Hey Gearhead,
I don't take offense in the slightest and thank you for taking the time to type up an insightful post.
I agree, I'd keep it local, the only problem with local, is that it increases costs, limits your market, unless you are doing volumes it is just not plausible to make a hand built, well crafted boutique amp like the a Champ, be it a a 5F1 or Princeton 5F2 circuit, sad, but true ☹
RE shipping, you'd be surprised, they recon they can ship the pallate of 50 amps from China for around R10,000, which isn't bad at all...
BUT I agree, there is something about having something made locally, by hand, and supporting local industry, and trust me I try where possible to do so, but many times my hand it forced to order abroad as the quality is just better.
In many cases they can be had for cheaper as well.... a case in point (excuse the pun), my 19" rack mount cases for my pro-audio products are done in Germany, Slovenia and now Prague, if I order 5 units the per unit costs is LESS than the cost of a locally produced, raw unfinished case, and these are laser cut, CNC's and silk screened, flawlessly. You can see some of them here: www.ashtonaudio.com/gallery.html
For me QUALITY is a strong selling point, the gear I produce uses the finest components and along with QUALITY, LONGEVITY is primary concern, will it be around in 15-20 years or more? I HAVE to be able to answer YES to that or it isn't worth doing.
BUT in this case my view is, how can I make QUALITY and LONGEVITY accessible to musicians at a price that isn't going to kill them? China is the answer, but is the market big enough to support a venture like this? Probably not.
In which case it brings me full circle to saying, right, lets built it here, in SA, by hand, and it WILL be a bit more expensive, but still competitive against foreign imports, and support the local economy.
Odds are I'd sell a hand full a year if that, but so be it, it makes me happy, and I know my clients will be happy, they generally are ?
I think what this has shown me is that alot of guys want different thing, but the consensus seems to be a head and cab over a combo, with a bigger 10 or 12" speaker, that already offers me some insight into a potential offering down the line.
Again, thanks for the insight/thoughts.
Cheers
Matt
Gearhead wrote
Matt, I hope I do not come across like I'm trying to say things everyone knows already but I really would like to persuade you to build the amp here in SA.
I am wondering if the Chinese manufacture is going to be a cost saver in the end. Would the transport cost of 50 tube amps (albeit small ones) not set you back quite a bit? Would you not fly there at least once to close the deal and take a look at the factory? The cost of producing them right here in SA might wind up in the same ballpark and you would have the added advantage of being able to control quality yourself.
I would imagine many South Africans to prefer buying SA made over Chinese made. If you want to think exporting to Europe and the States, this becomes even more important because (as you pointed out yourself) Chinese is often associated with cheap.
It would take a good plan though. Being a follower of the 'focus on where you add most value' philosophy, I think there is something in between building the whole amp yourself or having it built for you. In your case, the design / components selection / marketing probably adds most value, followed by assembly and (I agree) you should stay away from making anything yourself. But you might be successful in assembly if you teach a nonskilled worker exactly what to do.
If you can find a custom kitchen manufacturer in the neighbourhood they are likely to be able to rout any size panels for the cab (including Alan's radius) and they would also have no problem with the cab assembly. The chassis can be cut or punched and bent by most any job shop, including paint finish. The tolex and grill cloth are a simple job for any upholsterer. Leaves the transformer winding (on which Karel might be able to make a plan) and the screwing/soldering (that you need a labourer for as mentioned). Times are tough for suppliers mentioned so the price will be negotiable. The company I work for saved about 20-50% on bought outs in the past 6 months... The work you outsource you can also reject if it is not up to standard as long as the drawings are clear.
I offer to make the CAD drawings if you need them. For vely vely cheap.
