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Topic: Peavey processors discontinued? |
Ralph Willsey
From:
Ottawa Valley, Canada
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Posted 4 Apr 2001 7:45 am |
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Just when I was about to investigate the Tubefex or Transtube Fex, I read in another topic that they have been discontinued. I figured so many of you seem to like them that they were worth looking into. What, if anything, is replacing them? What is the next most commonly used pre-amp/processor? (Besides the obvious uses, I wanted to be able to practise with full sound in headphones.)
RW |
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bob drawbaugh
From:
scottsboro, al. usa
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Posted 4 Apr 2001 8:09 am
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| If you want to try the Tubefex now may be the time. If they have been discontinued you may get a good buy on one. I have one a like it very much. I don't use it with head phone much but , you could. |
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Jack Stoner
From:
Kansas City, MO
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Posted 4 Apr 2001 8:47 am
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The Peavy Transtibe Fex has a headphone jack on it. I'm using a Transtube Fex. They listed for $200 less than the TubeFex and should also be marked down accordingly since they have been discontinued.
I just saw one on the buy and sell. |
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Keith Hilton
From:
248 Laurel Road Ozark, Missouri 65721
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Posted 4 Apr 2001 9:17 am
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| I would like to know why they are being discontinued? Is Peavey coming out with the next generation of these processors? Maybe Mike Brown will be kind enough to let us know? |
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Jim Ashton
From:
Malta, Ohio USA
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Posted 4 Apr 2001 7:43 pm
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I just paid $699.00 + $56.00 S&H for a new tubefex. Worth every penny.
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D10 Carter, DPC1400, ProfexII
Peavey 112e's. tubefex
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Lee Baucum
From:
McAllen, Texas (Extreme South) The Final Frontier
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Posted 4 Apr 2001 8:01 pm
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My guess is that they are discontinuing their production for the same reason they dropped the Session 2000...one of their suppliers can no longer provide them with some of the parts.
Lee, from South Texas
(You can tell it's Spring here. The temperature hit 90 yesterday.) |
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Keith Hilton
From:
248 Laurel Road Ozark, Missouri 65721
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Posted 4 Apr 2001 9:10 pm
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| Lee, you may be correct in what you say. You would not believe how difficult it is to get parts right now. Sure you can buy junk parts, well, maybe not junk, let's call them generic. The quality American Name Brand parts are very difficult to get right now for some reason. With all the crashes in tech stock prices, one would think manufacturers would be making product. Most of these companies generate a lot of their profit from communications etc, and computers etc. With the stock market crash, everyone is tucking tail and reality and orders have not caught up with the stock prices. Most of these companies that make parts are running 6 months behind. I am having a heck of a time getting some parts. Good thing I planned a year ahead. That's all I can say. |
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Jack Stoner
From:
Kansas City, MO
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Posted 5 Apr 2001 2:29 am
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It is difficult to get "US made" parts anymore. Most parts, including IC's are made off-shore or in Mexico. Clarostat Pots, Switchcraft jacks and plugs are made in Mexico. Wall Wart power supplies are mostly made in the far east. TI and most other IC manufacturers make most of their IC's in other countries. etc., etc.
I have a hard time with the "can't get the parts from the supplier" thing from Peavey. As big as they are they should be able to find a supplier for any custom part they need. They've set up production facilities to build some of their own parts because they couldn't get or didn't like the parts they were getting - in other areas - so this shouldn't be any different.
The TubeFex and Transtube Fex are relatively mature products and in the effects processor area product life is limited. All the newer processors are coming out with amp modeling, which the Peavey units do not have and I suspect the next generation will incorporate amp modeling so they can compete. The newer memory cards, such as smart cards that are used in digital cameras, also make the older memory cards such as the Peavey Cache 32 cards obsolete technology. |
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Danny Hullihen
From:
Harrison, Michigan
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Posted 5 Apr 2001 2:54 am
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| Peavey does have modeling amps available right now. The two that are currently in production are called the "Transformer 112" and the Transformer 212. |
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Jack Stoner
From:
Kansas City, MO
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Posted 5 Apr 2001 5:00 am
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| Danny, they are integrated amps not a separate effects unit like the *Fex units are. |
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Ralph Willsey
From:
Ottawa Valley, Canada
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Posted 5 Apr 2001 6:25 am
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I'd like to ask one more question in case I have a chance to grab one of these before they disappear: If a tube pre-amp (Tubefex) can make enough of a difference to be worth having, wouldn't a solid-state "tube-simulator" pre-amp (Transtube Fex) eventually be a disappointment, even if it is $200 cheaper? I have heard at least one forum member say he found no real difference between the two. How can this be? How does everybody else feel about this?
Thanks in advance,
RW |
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Jack Stoner
From:
Kansas City, MO
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Posted 5 Apr 2001 9:19 am
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Ralph, I'm the one that said they couldn't tell the difference. I tried both of them out in a music store with my Steel. I couldn't hear any difference and if there was it was so minute. If you must have tubes then go for the TubeFex.
Since I couldn't for all practical purposes, hear any difference, with my steel, I couldn't see the extra inital cost or the cost of periodically replacing tubes. Peavey's "transtube" technology, from someone who is an electronics tech and ex amp tech, is a major advancement and does come pretty close to emulating a tube. Obviously in anything, tubes or whatever the item is, whatever emulates something is never as good as the real thing.
Mike Brown, who is pretty honest about evaluating products, also commented that he couldn't hear any difference between the two. I realize Mike is a "company man" but like I said he's honest about evaluations.
If I was going for one of the units to be used primarily with my Tele then I'd go for the tube. |
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Mike Brown
From:
Meridian, Mississippi USA
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Posted 5 Apr 2001 10:43 am
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There are a lot of "truths" being mentioned in this post.
True; We have discontinued the Transtube Fex and Tubefex processors because of primarily two reasons; parts availabity and because the product has peaked in sales and its time to move on to newer technology.
In manufacturing, when a unique part is used in the design, it usually is incorporated in other products manufactured by that company as well. Therefore the cost of the part to the manufacturer is cheaper. Case in point; RAM cartridge slot in Tubefex, Session 2000, Transtube Fex, Profex II, Transfex Pro, Transfex Pro 212. However, except for the Session 2000, all of the above products had "peaked" in sales. When this happens, it is time to introduce new products with updated features. In addition to this fact, the advancement of technology is allowing us to research newer ways and methods to achieve what was only a vision a couple of years ago. Look at the computer industry for example. The aforementioned processors "are" computers and when the next generation is designed, they will most likely include faster processors, making previously used processor more expensive because quantities have decreased in production, ie; the 'ol supply and demand theory. Any manufacturing company can tell you that the lack of one important component can shut down a production line until an equivilant replacement is found. As far as "custom" parts, yes they probably can be found, but any "custom" part costs more to purchase to incorporate into an existing product where the price of that product has already been established in the consumers' eyes. This is just one part, what if several parts were discontinued by our vendor? You can't keep consuming the increased cost of that part or parts within a product and maintain a reasonable selling price. We have to maintain competitive prices with our products and you can't do that if you keep "consuming" the increased costs of various parts.
True, Peavey is successful and has become one of the largest musical instrument manufacturers in the world, but we don't "set up production facilities" when we can't get a part. That would not be a wise business decision. In the past, we have set up production lines when we felt that there was a better and more efficient way of building a product. Case in point; the Peavey Scopion and Black Widow transducers. Is there another company that is offering a replacement basket type of speaker design? Not that I know of. So, when a speaker fails at a gig, the only option is to use someone else's amp or go home without pay. Plus, you don't have to recone a BW or Scorpion speaker, you simply replace the basket and your ready to play again. Takes about 10 minutes. Reconing might take weeks depending on the part availability and trained personnel.
I personally was a bit apprehensive about a Transtube Series amp sounding like a tube amp after playing tube amps for years, but after performing with a band using a Transtube Bandit II the apprehension has disappeared. I recommend that you try a Transtube amp. Regardless of what all musicians want to believe, quality tubes are harder and harder to obtain and I suspect that it won't get easier or less expensive.
Therefore, Peavey will persue an alternate route whether its continuing with our successful Transtube series of amps, or possibly another technogy will come along. It could happen.
As for modeling amps, yes we are presently manufacturing the Peavey Transformer 112 and Transformer 212 units. Don't take my word for it, locate an authorized Peavey dealer who has one and go play through it with your own 6 string electric guitar. I think that you will be very impressed. By the way, what steel guitar amplifiers would you wish to hear through a modeling amp? This might happen. The Transtube Peavey amps are not a disappointment.
Mike Brown
Peavey Electronics Corporation |
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Herb Steiner
From:
Briarcliff TX 78669, pop. 2,064
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