Trademark Infringement

[Mrscratch]

It's going to take more then a website and a few postings in forums to save face. The company has been neglected left to wonder for to long. If the Family had any business sense they would have set goals and marketing in place to establish the company and full rights to the products when the estate began. The basic root of the names are free use as well as the circuits. They don't really have much left now, the one thing they did have going for them "no one can make a trainwreck but Ken (period)". Well they proved themselves wrong, not a smart business move I my eyes, They could have tactifully presented the authorized clones in a better way, but they chose to discredit the backbone of what they preached. All that created was physical proof clones can be as good as a legit Trainwreck. Which raises an eyebrow to the $5k price tag for a $700 amp.
I don't want to see the legacy of a wonderful amplifier and designer/tech become a mass production off shore product. Though I have a feeling it's not going to be long before it happens.

they do have a business plan.
make one amp at a time, for the people that want them. if they sold it offshore, then everyone would have one! at least the world would have good tone! then we all would be happy, cause we can all afford a 500$ amp! come on, you think that they are "Evil" or retarded????
if you want one buy it, if you dont, dont.
it takes Jm 40hrs to make an express, then the tweaking. then the value of the parts, paying the guy that makes the cab, the chassis.
i dont know about you guys, but i wouldnt spend 40 hrs on nothing if i at least didnt make $2000 for me on it. should JM be working for $14 an hr?
anyway.

[M Fowler]

It costs to build amps alright and just as you pointed out one has to consider overhead and operating costs to pro-rate the items your selling.

Mark up at least 35% if not more. I owned and operated a bar/grill for years while I worked my main job, boy was I a tired pup. Sure I had employees for the day shift.

But a TW amp is rather cheap as far as parts are concerned so it must be the name and some time for fine tuning that they are charging for.

Mark

[Structo]

Ha!
I wish I made $2,000 a week!

[WhopperPlate]

i dont know about you guys, but i wouldnt spend 40 hrs on nothing if i at least didnt make $2000 for me on it. should JM be working for $14 an hr?
anyway.

I agree, get what your time is worth, but there seems to be plenty of decent "boutique" type amps selling way below the $5 price tag with similarly high quality components and craftsmanship. Is JM's time worth more than any of the other fine builders out there with comparatively lower price tags?

I built my clone for somewhere around $700, using all "trainwreck correct" parts (minus power caps, tack on another $100, and a cab, another $100-200), from the tubes to the transformers. Add $2000 (labor) to that number and 35% parts mark up, we're only a little over $3300. It must be all those secret dial in techniques, that or the name

I think you can take this argument and apply it easily to many other amp manufacturers.

[M Fowler]

Mrscratch,

As long as your enjoying the amp that is what matters to you, right

We are builders and yes we buy amps as well but I can get a great amps from very good builders for the $2700 to $3500 mark that are far more complicated and more functionality then the Express.

Mark

[selloutrr]

my issue is not the cost or the parts it's the flip flop of "no one can build a trainwreck but ken", now JM is and they call them authentic. I guess the truth is anyone can build a trainwreck, but if you build them slow they are worth more $. Seriously 40hrs? it's an 8-16 hour build, maybe 20 if you new to soldering. Get focused, sit down and dedicate, get it done. Does this count knaps, and meal breaks? I'm truly shocked.
No wonder KF didn't keep him. He has the actual amp in front of him to follow how hard can it be?
I personally set down last weak and measured 5000+ components to pick out the best on spec parts for a build and it only took a few hours maybe 4 counting my kid interupting me.
I'm sure KF already had his good parts seperated for building anyway.

MRscratch I'm not going to get into it with you about defending your amp It is both a authentic Trainwreck CLONE of an actual bench amp, and an over priced clone. as long as you are happy that's the end of that.

[Mrscratch]

yes, it is pretty expensive. i agree to that. overpriced? well,like i said before, in canada a new SLO is $4000.
anyway. ken fischer himself took about 35 40 hrs to build an express.
That famous quote, the one that everyone gets wrong, meant that when Ken tried to have builders build for him, the quality of the amps suffered. there was always a loss of integrity in the builds and lack of control over the tone of the amps. that is why that statement was said.
my amp has been scrutinized by another of Ken's friends that also works on amps. this fellow has worked with aerosmith ,ratt, amongst others.
he was sent the amp to offer a critique of the build quality and tone .
he has reassured me that this amp meets /exceeds all criterea for an express amp. he is not in business with the fischers,or JM. He is someone that was a good friend to Ken. anyhow, im sure that we are all happy that at the least, the amps sound awesome, and are not an embarassment right?

[mcrracer]

"WE" have not heard the amp, so "We" can not pass judgment.
I have four amps sitting here that I have built recently, (including one similar to a Rocket that has been out on tour across the country) waiting for their owners to come get them. They are not an embarrassment and sound great. I have four more amps that are in work, including an Express type of amp, that will also sound great. All 8 amps added together would just approach $5k.

[Mrscratch]

"WE" have not heard the amp, so "We" can not pass judgment.

true enough.point taken

[Gibsonman63]

To me, tube selection would be a critical and expensive part of the process. I spent $450 on the recommended NOS tubes for my build and I am very happy with the results. The NOS tubes made an incredible difference over the new production tubes I used for initial startup, night and day in fact. I only bought enough tubes to tube the amp, so there wasn't much tube swapping in my build other than moving the preamp tubes around with each other. It makes me wonder what could be done if someone had a vast selection of NOS tubes to pick from.

I have seen some of the original amps listed with about $1000 in NOS glass installed.

Mrscratch, to you mind sharing with us what kind of tubes are going into these new Express amps?

[Blinkie]

Maybe he shoul dmake some video with a cam corder like Glenn did hte first time in his apartment. Isn't that really what started everything?

[WhopperPlate]

Maybe he shoul dmake some video with a cam corder like Glenn did hte first time in his apartment. Isn't that really what started everything?

No, can't, he already said he needs a real studio.

Seriously, just post some quick clips and quench some of the flames already.

if you build them slow they are worth more $. Seriously 40hrs? it's an 8-16 hour build, maybe 20 if you new to soldering..

+1

[selloutrr]

can we keep this thread to trademarking and start a new one for Mrscratch to be butt hurt in. This was a really great thread lets not get it jacked up.

[WhopperPlate]

Sounds Great!

[Mrscratch]

can we keep this thread to trademarking and start a new one for Mrscratch to be butt hurt in. This was a really great thread lets not get it jacked up.

look, i posted in the wrong thread. you dont have to be a goof about it. If you mean that i got f#$%^d up the a$$, good thing we are on the internet friend, cause i guarantee you wouldn't want to say it to my face.