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>Hi Kim and listers, > >IMO, it is not without reason that list members are skeptical about >Gibson's commitment to deliver Oberheim products. It would be refreshing if people would try, say, picking up their telephone and finding out what the actual story is before screaming unfounded rumors all over the net and wasting a lot of people's time. I guess that's expecting a lot though. BTW, here are some numbers, if any of you feel like trying this some day: The toll free (only in the US) "Oberheim" number, which now goes directly to the Gibson Customer Support desk: (877) OBERHEIM or (877-623-7434). the main gibson number(s) 800-777-0795 (toll free, only in US) 800-444-2766 (toll free, only in US) (615) 871-4500 Mike Ayers extension# (available from the company directory at the above phone numbers): 382 gibson support email: relations@gibson.com >But when I followed instructions at Oberhiem's web site, to "Just email >cayers@gibson.com with your request for a catalog and reprint", I received >the following message from my postmaster: His correct email address is Mike Ayers <mayers@gibson.com>. I believe it used to be "cayers", but was changed to "mayers" some time back. Looks like they forgot to update their web site with this. I guess we could inform them of the problem so that they might have the opportunity to fix it, although it seems unlikely that they will with the recent changes made to Oberheim. IMHO, it's a bit of a stretch to go from a failing email address to assuming conspiracies, massive neglect of niche products, malicious corporate attempts to injure the looping community, or other nefarious plans. When I got a bounce message like this a few months ago with the old address, I promptly called Mike, asked my question live and in real-time, and got his correct email address at the same time. It was quite easy! And if the day should come to pass that Mike Ayers is "no longer with us", as is often the case with customer support professionals in all industries, the next rational step is not the panicky chicken little manuever, but a simple inquiry as to who is now responsible for answering customer questions. >This by no means indicates some kind of catastrophic marketing failure on >Gibson's part -- it's probably just carelessness. However, it is certainly >not confidence inspiring -- especially when it occurs while we are hearing >reports that, based on their past experience, a number of reputable music >dealers are unwilling to order Oberheim products. But we're not hearing reports of that, we're hearing rumors of that. When pressed, we discover that the rumored info is based on shaky inferences, unsubstantiated info from some other unverified source, or based on something that happened two years ago rather than any current situation. The real info we have seen reported is that real people are buying real echoplexes from real gibson dealers without problems, except in the past few weeks when the christmas rush created a backorder. (As was reported by Mike Ayers from Gibson.) The problem here is not Gibson (or any other poor company that has to deal with the insanity of internet rumor spreading). The problem, as usual, is us. The upshot is, we can each try to be more responsible about we say on public forums, or through constant vigilence we can attempt to get others to do the same, or we all learn to be a bit more skeptical of info that comes to us with many capital letters and exclamation points. Now, once again (and I'm sure this will need to be repeated 9000 more times before it actually sinks in), here's the echoplex deal: The Gibson Musical Instruments product called the "Oberheim Echoplex Digital Pro" has been switched to another Gibson division called "Electar." Thus, the Echoplex will most likely be renamed the "Electar Echoplex Digital Pro". Please try not to panic about this. The Electar Echoplex Digital Pro is exactly the same thing as the Oberheim Echoplex Digital Pro, aside from any modifications they may make to get CE approval in europe. (However, if this name change causes the resale value of original Oberheim units to skyrocket, I have a one-of-a-kind black faced Oberheim Echoplex prototype that I would be happy to trade for a small tropical island.) The Echoplex is still in production, exactly the same as it has been for quite some time, and still available from Gibson Dealers. This is a step up for this particular looping product, reflecting more attention on it by Corporate America, not less. Good, not bad. You folks in the UK can feel some sort of nationalistic pride, as the "Electar Echoplex Digital Pro" appears slated for manufacturing by the Trace-Elliot facility, also part of Electar/Gibson. The Electar office remains in Nashville, most of the previous Oberheim people can be found there. Moving the manufacturing is not expected to cause some horrible shortage in echoplexes, as the people running Electar are capable individuals who had the remarkable forsight to maintain the existing production facility until the new one is operating. Again, please try not to panic. Gibson is not going to have a division called "Oberheim" any longer. They are licensing that name to Viscount, the Italian company that has been making many of the products in the Oberheim line for several years. (like the OB-3^2 organ module, eclipse keyboard controller, micro-grand piano module, etc.) Viscount will continue to sell those products with the Oberheim brand name, so they are still available. Yes, Tom knows about this, and was amused. (he's doing well these days, BTW) None of this is actually public information yet, which is presumably why there has not yet been a marketing campaign on Gibson's part to explain it to people. The only reason anybody knows about it at all is that Gibson has been recently trying to dispel the rumor infections that have been going about. Please note that most companies in this industry make announcements at major trade shows, like Winter NAMM and Frankfurt Musik Messe. A reasonable person might expect to wait until one of those events to hear some official proclamation, if said person thinks such info is really important to him or her. Events like this go on in all industries, all the time. Especially when the business climate is favoring mergers, as it is now. It's *normal*. I don't learn this stuff by magic. A simple phone call is all it took. kim ______________________________________________________________________ Kim Flint | Looper's Delight kflint@annihilist.com | http://www.annihilist.com/loop/loop.html http://www.annihilist.com/ | Loopers-Delight-request@annihilist.com