Double Bass Raven retirement

[Bob Gollihur]

It's been mentioned in other forums, prematurely, I might add, but Steve Rabe of Raven Labs is retiring the line, effective immediately.

He has had hassles with production since early this year, and recently said he'd had some part acquisition problems. I am guessing that was the last straw. He wrote me "I'm actually going to concentrate on some designs I have wanted to do. For various reasons, and the fact the timing is good, I decided to end production after the few backorders are filled. I will still be around for repairs, etc."

Anybody who has met or spoken with Steve knows what a great guy he is, and if you've had experience with anything Raven Labs, you'll likely agree that he designed and built great stuff.

Just a note, if you've been hankering for a Raven Labs fix, better satisfy it or be prepared to search for used stuff. I'm sorry to see it go, but wish Steve the best... it will be interesting to see what happens next.

 

[Chris Fitzgerald]

That is indeed sad news. Their stuff is first-rate.

 

[JohnThomasson]

That's a drag. I guess I should stock up on a couple of extra power supplies for my R.L. gear. I am glad I got my USIP when I did.

 

[B String]

For the bassists looking for a ravenlabs blender,
this might be a good time to look at the D-Tar.
As was previously mentioned, it seems to be of
very high quality, and very similar to the ravenlabs
blender.

 

[Marcus Johnson]

Wow, glad I grabbed a PMB earlier this year. I appreciate that little red box on every single gig.

 

[PB+J]

I have a pmb I and I think it's a great piece of gear--I'd always sort of had my eye on a USIP. Sorry to hear Rabe is retiring

 

[brianrost]

If you think this is bad, just wait until Walter Woods closes down his shop!!!

 

[Jonathan Starr]

I love my Raven boxes, and use them in lots of wierd ways. Apart from gigging, I keep one next to my easy chair at home, wired into my stereo so I can plug in a CD or MD walkman for convenient bass practice. For a couple of years my master blender and two mics and a tiny Stewart World 200 power brick and a Flight 10" cab constituted my "loaner" PA which served most of the Community Association and Political meetings around Maui.

It's sad if no one takes over their manufacture, though I know Steve a bit and he's too brilliant to feel satisfied manufacturing widgets and searching for parts suppliers.

I can't wait to see his next designs. I bet they will be even cooler than the Raven or SWR stuff.

Aloha,

Jonathan

 

[tombowlus]

Well, I certainly do wish Steve the best. My MDB-1 is an incredibly useful device, and I agree with all of the comments regarding the outstanding quality of the Raven Labs gear.

 

[NeedMoreBass]

That's a drag. I guess I should stock up on a couple of extra power supplies for my R.L. gear. I am glad I got my USIP when I did.

I already had one USIP and when I heard the news I called Steve and bought the last USIP he had for a backup. He was cool enough to send me some extra power supplies. Great guy!