Late to the party on the below news. This really saddens me. Master technicians that can work on vintage, rare synthesizers/samplers are priceless in my opinion. Being a custodian (owner) of some of these irreplaceable instruments, I have no reservation paying whatever is necessary to lovingly maintain them, take them up on suggestions to do this or that while in there anyway (and pay them for it), and I always include a tip.
I recognize the years of training and experience that go into who that technician is now; that what their skills and human intuition tell them when they diagnose a problem are economically valuable. That intuition I find fascinating. It's the difference between a master carpenter whose experience tells them more than anyone could learn from a book, and a DIY'er who goes to a big box hardware store and spends all weekend trying to do something, with a half-baked result. It is the difference between an experienced doctor or lawyer and someone that just reads a book and thinks they know what to do.
When these E-mu instruments were new, they were eye-wateringly expensive, in the dollars of their day. Exotic, unusual. With an unusual sound as well. I am an original owner of the Emax. I was there, the mid-80s. Big hair; no cell phones, no internet. Lots of pink and black. Nagel prints. Boat shoes and Izods. You get the picture. In even the high-end dealerships there were mainly fleets of pedestrian Korgs, Yamahas and Rolands. Dealers pushing boring Roland S-50s (remember those?!) with their "Fairlight-style interface." Then in the back room where the really expensive stuff was: An Emax. Sitting reverentially on its stand, next to a PPG on its stand.
Upon purchasing an Emax, I went up to Scotts Valley and met with Dave Rossum and Scott Wedge at E-Mu. Personally. I got to see the engineering department and what they were working on at the time (a rough mule/mockup of the E-III). Upon purchasing a Prophet VS, I got to meet with Dave Smith, the owner over at Sequential; I also got to see the engineering department and what they were working on (Prophet 3000). Buying an E-mu or a Sequential was a high-end deal, and it was a special experience. Real client service. Does anyone remember what that means?
Fast forward to today: Part of the problem exhibited by the below comments (rude clients) is that most of the E-mu instruments (except the Modulars) are probably at the bottom of a price bell curve: That invites a whole species of purchasers of these fine musical instruments who have, let's say diplomatically, a different approach to ownership.
Get a beat-up Emax on eBay ("no manual, no disks, powers up, I have no way to test it"). What the hell does that mean? People buy these things and think it is just like buying something at Tesco (UK) or Wal-Mart (USA). It is a commodity to them. Those people have money for tattoos, cell phones, pit bulls, loads of stuff from the local mall, budget airline airfare. They can't abide by paying anyone to actually repair something they already own. Let me repeat that: There are types of people who cannot abide by paying anyone to actually repair something they already own.
Doesn't work? Toss it in the bin. Hit the mall. Buy. Repeat.
Aside from that, regardless of nationality, people increasingly do not put an economic value on the craftsman/engineer's skills: To lovingly maintain and restore a physical thing: Be it a rare musicial instrument, a rare or unusual car, a classic vintage bungalow house, or a vintage mainframe.
I think the good news is that, as time goes by, E-mu instruments will increase significantly in value, and weed out these types of owners. Remember old analog synths that could not be given away, and now command five figures. So too will people realize that the Emax's distinctive 12/8-bit sound IS so very desirable, and that virtual synth software just isn't the same thing - in sound or in user interface.
Best wishes to you Jamie in all of your endeavours.
MikeShow quoted textHide quoted text
----- Original Message -----
From: jammie.emma@... [emax]
To: emax@yahoogroups.com
Sent: Wednesday, December 24, 2014 1:40 AM
Subject: [emax] closed service shop
sorry to all but im closing shop
i have one emax customer to forfill and thats it i will not be doing or taking on any more service work
as i cant take the hassle any longer with rood customers or having to wait months and months for payment
i also will no longer be giving my free time to answer any ones questions on how to repair stuff i did an engineering degree which took me over 5 years at college.
worked at various manufacturers learning their equipment and my time is precious to me
im going to spend my time on my self and just help myself
i am doing new things with great people who appreciate me i thank all my customers over the years and especially my returning customers who have sent me items time and time again a big thankyou
thanks to all ted is now your only resource as its good bye from me thanks jammie