Is this a builders forum or the gear page??

[Funkalicousgroove]

Why are people from the gear page that don't build amps and have no intention of building amps posting their "Opinions" here?

Can we be a BIT selective about who is a member here? I mean that's all we need is another 120 page debate about "Who makes the best cola" when only Coca-Cola was invited to participate!!

Forgive the rant, but this has been such a fantastic low-key site for so long, free exchange of information about BUILDING AMPLIFIERS. It's a shame to start watching it go downhill.

[heisthl]

I'm with ya on this, there are plenty of other places to go besides this forum for those who want to "talk" rather than "do". The hard part would be with the litmus test for access. I've grown from reading this forum, not only in some new ideas on old problems but also in inspiration to get more creative in new amp design. I'm not saying pro builders only though, because helping new builders is rewarding in many ways, not the least of which is learning the subject better yourself. I know a guy who went to electronics school and was getting all "A" grades. I asked him what projects he was working on at home outside of schoolwork. He said none and upon further discussion revealed that he didn't even have a hobby bench at home. He finished school but the guy paints houses now. The point of the story is only those who have an interest in Amp building and are already pursuing it should join an amp building forum to learn and contribute, and after meeting that qualification, need to have an interest in building Dumblesque amps to be on this particular forum.

[Funkalicousgroove]

EXACTLY!! If you are here because you want to learn WELCOME!!

If you want to talk about how great your $9K amp is go to the Gear page!

[greiswig]

I think the "big" builders who post here (e.g. Andy Fuchs) do so because this is a builders forum and they have something to add. I've learned a lot here about amp building from everyone, but I have noticed a decrease in the signal to noise ratio of late.

Without tight and purposeful moderation (read: difficult), I'm afraid that S/N reduction ends up being the inevitable evolution of any forum. One oft-repeated way to deal with it is to start a new discussion...in this case "How great is your production amp?" Maybe folks interested in that kind of thing could be redirected thusly?

[rawnster]

Why are people from the gear page that don't build amps and have no intention of building amps posting their "Opinions" here?

I was told this place would be a great place to research amp designs, speaker issues and such. I never meant to intrude into your "space". I only posted because I thought what I mentioned was relevant to the thread. I was wrong. I will unlist from this forum, and not post again.

Enjoy yourselves.

[benoit]

Without tight and purposeful moderation (read: difficult), I'm afraid that S/N reduction ends up being the inevitable evolution of any forum. One oft-repeated way to deal with it is to start a new discussion...in this case "How great is your production amp?" Maybe folks interested in that kind of thing could be redirected thusly?

Or at least completly non-technical discussions of a wreck/dumble sound-a-like could be moved to garage talk.

I think it would be a shame to be exclusive to the point where if you have no plans to build or fix an amp you can't be here though. Some of the non-builders who come here turn into builders, and many that don't turn into customers of people who post here.

So maybe there are a few "hey check out my 9000 dollar amp that came with 6500 dollars worth of hype, FREE" threads popping up. There are still tons of new and interesting threads every day and I have yet to go a day without learning something.

Hopefully this is something that careful moderation and good community attitudes can take care of.

If people's "check this out" posts are immediately locked and/or moved to the garage, I think people will get the idea pretty quick.

I think to some degree the highly technical orientation of the forum will do a lot to maintain itself because the typical gear junkie doesn't want to wade through 10 posts about transformer specs and impedence selector switch sourcing just to find one post in which he can post a pic of his gold plated allessandro.

[tubedogsmith]

You're damned if you do, and damned if you don't. It's sucks to be exclusionary but if you're not then a great place turns into every other place. This forum is the "ONLY" one I visit that doesn't get into bashing, bitching, and bullshitting and worst of all, namedropping. I gotta say it works the way it is and there are lots of other places to peacock your stuff at.

[Rob Livesey]

Hi Chaps,

I read this site everyday and I post very occasionally. I'm here because I have an "interest" in amps generally and also the way they are put together. Have I built one from scratch yet? No. Will I build one someday? I hope so. I do however, repair, service and tweak amps for myself and others. Family, work, commuting, playing in bands etc, all have serious demands on my time, but this site is a candle in the dark for me and I hope soon to find the time to start building.

I think it's a little harsh to exclude everyone from the site who isn't building amps. I think most people here are gaining the courage and the confidence to build or tweak something from all the positive information that gets shared here. It's really made me realise that this is an achievable goal for a mere mortal like myself.

Rob.

[heisthl]

Rob - you're making our point, there must be something here you can't get anywhere else. Let's all work together to keep it that way - group hug

[stoo]

Hi Chaps,

I read this site everyday and I post very occasionally. I'm here because I have an "interest" in amps generally and also the way they are put together. Have I built one from scratch yet? No. Will I build one someday? I hope so. I do however, repair, service and tweak amps for myself and others. Family, work, commuting, playing in bands etc, all have serious demands on my time, but this site is a candle in the dark for me and I hope soon to find the time to start building.

I think it's a little harsh to exclude everyone from the site who isn't building amps. I think most people here are gaining the courage and the confidence to build or tweak something from all the positive information that gets shared here. It's really made me realise that this is an achievable goal for a mere mortal like myself.

Rob.

+1
Stew

[Allynmey]

This is a great site. I don't think it needs to be changed. Instead, as new members come in and post in technical forums such as the TW or Dumble forum, they can be referred to the Garage Talk forum. They probably just don't know. I like the laid back attitude here.

[Omar]

Guys,
I understand your feelings of wanting to stay focused on the topic of building amps. On the otherhand I don't want this forum to be over-moderated so that people are too intimidated to post and frankly I don't have enough time to read every single post looking for "offenders."

I think that the signal to noise ratio here is still at a very acceptable level. The increase in noise is part of the growing pains of this forum, but I think the number of new members that bring something to the table far outweigh the noisemakers.

Lastly, let's take it easy on the new members. I don't want this place to get a hostile reputation.

Omar

[Funkalicousgroove]

I think it is a fine place for new members who are interested in gathering information, whether they use it to build amps, or whether they just want general knowledge. I think there are other places to "Peacock" your gear.
And CERTAINLY there are other places to discuss whether or not a duck is a duck.

Rawnster,
I don't mean for you to leave if you genuinely want to learn, and I promise to you and all new members that I'll be patient in answering any newbee questions as I feel I always have, HOWEVER, I can't deal with the "My Duck isn't a duck, it's a cross between a lark and a penguin" when we all know it quacks, floats, and has webbed feet. There are more appropriate places for such discussions.

Rob,
You are a fantastic member of this community, and always have been even before there was a discussion/forum. I don't know why you of all people would identify with my OP, but your interest in how amps go together is exactly what we need to keep the conversation here going, otherwise it becomes stagnant.

Funk

[Tonegeek]

I prefer the kinder,gentler approach of nudging posters toward the right area or even another site rather than getting heavy handed. The exception would be those rare individuals who deliberately try to cause trouble. Give them one break and then the boot. I think this forum moderates itself rather well given a few not so pleasant discussions that ocurr every now and then.

BTW this topic should probably be in the "Garage talk" forum
OK that was lame...

[anyone]

BTW this topic should probably be in the "Garage talk" forum
OK that was lame...

...but still a duck... What else floats on water? (Burn 'er anyway!)