Anyone interested to build a TG1 clone ?

[echotodd]

Interesting.  I'm new to this forum and this project has got me very excited (ask the guys who are helping me with the case order, thanks needlz and kazper!).  Hopefully things work out.  Are things usually this, umm, controversial?

 

[rrs]

Without knowing ant behind the scenes details I would say Wade has been totaly missunderstood here.
Just defending his product which I guess is only natural.

 

[1954U1]

Hi guys-
To say I find this interesting would be a huge understatement. To clarify a couple things I saw mentioned earlier in this thread.
Chandler has not sued a single person. We do not own the rights to any EMI equipment, that's why we pay a royalty. Anything between John Hinson, Uncle fester,  Winston or what ever he is calling himself today has nothing to do with me or my company. I would, however, appreciate it if all gossip-related talk about Chandler, whatever it may be, be kept off this board. Some of it seems to go a bit close to the line, if you get my meaning...Im sure you do...
Have fun,
Wade

I think, maybe I'm wrong, that the offending post is the Frank Einstein one in pag 8 of this thread.
I really dont know how to consider the Wade's post, if cool or threatening.. or a mix of the two.

But, a thing that I dont understand/like for sure, is to make vague references while precisely mentioning people [Uncle Fester, Winston]..
Which line?
What are exactly the gossip talks?
And, if they're not corresponding to truth, then say it clear.. 

 

[rrs]

yeh good point.

It wasn't very clear as to what the issues were but I guess it was from comparisons of the Chandler product to the original.
Some of these posts a pretty old though and I wonder wether Wade has taken that into consideration.

 

[desol]

- Viva la DIY and up yours!

-  I have a friend in the UK who knows TG desks very well and has worked on many of them and when I told him what was going on in my Chandler with the transformers, he was flabbergasted!  If Wade wants to defend his company, I'd like to hear him defend that.

I don't think Wade came here looking for a fight.

 

[phatmateo]

before everyone gives there 2 cents, i think we should wait to get a response from Wade or Fester before this situation gets silly.  He sounded like he didn't care what we did.  They pay a licensing fee to sell the product.  We don't sell the gear we make for profit so I doubt there would be any legal trouble.  Aardman's post was probably not the most sensible thing to write here.  I've never got a chance to use their gear so I have no say, but we are going off topic now

 

[shabtek]

...put that in your pipe and smoke it...

 

[wade goeke]

Hi guys-
Im not here for a fight. No drama needed over here. Anyone that may know me could tell you Im not a confrontational or aggressive person, and know I will do what ever is needed to take care of our customers. I simply thought a few things posted here were inappropriate so decided to show my face...
;D
there it is.

I apologize to John for bringing his name into this where it may not belong. I believe I was reading the older posts where people were posting schematics and mentioning Chandler in the same sentence as lawsuits and it did get me a bit ruffled. I wonder if somebody should apologize for that...?

As far as you guys making your own TG1...Theres not much for me to say. I have do not own the Intellectual Property related to the TG equipment and dont have the right to tell anyone what to do with it. BUT just so you guys know EMI does own the rights and what they do is completely up to them. It does not have anything to do with me or Chandler Limited. I simply pay them a royalty to make the units.

I would have you think about one thing though...
Building this gear is how I feed my family. Its how 30 other Chandler employees feed their families. Would it be better to pick another piece of gear that is not in current production?

Best wishes to you all,
Wade

 

[kml23956]

Thanks for the update Wade.  I take back my puppy kicking comment.  ;D  Sorry about that.

What other piece of gear should we look at?

As far as feeding the family, my wife is the artist that I record and she doesn't make enough money at what she loves to do to afford one piece of gear that costs $5000.  So I have to fill in the gaps as best I can.  That is why I am doing the diy.  The units are not for sale.  Also it's just plain fun.    We decided to build a small studio (650 sq ft) on the back of the house because we have a 14 month old son.  I get to watch him turn knobs and push buttons while trying to record her and she gets to stay home with him.  She can sneak in there if he is taking a nap and record something.  It's awesome.

 

[diyfanatic]

Hi Wade.

thanks for the explanations!

I think that most of the guys who want to build this unit can't afford your version anyway (4000€), we have a familly too.

you have some real professionnal engineer here but most of us, humble people , just try to have some real piece of gear in our home studio instead of crappy B*hr1nger...and it takes a lot of time and effort...not so easy.

how many of us live well from the music and can buy a pultec+ a ssl + a real tube peamp+neve channel strip...not much I think.

Don't be scared for your business...

BTW I don't plan to build one.

cheers.
Jr.

kml23956: this is the good life dude!  8)

 

[ruairioflaherty]

Hi all,

I've no agenda in this thread but I'd like to point out one thing an add a bit of reality.  I'm guessing that only 10 or 15 of these DIY units will actually get completed. Look at the 33609 project, tons of "Me toos" and very few completed units.  This is a complicated build requiring skill and expensive parts.  Like so many people I have boxes full of pcbs and dreams and no time or skill to complete.  When I see posts from people saying this will be their first project I remember my first nieve days in the land of DIY!

Of the 10 or 15 that do get built how many of those people were actually in the market for one of Wade's units - perhaps one or two?  At most?

My sense is that Wade's family will not go hungry, and Mr. EMI's children have bigger problems than some solder monkeys.

This is not to diss Fester or anyone else for their wonderful contributions here (or in the case of the 33609 for which I have a complete set of original iron as well as a case!!!).  Just pointing out that this is not a GSSL style project.

Stay well everyone,
Ruairi

 

[MagnetoSound]

... Mr. EMI's children have bigger problems than some solder monkeys.

What a wonderful quote! Ain't THAT the truth.

I am not planning on building one of these either, but I think Wade is being very reasonable about this. All he seems to be saying is that it's OK to do this but that he would not like to see these units for sale.

If you want to build compressors and sell them on later, then pick something that's out of production.

Wouldn't we all feel exactly the same way in his position?

 

[RedNoise]

Look at the 33609 project, tons of "Me toos" and very few completed units. 

Dam...gotta finish mine !  ;D

 

[matta]

Well Wade has a GOOD point...

I don't think it is fair to call this a TG whatever... it isn't, it might be an adaptation or even clone, but the TG-1 name is property of EMI.

I just don't get why many DIY'ers HAVE to try copy the looks/feel and even name of commercial designs... what does it achieve or prove? All it does is drag you into a very grey area and many times an ILLEGAL area... yes I 'clone', I build my own gear, I tinker, but I've NEVER put the name on a piece of gear I've built, be it part designation or brand... it just seems a low blow. The one exception is when I am RACKING modules that ARE made by X or Y company and not my own creation.

Part of the reason I do this is to be creative and come up with my own names and I'm proud  to put the 'Ashton Audio' on gear and prouder to give it a cool distinctive look and feel, a costly one I might add, but well worth it!

Slapping TG whatever on your front panel isn't going to make it a Chandler or EMI clone, who are you REALLY trying to fool?

Cheers

Matt

 

[fazeka]

Well Wade has a GOOD point...

I don't think it is fair to call this a TG whatever... it isn't, it might be an adaptation or even clone, but the TG-1 name is property of EMI.

I just don't get why many DIY'ers HAVE to try copy the looks/feel and even name of commercial designs... what does it achieve or prove? All it does is drag you into a very grey area and many times an ILLEGAL area... yes I 'clone', I build my own gear, I thinker, but I've NEVER put the name on a piece of gear I've built, be it part designation or brand... it just seems a low blow. The one exception is when I am RACKING modules that ARE made by X or Y company and not my own creation.

Part of the reason I do this is to be creative and come up with my own names and I'm proud  to put the 'Ashton Audio' on gear and prouder to give it a cool distinctive look and feel, a costly one I might add, but well worth it!

Slapping TG whatever on your front panel isn't going to make it a Chandler or EMI clone, who are you REALLY trying to fool?

Cheers

Matt

Really trying to fool? No one!

Well, not that I do this (I don't have any brand other than my studio name on my panels), but if someone's building it for themselves with no intent of selling (ever), and it makes them happy, why shouldn't they? I don't think they're hurting anyone. Are they not free to do that?

 

[matta]

Really trying to fool? No one!

Well, not that I do this (I don't have any brand other than my studio name on my panels), but if someone's building it for themselves with no intent of selling (ever), and it makes them happy, why shouldn't they? I don't think they're hurting anyone. Are they not free to do that?

But what's the motivation for it?

It is all in the intent for me... I've seen DIY stuff for sale on other Forums that have come out of projects here being passed off with logos/brands and names... that can't be good right? It is lying/cheating and deceitful? Or are these traits we want to encourage here?

I've seen guys here covertly COPY panels of gear, for profit, some of small boutique designers, guys STRUGGLING to make a living... why?

I'm pretty sure it isn't just 'because it makes them happy' and I'm sorry but I believe that in this CASE... they ARE hurting people firstly the designers and the poor sucker who will end up with it in his studio one day, prob pay a top dollar for it, and it's just a clone and often a BAD one at that...

Cheers

Matt

 

[Ptownkid]

I just don't get why many DIY'ers HAVE to try copy the looks/feel and even name of commercial designs... what does it achieve or prove?

Part of the reason I do this is to be creative and come up with my own names and I'm proud  to put the 'Ashton Audio' on gear and prouder to give it a cool distinctive look and feel, a costly one I might add, but well worth it!

I've been saying this all along, I can't wrap my head around trying to make something look like something it's not.

 

[fazeka]

Yes, Matt. I agree with you. I'm on your side.

But, people are doing it already. How do you stop it? However, it gets more complicated because now we're going way outside of this thread and getting involved with ethics and morals.

Let's face it: there are a lot of smart people in the world, as well as those that are not so smart. That hasn't changed, it's been like that a long time before any of these pieces of equipment were designed. My point is with the internet now, people have the ability to be informed. I just don't buy into the argument that people will get ripped off buying something they don't know about. Yes, they'll be some. But as an example, those that are looking to spend $5k or more on a vintage strat who can't be sure that it's not a frankenstrat probably have the disposable income to take that risk. You'd have to be a fool (as I said earlier, we can't change the fact that there are fools in the world, just watch the news!) to spend that kind of money if it meant not putting food on the table or not being able to pay the rent.

On the other side, manufacturers are also aware of what's going on and unfortunately protecting IP is part of doing business nowadays. But they can do something about it (or not). They still have the option.

I can't reiterate enough that I'm not condoning it, but how do you fix it going forward? To me, I don't think you really can, so I just accept it. But hey, that's just me. I'd have to think others feel similarly.

 

[matta]

Fazeka,

I agree, we can't 'fix it'. All I wanted to do was add my 2 cents that maybe it might be cool to original in your look/feeling and naming of your works of art instead of just buying into some generic case/look feel and be PROUD of you originality.

Cheers

Matt

 

[kml23956]

You have kind of missed the main point.  The Strat is a tool to help you record music. It really doesn't matter which Strat you have. The DIY gear is a tool just the same as a Strat.  It doesn't matter what the cover looks like or if you have the original piece of gear. If you want a blue one. make it blue, green , make it green, just use it to make music.  As Larry Crane once told me..."it's what you do with it.  Throw the (fill in the blank explicative) out and use your ears. Now go record something, record anything, just record."  When it comes down to it you need to use your ears to create something.  They are the main tool you have.

I think the fill in the blank was about the phase meter that I was using to record two room mics and he went on a rant about gear and recording for at least 20 minutes.   ;D   Larry has his opinions.  He was correct, as usual.   I through out the phase meter.