> Interesting results so far on the poll. Results are all over the
> place, and there are more wild folks than I would have suspected.
My $0.02 worth, in addition to my vote: I'm not at all attached to the stock
MOTM look. I'm the happy owner of several Stooge panels but I switched to
using FPE for my own modules and conversions mostly because of the long lead
time for Stooge panels. Personally I think in-filled engraving looks better
than silkscreening, but I realize that makes me a heretic here. I'm not
terribly fussy about how my synth looks; nobody but myself, my girlfriend,
and the teenager who lives next door ever sees it. It's the sound that
really counts in the end, IMHO.
I believe that it's worth pointing out that there is a good deal of ∗cough
cough∗ variation in the panel markings of stock MOTM panels.
It's also worth noting that small-format modular panels represent a good
market for you guys. You're probably already considering this since you
mentioned doing regular rack-mount panels also, but the business model
becomes much more compelling if you don't restrict yourselves to the MOTM
size and appearance.
In any case, I anticipate a need for about 20U of custom (i.e., original
designs, 1-3 of each) MOTM-height panels over the next few years. I'm sure
that represents a tiny fraction of your business. However, one of two
companies will get those panel jobs: FPE or the Stooges. If the Stooges
offer a product that's competitive with FPE in terms of pricing and delivery
time for one-off panels, I'd rather give you guys the business.
--Adam