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>my 1990-built mxr distortion+ doesn't sound as good as my guitarist's, which was made in 1977. quite apart from the inevitable feeling that his is >cooler just because it's older.... >mine just doesn't sound as good. I'm sure that some of this is psychological, but some of it is the quality or otherwise >of the parts. You know, in 1977 that same distortion+ was considered to sound like shit. "Doesn't sound like tubes..." or "Doesn't sound like my Fuzz Face..." would have been the applicable criticisms. And anything you think sounds bad now will be highly sought after in twenty years. I remember when "germanium fuzztone" was the worst quality for any circuit to possess, and now it's highly sought after. Keith Costin, the aerodynamicist once said "Save me, oh Lord, from the statement: 'What looks right is right.'" He was always being faced with designs for aeroplanes and cars which looked "aerodynamic", but proved not to be so in the wind tunnel and on the track. I'd have to say "Lord save me from the statement : "What's old, sounds better.'" It's just nuts--this endless romanticizing of a time just past when great tone dripped from every cheap-ass EH box that was lucky to survive three battery swaps. >are EH going to be /able/ to make the things the same as the originals? where will they get all those BBD chips from? I believe the EH-15 used digital memory, not BBD. However, I think the regeneration circuit was "analog"--every repeat was re-D/A/D'ed, which was part of its unique charm, but I've never used one myself. In related news, I saw that Visual Sound has started production of BBD chips for those old-style circuits. No doubt all the vintage dudes will declare them to be inferior to the original. TravisH