Emax

(sigh) OK how to unpack the below... 

This is a good example of multiple prior postings getting jumbled up in email strings.  The comment about a "hacksaw" was not in reference to any floppy drive/CF mod.  It was a response to poster Ted's comment that he had had a potential client ask him to chop up an Exax.  Look back through the postings on this Board, in reverse chron, not by string.

Looks like I didn't get the point across as bluntly about the Emax Plus label, so here's blunt:  It's about enhancing the value of gear with non-OEM mods with service marks, such as Kenton and Jim Williams Co. does.  I think Ted does a great service, and I would like to see that such mods (as a pro mod) actually adds value, not detracts.  

Who cares about resale value?  Again, point blank:  My opinion (again, you are free to disagree) is that I think it is entirely reasonable to be concerned that the pool of unmolested instruments free of jury-rigged mods does not increase.  In other words, go chop up your own gear, but please don't push it on ebay when you lose interest and go ITB.

Dead disk drive?  Jeez, order from Route 66.  Or go to a local tech that can easily source a drive and fix it, one-stop shopping.  Many machines that techs work on use disk drives, familiar territory for them.  As for the Emax, the damn thing was pretty high end at the time, don't be a cheap-ass and have a pro fix it.  The excuse that I don't want to spend any $$ on repairs because it is only worth $XXX now as depreciated is like taking a great car with that same depreciated value but otherwise looks and drives perfectly, and instead of taking it to the mechanic to have a new muffler installed, rather hacking it up and jury-rigging a muffler because the cost of muffler repair exceeds the value of the car.  WTF?  

The point is that we all as Emax fans are not buying and using this vintage gear as if it was some kind of business plan "asset," where one makes a decision whether to repair/replace based on the present depreciated value.  If that were the case, one should go buy one of those disposable MOTIFs or go ITB and hunker over a mouse (a programmer instead of a musician), and take yer IRS depreciation deduction.  It is my opinion that these machines are much more special and valuable than their current FMV would indicate, and thus FMV does not reflect their instrinsic worth.      

That's my opinion, and as such, I respect any who disagree with that.  I have owned these machines since 1987, and want them to survive too, so it sounds like we at least all have that common goal.  Best wishes.   


--- In emax@yahoogroups.com, Brooks Mosher <brooksmosher@...> wrote:
>
> How is installing a slim floppy drive with the help of a tiny adapter in an
> Emax like "taking a hacksaw to the back of one of these machines"???
> 
> personally i think that line of thought is way over the top and doesn't have
> a lot of bearing on this Emax list.  these aren't "circuit bending" mods, or
> adding a breath controller input as you had seen on a Matrix 12.  these are
> fairly simple upgrades or mods...  even with the SCSI mod that Ted has
> provided- the worst thing you have to do is make a few trace cuts and on
> some models you don't even have to do that.  many Emaxes are already in bad
> condition, and that isn't the fault of a possible current owner.  many
> Emaxes do not have factory SCSI and many Emaxes have a dead disk drive.  i
> see nothing wrong with a 3rd party offering solutions for these problems and
> Ted has only been 100% professional with me.  maybe i missed the point of
> your original email or i don't understand what you mean by talking about a
> "home brew mod" here but I wouldn't call what Ted does a "home brew" mod.
> and, there are plenty of other people on this list who know what they're
> doing.  a sticker such as your saying "Emax Plus by Ted Summers limited"
> isn't going to make the mod work better, and franky, unless you're just a
> collector, why should you care about the resale value??  i'm all about
> seeing people keep these machines alive for the sake of making music - but
> to care about it being a museum piece isn't what the machine was built for
> in the first place.
> 
> 
> just my 2 cents
> 
> Brooks
> 
> 
> On Mon, Sep 21, 2009 at 10:20 PM, sequentialprophett8 <
> michael.a.padilla@...> wrote:
> 
> >
> >
> > Hi Ted, I've read about your mods, it sure sounds like a great service,
> > especially the turnkey part of it - send it off to you, the machine comes
> > back ready to run samples from a card. Kind of like Kenton does with their
> > MIDI kits or Jim Williams Co. does with their Adat HD24XR AD/DA convertors.
> > Granted the Emax is a more limited market, but I would imagine your
> > expertise could be expanded to other models. How about a cool sticker (like
> > the Emax SE stickers) to put on your modded machines "Emax PLUS By Ted
> > Summers Limited" or something. That would probably enhance the resale value
> > on models that were done by you as a turnkey. Most serious vintage gear
> > buyers, including me, will not touch a "home brew" modded vintage machine,
> > like a Matrix-12 that's been tweaked with some funky homemade
> > breath-controller mod (saw such an animal on ebay), but an established
> > modding outfit with a web presence would probably enhance the resale value
> > of the machine.
> >
> > I guess my point is that I think the low current fair market value of these
> > Emaxes invites people to think they are not worthy of being treated like the
> > once-high end machines they once were. The thought of a DIY'er taking a
> > hacksaw to the back of one of these machines makes me queasy!
> >