redstar audio
Well-Known Member
hey guys,
so before we comment at all to this thread, we want to be clear that we have no intention of turning this into some "how great are we" love-in. there are clear rules on what we can and cannot post on these forums, for good reason, and we'll obey them.
first off, there's nobody more surprised than we are to see this thread, because a: guys like Sean are ridiculously busy and don't spend hours of their time doing free advertising for us and b: we didnt ask him to do this, or pay him to do this, or anything like that. if you're jaded, then you won't believe it anyway, but sorry, it's the truth.
disclaimer: Sean owns a pair of early production models, but they are about 95% of our current production units in terms of sound quality, tonality, volume, etc. from a manufacturing point of view, the production models are moderately different in terms of handle layout, hardware, and some other details. They're probably about 75% the same as the current units.
we did have several special discounts that we offered to SS members in the past and unfortunately no one was able to take advantage of them. we may offer additional opportunities in the future but currently, we have a standing list of people waiting in line for demos or b-stocks, so they're pretty rare.
we cannot, and will not, get into a converstation about pricing. are our prices too high? the marketplace is the judge, and everything else is just opinion one way or the other. however, the way a professional (that word is literal, not "serious" not "dedicated" not "hardcore" but "professional") musician perceives cost is dramatically different from how an "amateur" musician perceives cost. pro musicians, the ones that truly do not eat much when they're not touring or selling cds, are not constrained by gear that is affordable. they are interested in finding gear that does a very specific thing, exactly the way they want it, and that's it - done deal. if our cabs provide a pro musician with a qualitatively different experience than some other brand, and they use them for 150 shows in one year, that's about $4 each night price difference (yup a latte) for "that tone I've heard in my head" versus what every other band on the bill is showing up with. done deal.
To make a cab like the Havok took an incredible amount of work, time, engineering cost and sacrifice/risk for us. what we built we are extremely proud of, and we don't have ANY concern or worry if it's used in an A/B test with any other cab on the market. We've already done it with most, including all the ones routinely discussed on these forums, over and over, to the point it's almost funny. Our cabs, but the Havok in particular, are not designed for casual players. There are many MANY great companies out there making fine products that are more than capable of putting a smile on the face of casual or non-professional players. Many of the pros that use them are happy too.
If anyone has any questions they can email us for more information. The Blackjack series is usually pretty available, the Havok is generally on a case-by-case basis, and the people that have them already have been really clear that they'd prefer for us to keep it that way. If you don't think pro musicians like a "competitive advantage" you haven't talked to enough of them yet : )
We appreciate Sean's support and we hope that we haven't broken any forum guidelines. Thanks!
so before we comment at all to this thread, we want to be clear that we have no intention of turning this into some "how great are we" love-in. there are clear rules on what we can and cannot post on these forums, for good reason, and we'll obey them.
first off, there's nobody more surprised than we are to see this thread, because a: guys like Sean are ridiculously busy and don't spend hours of their time doing free advertising for us and b: we didnt ask him to do this, or pay him to do this, or anything like that. if you're jaded, then you won't believe it anyway, but sorry, it's the truth.
disclaimer: Sean owns a pair of early production models, but they are about 95% of our current production units in terms of sound quality, tonality, volume, etc. from a manufacturing point of view, the production models are moderately different in terms of handle layout, hardware, and some other details. They're probably about 75% the same as the current units.
we did have several special discounts that we offered to SS members in the past and unfortunately no one was able to take advantage of them. we may offer additional opportunities in the future but currently, we have a standing list of people waiting in line for demos or b-stocks, so they're pretty rare.
we cannot, and will not, get into a converstation about pricing. are our prices too high? the marketplace is the judge, and everything else is just opinion one way or the other. however, the way a professional (that word is literal, not "serious" not "dedicated" not "hardcore" but "professional") musician perceives cost is dramatically different from how an "amateur" musician perceives cost. pro musicians, the ones that truly do not eat much when they're not touring or selling cds, are not constrained by gear that is affordable. they are interested in finding gear that does a very specific thing, exactly the way they want it, and that's it - done deal. if our cabs provide a pro musician with a qualitatively different experience than some other brand, and they use them for 150 shows in one year, that's about $4 each night price difference (yup a latte) for "that tone I've heard in my head" versus what every other band on the bill is showing up with. done deal.
To make a cab like the Havok took an incredible amount of work, time, engineering cost and sacrifice/risk for us. what we built we are extremely proud of, and we don't have ANY concern or worry if it's used in an A/B test with any other cab on the market. We've already done it with most, including all the ones routinely discussed on these forums, over and over, to the point it's almost funny. Our cabs, but the Havok in particular, are not designed for casual players. There are many MANY great companies out there making fine products that are more than capable of putting a smile on the face of casual or non-professional players. Many of the pros that use them are happy too.
If anyone has any questions they can email us for more information. The Blackjack series is usually pretty available, the Havok is generally on a case-by-case basis, and the people that have them already have been really clear that they'd prefer for us to keep it that way. If you don't think pro musicians like a "competitive advantage" you haven't talked to enough of them yet : )
We appreciate Sean's support and we hope that we haven't broken any forum guidelines. Thanks!
