Ed Roman

[Thundergod]

He says that Gibsons arent even made in the USA anymore!

 

 

I've seen this posted all over the net "Ed says Gibsons are made somewhere else" and each time I've asked for a link or a video where he says that. I still haven't gotten any links or videos or signed testimonials by Ed

 

So... if what you are saying is true and you have PROOF then you should stop whining like a baby and send proof to Gibson...

 

Possible outcomes:

 

a) They do nothing about it. I would then take for granted they have conceded him that they are building guitars outside the US.

 

B) They sue him and make it publicly, so everyone can finally know for certain that his claims are a lie.

 

 

I challenge anyone here (and in other forums) to come forward with proof that Ed has clearly and seriously stated Gibson guitars are made anywhere but in the US (him saying they use parts not made in America doesn't count).

[ChanMan]

All I know is, when I looked at the Lounge from the Forum topics page, it said "Ed Roman, The_Wack_King" in big letters.

 

I thought it was appropriate....

[LT ED]

He is just an angry little hobbit with a bug up his *** ignore him.[oh and did I mention that he is very fat and very very ugly] infact I would say more orc than hobbit.I think he just likes the attention.

[Guest FarnsBarns]

Well well,

 

I went to Mr ed's shop in Vegas when I got married over there in 2007. I'd never heard of him before that but it was put forward as a tourist attraction by the concierge in our hotel.

 

The first thing I, and my farther in law noticed was that there wasn't a single Gibson in that huge shop, I remember saying that it was odd.

 

I was told off for taking a picture, dealt with quite rudely when I asked to try a resonator and when I decided to buy some MOP knobs it was like I'd rudely interrupted something.

 

It always seems these people manage to find staff as bad as they are.

[Searcy]

With very little effort I found where he states or implies that Gibsons are at least partially made in other countries. There's more...

 

http://www.edroman.com/rants/Scams_for_new_century.html

 

http://www.edroman.com/rants/cncmachines.htm

[Duende]

With very little effort I found where he states or implies that Gibsons are at least partially made in other countries. There's more...

 

http://www.edroman.c...ew_century.html

 

http://www.edroman.c...cncmachines.htm

 

I thought there are some very valid points, especially regarding advertising something as 'hand made' , when the majority of the work is done by 'cookie cutter' machinery and a team of hands are used to make the item; I agree partially with Ed on this - The expression is used very loosely these days, much in the same way as 'custom made' is too.

 

As far as classical guitars go; 'hand made' is pretty much just that! For example, In my signature the guy who makes your guitar is that exact same guy! Yes, he uses some electric tools too in your guitar's construction, but the whole thing is done by him alone and you get a genuine hand made unique instrument as a result

 

As for the accusations made by Ed Roman, that big companies guitars are not made in the country they claim, I am curious why these big companies don't take him to the cleaners for slander if this is not true?

 

Matt

[WahKeen]

All I know is, when I looked at the Lounge from the Forum topics page, it said "Ed Roman, The_Wack_King" in big letters.

 

I thought it was appropriate....

[brundaddy]

With very little effort I found where he states or implies that Gibsons are at least partially made in other countries. There's more...

 

http://www.edroman.com/rants/Scams_for_new_century.html

 

http://www.edroman.com/rants/cncmachines.htm

 

I suspect some Gibson parts are foreign-made, and Roman is dead right to question Gibson's hand-made claim. Roman is also dead right about Gibson's design flaws and inflated pricing, if bombastic in making his point.

 

Some people are so loyal to corporations that any lesser affinity is loudly censured as if it were blasphemy.

[Thundergod]

With very little effort I found where he states or implies that Gibsons are at least partially made in other countries.

 

 

Very important words in there: IMPLIES, and PARTIALLY.

 

And, anyway, what does he do, does he STATE or does he IMPLY? Implying is no proof of anything.

 

Bring PROOF and Gibson SHOULD sue his *** and make him pay for the damage done, if they don't they are just admiting he tells the truth.

[Thundergod]

I suspect some Gibson parts are foreign-made, and Roman is dead right to question Gibson's hand-made claim. Roman is also dead right about Gibson's design flaws and inflated pricing, if bombastic in making his point.

 

 

Good comment.

 

BTW, I remember seeing a Gibson with stock Schaller straplocks a couple of weeks ago (I think it was in GC´s site), I thought "man, that's gotta be the best thing Gibson could have done!"

 

As most of us know, Schaller hardware (the best!) is made in Germany. Same goes for some other hardware Gibson uses, and I have 4 Gibson cases made in Canada, so is it not true, that they are "partially" made somewhere else?

[Silenced Fred]

Good comment.

 

BTW, I remember seeing a Gibson with stock Schaller straplocks a couple of weeks ago (I think it was in GC´s site), I thought "man, that's gotta be the best thing Gibson could have done!"

 

As most of us know, Schaller hardware (the best!) is made in Germany. Same goes for some other hardware Gibson uses, and I have 4 Gibson cases made in Canada, so is it not true, that they are "partially" made somewhere else?

 

Exactly!

 

Just because it is foreign made, doesn't mean it is ****.

 

Facts are the easiest way to lie. I have never heard Ed Roman say that Gibson is partially foreign made, but if he did, he is probably right.

 

So my point is, who the **** cares? If you don't like the guy, cool. If you like the guy, cool. But why ***** about him on a site where he has no way to defend himself? (at least I don't believe he is a member here)

[spiggy]

Ed Roman seriously believes that if a guitar is discontinued and is no longer available, he is legally free to make copies, which is found nowhere in trademark laws.

 

This is from his site regarding Ernie Ball/MM:

 

http://www.edroman.com/rants/ernieball.htm

 

"Yes I will copy guitars, I will continue to do so. However be aware that most of the guitars I copy are ones that have been discontinued or simply are not available. What would be the point of copying a guitar that can be bought at any Guitar Center in small town USA ??? "

 

As if retiring a model and planning to bring it back in ten years leaves Roman the legal right to make copies WITH THE NAME OF THE ORIGINAL on the headstock during this time.

 

"When they signed Eddie Van Halen as an endorser we all knew they were now a credible line. Naturally I contacted them to become a dealer. They basically told me that they did not want me as a dealer, It seemed to me like they were exacting a level of revenge on me for not buying the product when it was not a hot commodity. Fortunately for me I owned another store in Wisconsin & I became a dealer through that store. I also assisted several small dealers to become dealers and therefore I was actually getting more product than most authorized dealers. This information has been previously unbeknownst to anyone at Ernie Ball because I had the business in a family members name and my name never appeared on the dealership agreement."

 

That speaks for itself. Except that it's all made up. Never happened. But the fact that he would brag about a fantasy about this kind of thing says enough.

[Thundergod]

Is that so?

 

It would be really hard to prove none of his family members have been EB/MM dealers. Nothing ilegal in getting a dealership for one store you own if they don't want to give it to another store you own.

 

Like, you are not in good terms with the guy at Wendy's drive thru... so you send in your little brother to buy your burgers. Is that ilegal? I don't think so.

 

And again, if he is lying about that (too), then sue him, or whatever.

[Thundergod]

While I'm no master luthier, I have built, put together, and moded lots of guitars and I have to agree with Ed when he says this:

 

"If I had retopped them they would have been far more expensive than an Ernie Ball Van Halen Model. MAKING THEM NON SALEABLE !!!"

 

Really guys, moding a guitar in order to make it as good as it's more expensive counterpart almost always ends up taking the guitar's cost above the price of the more expensive counterpart. As example, ask around for prices on puting neck, headstock and body -front and back- binding, headstock logo and inlay to make a white studio -with ebony board- look exactly as a custom, the price will match that of the custom. If you have a studio with rosewood fretboard, replacing it with ebony will take the price well above that of a custom. That's something I always tell my customers when they want to completely redo a guitar.

[SG FAN]

Yeah, Thunder, Roman does make SOME valid points but other times he is full of s**t. I think we should let this topic die, and stop giving this dude publicity he doesn't deserve, IMO.

[Thundergod]

After reading about that lawsuit, I don't get it.

 

Ok, he got OLPs and moded them to sell them as moded OLPs and people paid and everyone was happy (as you don't see many guys posting about how they sent them POS OLPs back to Ed).

 

I don't see the ilegal part in there. As a shop, you often get asked to mod guitars of all brands. And you do, it's part of the business. You get paid for it. If a cheap guitar has the potential to become a great guitar and you know it, I don't see the wrong in moding it and selling it charging for the guitar+mods.

 

Now ME, my personal opinion and MY business rule is to NEVER mod a fake and never admit a fake into the shop (not even for string change and clean-up). Be it a Gibson, Fender, Ibanez (those are the top 3 fakes you see around here, Gibson beating the others by far), I never admit a fake into my shop.

 

I have would be customers come and ask me to make their fake Gibson LP Supr0me sound and look like the real thing, I personally tell them to go **** themselves, as I know in most cases they want to make them more credible and even use my name to back their product up. I give the service of "validating" gibson guitars for the locals (for free as Gibson hasn't given me permission for that and I am not a gibson dealer -the local gibson dealer couldn't care less and the guys who work there couldn't tell **** from shinola ) and lots of people come with guitars they want to buy second hand or they just bought from a store and want to make sure they invested their money in something good. Sadly some 30% of them end up being fakes, and when that happens I help them get their money back and help them find a real dealer (I'm not a Gibson dealer) and/or the best product for them (I remember a little kid who liked metal, his friend told him to get a GIbson and daddy got him a melody maker, sounded terrible with his metal zone pedal, they were worried it was a fake after explaining the model, I took it as payment for a jackson that was in the same price range).

 

 

 

Anyway, as a seller of guitar/guitar related products your job (and responsibility IMO) is to provide the customer with the best to suit HIS needs, with what his money can pay, sometimes it's a cheap guitar, sometimes it's a custom shop instrument, and sometimes it's a cheap guitar he'll have to mod. What Ed did with the OLPs is not only legal, but a good initiative on his part IMO: to provide a really good product with all the mods already done, so the customer can pick one up, pay and go home with it without having to chose brand and model of pickups, trem, pots, and other stuff most players don't even care about.

[Thundergod]

BTW, I don't know Ed, and am not related to him, his guitars, or anything Ed-related. But, with each rant of his I read I like the guy more He is right about so much stuff it feels like he's been reading my mind LOL.

 

What I find wrong is his methods. But he is right most of the time.

[Hydra26]

I've seen this posted all over the net "Ed says Gibsons are made somewhere else" and each time I've asked for a link or a video where he says that. I still haven't gotten any links or videos or signed testimonials by Ed

 

So... if what you are saying is true and you have PROOF then you should stop whining like a baby and send proof to Gibson...

 

Possible outcomes:

 

a) They do nothing about it. I would then take for granted they have conceded him that they are building guitars outside the US.

 

B) They sue him and make it publicly, so everyone can finally know for certain that his claims are a lie.

 

 

I challenge anyone here (and in other forums) to come forward with proof that Ed has clearly and seriously stated Gibson guitars are made anywhere but in the US (him saying they use parts not made in America doesn't count).

 

You forgot a third possible outcome and I think SG Fan's comment later in the thread gives good insight into what most of the biggies are going to do.

 

c) ignore him.

 

The interwebz is a big place. By responding directly in any way, shape or form to an accusation, the accused lends validity on some level to the accusation. Now, in a person to person dispute, you would usually respond directly out of courtesy (which is actually not always a given these days), but in the case of a product/brand/celebrity with wide exposure, in addition to possible legal issues, you have to contend with casual accusations on a very large scale and the question becomes, in this case, do you want your employess dealing with people making opinion-based claims about your product or do you want your employees building guitars. SInce you bring in revenue by making product, I think the choice is going to be very biased towards the latter, and rightly so.

 

So basically, like we do in any forum, they're going to ignore the troll until he steps over some line like copyright infringement or something and then the matter will not necessarily be a big win like inventing a great new product that they want to let everyone know about, it'll be more of a win like stopping a hemorrhaging papercut or something where you're glad you made it through and you're not going to continue to bleed out resources fighting something stupid.