yes, exactly
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Those sales are actually a perfect setup for it, too. “Wow, I would love to get this. Too bad I missed the sale. Well, I guess I’ll wait for the winter sale then. Thanks!”
The sales person will usually immediately understand you’re negotiating and you will often end up walking out with that price, which is still a nice deal for the shop anyway. Win/win.
I did this here on my current 'wick which sadly I bought new, but at least got a decent price for. They had another branch that still had the sale price advertised, and I was like “I love this one, thanks! Well, looks like your other shop has this at the sale price still - can I order it here or do I need to go over there?”
You kind of have to be indirect here for stuff like this (Japanese cultural thing, you don’t haggle here, but can politely indirectly imply like this.)
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Yeah, it always helps if you know somebody, or somebody that knows somebody. LOL
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Bravo.
That’s exactly how I feel about SBL.
I’m on my second free trial and still not sure if I’ll go on.
He is so self indulgent it’s ridiculous.
I’ve actually told them and they agreed with.
So why the hell don’t they tell him.
He’d get more customers that’s for sure
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Oh, I am sure he knows… but that is just the way he is! In fact, if he were to change, people might regard that as not being authentic.
To be fair: I think it is more his child-like enthusiasm than any need to show off, and also when he is doing more scripted stuff (i.e., the actual courses) it is not nearly as bad (still, a bit lengthy though).
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He mentions in some videos he’s aware of his problems (offtopic, noodling) and that he’ll make an effort to stop with that but that it’s hard to control himself sometimes. Something along those lines. I really didn’t noticed any changes though, except on the Player’s path
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I agree with you! And, imo, that’s ok for youtube free videos. Everything else I’m paying for, I want content and just that. I don’t want to waste time hearing about his second cousin playing the ukulele with his knuckles
That’s also true. When he’s serious and down to business he comes out a bit stiff 
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I don’t think I could stand taking his courses. There’s something about his accent and tone that’s deeply annoying me. If only I knew where that comes from… 
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True 
Or, that “flirting” with the off-camera guy 
Luckily, there is different offers for different tastes out there!
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I’ve said it before, he seems like a great personable guy, and would love to hang out with him, but I just can’t learn from his videos. I have fun watching them but I don’t feel they are effective at imparting learning.
Contrast him with Mark Smith, who teaches at the same level and has similar coursework online, and I feel that Mark is a much more effective instructor.
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Agree 100%
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Yes, Scott seems like someone I’d enjoy lifting a pint with, but when I watch one of his lessons/videos, I want to focus on that topic, not his great skill or his personal life.
Here’s an example of what starts out as a great video, and then turns into a home movie.
(P.S. it does turn out to be a helpful video once you get past the family stuff)
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It feels weird to see him playing without a glove on the fret hand.
And I bet some people want to see that part of him! But I think it would be more suitable to have those parts in a personal vlog (or a bloopers reel kind of thing) and not mix it with SBL. I really think it affects the brand
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I don’t mind, I do like him, A LOT. he seems like a genuinely GREAT GUY, as many have put it, “somebody to hang out with and grab a beer with”. of course, I would have a Coffee or water, but you get the point.
I agree, I feel his excitement when he is making video’s, and it is too bad that this does not translate to GREAT TEACHER, because if it did, I would happily take more lessons from him,
What it does in fact translate to, IN MY OPINION, is somebody that forgets that he is talking to beginners, or even intermediate players, and he explains with his “licks”, instead of his mouth, or pen and paper.
If I could pick up lessons by watching licks, I would be past intermediate and in a band somewhere I am sure, but I am not there yet, and I am pretty sure that most others that get turned away by this feel the same.
I will say with all that, he does not leave you feeling stupid, which is a good thing and it is part of his charm, because others that would just play like he does for a lesson, would be just showing off, and could leave you feeling dumb and discouraged. Instead, he does sort of inspire me to be that good one day, or at least strive for it.
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I agree with t his 100%, and might be what has stopped me from paying for his content.
Yep, it is great that there is a variety for us to choose from.
Bingo
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I signed up for his latest thing, the fretboard accelerator. I can tell you that it is MUCH more scripted than his YouTube vids, so I think he’s listening to the critics. It is clear, concise and a much better learning experience imo. The drawback is, is I have only gone through the first 3 lessons and stopped. The reason is that I am also doing the excellent chord tones course on talkingbass.com. And it turns out that the “3 patterns” that are the core of the sbl course are the 3 fingerings of the major triad that mark is also teaching. If the sbl course had just said that’s what the accelerator was based on, I wouldn’t have bought it. In fairness, neither Scott or Mark claim that they were the ones who created this system.
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I took the Chord Tones course at Talking bass and really got a lot out of it. When I started getting invites to SBL fretboard accelerator I figured it was similar.
Mark and Scott know each other and live fairly close to each other, so who knows who copied who.
Bottom line, you dont need both, but Mark is the better teacher IMO.
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I am mid way thru the 2nd module. I have already completed the Scales Essentials, but I plan to revisit some of that material after I finish the cord tones, which I will revisit again down the line.
Mark is a great teacher.
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Yes I like Mark better too. I didn’t do a very good job at the end of my post of conveying it, but I don’t think anybody copied anybody. I mean at the end of the day, ALL teachers are going to cover the same concepts and ideas. I just wish sbl would be a bit more transparent about what is actually covered in their courses.
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