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Okay guys, fasten your seat belts and read this (AI translated) article from to german news magazine "DER SPIEGELL". 
The Lost 200 - how a small Bavarian village became a worldwide sensation!
No more peace and quiet in Hintertal, an idyllic village in the Bavarian Alps on the border with Austria.
The whole wide world of recording studio technology is turning its attention to this village of 728 inhabitants. Top international producers such as Rick Rubin, Steve Albini, Jeff Lynne as well as composers such as Jack White, Hans Zimmer and the legendary Paul McCartney have also been here!
What's Happening in Hintertal?
Chronologically, as is often the case in Germany, this story begins after the end of the last world war. Germany, laid low by the comprehensive destruction of the war, needed a new broadcasting infrastructure. With typical German thoroughness, this project was planned on a grand scale, and a collection of documents known as the "Brown Book" was created as the basis for the technical equipment of the new radio and television landscape. Involved in this endeavor were, among others, Nord West Deutscher Rundfunk, Siemens, Telefunken, and Maihak AG.
Maihak AG, even then a traditional company and arms producer during the Second World War, took over, for example, after the first 100 test specimens of the now legendary V72 amplifier (developed and produced by NDRW), the production of this milestone in German audio studio technology.
Maihak produced exactly 200 units of these devices (with serial numbers 101-300). These devices were initially equipped with the very advanced EF40 glass pentodes (unlike later devices based on EF804 tubes) and were originally intended for the eastern federal states of Germany.
This is where it gets complicated. As we know, Germany was occupied by the victorious Allies after the war and divided into four zones. Originally, the Soviet Union, like all the other Allies, wanted to participate in the reconstruction of the German broadcasting system. The Maihak V72 amplifiers were produced for this purpose.
However, the former unity of the Allies was soon history, and the Soviet Union wanted to pursue its own development, which was ultimately manifested by the division of Germany into the FRG and GDR. The 200 Maihak V72s thus became obsolete and initially found no use.
Here's where Hintertal comes into play. Since the then CEO of Maihak AG had his holiday apartment in Hintertal, he came up with the idea during the summer holiday of 1949 to use vacant Wehrmacht storage halls on-site for the storage of the surplus broadcasting technology.
And so it was done. Germany was divided into two states, technology advanced rapidly, old tube technology was quickly modernized by the emerging transistor technology, and the 200 V72 modules from Maihak AG were forgotten.
But that's not the end of the lost 200.
Surprisingly, Germany's old, tube-based broadcasting technology experienced a renaissance at the beginning of the nineties of the last century. It became fashionable again to produce with the old devices, and music studios worldwide snapped up these vintage devices, first cheaply and then at ever-increasing prices. Today, V72 amplifiers and similar related devices fetch top prices and are very rare.
However, the lost 200 were never found, as their storage was ordered verbally and never documented anywhere!
Even a highly motivated expert group from an international specialist forum could not locate the lost 200; they were considered lost, assumed to have been simply disposed of.
Until last week, when the mayor of Hintertal, Bernd Rammler (middle), briefly reported in the local newspaper "Der Hintertaler Bote" about the history of these strange devices, still stored in the same place. The local council had decided to finally dispose of this completely dusty scrap to use the freed-up storage space for the newly founded (and now legal) local cannabis social club.
This report, and probably the photos of the V72 amplifiers (in the newspaper), triggered a worldwide wave of interest in these devices. Mayor Rammler and his staff were completely surprised by this global demand. The phones and also the email accounts of the village administration were overwhelmed, and the local council met after work for an emergency meeting.
The pressure increased, and when Paul McCartney and Jeff Lynne showed up together in a stretch limousine in front of the town hall, the sensation was perfect.
An agreement was quickly reached, and a free concert by Jeff Lynne and Paul McCartney was arranged for this summer at the local fishing lake, in exchange for them stocking up on V72 but also some V76 and other devices. Rick Rubin and other celebrities also got their share after taking photos with Mayor Rammler and the local brass band leader.
What to do with the remaining V72 and other devices? Bernd Rammler and his colleagues now plan to sell the units for a small fee to interested parties. They don't want to make a big profit; 100€ per device (everyone gets only one!) is considered fair. Interested parties can simply contact Bernd Rammler via [email protected]. The proceeds will benefit local clubs; for example, the rabbit breeders' club needs a new website.
The Lost 200 - how a small Bavarian village became a worldwide sensation!
No more peace and quiet in Hintertal, an idyllic village in the Bavarian Alps on the border with Austria.
The whole wide world of recording studio technology is turning its attention to this village of 728 inhabitants. Top international producers such as Rick Rubin, Steve Albini, Jeff Lynne as well as composers such as Jack White, Hans Zimmer and the legendary Paul McCartney have also been here!
What's Happening in Hintertal?
Chronologically, as is often the case in Germany, this story begins after the end of the last world war. Germany, laid low by the comprehensive destruction of the war, needed a new broadcasting infrastructure. With typical German thoroughness, this project was planned on a grand scale, and a collection of documents known as the "Brown Book" was created as the basis for the technical equipment of the new radio and television landscape. Involved in this endeavor were, among others, Nord West Deutscher Rundfunk, Siemens, Telefunken, and Maihak AG.
Maihak AG, even then a traditional company and arms producer during the Second World War, took over, for example, after the first 100 test specimens of the now legendary V72 amplifier (developed and produced by NDRW), the production of this milestone in German audio studio technology.
Maihak produced exactly 200 units of these devices (with serial numbers 101-300). These devices were initially equipped with the very advanced EF40 glass pentodes (unlike later devices based on EF804 tubes) and were originally intended for the eastern federal states of Germany.
This is where it gets complicated. As we know, Germany was occupied by the victorious Allies after the war and divided into four zones. Originally, the Soviet Union, like all the other Allies, wanted to participate in the reconstruction of the German broadcasting system. The Maihak V72 amplifiers were produced for this purpose.
However, the former unity of the Allies was soon history, and the Soviet Union wanted to pursue its own development, which was ultimately manifested by the division of Germany into the FRG and GDR. The 200 Maihak V72s thus became obsolete and initially found no use.
Here's where Hintertal comes into play. Since the then CEO of Maihak AG had his holiday apartment in Hintertal, he came up with the idea during the summer holiday of 1949 to use vacant Wehrmacht storage halls on-site for the storage of the surplus broadcasting technology.
And so it was done. Germany was divided into two states, technology advanced rapidly, old tube technology was quickly modernized by the emerging transistor technology, and the 200 V72 modules from Maihak AG were forgotten.
But that's not the end of the lost 200.
Surprisingly, Germany's old, tube-based broadcasting technology experienced a renaissance at the beginning of the nineties of the last century. It became fashionable again to produce with the old devices, and music studios worldwide snapped up these vintage devices, first cheaply and then at ever-increasing prices. Today, V72 amplifiers and similar related devices fetch top prices and are very rare.
However, the lost 200 were never found, as their storage was ordered verbally and never documented anywhere!
Even a highly motivated expert group from an international specialist forum could not locate the lost 200; they were considered lost, assumed to have been simply disposed of.
Until last week, when the mayor of Hintertal, Bernd Rammler (middle), briefly reported in the local newspaper "Der Hintertaler Bote" about the history of these strange devices, still stored in the same place. The local council had decided to finally dispose of this completely dusty scrap to use the freed-up storage space for the newly founded (and now legal) local cannabis social club.
This report, and probably the photos of the V72 amplifiers (in the newspaper), triggered a worldwide wave of interest in these devices. Mayor Rammler and his staff were completely surprised by this global demand. The phones and also the email accounts of the village administration were overwhelmed, and the local council met after work for an emergency meeting.
The pressure increased, and when Paul McCartney and Jeff Lynne showed up together in a stretch limousine in front of the town hall, the sensation was perfect.
An agreement was quickly reached, and a free concert by Jeff Lynne and Paul McCartney was arranged for this summer at the local fishing lake, in exchange for them stocking up on V72 but also some V76 and other devices. Rick Rubin and other celebrities also got their share after taking photos with Mayor Rammler and the local brass band leader.
What to do with the remaining V72 and other devices? Bernd Rammler and his colleagues now plan to sell the units for a small fee to interested parties. They don't want to make a big profit; 100€ per device (everyone gets only one!) is considered fair. Interested parties can simply contact Bernd Rammler via [email protected]. The proceeds will benefit local clubs; for example, the rabbit breeders' club needs a new website.
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