Re: valve/tube vs. solid state -- the battle continues
That's true of any product. So what? If consumer demand is strong enough, the market will pay enough for the maker to make and sell at a profit. Which is exactly the case now.
(emphasis added) We're looking at the same thing from 2 different sides. You think that the sound of tubes justifies the price of buying a tube amp, and I don't. You say that consumer demand has kept the market going and will continue to do so, and I say that it's declining, with emu's and plug-ins taking market share away. Agree to disagree?
Custom shop guitars going up in price doesn't drive up the price of lower end models. I fail to see your point. Also, if you're going to make the case that rare earth materials and inert gas shortages are going to put the tube amp industry out of business, then you have to say the same for the jewelry industry, many kinds of special medical and lab equipment, and even balloons and God knows what else.
If you think that on a technological level, tube guitar amps are equal to medical equipment, you haven't been to the hospital in a while, for which good fortune I hope you continue to be blessed. As for bling, check out your local jewelry store, and ask if prices have gone up in the last 30 years or so.
Custom shop guitars are only available for those who can afford them (sig models, for example), and who place orders for the featues they desire. The mass market catches hold of custom features after a while, and incorporates them into popular models. The more knock-off and licensed-by models are made, the cheaper things get.
Do you see evidence of that happening in the tube amp market? No, it's been pretty much the same for a long time: clean ch. 1, bass & treble. Dirty ch. 2, bass, mid & treble (maybe some mid-scoop or EQ). Spring reverb, and footswitch(-es). Simple, neat and complete. The only diff in the amp market is the SS/emu's, and I think we know how you feel about them.
But do you have any evidence that such a massive price spike and/or shortage of these materials is on the horizon? Otherwise it's pure speculation... if lack of market growth was going to kill tube amps, it would have happened in the 80's when market conditions for tube amps were far worse.
Fender almost died in the 80's, along with Kustom, Ampeg, Sunn, Gibson and more than a few others. They all went thru major consolidation/selloff/restructuring/mergers, etc. As for "decent profit", there's no way that their profits will equal what they made in the 60's and 70's ever again.
Do you have any evidence that the profit margin of tube makers is shrinking? You seem to be presenting assumptions as facts. Even if it's true, it could be due to increased competition.
Apart from the established (Sovtek/Tesla/JJ, etc.) names, who else has gotten into making and selling tubes? What new companies have come forward with new tube designs? Who has made new amps, without relying on the tried-and-true that came before? What competition are you referring to? There are no new designs, because many people want the sound of the golden age original. If I'm wrong, I'm sure I'll be corrected :firing:, but from my perspective, in many cases, the 'new' stuff is based on making the best of the old.
What are you talking about? All tube amp owners can currently afford spare tubes. You spend maybe $100-200 a year on them. Most already have back-up amps.
If you'd rather have a tube amp, go for it, and get all the spares of all the things you need... but to assume all can afford them (or that they have room in their lives/budgets/homes for spare amps) is a mistake.
Practical demand for a
good-sounding SS amp will come first, because as a technology, tubes have been around since before black+white TV. The only constant is change. It won't happen right away, I'm saying 5 or 10 years. Remember also, that each technological advance makes it faster and easier to design for each future product generation. That's what convinces me of that time frame.
:dance::arms:
