Wiardgroup

Prof. Thayer has put the Tennessee University System for auction on e-Bay.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=110287445060

This is a legitimate auction and the unit would be perfect for someone playing out frequently. 
It is entirely self-contained and even has a place for the patch cords. There is a small 
enclosure in the back for the power supplies which remain connected. There is a Wogglebug, 
Borg 1, Classic VCO and Dual Envelator, a perfect small system in my humble opinion.

This is a one-of-a-kind instrument for some lucky person. It doesn't show in the photos, 
but it has 3 coats of hand rubbed polyurethane varnish in a Satin finish.

FYI, the auction ended at $4,250.00 and the winning bid was placed by
somebody with zero history on e-Bay who had not placed any of the
twelve earlier bids. 

--- In wiardgroup@yahoogroups.com, "Grant Richter" <grichter@...> wrote:
>
> Prof. Thayer has put the Tennessee University System for auction on
e-Bay.
> 
> http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=110287445060
-snip-

wouldn't it cost about $3400 to buy this new?


evetsterueb wrote:

>
> FYI, the auction ended at $4,250.00 and the winning bid was placed by
> somebody with zero history on e-Bay who had not placed any of the
> twelve earlier bids.
>
> --- In wiardgroup@yahoogroups.com 
> <mailto:wiardgroup%40yahoogroups.com>, "Grant Richter" <grichter@...> 
> wrote:
> >
> > Prof. Thayer has put the Tennessee University System for auction on
> e-Bay.
> >
> > http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=110287445060 
> <http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=110287445060>
> -snip-
>
>

I thought I would provide a somewhat different perspective from an 
existing 300-series owner. I did not cast the winning bid for this, 
but despite already owning each of the modules that make up this 
system I bid an amount greater than their combined "list price" of 
$3200. Perhaps a few of the factors I considered will shed light on 
the possible motivations of those who who bid more than I did for the 
system.

One of the recurring topics Grant and I have discussed is the Wiard 
as an instrument in the classical sense (as opposed to a collection 
of electronic circuits) for which one can aspire to virtuosity as 
with more traditional mediums such as the violin or piano. I'm sure 
others of you have had similar conversations. This system's well-
chosen selection of modules and ease of transport meet the practical 
demands of such a tool. The packaging itself further contributes to 
the feel of a classical instrument. (Having seen some of the custom 
cases built for Wiard systems by Grant, Gabe, and others I believe 
Sascha may underestimate the "worth" of this craftsmanship.) It is 
quite possible that the high bidder intends to use the Wiard as a 
performance instrument.

I also found this system's heritage very appealing. Similar to many 
other examples of precious art, it was "commissioned" for a specific 
purpose, and a noble one at that: education. For a number of years 
students were introduced to "sound sculpting" on this system, much 
like some of you may have had early experiences with a university 
Moog, Buchla, Emu, or Serge that forever altered you. That's a very 
different past than the typical Doepfer off of an Eastern European 
assembly line. For me this sense of rich history would encourage me 
to treasure the system more deeply, much as the symphonic player 
fortunate enough to own a Stradivari does his or her instrument.

Finally, as Sascha points out, the system's immediate availability 
does warrant some premium. It's easy for all of us to assume that 
Wiard modules will remain at $800 for the foreseeable future, and 
that the eventual supply will be adequate to meet our demand. But 
some of you who have not talked with Grant at length may not fully 
appreciate the labor that he pours into his creations. It's not a 
given that he will make these for another ten, five, or even one 
year. Certainly we all hope that Grant remains happy and in good 
health for years to come, but don't equate the process of investing 
in a hand-crafted Wiard system with the modern age's "click here to 
purchase" approach to commodity goods. And this ignores the utility 
value of the instrument for composition and/or performance between 
now and whenever a system ordered today arrives. For someone who 
earns at least a partial living from their music and feels a Wiard 
could contribute in a meaningful way, this value could easily be 
thousands of dollars. 

There's something to be said for committing, and the buyer of this 
system did just that. Many of us (myself included) spend or spent 
months or years thinking about the Wiard, comforted with an "option 
to buy" it along with many other potential tools. But at some point 
one has to get off the fence and decide if he is actually going to 
pursue a thing or just dream about it forever. For someone ready to 
take the Wiard plunge this system was a great way to dive in.

So "way above value" is contingent upon the eye of the beholder.

Chris


--- In wiardgroup@yahoogroups.com, "sascha victoria" 
<sascha.victoria@...> wrote:
>
> i considered bidding but decided it would go way above value. that 
being said i think there's a premium for not having to wait. the 
only "one of a kind" aspect of that system was the case and well, 
that case wasn't worth that much extra. i think i'll call grant and 
make my first wiard order tomorrow.

I respectfully submit that the value in each and every musical device
is not the really relative to the "market value."

In 1996, I found and bought a Buchla Music Easel, which then cost at
that time around $5500.00 OVER the original asking price by Buchla in
the 70's.  I paid this ridiculous price and played the Buchla for 5
years, and then sold it and got my money back.  Was it worth it?

How do I value the musical experience that I had while owning this
device?  Certainly WAY more than what the cost was.

I have since 2001 been acquiring and assembling a very large Wiard
Modular Music System.  I have purchased several modules directly from
Grant, and a certain amount from former owners at higher prices when
the prices went up after Grant announced that 300 Series modules were
only special order items.

I play my system EVERY day.  What I have gotten from Grant's modules
is MUSIC.  Of course, I value this experience beyond what the "market
value" is.

So, that's my opinion - the value of a musical instrument is directly
related to the music you make with it.  If you look at it this way,
how can you afford NOT to buy this stuff and get on with your life!  

Of course, if you are an "investor" - all I can say is that you can
make way more money investing in oil stocks rather than to drive up
musical instrument values so that you boast to your friends that you
have some rare EM device in your basement that you never use.

Of course, synths aren't the only musical objects subject to this - it
is why a mint 70's Strat coast $15-25,000.00 nowadays - (which is way
higher than most musicians can afford) - the tragic thing is that
these guitars aren't even being played.

Ok - I have stepped over the line - I apologize if I offended anyone
in my discourse.  

I am just saying is "the value is in the playing."

Not the collecting.


gary



--- In wiardgroup@yahoogroups.com, "sascha victoria"
<sascha.victoria@...> wrote:

>
> yeah, took me about 4 years to commit. finally called up grant today and
> placed and order. check will be in the mail tomorrow. booya!
>

> I am just saying is "the value is in the playing."
> 
> Not the collecting.



Thanks Gary.  
This attitude drove me NUTS when I was working at a MI store....
bloody guitar collectors.... such a WASTE... and because they spent
money at the store they were treated well - better than the guys who
played every night.   

I loan out or sell everything that I'm not using.


saving for some 300 action
BRAD

hear HEAR! Mr. Chang!

i applaud your courage in coming out of the closet in pearls and
Chanel by citing a dark side to collecting. Those who know me
personally know the lengths to which i go to prevent my old
instruments from ever being 'collected'. Your statements have
emboldened me to sashay over the line with you ...out of the
closet...and add my voice publicly in a resounding "me too!" and
declare that i have no use for collecting either.

Sure it's free country...but that doesn't mean it's a good
country...and the exact point of collision between what's legal and
what's right is the money. There are few perfectly upstanding and
legal tragedies as heartbreaking to me as seeing a panel of knobs with
no fingerprints or a unique voice, silenced behind humidity-controlled
glass and a usurious price tag.

My position is that all instruments are worthless in their case. They
acquire value only in the hands of a musician. It makes sense to me
that an instrument's worth would escalate precipitously... to a
musician with the skills to give it a voice! But to someone to whom it
is a mere commodity .... well.... let's just say they are impoverished
in a currency that matters much more than money to me.

One of the worst violin tones i ever heard was at the hands of a
Guarneri OWNER. The fact that he paid millions of dollars for it made
it seem all the more worthless to me. He was afraid of letting rosin
fall on the fingerboard!

Those poor imprisoned instruments!
Anything that separates them from the artists with the talent and
skills to play them makes them as eerily desolate as cicada shells.

-doc



--- In wiardgroup@yahoogroups.com, "Gary Chang" <gchang@...> wrote:
>
> I respectfully submit that the value in each and every musical device
> is not the really relative to the "market value."
> 
> In 1996, I found and bought a Buchla Music Easel, which then cost at
> that time around $5500.00 OVER the original asking price by Buchla in
> the 70's.  I paid this ridiculous price and played the Buchla for 5
> years, and then sold it and got my money back.  Was it worth it?
> 
> How do I value the musical experience that I had while owning this
> device?  Certainly WAY more than what the cost was.
> 
> I have since 2001 been acquiring and assembling a very large Wiard
> Modular Music System.  I have purchased several modules directly from
> Grant, and a certain amount from former owners at higher prices when
> the prices went up after Grant announced that 300 Series modules were
> only special order items.
> 
> I play my system EVERY day.  What I have gotten from Grant's modules
> is MUSIC.  Of course, I value this experience beyond what the "market
> value" is.
> 
> So, that's my opinion - the value of a musical instrument is directly
> related to the music you make with it.  If you look at it this way,
> how can you afford NOT to buy this stuff and get on with your life!  
> 
> Of course, if you are an "investor" - all I can say is that you can
> make way more money investing in oil stocks rather than to drive up
> musical instrument values so that you boast to your friends that you
> have some rare EM device in your basement that you never use.
> 
> Of course, synths aren't the only musical objects subject to this - it
> is why a mint 70's Strat coast $15-25,000.00 nowadays - (which is way
> higher than most musicians can afford) - the tragic thing is that
> these guitars aren't even being played.
> 
> Ok - I have stepped over the line - I apologize if I offended anyone
> in my discourse.  
> 
> I am just saying is "the value is in the playing."
> 
> Not the collecting.
> 
> 
> gary
> 
> 
> 
> --- In wiardgroup@yahoogroups.com, "sascha victoria"
> <sascha.victoria@> wrote:
> >
> > yeah, took me about 4 years to commit. finally called up grant
today and

> > placed and order. check will be in the mail tomorrow. booya!
> >
>

If one collects anything that is a tool or at the very least something
that is meant to be used and does not use it they would be better off
collecting something like money. I collect records and musical
instruments both of which I enjoy in the manner that one enjoys such
things, with use.

Do I treat things I own with care? -Of course BUT I don't make
distinction between a musical thing that is worth more economically
then  one that's worth less.

TD

RE: half a mil for a 58 Les Paul. I LOVE Les Pauls (even though I'm a
bass guitarist); in fact, had a used '76 (bought in '80 for $400) as
my first "good" guitar. And proceeded to run it through a Boss DS-1,
Small Stone, into an Acoustic 50 watt guitar amp with built in
overdrive and reverb. After that much processing, could anyone tell
the difference between that and ANY other guitar with humbuckers? I
dunno. I sold the guitar for the same $400 in '97 when I moved to
Vermont. I figured I got 10 years out of it for free, and I knew it
was in the hands of a player (my friend from Kinko's, Derek) who would
actually USE it...

RE: Buchlas, Wiards, etc. I also LOVE my modular (W/F City, Wogglebug,
Omni, Borg. All bought b-4 the price increase, but NOT cheap, along
with some Analogue Solutions modules and a Doepfer basic system). When
I lived in Vermont, I could wheel the rack down the block to the art
gallery we played (the Firehouse, if anyone's interested). Here in New
Orleans, the last show consisted of what I could fit into a Coke crate
(Nord MicroModular, minidisc player with some background ambience,
AKAI MPC 1000, and a Nintendo DS with Electroplankton and NanoLoop,
and a Boss Digital Delay pedal). I recreated the analog modular
patches the best I could in the Micro, and played over the minidisk
pieces with the rest of the gear. I'd have to say that as far as
audience reaction post show, there was at least as much interest in
the cheap/small gear as I used to get for the modular. And these were
mostly gear-heads. Just goes to show you that as long as you deliver,
it doesn't really matter what you use. For creating in the home
studio, NOTHING beats the hands-on creative rush from the modular, but
the "toys" are exciting also, and a hell of a lot easier to take to a gig!

To make a long story longer, make some music using whatever you have!
When I was in college, our professor asked "How many of you are
composers?" We all raised our hands. To which he asked "Then why
aren't you composing anything?" Even if 90% gets thrown away, keep
composing!

-andrew