Anybody else get the Kendrick letter re: Trainwreck Climaxes?

JT

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May 13, 1998, 3:00:00 AM5/13/98

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I get the Kendrick mailouts because I bought the hip tube amp book.
Recently they sent out a letter that said that the Climaxes were
pulled out of production because they found out that they were costing
them twice as much to build as previously thought. Apparently some of
the customers were asking them how they could possibly sell these
things for only 3K. When they went back to look a them they figured
out they should have been charging twice as much. Does anyone besides
me find this to be suspect? I mean Kendrick is not a huge company,
how could this happen? Sounds like a bs story fabricated to
capitalize on the Trainwreck mystique. Anybody have any other
information?

Jon
***remove nospam in your reply***

James Doherty

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May 13, 1998, 3:00:00 AM5/13/98

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Possibly if you amortize the legal costs of the fight with Trainwreck,
maybe the costs did double. My guess is the sales/interest level didn't
justify an expensive legal fight, or maybe they already lost in court.

JD

TerryOubre

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May 14, 1998, 3:00:00 AM5/14/98

to

There was no law suit and will be no law suit. James I suggest you call Ken
Fischer and get the facts, instead of speculating. Or, if you guys prefer, go
ahead and make stuff up. Whatever you say will not change the reality of the
situation. What I find more suspect, are the twisting and spinning of hearsay.
There were some disagreements between Ken and Gerald, but everything was blown
out of proportion by a few people on the newsgroups and elsewhere. Any problems
two people have are private and any speculation by others is merely gossip. As
a member of the Kendrick team, I can say that everything has been worked out
between Gerald and Ken and we should just let the market decide if the amp in
question warrants the selling price. Thanks for your consideration. Terry

Mm9775

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May 14, 1998, 3:00:00 AM5/14/98

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>terry...@aol.com (TerryOubre)
wrote
>Date: Wed, May 13, 1998 23:19 EDT
>Message-id: <199805140319...@ladder01.news.aol.com>

>
>
>There was no law suit and will be no law suit.

(snip)

So Terry...
Obviously, ther has been a lot of speculation on this topic. Maybe you can
clear some of it up directly...

1) How many Climaxes have been shipped so far?
2) How many are backordered?
3) When can the remaining buyers expect to get their amps?

TerryOubre

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May 14, 1998, 3:00:00 AM5/14/98

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>1) How many Climaxes have been shipped so far?

About 40, but a few more ship every week.

>2) How many are backordered?

There were 80 amps sold at the original price. So, 40 are still back ordered
and will be shipped as they are assembled and tested. That makes 80 total. The
last 20, of the original 100, will sell for more money and the waiting list is
nearly full. Deposits for these last 20 amps, will more than likely be non
refundable. The last 20 will have the hard wood upgrade.

>3) When can the remaining buyers expect to get their amps?

As was stated above, a few amps ship every week, so it is just a matter of 8 to
10 weeks, give or take a week. After the 80 original amps are shipped, then the
last 20 will be shipped.

Anyone interested in getting on the list should call Kendrick ASAP!
(512)-990-5486

For those of you who aren't aware, this is a one time, limited
edition Trainwreck Amplifier (2x10 or1x12 - Two channel combo w/ reverb) made
for Trainwreck Circuits by Kendrick Amplifiers and was designed solely by Ken
Fischer, owner of Trainwreck Circuits. "Used" Trainwreck heads (single channel)
such as the "Express" have sold for as much as $14k. The "Climax" Clean
channel tone, is a cross between a Vox AC 30 and a Fender BF Deluxe Reverb and
the Lead channel is essentially an "Express" circuit, that has a - AC 30/
Marshall "plexi" - hybrid tone.
The Trainwreck "Climax" is considered a bargain, and will undoubtedly
appreciate in value.

For those of you who have already received your "Climax", you will be
sent the updated resistors with installation instructions within a couple of
weeks, all remaining "Climax" amps will be upgraded prior to shipping.

www.trainwreck.com www.kendrick-amplifiers.com

Donald Put

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May 14, 1998, 3:00:00 AM5/14/98

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When I read email, I look at it and consider the source. I took yours with less
than a grain of salt. Also, you must need glasses as I never sent you an shitty
email, but you surely sent some to me. Would you like me to post it? It shows
just how desperate your spin doctoring activities are.

TerryOubre wrote:

> Ken will be shipped his personal Climax very shortly. Not that it's any of you
> business Don, and BTW thanks for the shitty email you sent. I hope you enjoyed
> my response as much as I enjoyed giving it to you.
> Terry

--
Don
Idyllwild Brewing Company (home-brewed beer and tube guitar amps)

TerryOubre

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May 15, 1998, 3:00:00 AM5/15/98

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Zorro...@hotmail.com

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May 15, 1998, 3:00:00 AM5/15/98

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In article <199805140602...@ladder01.news.aol.com>,

terry...@aol.com (TerryOubre) wrote:
"Used" Trainwreck heads (single channel)
> such as the "Express" have sold for as much as $14k. The "Climax" Clean
> channel tone, is a cross between a Vox AC 30 and a Fender BF Deluxe Reverb
and
> the Lead channel is essentially an "Express" circuit, that has a - AC 30/
> Marshall "plexi" - hybrid tone.
> The Trainwreck "Climax" is considered a bargain, and will
undoubtedly
> appreciate in value.
>
> For those of you who have already received your "Climax", you will
be
> sent the updated resistors with installation instructions within a couple of
> weeks, all remaining "Climax" amps will be upgraded prior to shipping.
>
> www.trainwreck.com www.kendrick-amplifiers.com
>
>

I've never seen a working musician play a Kendrick or Trainwreck amp, nor
have I seen any credits for them on album jackets/sleeves. Who buys these
things, anyway ? Are they "parlor" amps ?

-----== Posted via Deja News, The Leader in Internet Discussion ==-----
http://www.dejanews.com/ Now offering spam-free web-based newsreading

Greg Siegel

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May 15, 1998, 3:00:00 AM5/15/98

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Check out www.trainwreck.com

Greg

Mm9775

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May 16, 1998, 3:00:00 AM5/16/98

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> terry...@aol.com (TerryOubre) wrote
>Date: Thu, May 14, 1998 02:02 EDT
>Message-id: <199805140602...@ladder01.news.aol.com>
>
>

> The Trainwreck "Climax" is considered a bargain,
>

Gee, Terry, by whom?

> and will undoubtedly appreciate in value.
>

Does Kendrick provide a written guarantee of this appreciation? If not, it's
just (to put it kindly) hype and possibly illegal as well.

Lest we forget, "boutique" amps have been around for decades (anyone remember
Jim Kelly's or Garnet amps?). Many have gained headlines, but few are now worth
even as much as a comparable (and far more commonplace) BF Fender.

Jim Kroger

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May 16, 1998, 3:00:00 AM5/16/98

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In article <199805150110...@ladder01.news.aol.com>,
terry...@aol.com (TerryOubre) wrote:

Terry, what is the price of a Climax? I sent you (polite) email asking
but never heard back from you. I also wanted to know how many of the
original 100 to be made are still available to be claimed. Finally,
what is the down payment required to reserve one? What does one receive
in writing about the expected delivery date of the amp?

It would be great if you would respond to the group.

Your presence and helpfulness here is a testament to the Kendrick company's
legitimacy.

Jim

TerryOubre

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May 17, 1998, 3:00:00 AM5/17/98

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>Terry, what is the price of a Climax? I sent you (polite) email asking
>but never heard back from you. I also wanted to know how many of the
>original 100 to be made are still available to be claimed. Finally,
>what is the down payment required to reserve one? What does one receive
>in writing about the expected delivery date of the amp?
>
>It would be great if you would respond to the group.
>
>Your presence and helpfulness here is a testament to the Kendrick company's
>legitimacy.
>
>Jim

Jim,

For some reason I didn't get your first e-mail. Can't imagine why.

Anyway, we have a waiting list for the last 20 Climax amps, which will be
released after we deliver the second half of the initial 80. We anticipate to
have those delivered in 8 to 10 weeks. The list has about 15 or so names on it
at the present time. I expect some people will not follow through, so we will
probably collect more than 20 names. We haven't started taking deposits yet.
Deposit amount will be set at 2K. Balance will be 3k plus $45.00 for shipping
and handling. The total is 5k +S&H. Some people may wince at the price, but
considering that a Trainwreck Express "head" sells for 14K used, I think it's
reasonable. The Climax "combo" has 2 channels. The Lead channel is an Express
with a slightly beefier output transformer and the Clean channel is a newer
design from Ken Fischer and has reverb. The last 20 will have the hardwood
upgrade.
As far as a written guarantee of delivery date, I don't know about that right
now. It's possible, but our priority is to deliver the rest of the amps back
ordered and then ship the last 20. As we get closer to that end, we will be
able to estimate when the last 20 should be delivered. If I were to venture a
guess -- we would start to deliver the last 20 in about three months. Since we
can't predict the future, we don't want to set a definite date. But I state
again, there was and will be no law suit and we will make and deliver every
single Climax of the original 100 commissioned by Trainwreck. Fortunately, just
about all of the clients who ordered months ago have been very patient. Due to
the fact that we're steadily shipping Climaxes every week, most realize the end
is near.
When it comes to other gear, such as high end guitars, top of the line drums
and other professional musical equipment, musicians are used to paying premium
prices to get the best. I just don't understand why amplifiers are judged by a
different standard. In my opinion there is a double standard and it's not fair
the amplifier manufacturers who provide this kind of high end gear.
There are some amp builders who work out of their homes with virtually no
overhead or employees and therefore are able to make amps available for less
money. To judge other amp prices by this standard is unreasonable. The market
will decide what will sell and what won't. It serves no purpose for people who
don't even plan to buy a product [they feel is overpriced] to argue and
complain about the cost. There are alot of things that aren’t in my budget, but
I don't go around making disparaging remarks about the manufacturers who make
things I can't afford.
I realize that for me to give my personal opinion about these issues will be
criticized by others as editorializing, but that's the risk you take when you
stick your neck out and post on a newsgroup. Especially when you use your real
name.
In the case of the Trainwreck Climax, I don't feel my comments are out of line,
because it is NOT a Kendrick amp and I am merely giving my opinion when I say
that it's one the best sounding amps I've ever played. The entire 100 units are
virtually sold, so I am not trying to sell anybody anything. I have been asked
to respond to some questions and have given my answers and included some
opinions in the process.
I think years later many people will agree that the Climax was one of the best
handwired amps of the 1990's "Golden Age" of back to basics amp building. There
are also some incredibly great guitars being made. Looking back on the 1970's
and the 1980's I hope we never re-visit the "Dark Ages" again, but nothing
lasts forever and we should all be glad that the market is healthy for high
quality gear and TUBES!
Terry

P.S. Jim, I obviously went overboard in my response to your questions, but
because you requested that I post on this newsgroup, I felt the need to address
other issues as well.

Jim Kroger

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May 17, 1998, 3:00:00 AM5/17/98

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In article <199805170456...@ladder03.news.aol.com>,
terry...@aol.com (TerryOubre) wrote:

Terry, thanks for the thorough response. Is the $5000 price tag based on
what it cost you to build the amp, and if so, what causes it to cost so
much more to build than say a Victoria, and other such botique amps?

Thanks,
Jim

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The author is singly responsible for the contents of this
message; they do not reflect any opinion of the organizations
sponsoring this net account.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Jack A. Zucker

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May 17, 1998, 3:00:00 AM5/17/98

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>I've never seen a working musician play a Kendrick or Trainwreck amp, nor
>have I seen any credits for them on album jackets/sleeves. Who buys these
>things, anyway ? Are they "parlor" amps ?
>

Terry Oubre plays one! :-)

Seriously, I get suspicious when an advertisement comes out claiming that a
single amp sounds like a Deluxe Reverb, AC-30, and Plexi Marshall -
Especially since all 3 amps used different output tubes! I guess I'd like to
hear an independent tester qualify those statements.

I remember some ads a few years ago where Terry Oubre was featured as a
"regular musician" and raving about the ad. Then come to find out he works
for the company!

I'm not saying the glowing reports are false but I get I'd like to try one
myself and see.

-Jaz

TerryOubre

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May 17, 1998, 3:00:00 AM5/17/98

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>Terry, thanks for the thorough response. Is the $5000 price tag based on
>what it cost you to build the amp, and if so, what causes it to cost so
>much more to build than say a Victoria, and other such botique amps?
>
>
>
>Thanks,
>Jim

Jim

I could continue to explain costs and overhead and everything else that
goes into running an amp company. It would turn into a college course and
frankly don’t have the time to explain things to everyone’s satisfaction. No
matter what I say, someone will find fault with it and twist, pick apart ,call
it hype and on and on. Other amp manufacturers set prices by their own criteria
and also what the market will bear, etc., etc.. I don’t feel I have to justify
the price of a product to any newsgroup especially with all the "vipers "out
there waiting to attack with all the venom they can muster.
What other amp companies have to justify everything they do? Who are we
hurting? If the Climax is out of reach for the vast majority of players - so
what! Matchless had a hardwood version of their DC 30 set at $5k as far back as
1994. Why don’t you guys complain about Matchless and try to make them explain
and justify their products and prices?
Unless you are in the business of manufacturing "high end" amplifiers,
then you will probably not understand why the prices are the way they are. Like
I said, it would take a business course to explain it to everyone’s
satisfaction, and I personally do not have the time. If someone else out there
wants to do it, then be my guest. Also I wish someone would explain the double
standard between "high end" guitar prices and "high end" amp prices and why
vintage prices are so high and so on.
Kendrick is trying to address the high cost of good tone with the new
Black Gold 35 amp, recently reviewed in Guitar Player. This amp has the
"boutique tone" without the "boutique" price. We want to get good tone in the
hands of more working guitarists and not collectors and such, this is why we
are also making more affordable amps well within the reach of most players. The
list price on the Black Gold 35 is $1,295.00.
The only reason I mention it, is so that a lot of you guys following this
thread may only know about Kendrick through hearsay and rumor, and may have the
absolute wrong impression of what we’re about.
It’s rather difficult to reach the players out there with our point of
view, when we’re constantly being characterized by people with an obvious
negative bias toward us. It makes you wonder why they are so against us. It’s
got to be rooted in some kind of personal vendetta thing.
What disturbs me, is the way these guys take the position, that all the
players who follow these newsgroups are so naïve that they are incapable of
recognizing hype for themselves and need to have it pointed out. I think these
guys are in need of some sort of acknowledgment and badger others as a way of
making themselves look good. I would suggest to these people, that if you don’t
like what we do and how we do it, then start your own company and put us out of
business. In other words "put up or shut up" - stop whining an play your
guitar. Why not let the market decide if a product is worth the price or not.
You can’t stay in business if no one buys your stuff. I can’t make it any
plainer than that.

Jim, you may not fall in the category of complainers that I mentioned and I
don’t mean to accuse you of that. But because you seem to want me to respond in
the newsgroup forum, I have taken the liberty to address some of the comments
that have been made as well as, comments that will undoubtedly be made in
postings following this one.
Unless and until others get involved and explain the obvious double
standard between guitars and amp prices then I really would like to drop the
issue. I am in the middle of another album project and can’t keep giving
detailed responses to everyone who wants to criticize my answers. I deal with
the amp world five days a week and need the weekends to do other stuff. Anyone
who knows me, knows that I am NOT trying to avoid a confrontation and hide from
all the doubtful speculation that goes on in this business. It’s just that I’ve
already spent a lot of energy dealing with the Climax controversy on the
Vintage Guitar bulletin board and this is really getting old. Thanks to
everyone who supports my views on this matter. Cooler heads will prevail.
Terry

Jim Kroger

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May 17, 1998, 3:00:00 AM5/17/98

to

Terry you could have given me a straight answer to why a Climax costs two
to three times as much as a Victoria in a fraction of the space you took
on your diatribe about why you can't explain it. I haven't been "for" or
"against"
you or Kendrick nor have I really cared whether two companies I know
little to nothing about and whose amps I'll probably get to play about as
often as I play a dumble want to fight, sue, or fornicate. I just asked a
simple question.
It would be a financial stretch but if I researched it thoroughly and
it seemed that the claims about the versatility of the amp are true I'd
consider getting one. I'm graduating at long last and need to get meself
a graduation present. But I don't find it credible that you either
1) can't explain why a climax costs 5 grand to build (we all know very
well that Matchless amps are 5K for reasons other than the cost to build
them; those are "collector amps," which is fine as long as they don't claim
it's because they cost five grand to build -- which would be odd since the
non-hardwood ones are a lot cheaper than the cost of the hardwood would
justify)....or
2) do not consider spending the paragraph or two (I really doubt it'd take
a college course's worth of writing) to explain why the controversial cost
of the climax is justified a wise use of your time, esp. since the Climaxes
are sold....but consider that the Climax issue is having an impact on
Kendrick in general, and a simple explanation would seem certainly worth the
effort on your part, if there is one.

As far as the issue about why there is a double standard about amps and guitars,
I don't see one. The Matchless limited editions are good examples of a new
amp selling for a high price; and the price of a mint tweed Twin is
testament that there is as much price inflation in vintage amps as in
guitars. Dumble and Trainwreck amps will bring multiple K$s, their rep is
established. Dumble can get that kind of price for his new amps, but
nobody believes it's because they cost that much to build, it's because of
their established rep. And I don't really know why you care if some people
think your prices shouldn't be like Dumble's or Trainwreck's since you've
already sold about 20 or 30 amps at $5K each, right? So relax already.

The real issue my question was trying to get at was whether Kendrick was
selling the climax at $5K because that's what it cost to build (and if so,
why? seems awfully high for any tube amp) or whether Kendrick was pricing
them that way because they thought the market would go slathering crazy
over the chance for a trainwreck and fall all overthemselves to sign over
their bank accounts. Either one is a legit business decision.

But of course that's all up to you; I don't really have a vested interest
either way. My original query was sincere.

Jim

In article <199805172241...@ladder03.news.aol.com>,
terry...@aol.com (TerryOubre) wrote:

> players who follow these newsgroups are so naļve that they are incapable of

L'Entarteur

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May 21, 1998, 3:00:00 AM5/21/98

to

Tarmadilo (tarm...@aol.com) wrote:
: Ah.....maybe the $5K price includes some profit for Ken Fischer, who's been too
: sick to work for several years, now.........

But here's the question:

<warning: actual, honest question coming up, not flame-worthy, not
busting on either Ken Fischer, Gerald Weber, Kendrick or anyone or
thing--it's just something I don't understand>

How could they misinterpret the price of producing this amp so much that
they started off selling them at $3K, and then raised the price to $5K?

That's a 67% price increase in the midst of a run--huge, by anyone's
standards.

I just don't get it.

Once again, an honest question, based mostly in curiosity since I'm happy
with the amps I have now, and since I didn't win the Delaware $195
million lottery tonight I'm not about to buy one on a whim.....

Jas.

----------------------
James Andrews
Philadelphia, PA
Remove the XX

Mm9775

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May 21, 1998, 3:00:00 AM5/21/98

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>jand...@mail1.sas.upenn.edu (L'Entarteur)

wrote>

>How could they misinterpret the price of producing this amp so much that
>they started off selling them at $3K, and then raised the price to $5K?
>
>

The same way they said a while back they were through making hand-wired
point-to-point amps, I guess. In-credible.

Tarmadilo

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May 21, 1998, 3:00:00 AM5/21/98

to

James Andrews responded to my musing that the amp in question is expensive
because Ken Fischer could use some real income, having been really ill for
several years:

>But here's the question:
>
><warning: actual, honest question coming up, not flame-worthy, not
>busting on either Ken Fischer, Gerald Weber, Kendrick or anyone or
>thing--it's just something I don't understand>
>

>How could they misinterpret the price of producing this amp so much that
>they started off selling them at $3K, and then raised the price to $5K?
>

>That's a 67% price increase in the midst of a run--huge, by anyone's
>standards.

Good point. I'd have to agree that it seems that they were either:
1) pretty careless with their original cost analysis: or
2) pretty careless with their ethics

I've admired both Ken Fischer and Gerald Weber for a while, and sure hope it's
the first...
Tim Armstrong (brewer of beer for thirsty Americans)

Carlginger

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May 21, 1998, 3:00:00 AM5/21/98

to

><HTML><PRE>Subject: Re: Anybody else get the Kendrick letter re: Trainwreck
>Climaxes?
>From: mm9...@aol.com (Mm9775)
>Date: Thu, May 21, 1998 00:21 EDT
>Message-id: <199805210421...@ladder01.news.aol.com>
>
>>jand...@mail1.sas.upenn.edu (L'Entarteur)
>
>wrote>

>
>>How could they misinterpret the price of producing this amp so much that
>>they started off selling them at $3K, and then raised the price to $5K?
>>
>>
>

>The same way they said a while back they were through making hand-wired
>point-to-point amps, I guess. In-credible.

I remember when the Soldano SLO-100 first came out, it was about $1900. Then
one day, boom, price jump of another$1000.

Carl

James Doherty

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May 21, 1998, 3:00:00 AM5/21/98

to

Carlginger wrote:

> I remember when the Soldano SLO-100 first came out, it was about $1900. Then
> one day, boom, price jump of another$1000.
>
> Carl

THey were less than that. I ordered my Trainwreck in '90 (got it in '91) and at
the time I priced out the SLO 100. The Trainwreck was $1300 and the SLO was
$1700. This was just before Clapton was touring with them. I called 6-8 months
(mid '91) later to see if they had a 50 watt version yet and the SLO's had gone
to $2500. (Post Clapton tour).

JD

Marc Ferguson

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May 21, 1998, 3:00:00 AM5/21/98

to

I respect Ken, haven't heard a bad thing about him. Fill in the
blanks. I wish Ken could get well. People love his amps. It's obvious
that someone isn't doing the job right.

Tarmadilo wrote:
>
> James Andrews responded to my musing that the amp in question is expensive
> because Ken Fischer could use some real income, having been really ill for
> several years:
>
> >But here's the question:
> >
> ><warning: actual, honest question coming up, not flame-worthy, not
> >busting on either Ken Fischer, Gerald Weber, Kendrick or anyone or
> >thing--it's just something I don't understand>
> >

> >How could they misinterpret the price of producing this amp so much that
> >they started off selling them at $3K, and then raised the price to $5K?
> >

j...@southwind.net

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May 21, 1998, 3:00:00 AM5/21/98

to

Mm9775 wrote:
>
> .You've been asked by more than one person on more than one board "How could an
> experienced company like Kendrick so grossly underestimate the cost of building
> an amp?" and you respond with more smoke than a Mexican forest fire.
>

> <snip>
>
> > www.trainwreck.com www.kendrick-amplifiers.com
> >
> Bottom line, Terry.I was pretty much neutral to Kendrick before all this
> started. Some people have slammed you regarding the Climax. . I can understand
> your defensiveness re: that. But others have asked some pretty simple simple
> questions. Your failure to answer them has only created some serious doubts and
> done nothing to build my confidence in Kendrick.

Roger on the bullshit.This is Usenet,a group for people to post their
opinions,and not an advertising supported publication and short of
unwarranted allegations of serious outright crimes and threats of
violence,we can,will,and do say anything we G-ddamned well want on this
board.

If you as a manufacturer want to get on Usenet,you can,but be prepared
to deal with hardball questions.You are going to be quizzed,in public,by
people who are very knowledgeable,and in some cases more knowledgeable
than you in certain areas.

If someone asks for the root password on your business server,how long
your dork is,or if your mom and dad still have sex,they are out of line
and should be told so.But when you make a direct and clear-cut statement
about your production costing in your advertising,which makes less than
zero sense to anyone who has done component engineering and build
costing,be prepared to back it up or look like a douchebag.

And to be blunt,I have never run into any statements by Kendrick and
co. that did not carry the fishy smell of depleted Massengill.By
contrast,one of Kendrick's early competitors was very helpful to me and
everything he ever said checked out 110%. I never did buy one of his
amps,but three or four other people did based on my recommendation (of
which every one was happy with and still has it) and I put several of
his xfmrs in other amps.

j...@southwind.net

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May 21, 1998, 3:00:00 AM5/21/98

to

TerryOubre wrote:
(snipped jmz posting to macfanatic,of which I am proud-use dejanews)
> jmz,
> These words of yours I found on a posting you made regarding Macintosh amps.
> This is how I feel about the Trainwreck Climax.
> A quick scan of your postings reveal you to be an embittered person, typical of
> many "techs" that think they know better than everyone else. It never ceases to
> amaze me how many of you guys are so much alike. Also, why don't you reveal
> your real name. What are you afraid of? It's easy to bitch and complain when
> you're anonymous, isn't it?
> Terry
>
>
Thank you for your courteous reply and just posting it on Usenet
instead of emailing me if you had a beef.Anyway,I am a working RF/test
equipment tech-looking for a Unix sysad slot,pays a lot better-and an
audio hobbyist.I don't claim to be a genius,there are many,many people
out there I genuinely have to respect and to be blunt no one in
Pflugerville seems to come within 40 dB of meeting my criteria.

When I was first fooling with tube audio-both for guitars and hi-fi-I
had occasion to call Mr.Fischer.He seemed like an okay guy and was
reasonably helpful,but an engineer he wasn't. (I'm not either,nor do I
play one on Usenet.)
Later a friend told me Mr.F offered him a technician job building
Trainwrecks.The deal was if he built up so many Trainwrecks,working in
his shop,he could keep the nth one for himself or to sell.I suppose an
unusual way of paying assembly/tech help,but not objectionable.So when
Trainwrecks started commanding stoopid money and Mr.F
contracted,allegedly,some illness keeping him from building them-when
evidently he wasnt building them- I said,Hmmm.But,whatever.

As for Kendrick-well,when I called to buy parts (xfmrs in particular)
or ask a simple and non-proprietary type question,I got more hot air
than a Pace desoldering tool.Later I bought both of Gerald's books (I
guess I'm a glutton for punishment) and the second one contained
patently dubious statements,I called and got a J58-in-full-burner blast
of gas.Oh well.

Then this on Usenet.Usenet is a place where those of us with an
interest can talk pretty freely,and I notice a big venting of volcanic
buttgas emanating from Texas.Now you're in my court,so enjoy the
results.As the British Jim Bede of the pro audio world and his minions
found out,when you wrestle in mud with a hog,the hog enjoys it.

Bitter? No,I just don't like bullshit.Hi-fi and guitar products are
both marketed in a sea of pure bovine slurry,and I don't like it.There
is no reason not just to shoot straight,ride,and tell the truth.I am not
calling you a liar,but you and the firm you represent on Usenet have
certainly made dubious and vague statements,and,in my
not-represented-as-expert judgment,some dubious products.

Again,I not only do not know it all,I am forthright in saying what I
don't know,which is a lot.But as I have gotten older I have learned the
confidence of knowing that I needn't be Frank Perdue to discern chicken
salad from chicken shit.Somebody must think I have _some_ technical
ability,I just calibrated a box this afternoon that belongs to a place
in Amarillo,TX whose products make even more noise and gas and smoke
than Kendrick's.

Can you say "Pantex"?

James M.Zikes jmz@southwind net

TerryOubre

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May 22, 1998, 3:00:00 AM5/22/98

to

Marc,
Please realize, YOU DON'T KNOW what has gone on behind the scenes, so filling
in the blanks, the way you suggest, would be way off base. I am not going to
air the dirty laundry on a news group, so don't ask. You guys ought to drop the
subject; not because Kendrick is trying to hide anything, but because it's none
of the public's business. You guys are some of the worst "Gossips" I've seen
since I left my home town of Port Arthur Texas. It's all so fucking juvenile.
Terry

>>Subject: Re: Anybody else get the Kendrick letter re: Trainwreck Climaxes?

>From: Marc Ferguson <ferg...@home.com>
>Date: Thu, May 21, 1998 13:27 EDT
>Message-id: <356462C1...@home.com>

Jack A. Zucker

unread,

May 22, 1998, 3:00:00 AM5/22/98

to

TerryOubre wrote in message
<199805220638...@ladder01.news.aol.com>...

>Marc,
>Please realize, YOU DON'T KNOW what has gone on behind the scenes, so
filling
>in the blanks, the way you suggest, would be way off base. I am not going
to
>air the dirty laundry on a news group, so don't ask. You guys ought to drop
the
>subject; not because Kendrick is trying to hide anything, but because it's
none
>of the public's business. You guys are some of the worst "Gossips" I've
seen
>since I left my home town of Port Arthur Texas. It's all so fucking
juvenile.
>Terry

If we're so f*cking juvinile then quit wasting our time by advertising in
this forum. Stick to Vintage Guitar magazine where the editors kiss your
asses and hype your amps until you can take a pile of $200 pile of
capacitors, resistors, and transformers and sell the dang things for $5000 !
Vintage Guitar Magazine created the hype allows you, Trainwreck, and Dumble
to get the ridiculous amounts of money you get for amps.

A friend of mine bought a Kendrick bassman head and it was filled with
offshore caps, resistors, and a Kawasaki transformer. Parts were "up in the
air" and several of the switches did not work. The switches were of the
Radio Shack variety. When he called and complained about it he was told (by
Gerald Weber) that he never said it would contain American parts.

The thing sounded like crap. He dragged it to several big guitar shows. As
soon as people heard it, they shook their heads and walked away. He ended up
selling the thing for something like $350 !

Yes, we may be juvenile so if I were you I'd stick to your captive VG
magazine audience where the editors will not allow anyone to question your
tactics.

Have a great day,

-Jaz

Mm9775

unread,

May 22, 1998, 3:00:00 AM5/22/98

to

.You've been asked by more than one person on more than one board "How could an
experienced company like Kendrick so grossly underestimate the cost of building
an amp?" and you respond with more smoke than a Mexican forest fire.

Then you fill the BB with comments like...

> terry...@aol.com (TerryOubre)
>Date: Fri, May 22, 1998 02:38 EDT
>Message-id: <199805220638...@ladder01.news.aol.com>

>
>Marc,
>Please realize, YOU DON'T KNOW what has gone on behind the scenes, so
>filling
>in the blanks, the way you suggest, would be way off base. I am not going to
>air the dirty laundry on a news group, so don't ask. You guys ought to drop
>the
>subject; not because Kendrick is trying to hide anything, but because it's
>none >of the public's business. You guys are some of the worst "Gossips" I've
seen
>since I left my home town of Port Arthur Texas. It's all so fucking juvenile.

What's so tough about the original question? If you can't answer it, take a
hike.

And here's another another unanswered question, posted several days ago in
response to a posting of yours. Does Kendrick guarantee this appreciation? Or
is it just hype?

> terry...@aol.com (TerryOubre)

>Date: Thu, May 14, 1998 02:02 EDT
>Message-id: <199805140602...@ladder01.news.aol.com>
>

<snip>

> The Trainwreck "Climax" is considered a bargain, and will undoubtedly
>appreciate in value.
>

<snip>

> www.trainwreck.com www.kendrick-amplifiers.com
>
Bottom line, Terry.I was pretty much neutral to Kendrick before all this
started. Some people have slammed you regarding the Climax. . I can understand
your defensiveness re: that. But others have asked some pretty simple simple
questions. Your failure to answer them has only created some serious doubts and
done nothing to build my confidence in Kendrick.

Shooters

TerryOubre

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May 22, 1998, 3:00:00 AM5/22/98

to

Dear, mm9...@aol.com

>And here's another another unanswered question, posted several days ago in
>response to a posting of yours. Does Kendrick guarantee this appreciation? Or
>is it just hype?

Kendrick does not guarantee the appreciation, that is my speculation.

.>.You've been asked by more than one person on more than one board "How could

>an
>experienced company like Kendrick so grossly underestimate the cost of
>building
>an amp?" and you respond with more smoke than a Mexican forest fire.
>
>

The original price was based on building a single channel head. It evolved into
what it is now, a two channel combo with reverb. Since we've never built this
amp before and didn't realize how much would be involved in the cost and
because it was advertised at the original price and because we took deposits
based on that price, as well as many other problems that I just can't go into,
because I would have to spill the beans reguarding a certain individual.
Also, this is a limited edition, high end amp, it costs more than a production
model. Like I've asked before, what other companies have yo justify what they
do on a newsgroup? I know this is "FUN" for you guys, but if you're not a
Kendrick client, then why do I owe you endless explainations. I just can't
reveal every little detail you want to know. There are some people who would
never be satisfied no matter what answers I give and I don't owe them futher
explaination if they aren't a Kendrick client. Terry

TerryOubre

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May 22, 1998, 3:00:00 AM5/22/98

to

Dear Jaz-

In a message dated 98-05-22 06:55:29 EDT, you write:

<<
If we're so f*cking juvinile then quit wasting our time by advertising in
this forum. Stick to Vintage Guitar magazine where the editors kiss your
asses and hype your amps until you can take a pile of $200 pile of
capacitors, resistors, and transformers and sell the dang things for $5000 !
Vintage Guitar Magazine created the hype allows you, Trainwreck, and Dumble
to get the ridiculous amounts of money you get for amps.

A friend of mine bought a Kendrick bassman head and it was filled with
offshore caps, resistors, and a Kawasaki transformer. Parts were "up in the
air" and several of the switches did not work. The switches were of the
Radio Shack variety. When he called and complained about it he was told (by
Gerald Weber) that he never said it would contain American parts.

The thing sounded like crap. He dragged it to several big guitar shows. As
soon as people heard it, they shook their heads and walked away. He ended up
selling the thing for something like $350 !

Yes, we may be juvenile so if I were you I'd stick to your captive VG
magazine audience where the editors will not allow anyone to question your
tactics.

Have a great day,

-Jaz

>>

Jaz,
If you're going to continue to judge Gerald and Kendrick on some PIECE OF SHIT
AMP that he made when he was just getting started - then go ahead! Things are
very different NOW! Would you want people to always judge you, by the way you
played guitar when you were a beginner?!!
Also, do you value everything by stripping it down to it's components? That
would make your guitars worth maybe $50. bucks!
I have a hard time understanding the continued venom guys like you spew. I'm
afraid your opinions of how things are done, concerning Kendrick, are so
tainted, that you will never see things as they really are. But, maybe you just
aren't interested in reality.

Have a fabulous, wonderful, super-cala-fragi-listically kick ass day!
Terry

Punkerdubh

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May 22, 1998, 3:00:00 AM5/22/98

to

In article <199805221649...@ladder01.news.aol.com>,
terry...@aol.com (TerryOubre) wrote:
[snip]

>There are some people who would
>never be satisfied no matter what answers I give and I don't owe them futher
>explaination if they aren't a Kendrick client. Terry

If you don't treat non-clients with respect and dignity they will *never*
become clients. It seems like you're digging a deeper whole for yourself
every time you open your mouth. Smart people who get in similar situations
learn to bite their tongues.

Signed,
- Punkerdubh
Less and less likely, with every post, to ever become a Kendrick client

Gil Ayan

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May 22, 1998, 3:00:00 AM5/22/98

to

In article <199805221652...@ladder01.news.aol.com>, terry...@aol.com TerryOubre says:

>Jaz,
>If you're going to continue to judge Gerald and Kendrick on some PIECE OF SHIT
>AMP that he made when he was just getting started - then go ahead! Things are
>very different NOW! Would you want people to always judge you, by the way you
>played guitar when you were a beginner?!!

Terry, the world is what it is. There a re a couple of things that you may
not be aware of. In as much as you have a very good reputation as a guitarist,
so does Jaz, and his views on tone and past reviews have been valuable to many
members from this group. I agree that there are always personal biases, and
neither Jaz, you or I are exceptions. I merely say this so you can put what
Jaz says into perhaps a different perspective. In other words, he established
himself in this forum many many years ago, with no slef-serving interest per
se. Your situation is quite different, as you do have an interest in
Kendrick products receiving the respect you believe they deserve.

BTW, Jaz is hardly a juvenile. :)

>Also, do you value everything by stripping it down to it's components? That
>would make your guitars worth maybe $50. bucks!

I absolutely agree with you here, and I mentioned it in my previous post.
There is no way anyone will ever understand what kind of work -- which doesn't
stop even when you go to sleep -- goes into making an amp, unless you go
through the motions yourself. Even though rebuilding an amp into a chassis
is tedious, and some folks in this group may have done that, creating a
design from scratch will give you gray hairs.

I can see whay it would be frustrating for amp builders to read some of
the comments posted here, but having being on both sides of the counter
myself, I can understand the mechanics of the situation. There is no point
in arguing about it. At the risk of sounding paternal, I would suggest you
consider giving up on that. It will frustrate you, people will look at you
as an aggressive guy with a chip on your shoulder, and never underestimate
the power of the internet, all those negative vibes may even hurt business
for Kendrick, more that letting those alledgedly unfair comments go by.

> I have a hard time understanding the continued venom guys like you spew.

You have to see it from the other person's point of view as well. You
now say that Kendrick's Bassman clone was a "piece of shit" amp. As I
said before, I tried one and it said nothing to me, but I wouldn't go as
far as to call it a piece of shit -- at least it looked good. But what
was the attitude back a few years ago? "This is the real thing," "this
amp is what all others should be measured by," etc. But, the amps weren't
cheap and if some bought them with the expectation that it would be great
and it wasn't, then their reputation is going to preceed them the next time
you make a statement about Kendrick.

Furthermore, if now the word is that Kendrick's amps have matured, etc.,
then I would rather let the market decide that publicly. By you plugging
the thing here, you make it look like deja vu to some people, so I wouldn't
expect to see a rose garden if I were you. Besides, can you be certain
that the Kendrick amps have now reached superior quality level? If yes,
then be modest and let people surprise themselves when they find out!

In my opinion, based upon personal experience and the opinions of some
of the most repsected people in the music industry, just about nothing
gets close to a Dumble. Much has been said about the Dumble amps, and
the man himself. Imagine Dumble posting back in the same way you do
to defend himself, or his amps? No, he won't do that, and his amps are
still going up in price at the rate of about a grand every few months.

Just food for thought, I think you're fighting a pointless battle. It is
too bad that credibility is not Kendrick's forte based upon previous
products put out, and now the blunder regarding the price of the amp.

> afraid your opinions of how things are done, concerning Kendrick, are so
> tainted, that you will never see things as they really are.

You're right, he will never see things the way you do; the converse, however,
is just as true.

> But, maybe you just aren't interested in reality.

What people in this newsgroup aren't interested in, I think, is in
infomercials. There are reviews posted all of the time, but *lots* of
us have products we sell and we don't plug our own stuff here. It
seems to be an unwritten policy that most people appear to appreciate.

Cheers,

Gil

--
______ __ __ ______ __ __
/ __ / / /_/ / / __ / / \/ / Gil Ayan, Los Angeles, CA
/ /_/ / \__ / / /_/ / / / / / Email: ai...@lafn.org
/_/ /_/ /_/ /_/ /_/ /_/\__/ http://home.earthlink.net/~ayan
NOTICE TO BULK E-MAILERS: Pursuant to US Code, Title 47, Chapter 5,
Subchapter II, p.227, any and all nonsolicited commercial E-mail sent
to this address is subject to a download and archival fee in the amount
of $500 US. E-mailing denotes acceptance of these terms.

Jack A. Zucker

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May 22, 1998, 3:00:00 AM5/22/98

to

TerryOubre wrote in message >Jaz,

>If you're going to continue to judge Gerald and Kendrick on some PIECE OF
SHIT
>AMP that he made when he was just getting started - then go ahead! Things
are
>very different NOW! Would you want people to always judge you, by the way
you
>played guitar when you were a beginner?!!

Ironically, this was only 5-6 years ago. Was he a beginner then ? If so, why
if after only 6 years on the job is he charging $5000 for an amp? That
sounds even more ridiculous. As I said, perhaps it's time to go back to the
captive audience of Vintage Guitar Magazine.

And besides, that's a lame argument for lack of quality. I'm a beginning amp
tinkerer but that doesn't stop me from doing neat, quality work and using
decent quality parts. I'll be willing to bet that GW didn't even do the work
on that amp. Someone else probably did it for him. An apprentice perhaps. I
don't really care about that as long as the work is done in a concientious
way but this was not.

Besides, all the hype in his ads back then along with the prices didn't
indicate that he was a beginner.

At least when I was a beginner, I wasn't charging $1000-$2000 for a gig.

-Jaz

Jack A. Zucker

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May 22, 1998, 3:00:00 AM5/22/98

to

TerryOubre wrote in message

> There are some people who would
>never be satisfied no matter what answers I give and I don't owe them
futher
>explaination if they aren't a Kendrick client. Terry

Man, is the smoke getting thick in here. You think Terry's foot is ever
going to get unstuck from his mouth ?

-Jaz

Wämp

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May 22, 1998, 3:00:00 AM5/22/98

to

Ya didn't use enough adjectives. Why did it sound so good? Peace Chris

Jim Kroger wrote:

> Terry, thanks for the thorough response. Is the $5000 price tag based on
> what it cost you to build the amp, and if so, what causes it to cost so
> much more to build than say a Victoria, and other such botique amps?
>
> Thanks,
> Jim
>

TerryOubre

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May 22, 1998, 3:00:00 AM5/22/98

to

>THe hell with that man. The things are expensive because they >areDAMN good.
>Most of them have gone to Japan. There aren´t really that much >good pieces
>around. Its simple economics. If the demand can´t be met the >prices WILL
>rise. Understand now sonny?

jmz,
These words of yours I found on a posting you made regarding Macintosh amps.
This is how I feel about the Trainwreck Climax.
A quick scan of your postings reveal you to be an embittered person, typical of
many "techs" that think they know better than everyone else. It never ceases to
amaze me how many of you guys are so much alike. Also, why don't you reveal
your real name. What are you afraid of? It's easy to bitch and complain when
you're anonymous, isn't it?
Terry

>jmz wrote:
>From: j...@southwind.net
>Date: Thu, May 21, 1998 07:28 EDT
>Message-id: