We used Vermettes in my early days. They are a bit of a pain to deal with, but there are positive tradeoffs. The truck pack dimensions are not that problematic if you unstack the masts. They're not difficult to assemble, as long as you pay attention & lead the process yourself. (Don't trust it to stage hands.)
They do have an advantage for flying speakers over the genies. When flying speakers, most of the load is at the front of the fork (away from the mast). With telescoping masts (ala: Genie), as you go higher this will cause the telescoping sections to bind. Since the Vermette forks are a traveler on an effectively solid mast, they won't bind when lifting. I believe this is why Peavey selected the Vermette.
With the Vermette, the mast is a fixed height (i.e., an 18' mast is always 18' tall, even if you only lift the roof to 12')-- the only way you can change it is by changing/removing mast extensions. This can cause a problem if you get on a jobsite with masts that are too tall to fit.
We have a dozen Genies in the shop-- I'd love to have a pair of Vermettes. I'd rather not have a dozen Vermettes.
Kent Elliott
