LeftyBassist.com

So there are a couple of threads I've been following over at Talkbass for awhile, and realized that without paying for the privilege to reply, I was just a lurker... but haven't had any inclination for the past few years since my membership lapsed to be a paying/supporting member until tonight. SO, I decided to go as cheap as possible, and signed up for the $4/monthly recurring fee, rather than the $30/yearly, just to see if I was going to get back into the forum on a regular basis....

Sure enough, the 2nd thread I decided to click on and read, reminded me of all the stories, and trolls, we've all come to diss on, and be irritated by on TB... The thread I got involved in is titled "Bass Nightmare", written by a 65-year-old retired oil worker from Austin Texas, who decided to buy a Fender Okoume Jazz Bass from Guitar Center, and, after a couple of gigs at his church, the active EQ section gave out. Taking it back to GC, and getting warranty work on it has been a nightmare, and apparently has dragged on for several months, with GC doing nothing to satisfy a paying customer...

The 65-year-old poster has a dysfunctional writing style, and wrote his entire post in one long paragraph. Yes, it was initially hard to read, and at first I wasn't sure whether the poster was from another country, and English was his 2nd language, or what... Right away, the flamers attacked him for no paragraph separation, shouting in Caps in a subsequent post etc., rather than just seeing through it all, and trying to either be sympathetic, or offer up advice. Turns out the poster has ADHD, takes seizure meds, has an old laptop computer, and obviously, is a blue-collar worker, not an English major.

Unfortunately, my payment hasn't been authorized yet, so I'm unable to post some sort of witty retort to these assholes, but it just reminds me of why I slowly faded away from reading Talkbass posts, and why I SO enjoy being a member here in Leftybassist - you guys are all Gentlemen, are always eager and willing to help someone with a problem, and on the rare occasion a member says something out of line, it's quickly addressed, and order is restored.

If anyone cares to read a bit of the actual thread, here it is.... http://www.talkbass.com/threads/bass-nightmare.1205776/

At the risk of being redundant, this forum sets the bar for, and should be held up as, the prime example of how members should respond to, and respect other members.... Thanks Guys, I'm honored to be a member here!

Aloha,
Ian

i read talkbass alot but also am not a member. i at times wish we would communicate more on here and talk about some of the things on talkbass here because i think the lefty perspective/mindset thinks of solutions differently. But I would definitely not want our sacred space to descend into a troll forum.

I feel for that talkbass guy.

I, too, appreciate the enclave of civility that LeftyBassist provides. Thanks to Andrew, the mods, and all the contributors for keeping it constructive and fun.

After so many years online, my eyes can move right past garbage comments without absorbing them. But it sucks to watch the defenseless and undeserving get picked on like in that TB thread.

Another nice forum I frequent has a meme for when a member returns shell-shocked from the noisier parts of the internet:

Talkbass can be both the best of times and the worst of times, and a thread can turn on a dime with no warning. There are more than a few class A jerks on that site, just looking for an opening to poke the bear. Thank goodness we don't have that here - it is a classy joint thanks to Andrew and the general intelligence and civility of the members here. It is a rare pleasure on the internet.

Thanks guys, I'm glad the tone of this board is appreciated. But it's a team effort.

Peter deserves more credit than I do for setting the tone around here, as well as mods like Marc and Jim and some great frequent posters. It ain't the most lively board on the internet, but it's a relaxed place to hang out.

So I join talk bass a few months back and I never had to pay for anything. I'm pretty sure you can sign up free and posts on many topics. I'm pretty sure that classified and for sale ads are off-limits without a pay a membership. I am surprised that you had to pay to post in that thread. As a free member I have full posting privileges on that thread.

Now I've only posted maybe twice on that form at all. With any form you have to take the good with the bad. Lots of people grow Internet muscles behind their computers and unfortunately people don't consider others' feelings.

This is my first post on this form. I have been lerking for a while. I am not one to post much on forms as it is but I am glad to be a part of this community. Maybe I will start posting more as time goes on.

Gilman, thanks for the reply, and you're right, I should be able to post without having to join.... I've sent an email to the admin, asking why I don't have posting privileges, so hopefully I'll get cleared and be able to leave replies...

Yeah, I saw that thread last night, and while it was a bit of a difficult read, I was quite put-off by the landslide of mock he received and complete ignorance of his situation. I felt really bad, so I posted something sympathetic, but I am sure he stopped bothering to subject himself to the abuse of reading replies long ago.

You might imagine my surprise then when I saw this post about that thread first-thing this morning (I didn't have time to reply at the time).

I completely agree; each and every one of you guys makes this a great forum. I have been a member for just over two years now, and I have not seen anything less than friendliness in any thread.

Thanks, all!

While it doesn't cost anything to join TalkBass, you do need to sign up - like you did here - to post, and start threads, etc. The money thing just enables you to do things like not look at a lot of ads; sell basses; and ask "How much is my bass worth?". I was a member for over a year before I gave them any money. Same me; just a different avatar...
But, yeah, there are some people on there... . I read that thread, too - at least, I tried - and some of the replies... yeah, they were totally uncalled for. Why does it happen?? Just 'cause it can, I guess; but it's really nice that it doesn't happen here...

Y'all have no idea how much I enjoy our troll-free atmosphere. It makes all the difference to me. Not to mention the vast knowledge base of our collective membership.

I agree with everything you all have said, and it just saddens me to read the comments posted by people who would no doubt enjoy pulling the wings off butterflies etc... I have been member of TB for years, and have no clue why I've lost my posting privileges - although two years ago I was reprimanded, and my thread deleted, for posting and trying to sell a friend's bass, which is a no-no (you can only sell your own basses and equipment). But, AFAIK, my privileges weren't revoked at the time.

I'm still waiting for a reply from and admin regarding re-instatement...

FWIW, the TalkBass community was really there for me when I was about to be completely screwed out of $5000 by a high end builder.

The admins had my back, a bunch of the regular posters clamored together behind the scenes and were offering to send me money... others offered me basses out of their collection to play until I could get my issue resolved... and I even received legitimate legal advice. A couple of recognizable high-end builders who post on TB even offered to send me a bass... for FREE. This all happened privately, behind the scenes... off the forum pages.

I didn't accept any of the charity I was offered... but I was incredibly humbled by the outpouring of support and concern. And I believe that if it wasn't for that, I'd have a $5000 piece of shit bass in my collection collecting dust right now.

Any community that large has its share of trolls... and some threads attract more troll attention than others. And although I do find it more peaceful and laid back here than there, I do feel like the majority of people who post over there have the best intentions and truly want to help others.

Just last night I had a funny guy make one of those comments on the Kramer bass I have for sale there.

I remember that story Addison, and I appreciate your positive comments about all the good people that are on TB. It's such a shame there is that small percentage of troll-heads that give TB a bad rep, and it seems they post far too often, attempting to impress us with there vast knowledge, and obvious contempt for being average people and players... I'm SO glad none of that happens here..

I did get my posting privileges re-instated. Turns out I had changed my email address awhile back, and had forgotten to click on the authorization email I had been sent. Alright, can't wait to out-troll the trolls! Nah...

I have wondered if any psychological institution has ever done a study on why people are so willing so say whatever they want and fight and argue and completely disregard others' feelings when posting on message boards and other websites. I certainly have said some things that I wish I could take back.

Louis CK has an entertaining theory on the topic:
https://youtu.be/5HbYScltf1c

Me too... this is a great community and anyone who attempts to rock the boat usually finds out pretty fast that they're not wanted here.

The trick with trolls on TB is to roll your eyes and move on to the next post. The "don't feed the trolls" line is really true. These idiots feed off the attention, so you just ignore them and move on to the next post.

It takes A LOT of patience sometimes and it's a habit that didn't come very easily to me, but I figured it out eventually. My online experience with pretty much all social media type sites has been better since.


One word: ANONYMITY

People have no fear of repercussions for anything they might say because all they are is a username on a screen. People turn into fucking monsters when they don't have to take responsibility for their actions.

You don't need a psychological study to figure that one out.

If you ever want to read some horrific shit, go on Instagram and read some of the comments posted on some random female celebrity photos. Superficial insults, body shaming and outright threats of rape... where I grew up, these are comments that would get you put into the hospital if you ever said it to a girl's face.

It's insane.

By the way, can someone tell me what is the best bass for metal?

Don't worry about it, it's not available left handed.

that should be the answer for most of the posts on tb.

Perfect.