Who REALLY makes Vertex? (Dr's Special Dumble Amp)
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- čas přidán 25. 07. 2023
- With the release of a Dumble-style amp called the @VertexEffectsInc Doctor's Special amp, Vertex looks to get into the high-end amp game. Do we think this worth the $4,000 investment? Who's even making these amps? Who is Amp Guy?
We look back to 2014, when Vertex Effects and Mason Marangella are involved in a pedal-related scandal resulting in mass refunds for wah pedals and cables. Guitar giants like Joe Bonamassa and Michael Landau chime in to call out Vertex and Mason. Robben Ford and @RhettShull appear to be supporting the brand, but is that enough to entrust your hard earned money in Vertex and the Rig Doctor? - Hudba
Hi. Just wanted to say we are no longer the builder. We built 5 plus a prototype. Someone else is building them now. Cheers
That's curious... Thank you for the info! Would you be free to talk more offline?
Kenny Wayne Shepherd was very very close to Alex Dumble. So much so that Dumble has been in every amplifier that Kenny owns. Each and every one. Some are modified. Some are completely gutted of pcb boards and built point to point by Dumble. The Bassmaster? he uses currently has a Marshall channel that Dumble built into it. Theyre all Dumbles even though theyre in Fender clothes. I learned that fact from his dad during a livestream after a concert here in his hometown of Shreveport, LA. I made the comment that "i was likely the only person at that show wondering how many of Kennys amps were Dumbles😂" His dad said ”All of them are” 😮😮😮😮
It seems that Alexander Dumble really saw something in Kenny that he liked. Or heard something he liked. It was well-known that Dumble was picky about who he would build for
Not only was Mason rebranding the BBE pedal, when he got caught he lied about swapping components, got caught, then lied about being under NDA with BBE (implying he was a designer), got caught lying about that, then threatened guys on TGP with legal action if they mentioned his buffonery..... When he came clean, it was only after being caught on over a dozen backpedals and pivots and only when he was finally backed so far in the corner that there was no where to go, he came clean. This process took close to 6 months to unfold. I watched the whole thing happen in real time.
You'd think getting busted over and over would result in a change of behavior... Yet here we are.
@@blueslawyer Yup, even his name 'The Rig Doctor' was basically stolen. David Phillips at LASD has been known as The Rack Doctor since before Mason ever pretended to wire his first pedalboard. Everything about this guy is dirty
Oh wow. Yikes. I wonder if he's had more interactions with Phillips beyond using his pedalboard for marketing and stealing his name.
@@blueslawyer i don't see a recent comp to his "buffoonery" practice in the vid, vs. 10 years ago. Having a partnership/endorsement with an amp builder is legit. there is nothing in this vid other than prejudice from prior bad acts.
@@flinto2002 In my city we have a Taco Bell, and a Taco Johns. What's your point again? @blueslawyer
I would never ever buy from a company with such a history - however good their products might be!
There are so many companies making great products out there...
You live in a country where this happened every day during the Trump admin, but you just cruised right along like nothing mattered. Time to cut through the lack of self awareness, get off the self righteous boat and move along little doggy. He's apologized, come clean and still has a ton of great endorsements. If you gonna make a stand, make one that makes sense- get out in the streets and protest the stripping away of women's rights to choose, of islamophobia, of calling Mexican "rapists" and of praising Neo nazis.
@@blueslawyer You guys are Dumb as Rocks .. Every MFG company I know farms out component mfg and sometimes entire products that they stick their label on. It's "Funny Business" though? It's not funny business at all.. it's status quo. Stop with your no integrity. CSI wannabe bullshxt. I suggest you read up on "white label" manufacturing.. It's a huge part of the manufacturing industry. Vertex credited the collaborators on their amp on the back of it... They were not required by law to do so and yet "this doesn't smell right"??.... How the hell do you reach your age bracket and miss how basic things are manufactured .. The house brands at your local grocery store... You realize are not mfg'd by the grocery store right? The bread, beans, soft drinks are mfg'd by a major food mfg and they stick the grocery chain's house label on it. Is that "funny business" ??? Of course not.
Yes, the Bonamassa and Landau/BBE stuff is nearly a decade ago BUT we all know people with an ethics deficit rarely if ever truly reform. It's disappointing to see Robben Ford, Rhett Shull, and even Sweetwater, give this guy the time of day.
Mason has a great CZcams presence and is charismatic
@@blueslawyer Absolutely. And he does make really useful well produced content that people can learn from. But I wouldn’t trust him as far as I can throw him.
@@blueslawyerhes not charismatic. He oozes cringe.
Watch his vid about how to build cables. He cant even do good work on patch cables. He cuts half of thr wire out and effectively cuts the gauge of wire from 18 to 36 gauge wire because hes too lay zee to solder an 18 ga wire to a jack. He literally does it "because its easier".
@@blazer6248 there's a lot of overlap on charismatic and cringe.
I wouldn’t buy vertex pedals (better to just buy from builders who are upfront about what they are cloning), but I do think Mason’s videos are genuinely pretty good. His video breaking down Eric Clapton’s 80’s rack gear was actually really useful and well-presented
I enjoy his videos, generally
I would like to plug Fuchs amps. Not hand wired, but each amp is assembled with love and care by Andy himself. He stands by his products, fixes any issues immediately, and is just a nice guy. Plus his amps sound like the real deal but with modern features great for gigging and recording.
I follow his Facebook and if that's an indication of reality, I definitely agree!
Thanks guys ❤
@@andyfuchs5252 Andy his amps are one of the best czcams.com/video/gFflgIlutmA/video.html
I came across a Chinese site last night of a Shenzhen located amp company that sells handwired clones of vintage amps, including dumbles. I knew in that moment that we'd see someone start a drop shipping company using these, or similar amps. This is sort of like that.
I have no problem with amps made in other countries. I would have a problem if Vertex claimed that a Shenzhen copy was handmade in Canada. However, the AmpGuy amp is made in Canada and that's okay, but then it has a Vertex logo on it, which I think it'd more correct to have it be an AmpGuy amp label with the model referencing Vertex. In the end it's $4,000 and if a person wants to spend their money that way that's totally up to them.
I was going to pull the trigger on a vertex pedal this weekend coming I'm glad I watched this video. Thanks
What are you looking at getting?
@@blueslawyer steel string supreme SRV edition
I’ll probably go with a gladio sc
@@CleanNOTSerene might as well go for the Nux Singer. What do you think of the J Rocket Lenny?
@@blueslawyer the lenny pedal is appealing but what I like about the gladio is the clean knob I love that idea.
@@CleanNOTSerene awesome! Good luck!
Man, this isn't even surprising anymore with Mason. Even is most famous "original design" (the Steel String Singer) is a copy of a DIY pedal from Jack Orman (who is credited as the guy who made that pickup simulator circuit in a lot pedals) called "The Mini Booster," which in turn was modified again by a guy named Aron Nelson, who added the tone control of a Big Muff. It's extra funny because Nux cloned that pedal, and he got upset at that.
I would have to imagine his other original pedals follow a similar trend. I'm pretty sure the Dynamic Distortion, which he claims to be a Hybrid of a Germanium Fuzz and a Tube Screamer, is really just a True Bypass SD9 with a High Pass filter Tone Control. I am especially curious about his boost circuit as well, which reddit thinks is just a Dual Op-Amp boost with an expression in.
Considering now he wants $4500 for these Dumble style amps is a little absurd, especially since the amp sounds just alright.
Dumbles are Fender copies and Howard even said so.
He used the Fender circuits because he knew them from working for Fender in the 1960s.
I think they were limited to ten to start. He said in the video when it came out they were in collaboration with amp guy and I do not remember the extent of the his involvement.
AmpGuy is a legitimate small builder of D-style amps. So this is a collaboration of AmpGuy with MM. What MM brings to the table, as far as the design, manufacturing, operations, or connections for example to Sweetwater, I don't know. But he clearly at least brings a CZcams audience, many of who seem to like him, that is probably much larger than what AmpGuy previously had access to. Apparently AmpGuy thinks it is a good deal from his end. Personally I wouldn't buy one given MM's past reputation and the fact that I own an awesome Louis Electric Cobra 183 D-style. But if he's only making 10 a year, it's much ado about nothing as far as the D-style amp community goes. There are many great builders out there (my local area has serious builders like Amplified Nation and Allston, for example).
I'm on board with that. The modern CZcams marketing has its niche and getting placement on Sweetwater is worth their effort.
I know this is an older post, but I got burned in wah-gate (had the “blackout” wah) when I was in college. The man could be rig Jesus and I still couldn’t trust him, even after all of the apologies and refunds. Really tarnishes anything going forward.
Sorry that happened to you. Did he send you a refund?
@@blueslawyer I only requested a partial refund because I was still using the wah (it didn’t sound bad by any means…it just wasn’t what I paid for) so I think I requested the difference between what he was asking (upwards of $300 if I remember right) and the price of the BBE wah…which I think was somewhere around $100 at the time.
I know of a lot of manufactures who farm out their products with others, I think vertex business model more of a marketing, rather than manufacturing
I personally have no problems, as long as he acknowledge it.
The amp has the AmpGuy logo on the back so it's above board.
*You know as I listen to this broadcast, it reminds me of BEHRINGER and all the flack they took from the late 90's-2019.*
Behringer still gets a lot of flack for generally pretty good reason.
@blueslawyer I have many bEHRINGER products along with all the high-end stuff.I have like RME. It's in my recording studio on my guitar rig?I even use their eighty eight eighty two hundreds four a massive live audio mixing system and touring. Even elton john does. I personally have not had problems out of their products.That products have been really good. The issue with Barringer that people are having all's derived from the 3 major bank oligarchs.Institutions that actually own the major retailers here in north america. And thus all politics. So triplical from that, including media personalities, only follow what they're told to do because they are paid to do a job. Will it be some guitar guy with videos? Who has a sponsorship deal with Guitar Center or Sweetwater? I wanna be some major recording engineer guy. Now the rest of folks out here.That just been competent.Minorities, who just follow what their slave programming is.
Monkey see monkey do.And this is the real reason why guitar's gonna stop carrying behringer, for example
Fair to say there's a place for them in the market, despite some of the obvious "cloning" and some of their aggressive behavior towards message board folks.
I have yet to play a vertex pedal i liked at all.
I'm sure there's something to like.
Mason doesn't have a trustworthy face. Everything from his tone to his demeanor just oozes "con artist" I've never cared for him...
Well I try not to judge anyone's face, but if your spidey senses go off, it's usually something.
Had personal experience with him lying about things in regards to the board he built for me. Called him out and he lied about lying. Would not go back to him for anything.
Sounds like a common occurrence. When was this?
Just before the Landau situation came out
@@johnfarmer4099 interesting! What ended up happening with your gear? Did you get him to fix it, refund, or nothing?
I'd rather go with amplified nation amp.
That's the conclusion we came to as well.
Rebranding is a part of business no doubt. Different companies buy the same cable from China and put their label on it. There is nothing unethical about that. The issues people have with Mason comes from an ethical place. Selling stuff that is marketed as something other than what it is and then lying about it. He stuck to those lies until there was nothing left to hide behind and he got fully exposed because of it. People make mistakes and I get that. Hey, it was a bad idea.
The issue with Mason however, is he has several instances that happened that question his honesty and integrity to the point that people like Landau, JB, and David Phillips don't want anything to do with him or be associated whatsoever. I have watched his shows and I think he has some knowledge to share or his guests do and that is a good thing for the community. I can tell you though, I won't be buying his products because of those ethical standards of his and If I ever have the money to have a professional build, David Phillips will be the man doing the work. That guy is legit for sure!
its been a while. I remember all the drama and it was not that simple. I also remember many HUGE guitar players/youtubers claiming that it was the best wah aver made and later deleting their videos. The lesson is, don't believe the hype. People would be amazed on how many brands but pedal kits from china and put theirs logos on or sell clones as original circuits. Mason took the fall for sure, but many people did the same.Some how pelople keep beating a dear horse wishing the guy quit his business because people nowdays want revenge not justice and the fact that someone did stuff like that bruised many people egos.Point is. Avery six months people dig this story as click bait and people want Mason to shoot himself in the head. I don't see people doing the same with Capman or Andertons/Victory or Peavey, Fulltone, JHS, ProAnalog, Morgan or even questioning the mighty Gibson for all the lawsuits and unbelievable prices. I don't buy vertex stuff, i like Mason's channel and to me, i really dont care about that anymore. Guitar players now days are more concern about drama than play guitars.
Completely fair points. You'll see we mention a lot of the brands you noted and the only reason we dipped into the Mason/Vertex pool was I was force fed an ad for the Dr's Special amp and I looked at the photos and read the literature and it didn't smell right. I still enjoy watching the Rig Dr CZcams channel as well.
From racism to homophobia, from fake vintage transistors to disappearing with people's money and not delivering pedals or not returning the pedals that people set to repair.TWICE. Ask Cusack what a "genius pedal builder"did to him. And that same people are not only off the hook but keep being featured over and over on youtube. I just don't get why people need to cancel Mason every 6 months because, as i said. Some people did way worse.@@blueslawyer
Virtue signaling exists everywhere, even in guitar gear. I met Mike Fuller twice in my life, and dealt with him and his company on numerous other occasions. He certainly deserves the blue ribbon "World-class asshole," award, truly one of the most repugnant personalities I've dealt with (though a distant second to Ed Roman). Unfortunately, with 25+ years of building and repairing guitars and amps I've concluded that you basically only get 2 personalities: assholes or the nicest people you'd ever hope to meet. I don't know what it's this way, it just is.
That said, douchebag or not, I still own and use a few Fulltone products. As for Mason's transgressions, there are a LOT of people out there who the only difference between them and him is that they didn't get caught. As for customer complaints, I've grown to be wary of a lot of them. It's not just that there are two sides to a story, but I've heard stories revolving around complaints with manufacturers and builders that I've personally known for years. Some of them I KNOW are only giving a slanted perspective because what they describe sounds like a completely different person than the ones I've known for over a decade. They describe a run in with the former of the two types that I described earlier, when I know the person falls completely in the latter. The flip side to that coin is that some of the best products and gear are produced by some of the biggest dickheads, I think it goes hand in hand much of the time.
@@timwhite5562 Mason apologized over and over though the years. Mr Fuller never did for what the wrote during the George Floyd situation to say the least.
@@soulblue398 oh yeah I wasn't even thinking about that thing, I was just remembering him long before that dipshit move. But that is demonstrative of what I mean when I'm trying to get across the type of man I found him to be.
I’m willing to give people a second chance. But what Mason did hits close to home. I’m a friend and fan of Michael Landau, and the idea that Mason would deceive Mike, and potentially hurt Mike’s reputation is unconscionable. Mike’s response to that debacle was admirable. I’m really kinda surprised that Mason didn’t retreat from the business. I can’t trust him. Surprised that Robben Ford supports him. I love Robben. Perhaps he doesn’t know the story.
Mason has a charming personality. We'd love to talk to Landau if you could connect us.
I just wrote above I gave him a 2nd chance and my pedal sonically fell apart within weeks of hardly using it. Plus, there was something wrong with the tone knob. That was his last chance. People trust him. I’m surprised how many pros still use him.
Apart from all the obvious stuff, the one that flies under the radar all the time to me is the boost. Vertex are the first to claim that it is the worlds most transparent boost, with no impact on tone whatsoever - but what they always fail to omit from that is the fact that the pedal itself is buffered bypass and is therefore always in the signal chain. Of course just adding level to it at that point is just going to amplify the signal that is already being affected and being presented at all times due to the bypass. If they really wanted to demonstrate the transparency of the pedal they should demo it in/out of a true bypass loop. Just another example of deliberate omission to sell product.
Not trying to defend Vertex, but their write-up on the Boost MKII talks about the buffer a good deal--so if true bypass is important to you, then I think a reasonable person would avoid this pedal. That being said, both of my main boards have buffered i/o and one of my boards has a sweet custom made dual loop buffer by Wiedemann that helps keep the juice going through a lot of pedals. I get what you're saying about claiming something is transparent then, at the same time, spending half a website describing the buffers at the in and out and it doesn't make sense. There are a number of boosts and buffered i/o pedals out there... everyone should do their homework and buy what works for them.
I see all the different debates and controversies over different things: rosewood vs maple, poly vs Nitro, long scale vs short, etc.
I've been building amps and pedals for decades now. This is the reason that I know that the biggest cause of these arguments comes down to the miscommunication causes by throwing around terms that we use all the time: tone, bright, warm, dark, transparent etc but we don't ever stop to make sure that we're all on the same page with what these terms mean. The number 1 offender is "tone." To anyone who doesn't okay guitar, tone refers to EQ curve, to guitar players it means a bunch of things.
Transparent doesn't mean you hear no change when you activate the pedal, because it would be useless. All it means is that it'll push the amp into overdrive, while making your guitar still sounds like your guitar and your amp is your amp. You done need to use a true bypass to demonstrate this. True bypass was a gimmick to begin with. It's easier, faster and cheaper to build pedals with the standard switch than it is to build one with a buffer.I think Mike Fuller from Fultone (a world-class asshole if ever was one) started it, and marketed it is a way to keep your signal path clean. This is great with one or two pedals, many more and you get tone bleeding off.
This boost legal ia great. They say a lot of the Vertex channel and how Dumbles aren't the easiest amp to use with overdrive and boosts. Having built over a dozen of them I can attest that this is indeed the fact, they don't handle certain gain pedals very well. Well, the Overdrive Special doesn't, the Steel String singers are IMO one of the, if not THE best pedal platform amp ever made.
@@timwhite5562 it's hard to use words to describe such a complex thing as sound. Add to that, with a guitar you have feel and visual information... nearly impossible to describe effectively. I think Josh Scott talks a lot about the absurdity of guitar gear ad copy.
@@blueslawyer one big offender is confusing brighter or warmer for more or less presence.
People say longer neck scales are brighter, which to a degree that are. But a more accurate way to describe it is that they have more presence. You have a harmonic segment/modes at different points alone the length: 12th fret/ 7ty fret/ 5 fret, and they run the other way too. When you fret a note and play it, it oscillates and creates a harmonic frequency. That harmonic frequency is the pitch of the note. But along with that, other parts of the string also produce harmonic frequencies, albeit at a quiet volume, these are hormonic overtones. You
You can visualize it by drooping three pebbles in the water from 1' high, with 1' separating them. They cause ripples that end up coming into contact with each other. These are those frequencies, and they interfere with the fundamental frequency of the note you're playing. If you now move those pedals 2' away from each other and drop them again, the ripples will take longer to make contact with the others, and they won't interact with them as much. This is what is happening on the longer neck: longer scale position then further apart, short scale abe them x
I'd honestly prefer to buy Revv amps, they are local to me and just a bit of a departure from the norm. They cover everything from Nashville , Blues and full on metal with awesome build quality and I'm pretty sure zero funny business lol. All I have of there equipment is a G8 pedal, but tried a G120 amp, and it seems to do all, I just can't afford one yet! Mason always seems to have a bit of an ego even with his past. I think someone in that situation should be a little more humble to at least show some remorse for past transgressions. That's just me though.
Imagine buying one watching the value go down because of the brand.
For $4000 it's not an investment piece. People are free to spend their money however they want, but like you said, this isn't holding value like a Two Rock
Andy Fuchs' complete lack of anything decent to say about this guy sent me down the rabbit-hole and I found the Landau/BBE story. Reminds me a lot of people who still give Gabriel from Echopark or Frank Falbo the time of day. Dodgy is as dodgy does.
The way I understand it. This amp is a Vertex redesign of the Dumble style amp. Then Amp Guy is contracted to build the amps for Vertex. Then they do limited runs of the Amps, so only a certain number of these amps are made each year. It's not made to order scenario. I am a fan of the Dumble amps and they are way way out of my budget. The review of this amp I could find was from Chicago Music Exchange and it was really more of a sales pitch then a review. My question is, why isn't anyone willing to do a review on these amps?
If they sent me one, I'd review it. Mason hasn't returned my emails for some reason
In my opinion, this amp stuff is completely different from the Wah situation. I think 90% of guitar brands are companies that have their products manufactured for them by a 3rd party factory. All Ibanez tube screamers are not manufactured by Ibanez. Mason isn’t hand manufacturing the pedals himself. The amp is clearly a small batch thing that I don’t he’s making any sort of huge margin on and is definitely not be hardwired by Mason. The amp is clearly not being made in large numbers and therefore isn’t anything that’d be a get rich quick scheme. At the end of the day don’t by the amp.
Totally fair. Licensing and outsourcing are normal things... how many guitars are made at CorTek? There's nothing illegal about the amp itself, it's just after the scandals of rebadging other products and claiming they were "made in USA" when they were not... the whole thing seems like a bad idea.
Sounds like a job for Chief Inspector KDH!!
Oh man
" Marshall pumping out thousands of amps" sure
Been waiting almost a year for a BluesBreaker, In line for the next one shipped to Sweetwater since March.
But Sweetwater says "more on the way!" Good luck and I hope you get it soon!
Do the amps sound good?
I haven't heard anything negative or positive from anyone other than Mason. There are no ratings or reviews on Sweetwater.
@@blueslawyerSweetwater disappointed me in the fact that they took him on.
All one need to know is revealed in the vid where Mason speaks on the negatives of toroid transformers, revealing his lack of technical background.
I can admit I don't know what that means, but that's probably the point. :)
Dave Friedman said that the only thing hand-wired amps increase, are the chance there is a failure. PCB is much more accurate, and both sound identical. I get the 'personal touch' thing to have something hand-built. Then pay for it. And the hours that go into it. But for the sake of sound quality, not necessary.
Totally. Much more consistency in the PCB.
Unless you build the amp yourself, in which case you are in control of the build quality. If anything goes down, You have a much better idea of how to fix it.
I've got an email from a company in Shenzhen with those exact same PCB "dumble clones." Even if they were to follow a verified schematic, component values wise, that build style won't get them there. I've seen these PCB amps on reverb too from various "brands" importing them and slapping their own label on them. The devil is in the details.
look at jelle welagen amps
Wow that looks like the personally tailored amp creation that Dumble was famous for... Thanks for the info!
Knowing the actual history of Vertex, I could never bring myself to use one of the products. I don't want to be reminded every time I use a product that I willfully supported a confirmed conman. He should've moved to a different industry. It's not like he actually builds any of this stuff. He's a marketer.
I feel similarly
Wow, well try to pick up and carry on anyway, despite Mister Marangella's malign influence, guys! Tomorrow is another day! 🌈
ffs, should I call for help?
Do you need an Aspirin? 😿
I've somehow managed to move on with my life... Until his next misstep.
Lawyers must pay in advance!
I think everyone has to pay in advance :)
His videos all feel like infomercials.
He's trying to sell stuff, which is fine when it's legit. I don't have a problem with him demoing his own stuff.
@@blueslawyer Agreed, but it just feels so canned and disingenuous. Then again, so do other 'demos' from Sweetwater or others, oftentimes.
@@Fugettaboutit fair. Some folks do a more palatable version of that (JHS).
@@blueslawyer Yes i was thinking of that as well.
This "feels shady" but you're ok with Warm Audio? Holy inconsistency, Batman.
Vertex rebadge is a different story, but Matt notes the cognitive dissonance.
@@blueslawyer to be clear, I'm not defending Mason. His past, especially the wah pedal ordeal, is sketch...even if he puts out some really solid pedals now. But he's not the first and certainly won't be the last to do something like this with the amp. At least it does clearly say who makes the product, as opposed to other brands who basically go the Costco/Kirkland route of private labeling things that they have zero hand in making. And not just little companies. There are 2 guitar cab builders who make about every guitar cab and head cabinet sold by most boutique and big box brand amp companies. Theres also one company building pedals for a half dozen of the well name brands and several brands amps.
The "shady" reference just feels inconsistent, especially in light of what felt like borderline cosigning on the actions of Warm Audio. The WA take seems very much predicated on how he feels about Mike Fuller, and not so much on anything resembling objectivity. I'm not saying people commenting on things related to the law can't have opinions, because even lawyers are humans... allegedly. I'm just a fan of consistency.
It's complex, right? I think we draw the line at "are they attempting to trick people into thinking it's something that it's not?" In the case of Vertex, Mason was rebadging other products and passing it off as originals. There are endless pedal clones that do their own take on the same circuits and, in Warm's case, they tell you what they are modeling. I brought up in the other video if we look down on Demon FX because they are cheaper and do worse graphic design. A lot of folks on Pedalboards of Doom love the Behringer SF300... Anyway, guitars and pedals are the tools that make the music. We all shouldn't get so hung up on what they are called or look like or even where they come from and do less fiddling and more playing.
aoeey, i'm out of the loop, what happened with warm audio? i wasn't able to find anything about it online
@@tacdoc8736
We haven't seen anything in particular about Warm Audio beyond being a sexier Behringer as far as I can tell.
I think Mason gets beat up on for doing what is actually common place in the industry. StewMac makes a lot of pedals for dozens of companies with the exact same components, and then sold at wildly different prices. So the constant focus on him is kind of unfair. As for The doctors special amp, for 1,000 less you can get a diezel VH2 handmade in germany with german high end transformers … the doctors special price tag is ridiculous and i think we will see its price rapidly drop.
Thanks for the comment! I think the amp is basically made to order, so not sure you'll see any discount anywhere other than Reverb.
@@blueslawyer Yeh i learnt early on to never buy anything music gear related unless it is “In stock ready to ship”
@@personalfreedom2700 unless it's clearly a custom order (and even then) you never know how long it's going to take.
I want to see Vertex and Mason put out of business permanently, and I will do what I can to further that end. Fraudsters should not profit and he is that.
I respect your commitment
@@blueslawyer 😂 thanks. Started watching his channel a while back, my spidery-sense went off, he just “felt” shady to me, and I have learned to trust my instincts. It did not take much research to convince me that he has an absence of good business ethics, and I have a hunch based on experience with other humans that his personal ethics are not much different.
He thought he would fleece Joe B for 2 grand 😂😂😂😂😂😂
Did I just watch a video where two lawyers, a profession that charges you for taking your phone call, complain that someone charges $26 for a cable? For transparency's sake, how much do each of you charge for billable hours? You're members of what is essentially a medieval guild that monopolistically gatekeeps access to the legal system and much of our government and you're complaining about someone who actually manufactures goods for sale? Just remember, any time you might think that you are acting heroically on behalf of your clients, another lawyer is trying to screw them and at the end of the day, you'll go out for drinks with opposing council because ultimately you're members of the same club and the rest of us aren't in it.
Hey this is Jack! I'm actually in construction and do music production and play music out whenever I have the opportunity. Matt is a lawyer, but I assure you he does his best to help people and it's not the flashy glamorous law you see on TV. Thanks for checking out the channel!
You watched two guys try and save some folks $$ for something you can get cheaper
They don’t rebrand wahs and try to sell them at high price though
@@truthfactreality6814 I make pedal kits and then play them.
You should watch Mason make those cables. He half azzes it and basically makes it crap by how he solders. Instead of using all of the bundle of wires in the cable, he cuts away half of them so it's no longer 18 ga cable. It's effectively 36 ga cable. And only uses that. So he's ripping people off even more because he's too lazy to solder an 18 ga cable to a 1/4 inch jack. He's a hack. Listen to what Joe Bonamassa has to say about him. Go read about him at The Gear Page. He's part of what's wrong with this industry
I have noticed Mason is way too slick for a long time. This hurts me at home though. I had my dumble clone purchase, my next purchase, down to Ampguy, Fuchs and Amplified Nation. I have to cross off one now just to protect me.
I own the Fuchs ODS 100. It’s a great amp! Bought and sold amps for years and about 14 years ago, I picked up the ODS100 and have never thought about selling it.
@@ericshay1142 thx man!
JhS did the same thing for a long time (claimed kit build pedal circuits were his own, also screwed over Devi Ever pedals) then tried to win lots of friends by giving every other pedal company shout outs and kissing everyone’s butts. Mason is not the only one. Ironically it is a lot less work in the long run to just be honest.
Fair points. Lots of folks screwed over Devi Ever... Could be an interesting investigation
not sure what your on a bout..Rig doctor up here in oil country will have a complete different dude show up..we have rug doctor..Mason has some cool stuff..the ultra phonix is very good pedal..i haven't tried everything..love to try the amp..music industry is full of knock offs copies..from songs to bands to equiptment..if we didn't have copy cats what bands would we have..lol...i remember when there was only a couple brands now we have a guzillion all completely original...yeah right..Bonamassa...Bonamassa ..in my opinion best song he did was One of These Days...Alvin Lee...as far as blues/music there is a ton of blues guitarists better than Joe...one only has to look at Blues Brothers when John Lee Hooker was playing in the street and at the end they joked about who wrote the song..
Fair points. Rug Doctor did a great job when my cat threw up on the floor.
It’s called private labeling. See just about every major manufacturer in the world. mason is probably not violating any laws with the amp and he has always said he is having them made. The wah pedal is a violation however. Why not ask him to come on rather than speculating?
I wonder if Mason @VertexEffectsInc would talk to us
@@blueslawyer might be worth a shot.
I sent him a message. If he responds, you'll get a shout out on the next viewer's comments video.
@@blueslawyer fantastic. Thank you.
...but still, if I could have that amp, or masons head full of nickels I would be torn.
You could cram a lot of nickels in an amp head.
Did I mention an amp head at any time?
@@richardclark. Bwahaha
Possible to PM me? Thx!
i’ve got an AmpGuy amp! Check my channel for a look and listen to his 7 Watt Overdrive Special with direct out! AmpGuy is one of the most awesome amp builders around! nicest guy ever and super easy to work with! The price was super reasonable as well! Way better than Vertex pricing 🥳 couldn’t be more happy!
Sounds great! Love the Novo guitar you used. It sounds like AmpGuy is getting the value of Vertex getting the amp sold in Sweetwater with a markup to put Mason's label on it.
@@blueslawyer I follow his ig and it does seem like he’s got plenty of orders to fill! i found him by just using google looking for local amp builders myself, i kinda wanted to get my ideal final solution type of amp. i saw the vertex amp between the time he started and finished mine and talked to him about it and working with vertex a bit but i won’t speak for him about that haha he does have a youtube and instagram channel though, you should host him on your channel and ask him stuff directly! he’s an awesome dude!
Mason is the biggest snake in the business.
That's a strong statement but seems like a common sentiment
@@blueslawyer in reality, there probably are other sellers that are just as shady or even more shady. But I don't think any of them get as much publicity and airtime as Mason. That's the part that I really don't get... why did Sweetwater get into bed with someone with this history (and current practices)
@@jt3483 right and also he's so bold... But I guess it works
I heard about Vertex and their supposed shadiness years ago. Fast forward yesterday, my teacher tells me there is yet another overseas Dumble Clone called "the amp guy". I go on the website, see the dude from Vertex, and am glad I chose a VHT D-50 a few months back. Too much controversy for my taste.
Wow beating a guy up over something from 10 years ago? Makes me question your motives. I don’t know Mason and never bought any Vertex stuff, though I know many who have purchased his rigs and are happy with them. Seems like he’s tried to rehabilitate himself and everyone deserves a second chance. No time for people who just beat up others on CZcams.
Everyone deserves a second chance for sure. Based on some of the comments we have gotten, however, it seems like he has had a number of chances and upset a number of folks.
*I am not in anyway taking up for MASON nor VERTEX i am just saying. this is the age of Aquarius.*
I know nothing of Vertex or the guy you're discussing but bad-mouthing him for private labeling a product is curious. Private labeling is a common, universal concept. It is prevalent in all industries around the world.
It's not bad mouthing him "for" doing this, just another data point. Further, the brand that's being listed told us they are not building them... So who knows who's building it?
@@blueslawyer - just another data point? That's your opinion. Changing suppliers happens all the time. Fender Japan has used several manufacturers to supply their products for years, and Seagate has used hard drive manufacturers in China, Thailand, USA, etc. Changing suppliers is common and not a deceitful process.
@@robinr.2233 fair, however in this case, Mason sells that he's a craftsman and these are bespoke, handmade... It makes a difference who makes it vs a hard drive
@@blueslawyer - Nebulous terms like bespoke, hand-crafted, hand-wired, handmade and so on leave open to interpretation their actual meaning. You think because he uses these terms (as many sellers do) that it misrepresents his product, someone else might understand these terms differently. I know nothing of Vertex or Mason Marangella but the level of character assassination you and other CZcamss are visiting on him right now is weird. I suspect there is more to it than just who makes his products.
@@robinr.2233 this video is a year old so like I'm not sure what you want us to do... I emailed Mason and hasn't responded
My $0.02 as a normal amateur player… I don’t support the unethical actions in Vertex’s history or misrepresentation in marketing. However if I did an ethics check on the many large consumer electronics organisations that make up the music gear industry how many do you think would come up clean? So where I end up is that I choose gear that fits my rig and that inspires me to play. And on that basis, yes I own 2 Vertex pedals. Not as any judgement on the company. But simple because I like to play them. Anything else to me is irrelevant.
Guitar gear is a tool... You have the right attitude
Millions of pedals. Rebrand. He did super minor. Mod upgrade. Like thousands of other pedals do
I'm all for the JHS mod Big Muff and the Alchemy Mod Soul Food and other obvious labeled modifications. What's wrong is promoting something like it's an original creation made in the USA when it's a rebadged Chinese import with minor mods and a "made in USA" sticker on it.
@@blueslawyer he was young made a mistake probably 15 years ago ( I bet there 56,900 klon copy’s out there ). But now he has patch’s but he actually says don’t buy them. Here is a link. He probably gets 5 to 10 cents. For the link. Gives a 30 min tutorial .on how to make it . His pedals are moderately priced . He is tone chaser. Chasing the dumble like2,000 companies out there . Be answers every questions about tech stuff he shows . Lot of great free advice I’ve used him over 20 times for free on random stuff on pedals . If you’re a lawyer and a kid make A mistake. But changed as a adult And u see that And he has taken a long hard road. Of hundreds s of free tutorials . Nobody is perfect . You can’t beat them down after 15 years of good service
What I find odd is the way he stands out among youtubers, displaying an expertise you dont see much of elsewhere, while still getting busted for making sort of amateur mistakes. Maybe hes not a real expert, just chooses to talk about the nitty gritty stuff like impedence and buffers - stuff that serious guitarists know matters, even if its a slightly boring subject
I find his videos strangely compelling.
There's no way I'll ever buy a Vertex anything after all the Ben Wah lies that guy told. Zero support right here
After all the fraud stuff/lies he's still there and successfull Landau and Henderson etc play his pedals or rigs....I wonder how he turned it around to get back on track
It's quite remarkable. It's hard enough to find financial backing and human support when you don't have scandals.
Grifters are usually charismatic and great at fooling people.
@@JustDatBoi there's even more to this story... Stay tuned
I have no problem buying his gear if it's the right gear that I'm looking for. He definitely did some sleazy shit in the past, but I'm willing to give someone a chance to redeem themselves. I can't even remember when the whole Wah debacle went down, it has to be WELL over a decade ago, maybe 15 years. I've been a luthier for 25 years and am amp builder and tech for 20 years, and in that time I've seen a lot of things and meet a lot of people. There's no defensive the relabelling of things like he did with the wah, but a lot of the other things that people criticize him for are things that are rampant throughout the industry.
I haven't been following him closely, and if he's still doing these things than he deserves to get criticized. If this is still and what went down over a decade ago, it's time to let it go.
That's some good insight. For me, it's hard to separate the art from the artist.
@@blueslawyer sometimes it is. But being in that circle and knowing how a lot of companies work, it can be the lesser of two evils. Believe me, there are plenty of larger and more well known companies that do even shadier things, and no one talks about it.
I didn't like his steel string singer, but I LOVED the SSS Supreme. And what they say about pedals and Dumble amps are true: in general they don't work well (at least the ODS, the SSS works well with almost everything). Usually the only boost you can buy for an ODS without trying it first and be confident that it will work would be an FET boost . Howard Dumble himself started putting them hardwired into the input of his amps at one point. They used to have normal and high gain inputs, then he went to regular and an FET input. The boost Vertex have is one of the better boosts for Dumble and clones.
I have that wah and must say, it's the best one I've used.
@@WickBeavers BBE made a great wah.
and Mason made ir better.@@blueslawyer
Considering what can be found in a real Dumble, the price should be inferior to a Mesa/Boogie Mark series.
BTW, electrons don't give a f-ck if it's handwired or PCB.
Lowest resistisivity and capacitance for a guitar cable can be found on Somer cables, which is a REAL cable maker, they're not rebranding Belden, Mogami or Canare cables. Somer cables can be found at about €2.5-3 per metre...
Mogami? A 3m Mogami eats more your signal than a 6m Somer Spirit High End XXL, which is not even Somer's best cable! And you can verify my words with electronics measuring gear!
Somer also sells cables with Neutrik plugs and guess what? They charge you with their cables' price + the street price of the Neutrik plugs!
BTW, I own an early Vexter Fuzz Factory I got for very cheap... The cool point: there were NKT275 germanium transistors inside. Let's make my point: except at doing weird noises, the Fuzz Factory rather sucks... But the cool thing is... I built a DIY 4-knobs Fuzz Face with AC128 transistors since NKT275 are near unobtainium in Europe... So... The NKT275s went into the Fuzz-Face which sounds awesome, the Fuzz Factory received the AC128s that can usually be found in regular FFs, it stils sounds like shit and still dies weird noises... the Fuzz Factory is not installed in my pedalboard, I just keep it to make weird noises in the studio.
The amp guy is the Canadian equivalent of Ceriatone. So, no it's not worth it. And Mason should pack it up and never be seen again.
Harsh but fair. Ceriatone is quoting one year lead times... I wonder how long it takes to get an Amp Guy amp
@@blueslawyer 8 months to 14 months
I'll give you some perspective. I've built a couple of amps from kits. One was a Friedman BE100Dlx. I paid $1600 for everything and it's a fantastic amp in some ways better than the Friedman. So the guy that put the kit together had to be making a good profit maybe $300-400 or more? I used Sozo caps I used top line everything. The amp is equivalent to the Friedman offering in every way except it doesn't have his name on it. The parts total can't be more than about $1000-$1200 tops. Friedman sells them for about $4000. I don't think the assembly and margin on parts is worth $3000 for any amp ever.
I've built pedals but no amps yet. There's definitely a value in the experience and craftsmanship from the professionals that I can't put a price tag on (they do, however). Also, you're not just paying for assembly, but the QC and the crew standing behind the finished product. We always say that gear is not an investment, but you can get $4k for the Friedman whenever, but it's harder to sell a kit build. Let me know if you have any preferred (more beginner) amp kits though--I'd love to try one!
@@blueslawyer I built a 2204 from a kit too. I use that amp more TBH. I have a '77 and a 79' 2204 and they're amazing. I built a clone to keep them at home for shows. The clone doesn't really sound anything like the originals. I have a Friedman Runt that sounds amazing too. IMO your best bet is getting a working 70s 2204 or 2203 and having it restored and repaired. I would install an effects loop and modernize a vintage 2204 which is what I did to my '77. I know it's cheesy and cliche but you only live once never give up your dreams.
@@truescotsman4103 that's great! Live the dream for me
@@blueslawyer I'm trying. I have all my stuff set up I'm in the studio today just messing around.
@@blueslawyer I got the new Revv G3. A pedal that finally rivals an incredible modded tube screamer I have from the '90s. I modded it myself with some instructions from some website I bought an eBay kit. That pedal has been in my pedal board since the '90s. I have about 10 or 12 other overdrives that I've bought over the years. The Revv G3 is blowing my mind. I spent a couple hours comparing those pedals last night and the tube screamer sounds a little thicker and woolier with a lot less gain. You can just turn up the gain to get what you need so I don't need a lot. The revv pedal has a crisp tight top and bottom end that just makes it sound perfect. It's got way too much gain for my tastes but the taper on the gain knob is perfect you can turn it all the way down
Here's the thing about amps and pedal boards. If you want a quality amp, you do not have to run out and buy a 4 or 5k amp to sound great. Now I am already aware of amp builders like Suhr and Friedman and Amplified Nation or any of the well known top amp builders. But there comes a point of saying, am I willing to lay out 4 or 5k for an amp like these guys make. The one thing you don't do is take everything as gospel from guys like Mason Marangella . First off, it's hard to believe that a guy like Joe Bonamassa would even have a pedal board put together by Vertex Effects. Christ, he already knows hiw to set up a pedal board. Very strange that he would deal with vertex or anyone for that matter. Christ, Brian May's tech Malandrone puts together all of his pedal boards and stuff. But another thing you don't do is buy a 4k amp from some unknown clown in Canada from bum f$#%ck Idaho and I am a Canadian and know who is worth a bloody shite in Canada. Personally instead of blowing tonnes of cash on a boutique amp, I read reviews about Ceriatone amps. Everything that I ever read was great 👍. So I contacted Nik Asam and bought two of his amps. Well, needless to say I was knocked out at the build quality. All pointto point wired amps. Top components and the customer service from Nik Asam is unbelievable. A real pleasure to deal with. No one on the planet today compares to him for service. And to boot, his amps are about $1500.00 USD. I defy anyone to give an amp of his quality for that price. Ask anybody that owns a Ceriatone. You don't listen to clowns like Marangella. Bloody Jesus, he's Italian. You want to get ripped off, be my guest. But there are so many people that are suckers for people like him. I have played guitar and millions of amps in my life, and I definitely know what I am talking about. Want to put together a pedal board, you watch and listen to that pedal show on CZcams with Mick and Dan. If you are dumb enough to listen to Marangella then you deserve to be scammed. That's my two cents.
Eff you, you got a problem with Italians?
Tell us what you really think
I speak to him often and he had a major turnaround in his life. He has built a solid company and he provides free and useful content on youtube. If you don't like him or trust him, don't buy his products. He makes great pedalboards and he builds solid products for many many artists who are happy.
That's awesome! Can you email us his contact info so we can continue the conversation?
@@blueslawyer No thanks. You can contact him any time you want.
After a certain point people get tired of being burnt.
@@JustDatBoi Understood. I do think as a people, redemption is part of living and learning. I don't know his entire story, bu9t I think he has worked very hard to rebuild his reputation. Watch his videos. A while back I told him he should be selling pedalboards They eventually worked with another company to get this done. Excellent product. I use the SSS pedal and I love it.
Mason doesn't make boards for the general public. This is not a commercial service. He picks the artists he wants to work with. He has had some great artists on his channel. Vertex is a very successful effect company. Where are they made? Ask them before you ask anyone...
Yes he's definitely had a record with artists (good and bad). His video on making your own cables empowered me to make my own cables. His video about input buffers inspired me to have io buffers on a couple of my boards. That being said, when I saw the ad for the amp a few months ago, it raised some questions. The back of the amp says they are made by Amp Guy in Canada (which we mention in the video) and if that's the case, you can save some money ordering direct from them. You lose the Sweetwater extended warranty, but for $4k, I'd hope it wouldn't need it and the manufacturer would stand by their work. Anyway, we're just some nobodies, so thanks for taking the time to watch the video and leaving comments.
@@blueslawyer Affirmative. Not sure you can get that exact amp; it may be a special design... that I do not know. Ampguy amps has a website where you can interact directly with them. Freedom of choice is what we all enjoy... Cheers.
What is the matter with you people...I don't like Mason at all, he has a dumb name, but that's me, I don't like mostly anybody, but do his pedals sound good, does the amp sound good? If it does to you or anyone who cares. I use the amps and pedals I like, I couldn't give 2 shits who came up with the schematics. Does my tone sound good to me? Yeah. So I use what I dig.
You do a good job separating the art from the artist. Good for you!
No. I don’t trust him.
"go to the source"?! hahaha
Man, you guys are really clueless on how many stuff is outsourced in the production 95% of professional gear. So you really thought that Mason (or anybody else) is gonna be in some garage hand buiding an entire pedal or amp? Just because the marketing says "handbuilt".
Also, really funny that someone like Robben Ford, Tom Bukovac and many other PROFESSIONAL musicians have moved on from the wah scandal... but some random people on the gearpage on some yt channel, still think the guy should be canceled for the rest of his life. Amazing.
Totally! That being said, Mason promotes a level of personal involvement and a nearly bespoke product vs what's actually delivered. Anyway, buyer beware but if you want to spend $4k on their amp, go right ahead!
I do not trust Rhett Shull
I have to hope his praise of Mason was from a personal standpoint and not purely business
I've watched some of his videos and I've been aware of his shady dealings for a while. He comes across as a know it all who knows the bare minimum at best. He also contradicts himself on his video's and gives out misinformation. Dudes a joke
You guys are really reaching. Your dragging down Mason with innuendo. There's a career at Project Veritas for you both. When you have a factual piece of information, let's hear it.
Project Veritas is out of business so they aren't hiring
Wow, this mas a waste of time….
Happy holidays!
And you "dont see Masons name that valuble".... Ive seen dozens of his vids ( very helpful) , and bought numerous products. And this is the first of yours, l;ikely the last. Dont buy this BS.
Thanks for stopping by and the comment!
Telefunken used to rebadge Neumann microphones and put them out as their own.. How old is that Joe Bonamassa quote? You guys are grave diggers.
Mason's amp came out recently. Neumann is a high end brand... Rebadging BBE and claiming it's made in USA boutique is different.