MOTM

> 3.- DIY is NOT dead.  You cannot ever kill the DIY ethic.  Those that
> really got the bug, got it and you can't kill it off.  I mean, is
> building a MOTM kit really DIY anyways?  Richard Brewster's S/H
> conversion: now THAT's MOTM DIY!

(*climbs-up-on-soap-box*)

Well said Greg! I'd like to add to that...

Some people seem to have forgotten about the "Yourself" in "Do It Yourself" ;)
To them I say, go out and learn some new technology! There are vast and 
excellent (makezine.com) resources (instructables.com) online and in print 
(circuitcellar.com) these days, all devoted to the DIY ethos, and to doing 
it with todays tech. Things like surfacemount are not hard, they're just 
different. Anyone who tells you otherwise hasn't done it themselves. 
Accurate panel cutting can be done with a inkject printer, a centerpunch, 
and a drill.

There are great resources (sparkfun.com) for cheap board 
(silvercircuits.com) production, and you can still 
use photo etch (http://flickr.com/photos/ladyada/109988693/) on smt.

There is more available knowledge on how to make interesting audio tools 
today than there ever was before, so get out there and make something! And 
heck, if it's cool enough, someone might even buy it and then you'll 
*really* have something to complain about ;)

(*steps-down-from-soap-box*)

--mikes