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Jeff Berlin banned from TB?

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#81
Sorry, but I can't help but think that Jeff wallows in self-pity because even among musicians he wallows in anonymity. I get how good he is, but seriously, I have only heard his playing on a couple of occasions and those were intentional decisions to hear his playing. Clearly, the size of his ego is incapable of being exceeded by anyone's and Jeff will gladly increase his ego to assure this fact. 1000's of years and millions of musicians have proven that there is NO one way to be successful in the music industry. So why would Jeff Berlin have the be all end all answer to musical education? To me, this is at the heart of the issue with Jeff, either agree with him on this topic or you are a complete waste of humanity. He has argued this point time and time again with literally everyone who has discussed this with him and in most cases has made it personal with the other party. Who needs it? It is a big world with plenty of space for opposing opinions, some of which are correct...
 
#83
But he just gets in his own way. Bio from his personal website:

"Jeff Berlin is a legend of the electric bass. Simply put, he is considered by many to be the finest electric bass player in the world. Noted for his fluid lyrical playing, he is also a pioneer of slap bass when he brought this percussive-style bass playing in 1979 to a new audience on the tune called 5G! Jeff also pioneered two handed tapping when he performed this style on the tune Motherlode from his 1985 release of his first solo album called "Champion.".

Jeff is known as a major innovator through his incisive playing through recordings and performances for the last thirty years. Jaco Pastorius regarded Jeff as a better soloist than he was. Geddy Lee referred to Jeff as the "greatest bass player on the planet". Marcus Miller told people that he wanted to be the "Black Jeff Berlin"."

He's the real deal but his ego known no bounds. Jeff, if you're reading this please take that stuff down. Even if all of it is true it just makes you look silly. We know who you are; we know what you've done. It's frankly embarrassing.
 
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#84
DiabolusInMusic said:
Just for the record, I would friggin' love to take a lesson with Jeff. I highly doubt there is a single player on TB would not benefit from a single 30-minute lesson with Jeff. Like him or not, he is a spectacular educator.
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I went to the Player's School for a semester back in '08, and had a number of lessons with him, one on one. He seems to rub people the wrong way, but in person, he's a real sweetheart. He's very opinionated, but, IMO, he can back up most, if not all, of what he says. I'm not sure why people want to fight him... he's a great educator and can transform one's playing for the better, if they're open to it. Had I been able, I would've gone for 2 years, and likely come out an absolute monster.

By the way, he's been very open and forthright on Facebook about realizing how he has treated people in the past, and how it's likely due to something that happened to him long ago, that he kept stuffing down and ignoring. He's apparently been trying to take care of it, and his tone about certain things has softened quite a bit. For anyone who is interested in him and/or what he has to say, go follow him on FB. It's pretty cool.
 
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#86
ERJuanca said:
I still remember how angry I was when I saw that video of JB trying to justify playing Roundabout with his fingers...
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I remember that. It didn't make me angry, but it clarified some things for me. Jeff is an incredible musician, but he has a VERY narrow view of things, to the point where I believe he actually cannot hear issues of groove, tone, or feel, outside the narrow sphere of music that he really understands. A lot of people (including Jeff himself) are blinded by his deep knowledge of harmony and his great technique. Everybody has weaknesses and holes in their abilities, even Jeff.

Link Removed
 
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#87
/\/\3phist0 said:
Ken Smith used to be here too... similar personality issues..
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This is one I believe. That guy is a you know what. I had only one run in with him online but told me right then that I would not like him from that point on. As for JB, if he does not follow the rules then he should go as well. There should be no exceptions just because of who you are.
 
#88
thebassbuilder said:
This is one I believe. That guy is a you know what. I had only one run in with him online but told me right then that I would not like him from that point on. As for JB, if he does not follow the rules then he should go as well. There should be no exceptions just because of who you are.
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I called Ken's shop several years ago, ready to order one of his basses after I asked a few questions. His staff member was great....until Ken decided that he had spent too much time talking to me. Ken took the phone, and in 30 seconds made sure I'd never be seen with one of his basses ever again.
 
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#89
guy n. cognito said:
I called Ken's shop several years ago, ready to order one of his basses after I asked a few questions. His staff member was great....until Ken decided that he had spent too much time talking to me. Ken took the phone, and in 30 seconds made sure I'd never be seen with one of his basses ever again.
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I believe this as well. This is something I cannot understand when you are someone who requires the money of others and your reputation to stay in business. I guess he thinks he has enough business not to worry about this. CRAZY!
 
#90
BassGreaser said:
So it's like saying the word Bomb at an airport.. Something no one can say not even as a joke.

What I just don't understand is.. Someone who has been a long time TBer can't ask his fellow members if he should sell his last remaining bass (as they are no longer playing) or keep it due to the fact that they built it...

That is grounds for having your post deleted?
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a little reading of the rules goes a long ways, you must be a supporting member to discuss sales and/or how much is my bass worth references..
 
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#91
thebassbuilder said:
I believe this as well. This is something I cannot understand when you are someone who requires the money of others and your reputation to stay in business. I guess he thinks he has enough business not to worry about this. CRAZY!
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That's pretty much what he told me. Once he gleaned that I wasn't a Nashville "kat", he told me to stop wasting his employees time and told me to find a retailer with one of his basses in stock....then hung up.

Sorry for the derail.....I just never hesitate to tell that story.
 
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#92
tonemachine said:
Jeff is a brilliant musician who, like many people either brilliant or dumb or even somewhere in the middle, must have some underlying issue, be it childhood trauma, brain chemical or something else. Issues like his are particularly hard on, and noticable in, exceptional people who aren't understood, or worse yet, are provoked by less than brilliant people. His knowledge can be sought and heeded elsewhere since he is banned here. "Better balanced" people should filter out what they don't like (or, often, don't understand) about him rather than piling on him. Take all you can of his brilliance, and maybe even try to understand the handicap he has, like we understand physical handicaps. He is obviously not a sociopath, given his well-documented history of freely and patiently sharing his knowledge with others. He doesn't choose to act like "a jerk," it happens in response to provocation, direct or even indirect and in ways other "normal" people might not understand. His motivation is obviously a greater good and a better world. TB has their rules. There are still many places to find Jeff so we can still find him there in between our perusing here for the best bass for metal and such.
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A very perceptive analysis, IMO.
 
#93
guy n. cognito said:
That's pretty much what he told me. Once he gleaned that I wasn't a Nashville "kat", he told me to stop wasting his employees time and told me to find a retailer with one of his basses in stock....then hung up.

Sorry for the derail.....I just never hesitate to tell that story.
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As a former music retail guy, I never hesitate to mention that Ken was acting this way pre-internet, many years before Talkbass existed.
 
#94
tonemachine said:
Jeff is a brilliant musician who, like many people either brilliant or dumb or even somewhere in the middle, must have some underlying issue, be it childhood trauma, brain chemical or something else. Issues like his are particularly hard on, and noticable in, exceptional people who aren't understood, or worse yet, are provoked by less than brilliant people. His knowledge can be sought and heeded elsewhere since he is banned here. "Better balanced" people should filter out what they don't like (or, often, don't understand) about him rather than piling on him. Take all you can of his brilliance, and maybe even try to understand the handicap he has, like we understand physical handicaps. He is obviously not a sociopath, given his well-documented history of freely and patiently sharing his knowledge with others. He doesn't choose to act like "a jerk," it happens in response to provocation, direct or even indirect and in ways other "normal" people might not understand. His motivation is obviously a greater good and a better world. TB has their rules. There are still many places to find Jeff so we can still find him there in between our perusing here for the best bass for metal and such.
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Another person who fits this description to a tee? Yngwie Malmsteen.
 
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#98
A.K. said:
Another person who fits this description to a tee? Yngwie Malmsteen.
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Yngwie did a spread in Guitar World about a decade ago. The poster for the month was him sitting in a room in his house with a stack of guitars behind him. I mean a literal stack, guitars were leaning on guitars.

He had one bass, a Fender in his CS yellow-ish colour. I always thought it spoke volumes about the quality of that bass. In retrospect, it may have been his disdain for bass in general.
 
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