Tom Lee is Satan

A while ago, I bought a ’112 combo’ amp from Tom Lee.

This is a guitar amplifier that has a single (1) 12″ speaker built into it (hence the term combo).

It’s made by Line 6, and it’s called a Spider Valve (Tube for us Americans).

Well, this week and last week, Tom Lee had a Factory Sale at their old Sha Tin location.

They were selling a  ’412 slant front’ Line 6 cabinet pretty cheap.

*It has four 12″ Celestion speakers. I can use 2 of them, or all four.*

‘

HK$1100.

I bought it.

But I needed a speaker cable to go from the amplifier output to the speaker cabinet input.

Word of advice, kids: DO NOT use an instrument cable (the one between guitar/bass and amplifier) to connect the amp and speakers. At best, you’ll fry your transformer. At worst, you’ll fryyourself.

I knew they wouldn’t have it at the factory sale, so I checked at their new Sha Tin store, in the Ikea building.

No gots.

I was in TST the other day for a movie (review coming, I promise) and so I went to their ‘flagship’ store on Cameron Lane.

This is the same store/chain who keep the guitar wireless systems in theotherTST  branch.

Because why on earth would you put the wireless systems anywhere near the guitars and amplifiers they’re designed to gobetween???

Well, apparently the same applied to speaker cables, because I was told that they were not kept in the branch with the amplifiers and speaker cabinets.

So I walked over to the other branch, on Carnavon Rd.

Where I was told, and I quote, “We don’t sell speaker cables.”

They only sell the things that you need to use a speaker cable to connect.

I really didn’t know how to react, because the enormous weirdness, stupidity, and wrongness of it is simply beyond my comprehension.

Even though it happens almost every f@#$ing time I set foot in Tom Lee/Hell.

In fairness, the same guy did cut me off a length of cable and give it to me free, telling me I could use 1/4″ instrument plugs.

I must therefore admit that at least I got a vague hook-up, a Tom Lee first for me.

But I wouldn’t use the cable or the (wrong) plugs.

In other fairness, I ought to say that the guys in the guitar dept. at the Sha Tin branch have always treated me well, respectfully, and with good customer service.

Virtuallyno one else in any Tome Leeever has.

I have been addressed as “Hey,” I have been told that they don’t sell something that wasbehind the person saying it, and I have been openly mocked by some teenage jerkoff who didn’t believe I could do my own wiring.

On a technical level, the absence of speaker cables makes me think that these idiots are using instrument cables in the stores for customers to try out amplifiers. So they’re damaging the things they’reselling.

Why do I go back?

What other choice have I got?

I import as much stuff as I can on my own, but I’d like to think I can be forgiven for assuming (!) that the same place that sellsItem AandItem B(at horrid markups in a customer service vacuum) would haveConnector AB.

Imagine buying a CPU and monitor in Fortress and being told with a straight face that they don’t sell monitor cables.

So now I have to go to Sham Shui Po to buy the components andmakea speaker cable.

Which I’m capable of doing, don’t get me wrong.

But I can’t believe that Ihaveto do it.

Still, it will be worth it. Four times as many speakers.

I may build an enclosure for the amplifier chassis (just the knobs from the top cabinet), because the 12″ in the combo won’t be hooked up.

One good thing about my new office in Fo Tan is that I can play this thing as loud as God intended and no one will even hear me, much less complain.

First thing I’ll do is write a song called

“Tom Lee Gleefully Sucks Huge Yak B@lls.”