• TalkBass has been independent since 1998. Add your voice.
    Create a free account to reply to discussions, view embedded media, and browse with fewer display ads.
    Join free Log in
    Want zero display ads or expanded classifieds tools? Compare plans.

Tech 21 lost their minds?

#41
BadJazz said:
*ahem*

y.php?image=http%3A%2F%2Fi232.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fee252%2FBad_Jazz%2FIMG_6515_zpsd71f380c.png
Click to expand...

Sorry, no power tubes, and is still made in China, correct?
 
  • Like
Reactions: MDBass
#43
Big Hoss said:
Don't you mean made in America by robots maintained by a very few technicians paid a living wage?

The whole made here or there thing is garbage. Most everything in manufacturing is automated now that the labor part of the equation is a joke...
Click to expand...

Nope. Tech21 products are made by hand, and most of the other boutique brands are as well...pretty sure Andrew builds all of the 'private stock' stuff himself too.
 
  • Like
Reactions: TN WOODMAN and Thisguy
#44
MDBass said:
Nope. Tech21 products are made by hand, and most of the other boutique brands are as well...pretty sure Andrew builds all of the 'private stock' stuff himself too.
Click to expand...

Well that seriously impacts their pricing and production capacity...

I am a bit curious though. How much of it is actually "hand built"? I mean I seriously doubt if there are solid state circuits involved that they hand form the PCBs and ICs... I'd be heckuv impressed if they did...

There is a HUGE difference between hand made like custom built Amish furniture, and hand assembled as it what you do with an Ikea bookcase...
 
  • Like
Reactions: SirMjac28
#46
That explains their pricing structure...

Not dissing anyone making a living building stuff, we need that. Boy do we need that, but we also need efficient production. I am sure they might not have too many robots, but I would be they have plenty of jigs, and assembly line procedures, unless they are doing one off customs...
 
#51
obimark said:
The tech 21 landmark was the same thing. I was interested in it as well until I saw the price.
Click to expand...

Where the Landmark heads differed is you can put together an RBI and RPM with a good poweramp for less money than they sold for and get the Landmark's exact sound. You cannot create a dUg Ultra 1000 from existing gear Tech 21 makes.
So beyond the weight savings and rack spaces (which was all the Landmark heads had in their favor vs. an RBI+RPM system), the dUg also has unique features and tone among the Tech 21 line.

I'm certain they'll shoot themselves in the foot and release a dUg preamp pedal or rackmount eventually and kill the sales of the dUg Ultra amp, but in the meantime if you want that sound you gotta buy the amp. I want that sound...
 
  • Like
Reactions: AndyLES and handofseven
#52
Big Hoss said:
That explains their pricing structure...

Not dissing anyone making a living building stuff, we need that. Boy do we need that, but we also need efficient production. I am sure they might not have too many robots, but I would be they have plenty of jigs, and assembly line procedures, unless they are doing one off customs...
Click to expand...

Building electronics is not that easy. If you're making enough quantity and using the right components (surface mount), you can automate the assembly of the majority of the circuit board(s). However, every through-hole component has to be placed and soldered by hand, and then there's a whole lot more to be done by hand to build the chassis, wire everything up, etc. $1800 is cheap in the world of hand-built one-off electronic assemblies for test and measurement or industrial control, which requires about the same amount of work as assembling an amplifier - assuming the system is already designed and the parts are waiting to be put together.
 
#56
Nephilymbass said:
Guys don't get me wrong. I love my tech 21 gear and have used different sans amps for a decade now. I'm a fan of the brand. Just a little bummed at the price of this head. I don't mean it as an insult to tech 21. But if your a tech 21 fan you have to somewhat agree. I mean my main rig is a tech 21 sans amp RBI (maybe $300) i to a crown XLS 1500 (less then $400) so I'm already using a sans amp and a class d power amp and it cost me less than half the price of the dug head.
Click to expand...

I love the Tech21 products: I still have a BDDI, and I regularly use the RBI, RPM, and/or VTRM rack preamps. As you said, the prices on their pedals and rack preamps are extremely reasonable. However the dUg amp has extremely specialized circuitry, two channels, plus 1000 watts -- and it fits in 2 rack spaces, and only weighs 12 pounds. I often run a pair of Tech21 preamps in parallel: I've tried pretty much every combo, and none can match the wild tones of the dUg. Sure, I wish the dUg wasn't so expensive, but as explained here and by others, the price is not outrageous considering what you get.


OzJazzCat said:
I honestly think they wont sell well at that price point. They will realise this and it will drop.
Click to expand...

The clips I've heard mostly feature dUg's signature tone, along with a brief demo of the clean-ish tone that also seemed processed. Perhaps this device is a lot more versatile, but it seems designed for a specialty market: bassists who want dUg/Geddy/Entwistle/Sheehan tones. Weekend warriors playing "Mustang Sally" and "Play That Funky Music" will get a lot of fancy circuitry that they will rarely if ever use. Also, the controls are pretty advanced... many young rockers will be confused/turned off by LPF, HPF, etc.

Point being, I don't believe Tech21 expects demand to be high. Essentially it's a boutique item, and that's factored into the price.
 
  • Like
Reactions: andrew
#57
Big Hoss said:
That explains their pricing structure...

Not dissing anyone making a living building stuff, we need that. Boy do we need that, but we also need efficient production. I am sure they might not have too many robots, but I would be they have plenty of jigs, and assembly line procedures, unless they are doing one off customs...
Click to expand...

Not sure, I think it was Aguilar, but they put together their amps by hand here in the U.S. and don't really use an assembly line. One guy builds "his" amp from start to completion. There's a Premier Guitar video of it on Youtube.
 
#58
If this amp existed before the huge surge of Class-D SMPS heads we have now, I could totally see it commanding such a price. However, you can grab the Tech 21 pedals and run them into soooo many power amps getting an incredibly similar, if not identical, result. As most have said, I'm a die-hard Tech 21 fan (their preamps are stellar and affordable), but this just seems like a poor use of funds as a company. Would rather see a Mesa 400+ preamp pedal or a DI box loaded up with features (6 channel, 4 band EQ, Clean/Effected DI out w/ switch, onboard compressor, dirty/clean channels, and possibly multiple speaker sim types).


People can buy if they want, I just feel their resources could be used for better business endeavors.
 
#59
It IS pricey as a one-shot purchase, but I think that considering what you get, in a lightweight 2-rackspace unit...$1800ish for a "package" like this ain't that bad at all. If I had the dough, I'd certainly buy one without hesitation.

Heck, we've all probably already spent $1800 alone in amps, pedals, etc. trying to get a sound like this. :( I know I have...
 
  • Like
Reactions: andrew

Latest posts

Top Bottom
Back