I am here to be completely honest and forthcoming about everything that has occurred over the past two months with my company, without the help from any marketer or PR representative and write to you directly from the heart.
Mason starts off telling the reader that he’s going to be honest and what he is saying is coming from his heart. This nicely sets up the following paragraphs.
I had a conversation yesterday with a friend of mine, who is also a member on many of the forums which Vertex has been the topic of discussion. He too is a small business owner, and has had first hand experience in dealing with a business that had to address issues of integrity. He told me a story about a former employee who plagiarized years worth of articles in his magazine, got caught, and continued to lie about where the articles were taken from. Even when confronted with the evidence, this person was not capable of telling the truth, and just could not face the reality of his actions. When hearing this, I saw myself, and realized, “I’m that guy!”
Mason
sort of owns up and brings in a moment of enlightenment to the situation, hinting at a religious / spiritual theme.
The story about the magazine article thing is actually true.
I’ve yet to listen to my own heart. I ignored the voice of my higher power and allowed my ego to dictate my response instead of speaking the truth. I am here to set the record straight about me and my company, no matter the consequences.
Contradictory information from Mason. In the first paragraph he states he will “write to you directly from the heart” now he says: “I’ve yet to listen to my own heart.” Come on Mason, you can do better than this old nonsense. Make up your mind. He also hints again at spirituality with talk of higher power and speaking the truth. Really puts a bullshit spin on things.
Me (Mason Marangella)
I did go to the University of California, Berkeley and graduated with a BA in Sociology and a minor in Education. I do not have a degree in electrical engineering and did not clearly represent this to my customers, dealers, and artists. Although I have many skills of my own as an electronic designer, I’m not nearly as skilled as the engineers that have been supporting me in developing the Vertex products.
Claims to be an “electronic designer” yet he hasn’t designed anything. It was shown that he outsources his repair work. Here Mason shows his narcissism and talks about skills which he quite clearly doesn't have. This is a good example of the
Dunning-Kruger effect.
Ken Volpe
Ken has been a long time friend who has great sales experience, and offered his help in finding new dealers for Vertex products and supporting dealer relationships. He has only been working with Vertex since April of this year.
Ken had no idea what was going on with the Axis Wah, nor did I make him aware of what the product was in any way. Any information that he passed on to dealers was based solely on what I told him. His involvement in the company was strictly to work with dealers and be a representative; however, in light of the Axis Wah controversy he started to defend me, believing me when I said the things that were being written about me and Vertex on the forums were untrue. He is my friend, and wanted to support me, and I let him down by not clearly telling him the truth and allowing him to separate himself from the company before he became implicated in the Axis Wah controversy.
Poor Ken. However he got involved in this mess I’ll never know. Notice Mason tries to diminish the issue by called it the “Axis Wah controversy”. What about the cables, Mason? The volume pedal? The Blackout wah?
Michael Landau
Michael Landau and Vertex are parting ways, and both of his signature products, the Landau Boost and Landau Chorus, will no longer be produced after this final run releases this month. Michael Landau has been instrumental in helping me grow my business and develop products over the last several years. He’s been incredibly generous with his time, guidance, and friendship to me, and I am forever grateful.
This is one of the best bits. Mason knows that Landau would be reading this so this probably accounts for how obsequious this particular section is. He seems to have wangled one last money making last minute run on the Landau Chorus and Landau Boost pedals. Probably Landau’s good nature agreed to this. I think it’s disgraceful.
He trusted me with his name and allowed me the opportunity to do two signature products with him. I damaged his trust, our business relationship, and our friendship by my choice to market and sell a rebranded product in the Axis Wah, which ultimately damaged the credibility of my company and called into question the validity of his signature products despite being one of a kind, unique products.
Note Mason's use of the term "one of a kind , unique products". What an unusual thing to say whilst "coming clean". It's obvious that Mason is a narcissist and has grandiose ideas about himself and his products. This is the equivalent of handing out business cards while at a funeral.
I know that Michael and I both believe in the quality and sound of the products that we created together- they are incredible. However, I understand that being associated with me and Vertex calls into question his integrity, and this is certainly not what Michael signed on for, and in no way does he deserve to have his name disparaged on account of my actions.
Again Mason massaging his own ego and calling the quality and sound of his products "incredible". He didn't design anything - he gooped a BBE wah pedal. He ripped off the design of a Dunlop Cry Baby. He built a simple booster. Anyone with a soldering iron and access to a few schematics could do these things.
I will always consider Michael to be a friend and wish him nothing but the best. He has inspired me in so many ways since I was a 6 years old: listening to his rich ambient guitar tones on James Taylor’s “New Moon Shine” cassette tape that my parents would play in their old Nissan Sentra with my brother and I in the back seat. As I developed as a guitar player and listener of music, I got into Michael’s solo career and the rest was history. I can’t go a week without listening to something that Michael has played on. It’s truly been a privilege and an honor to work with Michael over the last few year and have been some of the most memorable experiences of my life.
The most sickening part of Mason's post. He manipulates the readers by giving rich details about himself as a child listening to Landau's playing on a James Taylor album in the family car. Pure manipulation on his part. Note how he sucks up to Landau by saying that he can't go a "week without listening to something that Michael has played on". He sounds like a teenager who has just broken up with his girlfriend.
Also, Mason knows that Landau would be reading this and tries to appeal to Landau's sensitive side by using this family unit imagery and calling Landau "Michael", thus making them seem like old friends in a comfortable, trustworthy and familiar setting.
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Overall I think Mason is full of shit. I wouldn't trust this man, his work or anything that he builds. He wants to manipulate people in the hopes that he can rebuild his business. He has an over-inflated ego and high flying ideas about himself. He will never change his ways and will never face up to the full extent of what he's done.
