VHT 6w amp, PTP wired for under $200

[HTH AMPS]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kHwGPppbwq0&feature=player_embedded

http://news.harmony-central.com/Product-news/VHT-Breaks-the-Handwired-Price-Barrier-with-the-all-new-Special-6

If they can roll these out for the same price in £ as they are in $, this will still be an awesome deal.  Course, they're still made in China with all the cost-cutting involved in such manufacture, but its a step in the right direction - we'll be having boutique quality in the next 10 years at Chinese-made prices.

[HTH AMPS]

woah, and an Ibanez 15w all valve amp with a TS-9 circuit hard-wired into the amp - my mate Rich isn't mad after all (he's been asking me to do that for years now).

[HTH AMPS]

woah!!! (x2)... a stompbox from Zvex designed for prototyping fuzzboxes - they are going to be releasing modules too such as the SHO, a tonestack, Fuzz Factory...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J6XjB4vNZYM&feature=channel

This is a great idea.

[Lew]

But they have nothing in common with actual VHT/Fryettes except for the name they won in court. I actually posted a rude comment on that video a couple days ago, looks like Premier Guitar deleted it.

The Zvex box looks cool, though.

[Ian Price]

I'm not so sure about the Zvex thing. It sounds like a good idea but I don't think I will be rushing out to buy one. I think it will have niche appeal.

[martinw]

..but its a step in the right direction - we'll be having boutique quality in the next 10 years at Chinese-made prices.

And that's a good thing?  :?

[HTH AMPS]

..but its a step in the right direction - we'll be having boutique quality in the next 10 years at Chinese-made prices.

And that's a good thing?  :?

Not for you and me, but for the guitarist in general, yes, its a good thing.  There will always be people who're not content with mass-produced offerings and will go the bespoke route. 

[hunter]

Well the problem is that - yes - short term the consumer gains value for money, but long term the lack of investment in R&D and the dying of the small "genius" boutique builder will bring innovation to a halt.

I just had another 2h chat on the phone with Bernhard Stephan (Steavens) and that guy is such a walking encyclopedia of rock, unbelievable, what kind of stories he gathered dealing with all the big guys in the past 25 years. Plus he will fix my Poundcake Mk3 to open up Ch3 and Ch4 - for free - that is just part of his customer service. He said that he designed the amp in a way that a few resistor changes can alter the feel of each channel individually, without affecting the others, very efficient apparently. He was surprised that I wanted a more open/marshally tone, as he said in the past years, most customers were rather asking for more bottom end.

It's just interesting to have that kind chat and of relationship with knowledgeable people. He also said that he benefits as well from good user feedback.

I doubt that any chinese manufacturer will be able to establish that kind of knowledge, experience and trust within the coming decades. But I might be wrong.

[martinw]

The bigger problem is that the drive to make everything cheaper and cheaper is what's killed off manufacturing in this country, and most other western democracies. We're left with small concerns making specialised products. Soon the Chinese (or Indians or Indonesians, whatever) will take that too, and we'll be left with call centres, McDonalds and care homes.
That's not even taking account of the environmental effects of encouraging a developing nation to foster uncontrolled industrial growth, and then ship the vast majority of it's output half way round the world, the human rights issues of buying products at prices you know involve exploitation, the spiritual vacuousness of having everything you want now with no equivalent output of labour, etc. etc.

Bur apart from that, woo hoo!

[HTH AMPS]

The bigger problem is that the drive to make everything cheaper and cheaper is what's killed off manufacturing in this country, and most other western democracies. We're left with small concerns making specialised products. Soon the Chinese (or Indians or Indonesians, whatever) will take that too, and we'll be left with call centres, McDonalds and care homes.
That's not even taking account of the environmental effects of encouraging a developing nation to foster uncontrolled industrial growth, and then ship the vast majority of it's output half way round the world, the human rights issues of buying products at prices you know involve exploitation, the spiritual vacuousness of having everything you want now with no equivalent output of labour, etc. etc.

Bur apart from that, woo hoo!

oh come on Martin, open your eyes - all of that happens already.  a PTP wired amp for under $200 isn't the first instance of exploitation in the far east  :roll:

do I agree with exploitation? - no, but I also accept that its the way the world is and these cheaper products are driven by consumer demand.  I'd also consider where your home electrical appliances are built too before getting all high and mighty (and components in your amps too).

(head voice)... isn't it weird how these threads spiral off into something completely different.  Oh well.

[martinw]

Doh, my eyes are open which is why I'm pointing out that this is part of an ongoing process. It's other peoples eyes that aren't seeing the hypocrisy of moaning about China's human rights abuses and lack of environmental concern, whilst at the same time greedily devouring everything their factories produce.

I'm fully aware that my house, like most other people's, is full of cheaply produced shitee, but what choice do we have? I'm not puritanical enough to have a valve telly!  :lol:

As for components, when they start making resistors and caps in the UK, I'll buy them. The problem is, as my eyes  are open, I can see that most of this has already happened. Can we stop it? No, probably not. Unless the goverment do the right thing, instead of the popular thing, and how likely is that.

Anyway, apologies for the derail!  :) I'll stop if you do!

[tomjackson]

It's marketing speil that this amp will be boutique quality, all they have done is swap the PCB for eyeletboard, crack open the cab and transformers and you'll see where they have saved the money!  Also, is it really PTP if it uses eyelet board?  Is six of anybody's watts really loud enough to keep up with a 'strong drummer'?


It does sound nice though and is probably is a step in the right direction but I can't help thinking the increased labour costs have been off set somewhere else.

You can get high quality hand wired amps built in the far east but as Blackstar have proved, they aint that cheap anyway!

[shobet]

Pictures of tits will solve things!

Have some blue tits

[AndyR]

I used to have a valve telly...

[blue]

i agree with Martin, and try to buy locally produced things wherever possible.  bareknuckle pickups for example!  the unfortunate thing is that these days, if we only buy locally, we don't have much to choose from.  hell, even our vegetables are largely brought in from abroad!  depressing.  the wonders of the modern world have a low monetary cost now, but the price will be much higher in the long run.  when ALL manufacturing AND service industry has gone abroad, what are we going to do?  there won't be any jobs left to pay for the cheaply produced cr@p!