audio talk

[ed]

yo the bass

have you got yourself a double bass?
sneeaky!
woss it all about, do tell

[cressy]

But seriously, thanks to you lot for putting up with my inane questions for almost ten years
Cheers guys

[Dave the bass]

yo the bass

have you got yourself a double bass?
sneeaky!
woss it all about, do tell

Nah, not me, not yet. One day, maybe, when the right one comes along.

[jack]

Can i just add to this mutual backslapping (shouldn't we all be wearing lederhosen or summit?).

As a newbie, I've found AT to be excellent - always helpful and constructive. Mostly I just listen to the technical threads as they are a source of enlightenment to the unworthy such as myself - I go off and do a LOT of reading. One day I hope to contribute something in return.

As a ex-patriot engineer, i deeply miss my workshops (and my family too!) and AT keeps me in touch... and for that I'm extremely grateful.

As it happens, I'll be in the UK during t'Owston weekend (back to UAE Sunday night), but family calls as I'll be at a conference in London on Wednesday and Thursday, so will be able to vote too... but not go to Donny...

[shane]

Not sure I've contributed much to the technical knowledge of the forum, but I've learned a huge amount, made some good friends and been introduced to some wonderful music. This place has helped keep me sane (more or less) for ten years, and that's a major achievement!

One day I WILL get to Owston....

[steve s]

I think the meet ups make the forum
It somehow seems longer than 10 years but I forget the wd forum which I never frequent nowadays but joined back in the 90's I think on Paul b' s recommendation

I met Paul through a mutual friend and i would say we
learned a lot from each other after a couple of house visits


Life slips quietly by .... The last few years have flown by

[Dr Bunsen Honeydew]

As "a bunch of mates" forum it has been a great success, even if now a little *set in a way*, in the process you have lost members who didn't feel accepted by the bunch of mates, but very few.

Congratulations on your decade. BUT IMO it is time for you to spread your wings, your input and (mostly) intelligent members are fresh air compared with most of the rest of the forums, but stepping out of your cosy little huddle of accepted ideas is needed exampled in valves, open baffles, full range drivers. Don't get me wrong (yet again) there is nothing wrong with these things, but there are many other concepts to explore, don't limit yourselves. I see others projects happening both solid state and digital so the foundation is there.

I would love to see some of you join the forum based direct sale revolution, if you have something good enough for you it is by definition good enough for some others. The best will prosper the rest will just have a bit of fun. Professionalism is not required, an artisan attitude is, and the odd thing sold amoungst mates or requested as bespoke has no need of full commitment to the regs, just make sure it is safe. This is what worries me about doing it with valve amps, can they ever be made truly safe, but you wont be promoting it on the open market with the potential of eeeediots who like grabbing hot valves or drying their socks on them.

Many years to come I hope.

[shane]

other than yourself and Colin Topps, do you know of anyone else who's succeeded in making a living this way, Richard? I've often thought it would be good to try to develop some of my turntable ideas into a saleable product, much as Ant seems to be doing. Is there enough of a market out there to support it these days, do you think?

[Dr Bunsen Honeydew]

Well Nick for a start, even though he has gone the retailer route with some products at heart he is an artisan. There are a few emerging around the forums - RFC, Firebottle, Mark Grant, Colin Wonfor, Light Dependent Resistor, Coffee something (LDR again), others I have forgotten, lots of other just starting, lots will give up or fail but nothing ventured nothing won. Unless coming from an established background like me, establish it spare time and keep the day job, it becomes a hobby you make some pocket money out of.

[jack]

One of the reasons I'm not a professional EE is just how bloody hard it is to earn a living in a bespoke market. Competition and copying is rife - I've even had folk in China trying to get USA patents on stuff I designed!

So, like most engineers, I'm reasonable and maths and good at software - there's a decent living to be made there, especially in finance, without the crap of competing in a tiny market.

It's not just our field. Artisans generally, have a tough time. I know cabinet makers who bemoan the fact that their customers won't pay the real cost of their years of expertise and craftsmanship, so they make most of their income by running classes or taking on apprentices like me (many years ago, I have to say).

Getting a product, especially one that might kill a user, to market is hugely complex and expensive. The true cost, when you are honest with yourself and factor in everything that as an amateur you take for granted, is eye-watering...

[Dr Bunsen Honeydew]

BTW anyone genuine in this endeavour who commits to only selling direct with an artisan attitude, if you ask, will be given a room to promote and sell your products at HFS. So far only two, obviously NVA and Colin Wonfor has a room. Others are more than welcome, even products competitive to NVA that is not what this is about, all genuine people are welcome.

Jack you are out of date, the world is changing, just look at this from Goldman Sachs.

"The rise of artisan craft is here to stay. In some categories, we think craft will really take over the mainstream segments, and like it or not, the larger companies really have to deal with the consequences of what that means."

From http://www.goldmansachs.com/our-thinkin ... d=pZotrOZi

[cressy]

I do passive pre's, input switching boxes and various other bits such as repairs and chassis builds aswell as the turntables and plinth work. Basically, what im asked to do within reason. the pre's are the bread and butter if you will. I get requests all the time for odd specs and one offs.
What i tried to do when I got made redundant and started doing this was to do something different. Different in terms of the service offered, so that people who do want something that isnt necessarily available have a line of enquiry to follow.
I rarely do the same spec twice tbh.

Now the lenco builds were a happy accident, there was never a plan to build them, it started with a question by a customer, "what can you really do with one, are they as good as people make out or is it all bullshit".
The first one was meant to be it, mi dad heard something he liked, that was good enough for him to actually want vinyl again after all the years of hating it, so bought it off me. The other 3 builds have been an evolution of the first one, trying to refine the formula, but again are all one offs.

I wont touch certain things, I have been asked to build amps for people but refused. Refused because I wont build something for someone that is potentially dangerous, that they dont understand and that someone might stick their fingers in...........

Successful? I havent got a pot to piss in most of the time, but havent gone under yet

[Dr Bunsen Honeydew]

AND as an artisan business progresses, so it can take on spare time outworkers who don't have something to sell themselves. To begin with they become apprentices, and as their skill develops they become journeymen, until inheriting the artisan skills and either going alone or taking over from the dead master, yes the founder once he has apprentice or journyman is known as a master I have one who I can now call a journeyman in Dave Rance (DSJR).

There is a whole process that needs reinventing for the modern time. This is the tradition.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Artisan

Cressy you are an artisan then. If the pre is not sold via retail you are welcome to a room at HFS.

[cressy]

Most of this lot can do what I do anyway, I dont try to sell anything to anyone, mainly because having worked in sales and customer service in quite a few sectors, i hated the 'sell' and hate being sold to. The years of customer service experience are useful though.
Perhaps being stubborn and refusing to 'sell' isnt a great long term idea, but id rather that buyers of my stuff were happy. Old adage is that a thousand happy customers is great, but all the work can be undone by one unhappy one

[cressy]

I might do that Richard

I suppose it helps to try and build things pretty too. If things have a mediocum of waf, then they are more acceptable to the missus who Ime tends to hold the purse strings......

Mind you, without the encouragement of this lot i wouldnt have got anywhere at all