive. It allowed someone to paint a negative picture on another user over simple disagreements. The biggest problem I saw was the comments and reasoning behind neg-repping a lot of the times. If I was a new user coming here and saw person 'x' giving advise on something, I'd check their rep. When the neg-rep wasn't anything more than "derp" or "pull your head out of your ass," all it does is immediately invalidate any opinions in the eyes of the new user....WITHOUT any actual accuracy check.
> 
> ...



See, my thing with this complaint is that it was so easy to click the link of the rep to go look at the post in question, and very quickly decide for yourself if they had a clue what they were talking about.


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## Captain Butterscotch (Jul 30, 2015)

Rep is gone and it took a lot of motivation with it. You can't tell if a person is a knowledgable God like Mr. Big Noodles or an idiot trying to entertain themselves like me. It motivated people (or at least me) to actually provide help, post awesome pics, or just be a better member of the community. Now, I'm Public Lurker No. 1.


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## MaxOfMetal (Jul 30, 2015)

McKay said:


> Djent is hair metal and it's 1993 would be my guess. The "SS.org" demographic isn't growing anymore, when I first came here I was in my teens and loads of dudes in good new bands would post.



A more accurate comparison would be "djent is hair metal and it's *1985*". 

Djent is more popular than ever, it's no longer this forum's underground baby, it's grown beyond.


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## Seybsnilksz (Jul 30, 2015)

I just don't have a lot to say.


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## ghostred7 (Jul 30, 2015)

asher said:


> See, my thing with this complaint is that it was so easy to click the link of the rep to go look at the post in question, and very quickly decide for yourself if they had a clue what they were talking about.


I agree...but not everyone (sadly) has the decide-for-self which comments were legit and other attacks. In either case, it doesn't change the fact that it was used in this manner. Also caused a lot of people to show their cowardice and talk crap via the rep system anonymously. 

Don't get me wrong, there were some negs I've seen/had that had full disclosure on them and why it was neg'd. I've no issue with that...but it was in the minority. This happens on several forums that had it. I've managed forums before that used it and would pull reports from the database on all the neg comments and the majority were malicious and anonymous.

There's both good & bad w/ it...doesn't change the fact that I'm glad it's gone.

I also agree with the "aging" comment someone posted in thread. I've been old since I've come here...but I know there are several people I've interacted with that were either about to or just graduate(d) high school. In the 4-ish years a lot has changed and people have grown. Hell, I have a recently graduated 18 y/o son. I see what he does daily....a LOT of his hobbies has taken a backseat to next step in life as he's new to time management for himself.

Rep doesn't motivate me to help (what little I can). If I'm here and I can help on something I read, I will because that's in my character.


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## McKay (Jul 30, 2015)

MaxOfMetal said:


> Djent is more popular than ever, it's no longer this forum's underground baby, it's grown beyond.



We reached peak Djent well over a year ago. It's a played out trope now, legacy acts like Periphery will continue to put out releases and gain new fans but as a genre it's irrelevant. Heavy music is going in a completely different direction that isn't influenced by anything like it _at all_. Musically or aesthetically.

The whole luthier vibe that goes alongside it just comes across as dadrock-tier in no small part because it has reached absolutely embarrassing levels like this:







Lots of people on this site will refuse to accept this but they're likely grognards who don't get out and live in a bubble where they think it's still 2009. Kids/new talent aren't starting Djent bands, there's no lifeblood in the genre at the bottom, just internet projects by bedroom warriors.


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## TedEH (Jul 30, 2015)

McKay said:


> We reached peak Djent well over a year ago. It's a played out trope now, legacy acts like Periphery will continue to put out releases and gain new fans but as a genre it's irrelevant. Heavy music is going in a completely different direction that isn't influenced by anything like it _at all_. Musically or aesthetically.



I agree it's certainly played out and a lot of people are tired of it, but it's probably going too far to say that a lot of heavy music isn't still very much stuck in that djent-y kind of vibe. Like it or not, modern forms of heavy music are going to have that influence going forward, even if we refuse to identify it. So far I haven't really seen anything come up as a new fad or a new direction for everyone and their cousin to jump on, and until that point we'll continue to beat the dead horse of "does it djent?", "this totally isn't djent even though it sounds like it", etc.


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## BucketheadRules (Jul 30, 2015)

Personally I find myself posting less because my tastes in music and guitars have changed a lot in the last few years, and I don't find as much that's of interest to me as I used to on here. I don't even own a seven-string any more. I guess gear and taste-wise, I don't have much common ground with a lot of the people on SSO any longer, certainly not compared to when I signed up years ago. Now I mostly swing towards classic-styled six strings and I own several fuzz pedals... neither of my two main guitars have a high-output humbucker between them 

I still come here to lurk and occasionally post, because I like you guys.


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## MaxOfMetal (Jul 30, 2015)

McKay said:


> We reached peak Djent well over a year ago. It's a played out trope now, legacy acts like Periphery will continue to put out releases and gain new fans but as a genre it's irrelevant. Heavy music is going in a completely different direction that isn't influenced by anything like it _at all_. Musically or aesthetically.
> 
> The whole luthier vibe that goes alongside it just comes across as dadrock-tier in no small part because it has reached absolutely embarrassing levels like this:
> 
> Lots of people on this site will refuse to accept this but they're likely grognards who don't get out and live in a bubble where they think it's still 2009. Kids who get into music aren't starting Djent bands, there's no lifeblood in the genre at the bottom, just internet projects by bedroom warriors who think their Skerversen actually looks cool.



I think you're the one in the bubble.  

Hate on the guitars all you want, but they're being very well received and folks are buying them frequently. That Carillion has five-digit "likes" on FB, numerous postings to blogs, and Skervesen is putting out similar stuff like nobodies business. Not to mention how well similar Carvin and the Bulb Jackson are selling now. 

I sense a lot of dislike for djent in your post, and while I never really cared for it I can at least step back and acknowledge it's popularity ("peaked" or not) without getting really defensive. The "kids these days" vibe doesn't help either.


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## troyguitar (Jul 30, 2015)

Kids these days and their gay rainbow extended range guitars... what is this 1990?


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## McKay (Jul 30, 2015)

MaxOfMetal said:


> I think you're the one in the bubble.
> 
> Hate on the guitars all you want, but they're being very well received and folks are buying them frequently. That Carillion has five-digit "likes" on FB, numerous postings to blogs, and Skervesen is putting out similar stuff like nobodies business. Not to mention how well similar Carvin and the Bulb Jackson are selling now.
> 
> I sense a lot of dislike for djent in your post, and while I never really cared for it I can at least step back and acknowledge it's popularity ("peaked" or not) *without getting really defensive*. The "kids these days" vibe doesn't help either.


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## MaxOfMetal (Jul 30, 2015)

McKay said:


>



About what I expected as a response.


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## McKay (Jul 30, 2015)

MaxOfMetal said:


> I think you're the one in the bubble.
> 
> Hate on the guitars all you want, but they're being very well received and folks are buying them frequently. Just That Carillion has five-digit "likes" on FB, numerous postings to blogs, and Skervesen is putting out similar stuff like nobodies business. Not to mention how well similar Carvin and the Bulb Jackson are selling now.



Pointy guitars were probably still selling really well in 1992 but when the wind changes at the bottom of the ladder and people on the forefront want something different then everything from then on is working on past inertia.



> I sense a lot of dislike for djent in your post, and while I never really cared for it I can at least step back and acknowledge it's popularity ("peaked" or not) without getting really defensive. The "kids these days" vibe doesn't help either.


I don't even know what you mean by this but believe me if you think I'm ranting about "kids these days" you're getting it completely backwards. I'm saying that Djent tropes and Carillion type stuff isn't new anymore, not that it's some new thing that I don't understand.  There are still going to be plenty of people buying quilt-top customs and playing syncopated open notes in drop A for years, just like plenty of people still listen to Arch Enemy and wear shirts on stage and have those wallet chains that hang really low. Just like Djent isn't going anywhere but it's had its heyday. As metalsucks put it;



> But still: this [djent] band weren&#8217;t doing themselves any favors, because they&#8217;re ostensibly arriving at a party that ended three hours ago. Maybe they can still capitalize on younger fans who have thus far completely missed out on this trend, but that didn&#8217;t work out very well for previous Johnny-Come-Latelys such as Mutiny Within, Adema, and Ugly Kid Joe.


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## TRENCHLORD (Jul 30, 2015)

P&CE will heat up some in the months to come I'd bet.

BKP isn't quite the novelty it was not so long ago, as neither is some of the other "hot" products of a few years back. 

As already stated there isn't the influx of builder hate threads by people getting basically robbed and lied to.

Less NGD threads due to having no rep system, and because it is the slow season for gear purchasing.

Personally, I've got into drumming now as another good hobby and have spent absurd amounts of time lately on drummer forums/tutorials, mainly because I'm new to it and it to me.


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## tacotiklah (Jul 30, 2015)

I'm glad the rep system is gone. I feel people can be more open and honest about things without worrying that some idiot troll is going tag them in passing anonymously. Maybe things slowed down because now people actually have to have a decent rebuttal instead of "Ha! I'll make a square on your profile red because I disagree. THAT'LL SHOW YOU!" 

Look what you did Alex! You went and made people have to think and now people don't wanna post as much. Oh the humanity!


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## crg123 (Jul 30, 2015)

Mike said:


> Whether I like to admit it or not, rep definitely incentivized me to put in time to make content. A little reward for some effort definitely can be a motivating factor, even if it is just some fake internet points.



I agree with this. Idk it felt like a community thing. Even though it was silly and abused it was sort of fun. Also seems like the ERG thing has slowed down quite a bit from its initial inception. I still love my 8 though . Although we are seeing new 8 strings and FF guitars being produced by larger companies.

Oh and Skervesen ....ing rules man 




*Sorry for the shameless photo share I just love this thing. Its a beast.


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## Jake (Jul 30, 2015)

I'm still here just not posting as much because, well I have an assload of awesome gear that basically is the result of my time here in the first place. But I still lurk on a daily basis 

My band is back together now though after a few years of breaks due to college and life. Plus I'm getting more involved in the 8 string game so I'm sure I'll be posting frequently again soon haha


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## McKay (Jul 30, 2015)

crg123 said:


> I agree with this. Idk it felt like a community thing. Even though it was silly and abused it was sort of fun. Also seems like the ERG thing has slowed down quite a bit from its initial inception. I still love my 8 though . Although we are seeing new 8 strings and FF guitars being produced by larger companies.
> 
> Oh and Skervesen ....ing rules man
> 
> ...



Don't take me being hyperbolic too seriously man.  The ERG thing _has _slowed down but the only reason it matters is because someone asked why ss.org has less traffic than it used to. I love loads of music and fashion and guitars that aren't at their peak popularity, there's nothing wrong with it.

Also I never had a problem with the rep system but I got mostly positive rep so I'm biased.


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## neurosis (Jul 30, 2015)

OmegaSlayer said:


> If rep means so much for people I would say to get it back but only in guitar discussions and with severe rules, where personal offences get the offender insta banned.



The times I checked negative rep there was always some kind of hate-message involved. I always thought rep was a good way of knowing who was out of line. But then I started seeing people using it in any kind of disagreement. 

I think you are right. If it comes back it should be limited and controlled. Your proposal also makes a lot of sense to me because the rep would basically be used as a ranking system for the contributions people make. So instead of giving a like or dislike for an opinion or a comment the rep would be a critique feedback for the content on the site, which would establish a meritocracy for people to be thorough with their contributions. 

If on top it had some kind of added feature where a forum member can add or modify info like in a wiki after leaving rep... imagine the potential of this, updated content on the gear and topics we all like. 

Really cool.


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## eaeolian (Jul 30, 2015)

MaxOfMetal said:


> To add to that, for the first time in a very long while companies are putting out what 90%+ of even what the most discerning player wants means few are complaining.



This is 100% true. When I started here - before Misha was a rock star  - most of our discussion was about personal experiences with amps, 7s, etc. There wasn't a lot of information generally available.

This year, though, the only big "new" 7 string thing is Misha's sig, which really isn't *that* different from what's already available.

You can get a variety of 7 string double cuts, Vs, and even *actual* Les Paul 7s now, with different scale lengths. So what's to bitch about? (Unless you're me, and you like strat/dinky shapes with a tuneamatic or the Floyd up on top, and it's not like I don't already have a couple of those.)

The small builder thing has flamed out because the big boys are offering what most people want, basically. The generation behind the "middle generation" posters here have grown up in a market where 7s (and even 8s) are a normal part of the guitar market.


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## Given To Fly (Jul 30, 2015)

I remember "standard tuning."


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## TRENCHLORD (Jul 31, 2015)

Given To Fly said:


> I remember "standard tuning."



You mean B-standard, right?


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## Xaios (Jul 31, 2015)

It does seem to me like a lot of people from the 2011-2014 guard have left without getting replaced by new posters.


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## Don Vito (Jul 31, 2015)

Xaios said:


> It does seem to me like a lot of people from the 2011-2014 guard have left without getting replaced by new posters.


I legit have not seen any members registered in 2015. I'm sure they're out there, but not posting where I dwell.

This thread has actually kind of inspired me to stick around and post more.


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## TedEH (Jul 31, 2015)

eaeolian said:


> So what's to bitch about?



I still think we're lacking in the 7-stringed-explorer area. Explorers are amazing, but there aren't many options. There's basically the Gibson one, which had too short a scale, and was too expensive, and the Ltd ex-307 (might have the model wrong), which was ok, but only in black and kinda on the budget end of things if I remember correctly. Would be great to have some more non black mid-range explorer-ish 7s. How about an Ltd EX-1007 or something? I'd be all over a 7 string Destroyer like the one made for Sonata Arctica if it was the right price. I get that getting someone to build one is always an option, but we're not all made of money of course.


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## Adam Of Angels (Jul 31, 2015)

I visit this site at least 50x more often than any other website, on a daily basis. I love this place, even if things are a bit slower than they used to be.


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## mlp187 (Aug 1, 2015)

I agree this place seems slower because of less shenanigans. Always been more of a lurker than poster, but I've been around long enough to see some big changes amongst builder drama, product diversity, musical trends, posting legends become moderators and posting legends become banned for life. Right now is a pleasant state of harmony.


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## Hollowway (Aug 1, 2015)

Regarding the rep, I haven't stopped (and never started) buying instruments due to the rep system. But I sure as heck posted up pic stories and would go out of my way to look stuff up to help people due to the rep. It wasn't a conscious effort, but now that it's gone, I just have no particular motivation to do it. It's like if suddenly money wouldn't allow you to buy anything I would have less motivation to do well at work. I'm not at my current job STRICTLY for the money, but it sure keeps me motivated, because it's the measure by which I am measured.


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## Alex Kenivel (Aug 1, 2015)

Sssshhhhh.... Can you guys keep it down in here?


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## bhakan (Aug 2, 2015)

Not that the website would want to make another big change so quickly, but I feel like reinstating positive rep only would be cool. Negative rep seemed to be used for childish reasons a lot, but the ability to give someone who went out of their way to help a stranger on the internet a little thank you was nice. Even if they are just pointless internet points, we all love boosting our egos a little.


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## flint757 (Aug 2, 2015)

As I understand it that isn't possible. If I recall Alex said we were changing over to software that didn't support rep as a feature at all.


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## Señor Voorhees (Aug 2, 2015)

bhakan said:


> Not that the website would want to make another big change so quickly, but I feel like reinstating positive rep only would be cool. Negative rep seemed to be used for childish reasons a lot, but the ability to give someone who went out of their way to help a stranger on the internet a little thank you was nice. Even if they are just pointless internet points, we all love boosting our egos a little.



Isn't that sort of what "liking" posts does? You say something particularly funny, memorable, nice, or relatable, and people give you a small pat on the back. You can even see how many you have vs other people. I occasionally playfully rag on my friend for joining a year later than me and having plenty more "likes" than I do.


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## Sofos (Aug 2, 2015)

I miss the rep system :/ I don't understand why it was done away with. The like system is like a worse version without the fun colored bars or the snazzy comments


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## Xaios (Aug 3, 2015)

Rep - Semper memorata.


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## tacotiklah (Aug 3, 2015)

Perhaps this is a sign that Djodnarak is upon us...


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## Fiction (Aug 3, 2015)

I still peruse the forums like once every few days, I think it was an issue for me before cause I spent hours a day on here haha, probably 2-3 hours on chat and additional hours contributing to threads, it's nice to be free of the weight that is SSO Addiction, but I can still just check out the occasional NGD or studio upload. When I joined I had like 3 starter guitars, I'm currently up to 12 with some higher grade ibbys, a parker, a custom, I guess I've finally satiated the beast we refer to as GAS. Lifes busy man.


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## VBCheeseGrater (Aug 3, 2015)

I just saw this exact same thread in the Subaru Forester Forum. 

Yeah it does seem maybe a little less active, but still active enough. I'm on less than i used to be too.


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## vilk (Aug 3, 2015)

It's been so slow on here that I started reading the Bible. I'm not sure why. I've been really enjoying it though--it's whacky. Just finished all 50 chapters of Genesis.

See, I was raised Catholic, and so for those of you who don't know, we don't read the Bible (opt to have priests paraphrase it for us on Sundays, but only the sections they like). So I'm hearing some stuff for the first time--like when god murders this dude for pulling out on some gold-diggin biatch.. Or Jacob doing some WWF german suplex .... with god and ....ing up his hip so then good jews can't eat hip socket meat.

update: OK, Moses is a dick. He straight murders this dude just because no one is looking, and then hides his body in the sand and doesn't tell his family. Also he had a severe speech impediment that made him so unintelligible that the only person who could even understand what he's saying is his brother Aaron, and that's actually the guy who rallied the Jews and talked back to Pharaoh. I swear my catechism teachers should all be fired. And God purposely made Pharaoh say no to them, just so he could show off his plague powers. It wasn't even Pharaoh's choice.


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## TheKindred (Aug 3, 2015)

vilk said:


> It's been so slow on here that I started reading the Bible. I'm not sure why. I've been really enjoying it though--it's whacky. Just finished all 50 chapters of Genesis.
> 
> See, I was raised Catholic, and so for those of you who don't know, we don't read the Bible (opt to have priests paraphrase it for us on Sundays, but only the sections they like). So I'm hearing some stuff for the first time--like when god murders this dude for pulling out on some gold-diggin biatch.. Or Jacob doing some WWF german suplex .... with god and ....ing up his hip so then good jews can't eat hip socket meat.
> 
> update: OK, Moses is a dick. He straight murders this dude just because no one is looking, and then hides his body in the sand and doesn't tell his family. Also he had a severe speech impediment that made him so unintelligible that the only person who could even understand what he's saying is his brother Aaron, and that's actually the guy who rallied the Jews and talked back to Pharaoh. I swear my catechism teachers should all be fired. And God purposely made Pharaoh say no to them, just so he could show off his plague powers. It wasn't even Pharaoh's choice.



<spoiler> He dies at the end </spoiler>


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## asher (Aug 3, 2015)

You'll find that many, many of the characters are dicks, strongly including God.


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## IbanezDaemon (Aug 3, 2015)

crg123 said:


> I agree with this. Idk it felt like a community thing. Even though it was silly and abused it was sort of fun. Also seems like the ERG thing has slowed down quite a bit from its initial inception. I still love my 8 though . Although we are seeing new 8 strings and FF guitars being produced by larger companies.
> 
> Oh and Skervesen ....ing rules man
> 
> ...



Awesome guitar and quite possibly the most badass headstock...ever!!!


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## BornToLooze (Aug 3, 2015)

I haven't been playing much guitar lately, so I've just been getting on, checking my subscribed threads and getting back off.

And I need to make a new pickup day thread, but I can't record anything that sounds good enough to make it worth posting.


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## Slunk Dragon (Aug 3, 2015)

MaxOfMetal said:


> Things seem a little slow because for the first time in a long time there isn't any builder drama. There was a time not to long ago when about once every couple weeks another builder would go off the deep end.



I think this is the main culprit. No luthiers have recently stolen tons of money from people and started fiascoes, so everything else by comparison is slow. xD

I've been here and there, but I personally switched jobs, and have been online a lot less frequently. But that's just my 2 cents.


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## The Reverend (Aug 3, 2015)

I don't post as much as I used to because I don't feel like there's a lot of new threads that are interesting to me. I've always read more than I posted here, but there doesn't seem to be anything worth replying to these days. Not that I'm looking too hard, honestly. I also feel like some of the older guys I recognize have disappeared. Grand Moff Tim still posts about Skyrim, so that's cool, but there was like a whole slew of people who joined within a few years of me that used to really create a lot of content.


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## crg123 (Aug 3, 2015)

IbanezDaemon said:


> Awesome guitar and quite possibly the most badass headstock...ever!!!



The first viper headstock actually. Obviously BM influenced.


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## SpaceDock (Aug 3, 2015)

I still like the site. I come here almost every day for 6 years. I do miss rep but that's ok.


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## WestOfSeven (Aug 4, 2015)

You guys all realise that this forum is dying due to the removal of the rep system right? Quality posting dropped instantly after its removal. There are no more cool ngd's, gear reviews or interesting posts. There doesnt seem to be as many new members posting probably due to the lack of quality posts.

Going to a software that doesnt have a rep feature is a bad call. 

When this website gets updated to a new software version and theres downtime I fully expect most of the casual users to jump ship.

It sucks that this forums on the decline it was my favorite by far.


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## chopeth (Aug 4, 2015)

WestOfSeven said:


> You guys all realise that this forum is dying due to the removal of the rep system right? Quality posting dropped instantly after its removal. There are no more cool ngd's, gear reviews or interesting posts. There doesnt seem to be as many new members posting probably due to the lack of quality posts.



100% agree


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## MetalheadMC (Aug 4, 2015)

I realize I'm newer than most on here, but I really enjoy it. It helps me discuss my musical interests, and some personal issues also, and there are a lot of good posters on here regarless of the rep system


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## cwhitey2 (Aug 4, 2015)

WestOfSeven said:


> You guys all realise that this forum is dying due to the removal of the rep system right? Quality posting dropped instantly after its removal. There are no more cool ngd's, gear reviews or interesting posts. There doesnt seem to be as many new members posting probably due to the lack of quality posts.
> 
> Going to a software that doesnt have a rep feature is a bad call.
> 
> ...





To be honest, I have a decent amount of gear that I could review...I just don't have the time to give in depth reviews because I'm too busy playing 


That being said I'll try and get around to reviewing my Strymon Bigsky and/or my Archon this weekend...if I have time of course.


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## TedEH (Aug 4, 2015)

WestOfSeven said:


> this forum is dying



I dunno, one person's "this place is dying" is another person's "this place is the best it's ever been". A lot of the activity that disappeared was unnecessary political arguments, and I'm ok with that. I'd rather a calm, peaceful place with a small dedicated community than what basically amounts to the same screaming matches that happen everywhere else on the internet.

A little less traffic isn't the end of the world (or the forum).


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## troyguitar (Aug 4, 2015)

WestOfSeven said:


> You guys all realise that this forum is dying due to the removal of the rep system right? Quality posting dropped instantly after its removal. There are no more cool ngd's, gear reviews or interesting posts. There doesnt seem to be as many new members posting probably due to the lack of quality posts.
> 
> Going to a software that doesnt have a rep feature is a bad call.
> 
> ...



If you care about rep you are here for the wrong reasons and should just leave.

This "Look at me!" instant gratification garbage is ridiculous. Why the hell do I need a hundred pats on the back every time I make a post? If you want to share something, share it. If you don't, don't.

You can get all of the feedback you need in the replies to your posts, who cares if there isn't some stupid green or red square analyzing their content for you and distilling it down to a useless + or -? Try actually reading the messages and deciding for yourself how you feel about the thread?


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## jonajon91 (Aug 4, 2015)

troyguitar said:


> who cares if there isn't some stupid green or red square ...



Stop right there, they were sacred!


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## TheKindred (Aug 4, 2015)

why not just remove the anonymous feature of rep?

Allow positive and negative, but remove the anonymity barrier so people aren't hiding behind it. You still get rep and it's arguably more telling of the person's character (not just the receiver, but the ...umm.. pitcher as well).


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## SpaceDock (Aug 4, 2015)

why not have the "like" system go to a rep bar but ditch the neg rep function so there is only positive rep??

I also totally agree with Troy, we shouldn't need to be rewarded but I think that is how everything else is on the internet so people have that expectation.


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## Ralyks (Aug 4, 2015)

I mostly stopped posting as much because I'm not longer working a job where I can surf the net during down time. I pretty much always had a window open to this site during that time period. That mixed with moving to the opposite side of NY and preparing to have my son enter the world any day now. Didn't even realize the rating system was gone.


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## flint757 (Aug 4, 2015)

1) This convo isn't going to change anything because rep is no longer possible (or soon to be).

2) I actually like the rep being gone personally (and I had a green bar ). There were certain threads or posts I would have liked to make at one point or another, but chose not to as I knew it would ruffle feathers and there'd be a potential wave of negative feedback. With it gone I've seen participation in more heated topics rise, along with the number of differing views.


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## vilk (Aug 4, 2015)

neg rep @ moses and levites

GOD: "Moses, they're worshiping a golden calf. I'm gonna kill'em"
MOSES: "God, don't do that! Why the heck did you drag them out of Egypt for then?"
GOD: "Ok, if you say so Moses"

_Moses descends from mountain_

MOSES: "Aaron, they're worshiping a golden calf! You gotta kill'em!"


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## BornToLooze (Aug 4, 2015)

Ralyks said:


> Didn't even realize the rating system was gone.



It took me forever to notice. I could tell something was different, I just couldn't put my finger on it.


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## niffnoff (Aug 4, 2015)

I miss the days of Stealth messing with the mods but I mean I still sit in the recording section, I just don't post because College took up most of my time. I might have some new sounds coming up soon after I pay for some new gear .

Also... used to get some laughs at the banned list postings. As far as the regular meme of ZEBOV likes this! goes


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## Ralyks (Aug 5, 2015)

I have Stealth on FB, and still trying to figure out how he aquires and sells all these ridiculous guitars.


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## will_shred (Aug 5, 2015)

Well i'm still around, I've just kind of gone into lurker mode. Like someone above said, I'm just spending more time playing guitar than posting about guitar. My custom strat has been occupying most of my time  seriously it's been 6 months since I finished it and it gets %90 of the play time while my other 3 get the other %10.


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## vilk (Aug 5, 2015)

Just finished up Leviticus. It was mind-numbing. It's literally repeats itself a hundred times over. It spends a dozen pages telling you how to set up a tent, how to make costumes and lamps, and then word for word repeats itself once over. It's interesting hearing some old Jewish law, but then every single law there is you've got like a dozen different ways to make an offering, and then a dozen different ways God's gonna .... you if you don't do it just like he says, and it's impossible to keep track of.
I just read about a hundred ways your supposed to kill animals if you want God not to kill you and I probably couldn't even remember one of them.
I just think it would suck to have to like kill a whole animal and splash it's blood all over every time you make a mistake.


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## troyguitar (Aug 5, 2015)

It's repetitive because it was originally told orally and that's the best way to attempt to remember things. That .... wasn't written down until much later. Most people didn't know how to read or write back then.


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## Vhyle (Aug 5, 2015)

I don't post much now because a lot of the content is so repetitive, it seems pointless to reply to most of it. I can only take so much "MY NEW DJENT/PROGRESSIVE ALBUM - AXE FX II & BKPS" and Carvin/Kiesel/Vader/Strandberg worship.

I still come on here because I do find gems of music releases among everything else. 

And of course, I'm in the chat room daily. But as far as the forum goes, it's really meeeeeeeeeeh.


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## Sofos (Aug 5, 2015)

niffnoff said:


> I miss the days of Stealth messing with the mods but I mean I still sit in the recording section, I just don't post because College took up most of my time. I might have some new sounds coming up soon after I pay for some new gear .
> 
> Also... used to get some laughs at the banned list postings. As far as the regular meme of ZEBOV likes this! goes



Oh man forgot about ZEBOV. Stealth, ZEBOV and Shono... those were good times man, good times.


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## tacotiklah (Aug 6, 2015)

Ralyks said:


> I have Stealth on FB, and still trying to figure out how he aquires and sells all these ridiculous guitars.



Well he did have the nickname Methlab...


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## Konfyouzd (Aug 6, 2015)

Vhyle said:


> I can only take so much "MY NEW DJENT/PROGRESSIVE ALBUM - AXE FX II & BKPS" and Carvin/Kiesel/Vader/Strandberg worship.



*sigh*


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## Don Vito (Aug 6, 2015)

Vhyle said:


> I can only take so much "MY NEW DJENT/PROGRESSIVE ALBUM - AXE FX II & BKPS"


But does this really happen anymore? See, I think this website is slower BECAUSE those kind of dudes are gone.


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## Konfyouzd (Aug 6, 2015)




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## WestOfSeven (Aug 7, 2015)

troyguitar said:


> If you care about rep you are here for the wrong reasons and should just leave.
> 
> This "Look at me!" instant gratification garbage is ridiculous. Why the hell do I need a hundred pats on the back every time I make a post? If you want to share something, share it. If you don't, don't.
> 
> You can get all of the feedback you need in the replies to your posts, who cares if there isn't some stupid green or red square analyzing their content for you and distilling it down to a useless + or -? Try actually reading the messages and deciding for yourself how you feel about the thread?



I could care less about rep but obviously the validation it gave some people was the difference between posting and not posting. Just look at the decline in posting after it was removed.


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## niffnoff (Aug 7, 2015)

Sofos said:


> Oh man forgot about ZEBOV. Stealth, ZEBOV and Shono... those were good times man, good times.



I remember when we actually made a meme out of ZEBOV likes this in the meme thread. 

I used to love the semi-monthly 1 hour recording contests too... man...

The recording and OT were so good back then... I still like the place a hell of alot. There's a few people here who picked me up after a relationship went down the drain. Can't even begin to thank Dan for that. Aside from the "Djont" Misha and Nolly hype, there were alot of great people (still are for the record) here. I can only be envious at some of the musicians that come and go through here... 

Alucard, Tre, Dan, Nolly, Misha, to name a few... you guys really inspired me :')

/kissing butt post


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## Steinmetzify (Aug 7, 2015)

I make 2.62 posts a day. WTF more do you want?!


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## TedEH (Aug 7, 2015)

I'm only at 0.38. Gatta step up my game.


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## Alex Kenivel (Aug 7, 2015)

4.02


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## asher (Aug 7, 2015)

4.00 on the dot.

Screw your inflated GPA Alex.


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## Steinmetzify (Aug 7, 2015)

Upped it to 2.63....my work here is done.


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## Carver (Aug 7, 2015)

i make .25 posts per day, youre welcome.


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## MFB (Aug 7, 2015)

4.41

Get on my level n00bs


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## synrgy (Aug 7, 2015)

2.56 - Pretty much par for my life. 

And par for the topic.. I think it was around 5, as many years ago.


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## Xaios (Aug 7, 2015)

3.27. It's a good number.


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## WestOfSeven (Aug 7, 2015)

So what would it take to get Zebov back? I feel somewhat responsible since he got perm'd in my thread about westboro picketing jeff hannemans funeral


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## Electric Wizard (Aug 7, 2015)

But what if ZEBOV doesn't _like_ SSO anymore?


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## asher (Aug 7, 2015)

WestOfSeven said:


> So what would it take to get Zebov back? I feel somewhat responsible since he got perm'd in my thread about westboro picketing jeff hannemans funeral



He got perma'd for going on some crazy antisemitic rant to Max after the initial thing, he ain't coming back.


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## Bodes (Aug 7, 2015)

I've turned into a real lurker. Never was a huge poster, those stating their post/day count, I like mine right where it is, see attachment. I wonder if it is exactly 1000 days today? CBA checking.

I also am not as blown away by as many of the guitars anymore. Maybe having a few years under my belt on SSO mean I have become more picky about what I consider "WOW". 

I guess I am no longer looking at buying a guitar with one massive purchase on the way soon. I posted a lot when my Searls guitar was getting made. 
Plus the fact that many of the P&CE topics are mostly about the US politics and have little to do with myself.

Also agree with some previous posters in this thread about the music getting posted in the recording section. Not really my can of coke (I hate tea ). Not saying I do anything good, or at all ATM, but many of them seem samey to me.


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## tacotiklah (Aug 7, 2015)

I'll play devil's advocate for a minute...

We all seem in agreement that there's some things about the site that are tired cliches, right? After all, the biggest thread on this site is the one making fun of itself. (goddamn I love the meme thread)
So my challenge to those that are jaded is this:
*Be the change you want to see. *

Tired of thousands of "djonthallbulbashuggahchapelasleaders" mix/band threads? Get out there and make something different.


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## MaxOfMetal (Aug 7, 2015)

I said it before, but everyone seemed to gloss past it because they couldn't find a way to complain about it: there are the same number of new posts each day as there was 6 months ago, 12 months ago, 18 months ago and so on. 

The only difference is there is less _drama_. 

We've removed serial flippers/scammers from the classifieds, made it significantly harder for scam-builders and hype-makers/shills to get in, we banned several long time serial racist/homophobic trolls permanently, and the SSO vs. [insert other forum/page here] has been shuttered. After all that was gone, which happened mostly within the first three to six months of the year, rep was pretty much made irrelevant. 

Not to mention removal of rep removed even more drama. 

Folks can sit there and say "no one has a reason to post" and "it's because djent/AxeFX/[hype thing] isn't my thing" all they want, but it's not even a factor. 

I will say, that some of the biggest gear posters have moved on, but a lot of that has to do with being scammed. Take a look at the BRJ thread, tons of folks who pretty much stopped coming here after things went south. If I was taken for a ride like that I probably wouldn't come on forums much anymore either.

And the guys who would come on here just to show off stuff have moved on to Instagram and other social networking sites.


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## Alex Kenivel (Aug 8, 2015)

So maybe were all just shallow cvnts that yearn for recognition and feed on drama...


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## Steinmetzify (Aug 8, 2015)

Well, I know I am...


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## niffnoff (Aug 9, 2015)

I think some drama is good, it's only when it gets too personal the fine line needs to be drawn. Not saying the mods here are bad (they are far from it and have only gotten better since I've been here). I think just there was alot of trolling and scams going around that people backed out. 

As fun as the Shono saga was, or the "most sought after tone for years" guy, I think the less of that here the better. It got alot of us together to counter-troll, it just wasn't what some of the sections were designed for (especially the gear, recording and guitar technique sections).


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## AxeHappy (Aug 9, 2015)

I haven't posted the backlog of NGDs I have (I think I'm up to 5 or 6 now...) because I'm busy with work, tired from work, and lazy. And when I'm not working I like to spend the time off with my girlfriend. 

But mostly lazy. 

I'm shocked people actually care so much about rep.


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## MaxOfMetal (Aug 9, 2015)

AxeHappy said:


> I'm shocked people actually care so much about rep.



You should see the PMs I received on a near hourly basis about the rep system.  

I don't know what made me lose faith in folks more, the 27 year old who was having a meltdown because someone called them a name and they couldn't find out who so they'd call everyone names or the 45 year old who called the 27 year old a "dumb fu_c_king fag" for liking a guitar in the first place. 

The racial slurs were a bummer too. 

Honestly, if folks want rep they can fu_c_k off as far as I'm concerned.


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## QuantumCybin (Aug 10, 2015)

I love this site. I've only been playing guitar for seven years, but these last couple have been the most informative and actually educational years of playing the instrument, largely due to this forum. It's a fantastic resource and I visit it almost every day.


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## chickenxnuggetz91 (Aug 14, 2015)

I don't post often, even though I've been a member for years, because my internet etiquette is terrible and I have trouble communicating in a way that doesn't come off as offensive or coherent. Also, getting older has made me realize my opinions matter less and my advice may not always be the best for someone else I don't personally know.

I'm gonna go with there is less drama on here than a few years ago, the djent craze is slowing down, anyone that likes djent is afraid to post for fear of being too trendy, all the death metal guys burned out a long time ago or just got tired of their superior technique and knowledge being overlooked.

I would post more, but I have nothing to contribute and I've never had great social skills.


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## Tr3vor (Aug 14, 2015)

Over the past year or so I've been lurking here, it does seem that the amount of activity has declined these past few months.

I'd post more here, but I'm still relatively new to guitar stuff, and my posts would probably show that. I've been here more for learning things and admiring people's amazing guitars.


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## myrtorp (Aug 14, 2015)

This site is great. I mostly lurk though. Everytime I want too look up a new guitar or pickups or amps this is the place to go!

I read here several times a day


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## ittoa666 (Aug 19, 2015)

I've been super busy with my new gf, so I've really neglected to be on here. I moved, too, and my computer's in an odd spot in relation to my tv, so it's hard to play games and be on here.


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## tacotiklah (Aug 19, 2015)

ittoa666 said:


> I've been super busy with my new gf, so I've really neglected to be on here. I moved, too, and my computer's in an odd spot in relation to my tv, so it's hard to play games and be on here.



PC gaming is your friend...


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## Metaldestroyerdennis (Aug 20, 2015)

tacotiklah said:


> PC gaming is your friend...



NEG REP

lol jk


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## TedEH (Aug 20, 2015)

This thread has inspired me to "like" more posts. You're welcome.


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## BrailleDecibel (Aug 20, 2015)

I too have been making an effort to be more active on here due to this thread and my own realization that I had become more of a lurker than a poster. It does seem a bit quieter here than it once did, but it's still a lot more active than the poetry forum I post on, so I'll take it!


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## jonajon91 (Aug 22, 2015)

This thread has inspired me to make a few new threads in the general music discussion section, hopefully when one dies I can stick a new one up. I have a few ideas, but it wont last for ever.


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## Black43 (Aug 23, 2015)

I just... kinda stopped caring about the forum. I don't know. Perhaps it was my immaturity at the beginning that made me out as a sketchy fvck, or maybe it was something else, but I always kinda felt like an outsider. Like everyone would be posting up gear and cool .... and I was just here like "hey, I'm a teenager... next to nothing income...  " and it just kinda made me sad. Not to say the people here aren't great, because the vast majority are, even the ones I don't know all too well. But yeah, I've been a lurker for a little while now and I've been watching the forum become less dramatic. I wouldn't say it's coming to an end. I just think we're reaching that part in the conversation where we don't have anything to talk about.


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## Steinmetzify (Aug 23, 2015)

I pretty much bought everything SSO made me jones for. 

It's your own fault, ya bastards.


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## BornToLooze (Aug 23, 2015)

steinmetzify said:


> I pretty much bought everything SSO made me jones for.
> 
> It's your own fault, ya bastards.



Everything I've bought because of here I've hated...


*coughcough*AxeFX*coughcough*


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## Metaldestroyerdennis (Aug 25, 2015)

I bought a 5150 III when I was 17. Thanks Sevenstring.


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## Aescyr (Aug 28, 2015)

I lurked for years without registering or posting when I was still learning the ins and outs of guitars. Nowadays I can work most things out myself, so there's not as much need. Add to that the fact I don't work in IT anymore, so I can't have a second screen on this site all day. 

Besides that I'm pretty much only working on ambient and soundscape stuff at the moment with my six string Gibsons. Sort of the antithesis of this place. 

I can't really play at the moment either. Got hit by a car, slammed my head into the ground and tore my left rhomboid muscle. Looking at guitar stuff is kind of depressing as a result.


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## asher (Aug 28, 2015)

Metaldestroyerdennis said:


> I bought a 5150 III when I was 17. Thanks Sevenstring.



Good life decisions.


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## Alberto7 (Aug 28, 2015)

To be honest, I have no reason at the moment to keep coming back to this forum. I haven't touched a guitar in over a month, and I haven't played seriously in almost a year, and I also don't find the majority of guitar and music-related posts very interesting anymore.

The one thing that keeps me coming back, is perhaps the OT section. Over the last 5 years I have come to trust the thoughts and opinions of many of the regulars. I'd rather get an opinion from somebody that I know and that is perhaps even acquainted with me, than from a total stranger. I mainly go to the anime/manga thread because that's been a major interest of mine the last few years and which has been peaking over the summer. I know the posters there, and I trust their opinions, so I use it as both an outlet and as a source for finding new things (much like I used it for guitar and music-related content a couple of years ago). That's not to say that I some times don't lurk around and read what's going on in the world of guitars these days, but I have nothing to contribute, so I don't really post in those threads.



vilk said:


> neg rep @ moses and levites
> 
> GOD: "Moses, they're worshiping a golden calf. I'm gonna kill'em"
> MOSES: "God, don't do that! Why the heck did you drag them out of Egypt for then?"
> ...



This kind of post I do sort of miss though.  I feel like we had more of this until a bit over a year ago. The absolutely non-related, yet absolutely hilarious post that randomly popped up in whatever thread. 

EDIT: this is the first time I read a thread in its entirety that's over a page long in quite a while. Feels good man.


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## MFB (Aug 28, 2015)

> To be honest, I have no reason at the moment to keep coming back to this forum. I haven't touched a guitar in over a month, and I haven't played seriously in almost a year, and I also don't find the majority of guitar and music-related posts very interesting anymore.
> 
> The one thing that keeps me coming back, is perhaps the OT section. Over the last 5 years I have come to trust the thoughts and opinions of many of the regulars. I'd rather get an opinion from somebody that I know and that is perhaps even acquainted with me, than from a total stranger. I mainly go to the anime/manga thread because that's been a major interest of mine the last few years and which has been peaking over the summer. I know the posters there, and I trust their opinions, so I use it as both an outlet and as a source for finding new things (much like I used it for guitar and music-related content a couple of years ago). That's not to say that I some times don't lurk around and read what's going on in the world of guitars these days, but I have nothing to contribute, so I don't really post in those threads.



This is pretty much the boat I'm in right now. I've just started picking up the guitar off and on recently, due to having some tunes stuck in my head, but as a full-time thing? Absolutely not. I was never one for strict, traditional practicing though so it's not like I was ever in that position. Not to mention I couldn't care less about what bands are currently popular on here. It's a surprise that given the Periphery/mathcore - and dreaded d-word - fanbase, I haven't been driven out via e-pitchfork and torch sooner. I'm pretty much here to peruse the Off-Topics, like the lounge, media (which is basically just Don Vito talking in the anime thread), and some times the computers/gaming section.

The other forums I split my time between are MG and CGTalk, and MG is pretty much same .... different day attitude, and unfortunately as great as CGTalk is for professional feedback; they don't have an OT of ANY sort so it's kind of boring to be on and seems like if you want to be sociable ...good luck?


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## flint757 (Aug 28, 2015)

Yeah, all the other forums I frequent are more Q&A based so I can relate to that. I actually like having discussions with members here so I tend to be in off topic more than anything. I'd say P&CE as well, but no one posts in there anymore.


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## Alberto7 (Aug 29, 2015)

MFB said:


> I'm pretty much here to peruse the Off-Topics, like the lounge, media (which is basically just Don Vito talking in the anime thread)



Good to hear other people don't think I'm the only one making a ruckus over there.


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## Don Vito (Aug 29, 2015)

Alberto7 said:


> Good to hear other people don't think I'm the only one making a ruckus over there.


Nah, you're still the king of AT. Average Alberto7 post = 15 posts from anybody else.


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## Alberto7 (Aug 31, 2015)

... not that I'm proud or anything


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## RevelGTR (Sep 1, 2015)

I think I just have old SSO nostalgia. When I joined I was 15. The underground djent craze was at it's height, and even as someone who's not a djent fanboy it was a lot of fun. I heard about Animals as Leaders on here, bought their first album, and was blown away. It was fun stuff. That's the end of my nostalgia rant, I'm going to go make an NGD thread now.


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## RevelGTR (Sep 1, 2015)

And the link to said thread: http://www.sevenstring.org/forum/se...-ebmm-majesty-content-w-clip.html#post4434789


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## redstone (Sep 1, 2015)

WSchaferJR said:


> I think I just have old SSO nostalgia. When I joined I was 15. The underground djent craze was at it's height, and even as someone who's not a djent fanboy it was a lot of fun.



It's time to invent a new genre that justifies extended range guitars. The theme can't be :

-war
-power
-speed
-heaviness
-extremism
-death
-savagery
-epicness
-rebellion
-aggression
-evil/occult
-depression
-drugs
-sex orgy
- djod
- killer robots
- space / evasion


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## Alberto7 (Sep 1, 2015)

Add "space" to that list.


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## asher (Sep 1, 2015)

What about a killer orgy of sex robots?


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## Alberto7 (Sep 1, 2015)

... IN SPACE!


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## asher (Sep 1, 2015)

Alberto7 said:


> ... IN SPACE!



Yes, but no, that violates not using "space"


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## Alberto7 (Sep 1, 2015)

B-but so do killing, orgies, and robots! D: I feel discriminated against. What am I even talking about, I'll stop now.


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## asher (Sep 1, 2015)

Nope. He specified "killer robots" and "sex orgy," not "killer orgy" and "sex robots." I'm in the clear.

_scuttles off to found roborgydeathcore_


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## redstone (Sep 1, 2015)

tsss what a lack of creativity


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## Don Vito (Sep 2, 2015)

Metal has yet to clash with early 2000's clothing store music like Soak Up the Sun by Sheryl Crow.

It would just sound like power metal I guess.

Wtf goes through my head sometimes...


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## Metaldestroyerdennis (Sep 3, 2015)

Don Vito said:


> Metal has yet to clash with early 2000's clothing store music like Soak Up the Sun by Sheryl Crow.
> 
> It would just sound like power metal I guess.
> 
> Wtf goes through my head sometimes...



I really feel like the main riff of that song would sound good in death metal style.


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## ArticulateMadness (Sep 29, 2015)

I've lurked for years. My significant other was quite active on here during 2006-2009 and then dropped off. 

7 String quite frankly is BORING. The Djent obsessed fanboys have brought it to that. Sure, we can all include other genre's of music, but when the core demographic is on here to catch a whiff of Misha's farts or try to be the next big break out of the place, you have STAGNATION. Trolls don't make a forum. Posters do. Lurkers don't make the forum either. Posters do. I could care less about a rep, but a internet forum with no drama is a dead forum, IJS.


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## asher (Sep 29, 2015)

"Djent fanbois killed the forum"

"Forums are dead with no drama"

These two statements don't work together 

(not to mention the first one isn't actually true)


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## MaxOfMetal (Sep 30, 2015)

ArticulateMadness said:


> Hey All.
> 
> I'm a newbie to the forums, and here to mingle and possibly do some business.
> I'm a bass player in my spare time, but my daytime job is a bit more complicated than that. I play funk and metal. Best of both worlds. A purist, I prefer Progressive Rock over Progressive Metal, so King Crimson and Yes 1970-1973 beats ALL. And yes I like Deep Purple (especially the Burn Album), Judas Priest before they went to Point of Entry, and Iron Maiden, the Diamo years versus Dickenson).
> ...






ArticulateMadness said:


> I've lurked for years. My significant other was quite active on here during 2006-2009 and then dropped off.
> 
> 7 String quite frankly is BORING. The Djent obsessed fanboys have brought it to that. Sure, we can all include other genre's of music, but when the core demographic is on here to catch a whiff of Misha's farts or try to be the next big break out of the place, you have STAGNATION. Trolls don't make a forum. Posters do. Lurkers don't make the forum either. Posters do. I could care less about a rep, but a internet forum with no drama is a dead forum, IJS.



Are you a noob or a long time lurker? Make up your mind. 

Or just a P&CE troll?


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## RevelGTR (Oct 9, 2015)

I will say it seems like things move slower here then they used to, although I suppose that could just be a mental thing. Also, looking through this thread I've just realized that I've become one of the older members that regularly posts (I joined in 2009.)


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## Shask (Oct 15, 2015)

I am on here all the time....... I just think after years of being on different forums, I dont have much else to say


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