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How does everyone feel about taking advantage of the generosity & good nature of strangers to try to score gear? Is it justified? Does military or public service or a medical condition, terminal or no, entitle you to brand new free gear?
To be clear, I am not talking about a forum member looking out for a brother who's fallen on hard times and shooting them a beater guitar just so they have something to play. That sort of consideration warms my heart.
But what about cold-calling celebrities, companies, forums and appealing to them for new equipment? Would you weave a tale of woe, about your sacrifice, your prized possession that you had to sell to cover costs, how long you have left to live and that this [..........] would improve your quality of life these last few months?
Reason I ask is, I was poking around the Premier Guitar galleries, checking out Iron Maiden's 2010 tour gear pics (again) when I noticed this comment from August this year. Appealing directly to Dave for a charitable donation, the guy talks about the illness he suffers as a result of his work at WTC on the day the towers came down. How his wife left him because he just wouldn't stop diving into buildings to pull the victims out. About his prized Gibson LP that he had to sell to cover legal costs. How Dave's charity will help take his mind off the horrors he witnessed on 9/11 while he tries to play Maiden songs on it, and how when he dies, he will be buried with the guitar that he anticipates Dave will give him.
Apart from it being a magazine site and unlikely that Dave would actually ever see the comment, a brazen attempt to snag a new (or at least a celebrity owned) guitar for nothing. But still, a tragic story and not atypical for those who sacrificed so much with the WTC collapse. So I decided to google the guy to find out more about him.
That's when things got interesting.
First search result - the Gibson forum. Only one post as a member, made on the day he joined. The story is largely the same, but because of his health and lack of funds, will now never own a guitar he's always wanted, a Zakk Wylde signature camo. He's never asked for a single thing for his contributions on 9/11. He's always wanted to own a Gibson but could never afford one. :think: Not looking for a freebie, but a price break would be nice.
Next a post from the Petrucci forum from Dec '11, since removed by an admin. The google preview shows the start of his story as a previous forum post on his profile view, but clicking on the link shows all of his posts have been removed.
The Warren DeMartini fansite forum, posted last May. He unfortunately had to sell his prized snakeskin Charvel to pay for legal fees. Warren is his idol and if he could make a charitable donation to make the last few years enjoyable, he'll be buried with it when he dies.
Phil Collen's facebook page a couple of weeks ago, where he explains that he has been saving for 5 years for a PC-1 but everytime he gets close, medical expenses eat up his savings. He is Phil's biggest fan. So can Mr Collen donate one of his PC-1s so that this vet who saved countless lives and shortened his own in the process can have some happiness before he leaves this world? He will be buried with the guitar.
Now I'm not suggesting for a second that this guy's medical condition isn't genuine, that he didn't risk his life saving people on 9/11. He has offered on all occasions to provide evidence of his failing health.
But does anyone else find his attempts to capitalise on it unconscionable? The guy isn't asking for help with medical expenses, he isn't trying to stop the bank from taking his house, he's not wanting donations to try some radical treatment to ease his suffering. Could the only thing that would salve this guy's pain be an expensive axe donated by a celebrity or company? If the need to play is so great, couldn't a $100 beater from a pawn store get him by considering that with all his medical bills the cost of a $3000 guitar could be better spent elsewhere?
Have any of these attempts actually been successful? If so, how would you feel if you had contributed only to see him pitching the same story to someone else who is now apparently his favourite player of all time? How long can you expect to cash in on your past deeds? And how many trips back to the well are you allowed?
To be clear, I am not talking about a forum member looking out for a brother who's fallen on hard times and shooting them a beater guitar just so they have something to play. That sort of consideration warms my heart.
But what about cold-calling celebrities, companies, forums and appealing to them for new equipment? Would you weave a tale of woe, about your sacrifice, your prized possession that you had to sell to cover costs, how long you have left to live and that this [..........] would improve your quality of life these last few months?
Reason I ask is, I was poking around the Premier Guitar galleries, checking out Iron Maiden's 2010 tour gear pics (again) when I noticed this comment from August this year. Appealing directly to Dave for a charitable donation, the guy talks about the illness he suffers as a result of his work at WTC on the day the towers came down. How his wife left him because he just wouldn't stop diving into buildings to pull the victims out. About his prized Gibson LP that he had to sell to cover legal costs. How Dave's charity will help take his mind off the horrors he witnessed on 9/11 while he tries to play Maiden songs on it, and how when he dies, he will be buried with the guitar that he anticipates Dave will give him.
Apart from it being a magazine site and unlikely that Dave would actually ever see the comment, a brazen attempt to snag a new (or at least a celebrity owned) guitar for nothing. But still, a tragic story and not atypical for those who sacrificed so much with the WTC collapse. So I decided to google the guy to find out more about him.
That's when things got interesting.
First search result - the Gibson forum. Only one post as a member, made on the day he joined. The story is largely the same, but because of his health and lack of funds, will now never own a guitar he's always wanted, a Zakk Wylde signature camo. He's never asked for a single thing for his contributions on 9/11. He's always wanted to own a Gibson but could never afford one. :think: Not looking for a freebie, but a price break would be nice.
Next a post from the Petrucci forum from Dec '11, since removed by an admin. The google preview shows the start of his story as a previous forum post on his profile view, but clicking on the link shows all of his posts have been removed.
The Warren DeMartini fansite forum, posted last May. He unfortunately had to sell his prized snakeskin Charvel to pay for legal fees. Warren is his idol and if he could make a charitable donation to make the last few years enjoyable, he'll be buried with it when he dies.
Phil Collen's facebook page a couple of weeks ago, where he explains that he has been saving for 5 years for a PC-1 but everytime he gets close, medical expenses eat up his savings. He is Phil's biggest fan. So can Mr Collen donate one of his PC-1s so that this vet who saved countless lives and shortened his own in the process can have some happiness before he leaves this world? He will be buried with the guitar.
Now I'm not suggesting for a second that this guy's medical condition isn't genuine, that he didn't risk his life saving people on 9/11. He has offered on all occasions to provide evidence of his failing health.
But does anyone else find his attempts to capitalise on it unconscionable? The guy isn't asking for help with medical expenses, he isn't trying to stop the bank from taking his house, he's not wanting donations to try some radical treatment to ease his suffering. Could the only thing that would salve this guy's pain be an expensive axe donated by a celebrity or company? If the need to play is so great, couldn't a $100 beater from a pawn store get him by considering that with all his medical bills the cost of a $3000 guitar could be better spent elsewhere?
Have any of these attempts actually been successful? If so, how would you feel if you had contributed only to see him pitching the same story to someone else who is now apparently his favourite player of all time? How long can you expect to cash in on your past deeds? And how many trips back to the well are you allowed?
FUK HIM!
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