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hey..I was tramping about the internet for information/reviews/anything really on Sebatron pre's and came across a thread on a gearslutz forum.

man! are they some hateful people.. flaming people left right and center - if you aint pro it seems you're not worth talking to over there.

well that was the general consensus I took from the majority of posts i read

I would just like to commend all RO brethren for their patience and downright decency when it comes to helping all of those of us who aren't necessarily hotter than hot when it comes to recording. AND for being so civilised (in general :twisted: ) and welcoming to all newcomers to the forums.

sorry if this counts as a complete non-post

Comments

KurtFoster Thu, 06/16/2005 - 16:41

the_gid wrote: apologies - this thread is VERY old

makes for good reading all the same.
-there's a pretty big dig at you Kurt..what's with that?!

I did a search and I saw that. I think it has something to do with my not liking crappy cheap stuff. A lot of those guys were wondering why I got the first review on Sebatrons. That seemed to get some peoples undies bunched up. Sour grapes IMO (damn! there's that ego again!) At least I'm not forgetable .... hee hee hee.

Kev Thu, 06/16/2005 - 17:00

yes very old thread

typical Fletcher too

If I were a manufacturer here in Australia I probably could be bothered sending a unit to Fletcher to review either.

Why would you bother ?

If he reviewed it and loved it, he would want to order many and then put a Mercenary tag on it .... A small Aust manufacturer could never make enough for him and then you would have to change the structure of you company just to satisfy him.

If he didn't like it he would be all over the net putting you down.

... as I said, why bother cos there is very little to be gained.
I know of a couple of Australian manufacturers that feel this way.

KurtFoster Thu, 06/16/2005 - 17:53

I have that chip on my shoulder as well ... I admit it.

The thing about Fletcher is, he knows what he is talking about but you can't trust what he says because it is tainted with bias towards products he sells.

In regards to consoles with cheap power supplies he says things like;

Fletcher wrote: ... The stuff like Ghosts and Mackies don't have the headroom nor phase response with insufficient power supplies to deliver proper current on demand to form a proper bass wave or pass a transient.

Yet he speaks glowingly of a certain mic pre which uses a very cheesy 8v wall wart ... It doesn't seem consistent to me. I wonder what he would say about that pre if it was made in Australia by a small company he wasn't a friend of?

I like Fletcher in an odd way ... I think he and I are on the same page most of the time but I do not care for his bullying tactics and I take what he says with a grain of salt when it comes to products he sells.

frob Thu, 06/16/2005 - 22:29

i cant really hold it agienst FLetcher that he only promotes what he sells as i see like this, only sell what you beleave in. if he only sells what HE likes then it would make sence that he only recomends what he sells. the only thing ive ever had agienst fletcher is i havent seen him here in 3-4 months and he seems to have a personale vendeta agienst kurt.

therecordingart Thu, 06/16/2005 - 22:45

Kurt Foster wrote: [quote=the-gid]
-wehey Kurt you broke 7000

Yeah ... I gotta get a life!!!

You know what....I'm glad you spend time helping because not many people with your knowledge would give a rats ass about helping a kid trying to get started in the business!

Kurt, you are a gear snob, but I like that! You help the inexperienced and experienced alike. In all of my posts that you have replied to...you've answered with honesty and helpful advice regardless if the topic has been discussed or if it was a stupid newbie question. Some people in this community are so quick to give attitude and will go to great lengths to make you feel stupid and not offer any help in their reply! It gets old quick.

It disgusts me that people can walk around like they are god's gift because they are good at something (like "the slutz").

I'm not trying to kiss ass here, but I just wanted to say thank you!

KurtFoster Fri, 06/17/2005 - 02:27

frob wrote: i cant really hold it agienst FLetcher that he only promotes what he sells as i see like this, only sell what you beleave in. if he only sells what HE likes then it would make sence that he only recomends what he sells. the only thing ive ever had agienst fletcher is i havent seen him here in 3-4 months and he seems to have a personale vendeta agienst kurt.

Yeah, I get that ... I only like to review stuff I know I'm going to like.

To be fair, that thread is very old and many of those involved have mellowed out a little. Fletcher has sent me many polite emails and even supplied the RNP I evaluated .... and he has said that he actually thinks I write a reasonably decent review. Not great, but ok. Since he's not here to defend himself, it's probably not fair to talk about him.

I have learned to read between the lines when he (or any one for that matter) says something. I think that's probably a good thing to do with anyone who offers a lot of advice on these BBs ... think of it as a little data to consider but don't trust any one person for all your info. Fact check, make sure what they are saying is right (no one's perfect) .. and most important, listen and judge for yourself.
___________________________
and that's th' truth! phhhhhhht :!:

sheet Sat, 06/18/2005 - 07:48

I have consulted Fletcher many times. I think that anyone who talks about him pushing only what he sells, is completely uneducated and has no true purchase expereience with Fletcher.

I can't tell you how many times he has refered me to other companies that he does not sell, or has highly suggested a used piece for the job.

Mercenary has a great try it policy. Fletcher will send you something to try out. If you don't like it, return it for a credit on your card or try something else until you get the right piece. Can't do that at GC, eh?

Kev Sat, 06/18/2005 - 08:00

sheet wrote: I have consulted Fletcher many times. I think that anyone who talks about him pushing only what he sells, is completely uneducated and has no true purchase expereience with Fletcher.

err ... :roll:
we were not talking about purchasing through him
but
selling through him.

Some of his competitors and manufacturers may tell a different story to a consumer's story.

yes
it is good to be a good customer of Mercenary

sheet Sun, 06/19/2005 - 12:43

I must not understand the dynamics of the original question, hidden somewhere. Because the original topic had to do with Gearslutz and other slamming Sebatron. Then it morphed into Fletcher is opinionated and pushes only what he sells.

My point is this. So what? It isn't true, from a buyer's point of view. And if it was, so what? If you owned a tire store that sold Yokahama's, and I came in asking for Goodyears, would you tell me yours are better and then suggest something while I am there? Sure. Or else you would be a moron and a poor one at that.

From a manufacturer to dealer standpoint....so what? Mercenary sells high end stuff for the most part. Big deal. So they may pick up some band for the buck stuff. They have to if they want to sell where the majority of the market is.

If you want a slut company that doesn't discriminate, then buy from GC Pro, or some big machine like that. If you want to buy from someone that has a clue, then buy from them. The power is yours, because you have the money.

Guest Sun, 06/19/2005 - 14:45

Great point. All of what you said is true. And I think we all could agree that they know their stuff over at Mercenary. And you can't say that about GC. :(

sheet wrote: If you owned a tire store that sold Yokahama's, and I came in asking for Goodyears, would you tell me yours are better and then suggest something while I am there? Sure. Or else you would be a moron and a poor one at that.

But when you are smart enough to know who is unbiased from who is not, and who only says what they think based on what they have to gain from profit. Then it helps to listen to people who know other people better than you.
Mostly because we all do not have much money to work with, and we will die before the wrong doings of capitalizm suck us under.

Johnson Cabasa Mon, 06/20/2005 - 05:51

10 yeats ago when we were startign our studio fletcher took a ton of time to help us get to where we are today. he told us about a lot of stuff he didn't sell and turned us on to sources for somee of that stuff. while he can come off as opininated and arrogant he knows more about audio than just about anyone ive ever met and is very good about shareing what he knows

KurtFoster Mon, 06/20/2005 - 10:25

All perfectly good points. His company has a rep for excellent service and for the most part the gear he "pimps" is the best of the best. I have never heard one of his customers complain about the service or the advice. He also really understands how the stuff works and knows what he's looking at when he opens something up. I don't think anyone is saying any different. If you want all that, he's the man to go to.

As I said before if he were here to speak for himself, I would be happy to get into more of this but since he isn't , it's best to remember much of this is water under the bridge and some miles have passed since. There has been some degree of reconciliation between many of those involved and after finally getting their hands on a few units, many of the detractors decided thay actually like Sebatrons. A few of them have become big fans. In the end after the smoke of hypeobole of both camps clears, what is left standing is the plain truth; Sebatron is making some pretty cool pres (IMO)..