TheBob
Member
You're partly right: I don't take advice on lots of things. Maybe you'll understand this: if we limit this discussion to drums and drumsets, and all things percussion (or for that matter, cars and houses too, and any other material thing), so much of it is "what do I like?". Therefore, how can you assume a person is being ripped off if they like what they have? It's like buying a diamond ring for the wife - if she likes it, does it matter what you paid for it? 10 grand, or a thousand dollars, if she likes it, you're gonna go with it, right? People thought I was crazy when I bought a $3500 Omega watch - why should I care what people think if I like it? I love it and wear it everyday.
Maybe you'll understand this, we are on a discussion forum, and the topic of discussion is drums. This difference is, this forum is already based on a specific topic. You bought something you wanted and you knew you wanted it, so who cares what others think, but the people who are asking questions here are not sure of what they want, what fits their requirements and what fits their budget. You might buy a 10 grand diamond if you can afford and it fits your budget. If you don't know what the best choice is because you have no idea what your options are at X amount of money, you might need to do some research before you buy anything. Maybe you want to spend 10 grand and end up with a Cubic zirconia because you didn't know there was a difference because you were too cool to ask for help from those on a Jeweler forum!
I mean, I am not going to fault you if you like to throw your money away, but there are some people who value their money and want to make the best choice possible with the budget they have.
In this light, why would buying a drumset, or a car, or a house any different? If you like it, get it. In the case of a car, if I like it so much, I think I'd be willing to pay for the maintenance or any other quirky thing the car needs because I like driving it. A house is pretty much the same thing. I have mine, and I pay for the upkeep and everything that goes with it. Am I getting ripped off because I do this? How would I know? I like having what I have and I can afford it. That's just how I roll, I suppose. I'm not in the habit of getting into something just to get out of it later because I've convinced myself I could be getting ripped off.
So you like to make uninformed purchases, but there are some of us who like to make informed purchased and try to get something that will give us the most value for our money. What if you like it, and get it only to find out later that you were ripped or maybe you could have gotten something better? Perhaps you didn't know that the 1994 LT1 came with an optispark distributor and was prone to failure when it gets wet, so you have nothing but problems with the vehicle, and problems which could have been avoided if you had just asked others for help and they could have let you know that in 1995 they had a vented opti to prevent this prevalent problem? But I guess when you are cool and roll like a cool dawg, you don't worry about having car trouble or try to avoid defective vehicles!
Some people like to make informed decisions with as much information as they can, so how can you knock them for it? Maybe you could have bought something better, something for more quality or perhaps resell value for your dollar. If you like to buy things blindly, that is your right, and I wouldn't knock you for it, so why do you feel a need to knock those who like to make informed decisions?
Regarding advice on taxes, I pay a professional tax lawyer for advice. Just as I pay a doctor for health advice. I wouldn't be asking a public forum advice on those matters.
That's interesting, why not just send them what feels good to you and call it a day? Yet millions of people file their own taxes every year based on information they get online and elsewhere and save a lot of money and are happy. Why should that bother you or anyone else? And I am sure you take no advice when looking for a tax professional, doctor, etc? I mean, you wouldn't want to ask on a forum for advice on who may be a good doctor in your area right. Just go to the first one and call it a day. Same with everything else, so long as it feels good. And then sit on a high horse and bash others trying to make informed decisions. Who cares if you are paying 5 times what someone else pays for the same service so long as you are happy. I myself like to make decisions based on as much information as I can find.
I'm really not being argumentative on the issue, that's just how it is. From time to time on this forum I'll post a great deal I found and I like a good deal as much as the next guy. And I follow the drum market so I know if something costs more than it should. That kind of pricing research is easy to do, don't you think? Especially on the internet.
Why would you pay someone to pay your taxes for you anyway? I mean, finding that information online is easy to do, so why not do them yourself?
We are taking about a plethora of different options with an almost infinite amount of variables when it comes to purchasing drums. There are different shell types, some crap, some good, some sound different. There are different levels of kits. You get the picture. Some one new to this hobby or profession for some, might be a little overwhelmed with all the different options and might not know where to start, so they join a DRUM forum and ask those in to know where to start. It's really quite simply and I don't see how anyone could knock someone for trying to be informed.
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