Does it really matter where I put the foil end with an OD type cap?

[minim]

Well as I said before earlier, there are exceptions.

But generally, China is manufacturing Cheap Junk.
That is accurate, according to the stuff that we bought from China...

Quite frequently, we go out of our way, to avoid products made in China.

Punching Bag?
Well, just make better products, and make them so they last a long time.
AND support them with replacement parts.
Then we will probably say better things.

Facepalm

[Leo_Gnardo]

I stop buying any food made in China. Let that be a warning!!!!

And that goes for your little dog and cat too! Thanks Alan for your good report.

One of the Amp Garage correspondents (renshen1957) travels to China for business, and says each time he converses with businessmen who say "Why do the USA companies only order the cheapest possible - whatever - ? We can do better, and we'd like to show the world we can!" There are always those who will undercut the design, substitute low grade parts, etc - and that goes on everywhere not just China - but SOME of the Chinese would like to do better and will, given the chance and the budget.

Work will go wherever labor costs are cheapest. I've got on long underwear made in Lesotho of all places - in the middle of South Africa. Plenty warm and they've lasted me a decade, so far so good. Be ready for the next generation of gear of allsorts, made in Mother Africa.

[JoeM]

About a year ago I sold my Gibson ES-335 and bought an Ibanez AS-153 (Artstar series). I like the AS-153 better. Workmanship is amazing. 2 weeks ago saw a brand new 335 that was horrible, so much for Chinese 'junk'.

[R.G.]

Well as I said before earlier, there are exceptions.

But generally, China is manufacturing Cheap Junk.
That is accurate, according to the stuff that we bought from China...

Quite frequently, we go out of our way, to avoid products made in China.

Punching Bag?
Well, just make better products, and make them so they last a long time.
AND support them with replacement parts.
Then we will probably say better things.

Sigh. You can lead a horse to water but you can't make him think.

[Chuck H]

Chuck, I like the points you raise.

But should China be the punching bag? Didn't our governments allow our markets to become flooded with cheap goods from whichever countries? We gladly consume what they offer.

Anyhoo, I'm no economics guru, so I should regulate.

Peace

You're right. It was a dramatization. And I mentioned that the corporations, mostly is the west, are just as responsible for the problem. An often ignored reality is that the Chinese set this plan in motion a long time ago, and it's working. You can't blame a country for trying to, and achieving being the best at something. I just don't like the idea of shifting the balance of power in the world. I had a very hard time making ends meet in a stable economy in the most powerful nation in the world. Since the crash I've been losing ground. I'm not the only one either and I know it. The Chinese aren't responsible for this either, but they are the lynch pin that facilitates it. We need to stop buying products made in China if we're going to remain an economic force. As it is the corporations have been feasting on the US economy and China is the meat grinder. It's all capitalism, I understand, and I have as much right to screw the world over for my own benefit as anyone. For some reason I don't.

[Alan0354]

You're right. It was a dramatization. And I mentioned that the corporations, mostly is the west, are just as responsible for the problem. An often ignored reality is that the Chinese set this plan in motion a long time ago, and it's working. You can't blame a country for trying to, and achieving being the best at something. I just don't like the idea of shifting the balance of power in the world. I had a very hard time making ends meet in a stable economy in the most powerful nation in the world. Since the crash I've been losing ground. I'm not the only one either and I know it. The Chinese aren't responsible for this either, but they are the lynch pin that facilitates it. We need to stop buying products made in China if we're going to remain an economic force. As it is the corporations have been feasting on the US economy and China is the meat grinder. It's all capitalism, I understand, and I have as much right to screw the world over for my own benefit as anyone. For some reason I don't.

I am a Chinese, but I am America first, I raise the good old Red/White/Blue in front of my house. I follow US politics carefully and don't even ask me who's the leader of China!!

We screwed ourselves. I was in the high tech industry in the Silicon Valley, the heart of innovation. We used to be the leader of technology while the rest of the world were just swimming in deep water, treating to stay afloat. This is only 20 years ago. Then the companies see cheap labor, starting to open manufacturing in China. That was still ok as you transfer production over only, you really can't learn as much out of that.

Then in the internet bubble in the 90s, wages went up. People that had no talent in electronics and software went into the field for the money. YOu don't have good people and they demand a lot. A student just graduated demand 70K to 80K. So companies starting to transfer engineering to China in the 90s. Clinton did not do anything about it. Bush came in and he was blind. Obama seems to want to take us down a few notches. We sent our best people to China to TRAIN them to do engineering. Now they kick our butt. China is full of PHDs that never had a chance to gain real life experience, we hand this to them on a silver Platte.

It is our fault, it is sad to see we going down like this. I was there when we were at the top of the world, we know technologies that the rest of the world can only dream of. Now we become a laughing stalk. Obama racked up so much debt to China they own us.

On top of everything, this generation grow up spoil, no body want to get into the more difficult subjects like engineering, physics that requires a lot of advanced math. Everyone want a fast buck. Every body want to be on Wallstreet. Wait until the day we don't have a product others want, then I would like to see what good a business degree do for those people. If you don't have a product, you cannot sale even if you are the best sales person or the best marketing person. Don't believe me, just go across the border to Mexico, they tried so hard to sell their little leather stuffs, small little thing to the tourist. Who want to buy those? They can have the best marketing person, best sales person, nobody want to buy their stuffs!!! I hope we are not heading that way.

[soundguruman]

I am a Chinese, but I am America first, I raise the good old Red/White/Blue in front of my house. I follow US politics carefully and don't even ask me who's the leader of China!!

We screwed ourselves. I was in the high tech industry in the Silicon Valley, the heart of innovation. We used to be the leader of technology while the rest of the world were just swimming in deep water, treating to stay afloat. This is only 20 years ago. Then the companies see cheap labor, starting to open manufacturing in China. That was still ok as you transfer production over only, you really can't learn as much out of that.

Then in the internet bubble in the 90s, wages went up. People that had no talent in electronics and software went into the field for the money. YOu don't have good people and they demand a lot. A student just graduated demand 70K to 80K. So companies starting to transfer engineering to China in the 90s. Clinton did not do anything about it. Bush came in and he was blind. Obama seems to want to take us down a few notches. We sent our best people to China to TRAIN them to do engineering. Now they kick our butt. China is full of PHDs that never had a chance to gain real life experience, we hand this to them on a silver Platte.

It is our fault, it is sad to see we going down like this. I was there when we were at the top of the world, we know technologies that the rest of the world can only dream of. Now we become a laughing stalk. Obama racked up so much debt to China they own us.

On top of everything, this generation grow up spoil, no body want to get into the more difficult subjects like engineering, physics that requires a lot of advanced math. Everyone want a fast buck. Every body want to be on Wallstreet. Wait until the day we don't have a product others want, then I would like to see what good a business degree do for those people. If you don't have a product, you cannot sale even if you are the best sales person or the best marketing person. Don't believe me, just go across the border to Mexico, they tried so hard to sell their little leather stuffs, small little thing to the tourist. Who want to buy those? They can have the best marketing person, best sales person, nobody want to buy their stuffs!!! I hope we are not heading that way.

Good luck achieving one thing China doesn't have: "freedom."
Keep Going,you will make it, some day.

[Alan0354]

As for don't buy from China. I had a run of 4 pcb, all 2"X3" for effect pedals and some others. 2 layer FR4, 5 boards each circuit. I paid $200 total to fab from Hong Kong. It is easy to say buy America......until it's your money!!! The boards worked, I built and put into the box. Quality is ok. Try doing the same in us fab house and see how much it cost.

I bought a bunch of metal foil type of caps for tone. I checked a few of the values, they are spot on. Obviously the quality is not there, one cap has the leg came loose after a few soldering and tugging. But I paid less than $0.40 each shipped.

[Alan0354]

Good luck achieving one thing China doesn't have: "freedom."
Keep Going,you will make it, some day.

It doesn't matter to me, I had my 30 years as an EE already and I retired.

[Alan0354]

I sure don't agree with the trade policies of both party. Don't get me wrong, I am a conservative, but I don't agree with the Republican and the Libertarians to open trade on everything. To me, high tech is national security, not just trade. We should never allow our companies to outsource technologies to China and the rest of the world. This is our national defense. DOD use the same CPU as our desktop, laptop. Use the same memory, ASIC and all. You transfer these technologies to China, you might as well sell them our weaponry.

[Enzo]

OK, that's enough.

You guys want to talk politics, international relations coulda/shoulda/woulda stuff take it down to the lobby section. Let us have the technical section in peace, and we stick to technical issues up here.


Please..

[Chuck H]

Very good then! Agreed!

Perhaps the reason I didn't hear any noise difference in my experiment was that tube amps usually present substantial impedances to either side of the coupling capacitors. It could still be significant where there is a potential for noise and a low impedance orientation is available... China.

[Alan0354]

I just don't see advantage and disadvantage regarding to noise. You bypass the cathode in cathode bias, you essentially have cathode to the ground. Input impedance is governed by the lowest impedance on the input.....the guitar. So input thermal noise is the same.

If anything GL has a disadvantage of the grid current that cause shot noise. This the cathode bias being a more negative grid, has much less grid current.

[Chuck H]

I think you're mixing your threads ... China!