The Gear Page provides a forum, resources, and trading area for guitar enthusiasts and people who love music. There is also a shop available where you can purchase branded t-shirts that represent the community.
You have the option of becoming a supporting member at The Gear Page for a small fee. If you make this investment, it gives you the right to sell items on the site.
When you look at the reviews and feedback that current and previous members have about the site, it’s a mixed bag of opinions.
Some people love it, others hate it, and a growing community holds a grudge because they’ve been banned for some reason.
Here’s a personal perspective to consider when you’re wondering what happened over at The Gear Page.
What Happened over at the Gear Page?
The Gear Page continues to operate as usual. You have the option to join the community to respond to threads or create some yourself. A supporting membership is available for a small fee to let you buy, sell, and trade. As part of this process, you agree to follow the forum’s rules.
Before we look at what happened over at The Gear Page, we need to get on the same page about cancel culture.
For me, it’s probably more accurate to call it “call out” culture. It’s a form of public shaming where the focus is put on creating as much humiliation as possible.
If you make a statement that doesn’t agree with my perspective, cancel culture says that I’m right, you’re wrong, and I can make an example out of you.
In return, you’d probably do the same to me to protect your reputation. That leaves the general public to decide who is right and wrong in that situation.
Since most situations cause about half of the population to agree and the other half to disagree, we get caught in this tug-of-war between two opinionated constructs.
Instead of listening to each other to find common ground, we’re preoccupied with the idea of being “right.”
This concept applies within families and communities. I would also say that it applies to The Gear Page.
As a disclaimer, I will say that it is their domain. They can decide what goes on it and what stays when following rules, regulations, and laws. All of us can choose a different place to talk about music.
When discussing what happened over there, I think a little personal perspective is healthy to consider. Here’s my story, and maybe it will relate to something that happened to you.
My Account of What Happened at the Gear Page
For clarity, everyone agrees to the terms of use when they create an account on The Gear Page. These rules apply to everyone, including supporting members.
Under the fifth point on the terms of use, you’ll find the “User Conduct” area.
The website says that they “reserve the right to monitor and remove objectionably information at any time, without notice” at their discretion, but that they have no duty to take this step.
Enthused Digital, LLC operates the Gear Page. Under the User Conduct policies, you’ll find several expectations that all members (including paid) are meant to follow.
| Local Laws: | • You’re expected to follow all local, state, national, and international rules, regulations, and laws when posting content on The Gear Page. |
| Positive Content: | • The Gear Page restricts the transmission of any unlawful, abusive, harmful, threatening, obscene, harassing, defamatory, pornographic, libelous, or “objectionable” content through the site. |
| Copyright and IP: | • If you don’t own the copyright or broadcast rights of the material you post, it shouldn’t go on The Gear Page. • This rule applies to all proprietary rights, including rights of publicity, privacy rights, and intellectual property rights. |
| Server Interference: | • The company behind The Gear Page doesn’t want you disrupting or interfering with the domain, servers, networks, or computer systems that keep the forum available to everyone. |
| Destructive Files: | • You agree not to transmit any content that contains harmful programs, including cancelbots, time bombs, worms, trojan horses, or viruses. |
| False Information: | • Your registration form must represent your identity. • You’re not allowed to impersonate anyone else or offer misleading info that could cause a reasonable person to think you were a different person. |
| Authentic Content: | • The goal of The Gear Page is to deliver helpful content. • You agree not to send spam, junk mail, duplicated messages, or bulk emails to the community’s members. |
| Site Interference: | • If your content, chains, posts, or other online efforts interfere with how others enjoy The Gear Page, it could be considered a terms violation by the administrators. |
What Happens If It’s Decided You Violated the Terms of Use?
Every situation is different. The Gear Page likely reviews specific terms and phrases in comments to ensure the site remains PG-13. That effort is something that, in my opinion, should be applauded.
It’s when that perspective becomes opinionated that problems form, and that seems like what has happened to some people over at The Gear Page.
You’ll find numerous posts on other forums that discuss similar situations like mine.
Here’s an example from the Gearslutz board. One member noted that he’d mentioned a quote from the discussion chain and offered this observation.
“…Probably the same people that call the police on their neighbors on holidays about noise during daylight hours and call the Zoning Board because they don’t like the color of a fence.”
When it’s determined that your posts violate the terms of use in the opinion of a reviewer or a moderator, you’ll get a follow-up note from The Gear Page staff at some point.
That note is usually some version of the following.
“I wanted to alert you to the fact that your previous post breaks our rules regarding appropriate behavior. We want you to be aware that it may have been edited or deleted. Please take a moment to revisit our terms of use. We value your membership!”
■ The Next Step of the Violation Notification
You won’t know that you’ve gotten a warning or a ban until you attempt to access your account after it happens.
If there are any consequences associated with the warning, you’ll be informed at that time. The Gear Page uses a system of infraction points to track the status.
The message from the staff delivers a warning that first appears, telling you what the issue is from a review or complaint. A typical note involves “Inappropriate Behavior.”
You’ll get asked to click on an “I Understand” button. It’s the only way to access the site after you get that pop-up note.
Once that happens, you’ll see an error page if a ban took place. It’ll give you a reason for that action, which is typically a rules violation.
It will also contain a date that tells you when it will get lifted. Most bans are from a couple of days to about two weeks, although there is a lifetime option that can get implemented.
If you try to contact a moderator about what happens, there’s a 50/50 chance that you won’t get a message in return.
The Problem of Other Forums and Content on TGP
One of the most interesting forums on The Gear Page is the Pub. Although it is no longer available for general viewing, you can still see the content after logging into your account.
That means if you’ve been banned, you won’t get the chance to see it until it gets lifted.
For me, I got caught up in a conversation about a specific guitar brand. They were releasing a new model in the series, and there was a lot of excitement about what was about to happen.
Someone had asked a question about that manufacturer’s forum and what to expect for a release date, if the guitar was any good, and other miscellaneous information.
I’d left a note about what I was hoping to see with the design update.
That’s when the ban hammer happened. It got virtually all of us in that conversation chain, with the mod saying that whatever occurs on other forums shouldn’t be part of the discussions on The Gear Page.
So, fair point on the observation. That outcome is relatively typical on most forums.
The issue is the blanket blame that occurs by the moderators of the site. Instead of taking valuable comments for what they are, everyone who participates ends up getting warnings or bans.
You can find several conversation chains about the guitar I mentioned, including many of the pros and cons.
That means you must be careful about what conversations you choose to join. You’ll want to review all of the information first before posting to avoid getting the ban hammer yourself.
What’s the Bottom Line on the Gear Page?
For the record, I hold no ill will about The Gear Page. I still find some of the conversations relevant when I’m looking up some specific information.
I would highly encourage anyone who wants to learn more about music, guitars, or theory to put in a search to see what they find.
Some people avoid using The Gear Page because they don’t want to deal with the mods. That’s their right, and I find myself more in that group.
It’s important to recognize that The Gear Page is a business. They can conduct themselves in whatever legal manner they feel is appropriate for their brand.
My question is simply this: why would you stop people from writing fun posts or sharing experiences when your goal is to make some money?
I’m certain others will disagree with my observations and conclusions. There’s nothing wrong with that either.
Now let’s talk about that guitar that got me in “trouble.” It was a Squier 50’s Telecaster.
Although Squier does come from Fender, it doesn’t put the branding on the guitar in the same way. It’s 100% designed by the company, so it is more of a “generic” model than the brand-name equivalent.
Does it feel like a Telecaster? Absolutely!
It even plays a lot like the ones from the 1950s. What I love about this instrument is that it gives you that vintage tint and color throughout.
You get the full pickguard, classic tuner arrangement, and 22 frets for your favorite songs.
You’ll get a synthetic bone nut, but everything else feels like the real deal. You’ll also get the guitar for about half the price of a branded Fender Telecaster.
The Gear Page can be a fantastic place to learn more about music and your favorite instruments. Please remember to review the terms of use to see if you agree with them before posting.
