What Happened To This Place

[J M Fahey]

I agree with some of the OP doubts and add some of my own.

Not dissing anybody, not trying to evangelize anything, just honest opinion-.

1) Shocking as it ay seem: NOBODY KNOWS THIS SITE, period.

I suffer when I see in other Forums but even more on YT and such, guys with Tech problems, the blind asking the popeyed for guidance, HORRIBLE suggesttions, no clue, people desperate looking for an answer, ALL of which might ask and be helped here, big time.

We could have 100 new Tech-help posts per week, if not more,enough to get 50 Forum members active and not keeping up with demand.

But itīs not happening.

People like Uncle Doug, The Guitologist and 100 others are getting such traffic.

I often redirect people here, and they have not the slightest idea this Forum exists; to boot they donīt even try registering and asking, so I got tired of screaming at the clouds and gave up.

2) look around: we are always the same 6 or 8 old geezers posting here, average age 60 or so, with nothing to talk about, no new stuff is brought in for analysis or discussion.

And whoīs bringing the little there is?: Randall once a week or two with something that becomes difficult to him, seachief once every two or three Months on average, dumbassbob once a year.

The rest of the time is "filled" (well, not really) with such exciting and mind challenging subjects as how to bias a 5F6, (about 500 exact same posts, with exact same boring answers) , hum and buzzing, which 12AX7 is best and not much more.

Only diydidi now and them throws a powered cabinet or a Class D amp on the dissection table and thanks for that.

Personally I leave for those reasons for 2 to 6 Months and yes, when log in again there are , say, 50 or 60 "interesting" threads; but those wear out fast, fill a week or 10 days and then we are back to watching the grass grow or betting on the snail race.

3) Forum software doesnīt help, not sure why we donīt use same as, say, DIY Audio or GP which are WAY more dynamic and easier to navigate.

Ours used to be more or less like that ... 2 *generations* ago ......
When I came back some 2 yers ago after a sabbatical semester, could find NOTHING, meaning that opening every individual Forum section just to check if there was something new was useless and frustrating.
TBoy was kind enough to write a script for me which showed last 30 posts all together no matter where from because that BASIC functionality had been lost.

And now the latest one changes everything again, with "show latest" posts a weak substitute.

Only real advantage of the current one is that itīs easier to upload pictures (and maybe other files) straight to Forum.

MAYBE we could/should setup a "tech questions/problems" YT channel (watching the dumb screen and listening to noises seems to be WAY more popular than **reading** (ugh) a **silent** page, who knows?

And redirecting "customers" here for better discussion and help.

Schematics are 1000 times more readable in a large screen than on a Phone, no matter how "smart" it is, but EVERYBODY eats-sleeps-breathes Smartphones, not sure how many acually own or use a PC or Notebook, maybe not even 10% , thatīs against our type of Forum.

Another annoying point I see is that "customers" ask "I have XXX problem, which part must I replace" as if such question had one and only one predetermined answer universally known.

They get real ANGRY when I ask for a couple voltage or resistance measurements, do NOT take them, and re-ask "is there anybody QUALIFIED to answer?"

Or before even the slightest troubleshooting they replace ALL caps, "upgrade" transistors or ICs, etc.

But again, there are TONS of legitimate "customers", problem is they have NO CLUE MEF exists or how it works.

I often see PDF64 or Enzo and even now and then the Dude , maybe JPB at "the other" sites, they can see the same as I do although maybe I am somewhat more outspoken or less PC, dunno.

My point being: MEF STILL IS THE BEST Music-Electronics Forum out there (duh!) but is not getting 1% the traffic it deserves.
Any ideas? Proposals? Suggestions?

Maybe "stealing" people in (Tech) need from other sites?

[Greg_L]

I admit I sometimes feel bad asking the questions I ask. I promise I do as much research as I can and search for threads that already have my answers. But I'm a noob and I'm trying to learn. Sometimes I just have to ask the question. This site is a very valuable resource for dummies like me.

[J M Fahey]

Oh, donīt wory, ask 1000 questions or answer what youcan/want to others or just read, thatīs what this Forum is for.
We need more action.

[TomCarlos]

This site has been a Godsend.

I can't remember my first visit and post asking for help. Not once have I been ignored or turned away. Sometime, I get a direct response, other times pointed in the direction I need to look for reading material and overall knowledge. Either way, I have never been let down. So to the big time contributors on this site - THANK YOU.

Not only have I received help with my projects, I have learned tons when it comes to the overall approach of what to ask first, info I need to gather in order to help focus on a fix, and to create a checklist of things I need to do and look for BEFORE I start diving into a repair. And just today, that all came in handy as I am working on a pair of Yamaha/Soldano Tube amps. I will post a summary of the T50C next week when I finish working on that amp. And hopefully, it will be up and running at full power and power supply hum will be gone.

Ya know, I also now have on hand different parts, tools, and adhesives that were introduced to me here on MEF. I cannot forget that.

As I am on a short term project to help screen and sell equipment that belonged to my late friend, I keep coming back to this site to look up old posts for info and know how. And as I am meeting guys (in my nearby vicinity) who have an interest in learning about electronics and amp repair, I point them to this site and am encouraging them to post and receive help.

As JMF mentioned (I think it was JMF), we are not Uncle Doug, or D-Lab, or the Guitologist channel. MEF is a different "Forum." And it is here where you will find help if someone else has the know how and able to assist.

So pay it forward. Help the next generation learn - about electronics theory, repair techniques, and above all else, SAFETY !!

Tom

[Delta362]

I've been reading this site off and on over the last 14+ years, though I've been visiting here more frequently in the last year or so. I enjoy learning a lot from many folks much more knowledgeable than I am. I try to help when I can, but step back more often than not. Any information I gain from the threads just helps me to be better at what I do on the side and I appreciate all of the help others have given me. There are many threads that I just read to learn something new and maybe one day that particular thread might just come in handy for me. Thank you for a great site!

[Steve Blackdog]

Well, I have only been on the forum for about a year, during which time I have asked some dump questions, but each time people have had the good manners to put me on the right track without disheartening me. During that year, I have built a Champ clone, built a Blackstar ht-60 starting with nothing but an old main pcb, built three effects pedals (Fryer treble booster, Fuzz Face and Rebote delay). Thanks to you lot, they all work. I am now having fun repairing a 40 year old Proamp Viper/KMD GV60. MEF has got me through lockdown without getting bored or stir crazy.

I like the fact that you don’t have to worry that the person answering you has just done a Google search and used that as a source.

No word of a lie, I found a thread in another forum seriously asking how to convert a solid state amp to tube. The poster said, “my amp has two metal cans, which I assume are the transistors” -er no, they are capacitors - “is there any reason I can’t swap them for tubes?”. The answers ranged from “I can’t see why not”, through to “you’ll have make sure the tubes you get are a matched pair” and “dude, that’s really cool!”

So MEF is a nice place to get (and give) ideas, tips and education. And NO ADVERTISING!!!

[tdlunsfo]

I took over some work for a gentleman who got out of the business here in town and turns out he is pretty well connected in the repair community and found out that he maintains his own facebook groups for this kind of stuff to stay connected. People like Bruce Egnator and Rob Robinette frequent it everyday helping people out. I was kind of shocked as I didn't know it existed. I think this is where a lot of the traffic is going now.

[The Dude]

I don't find the site that difficult to navigate or find what I need. Sure, it was foreign at first, but I've learned to navigate the new forum software just fine.

I do agree that it seems like posts are down, but just think how many come here and find an answer to their problem just by searching and never leave a single post.

I think, with covid peaking last year, there just wasn't much going on. I noticed it in my shop. Why bother fixing your gear if there are no gigs to play? Things are already picking up in my shop as people get ready to start gigging again.

[Jazz P Bass]

Agreed!
Nobody is playing out.

[Leo_Gnardo]

he maintains his own facebook groups for this kind of stuff to stay connected. People like Bruce Egnator and Rob Robinette frequent it everyday helping people out. I was kind of shocked as I didn't know it existed. I think this is where a lot of the traffic is going now.

Funny thing, Rob used to show up here years ago, pitching questions and getting answers from the MEF brain trust. Now that he's a big deal, do we ever hear from him? Naah... Bruce iirc has popped in also, years in the past, but he may be avoiding MEF since some people have complained - and rightly so - about the lack of factory support especially when Egnater power transformers croak and replacements are nonobtainium. What's the use of a hi tech amp with unique features when support is nil. How embarrassing!

Facebook, if I was a 9 year old kid I'm sure it would be a breeze to navigate. As it stands, the rare times I go there for anything it's very hinky trying to see anything I want to see or getting anything done. A near-perfect waste of time. Maybe that's as intended. For those who manage to actually make use of it, more power to you.

[tdlunsfo]

Those that are seeking the help seem to prefer facebook. It is easier to get your updates in one place but good luck if you want to store schematics or look for a particular post from 5 years ago. I get Bruce's dilemma and I have seen him called out on facebook as well. Rob is pretty helpful and good to see him paying it forward. PASTEG is another group full of audio engineers and shop owners but it is pretty dead, like 2 posts a week dead. I guess if your group is limited to people who do this for a living they don't need a lot of help. Go figure. I still prefer MEF but if your looking for more puzzles to solve, I guess you could try the facebook groups. You all would be rock stars over there.

[Leo_Gnardo]

I still prefer MEF but if your looking for more puzzles to solve, I guess you could try the facebook groups. You all would be rock stars over there.

Thanks but I'll stick with MEF, also our good neighbors The Amp Garage. Farcebook is clearly not for me. Anybody wanna be a rock star? Enzo? Juan? Chuck? ... Bueller, how 'bout you???

[Antigua]

On pickups forums that are consumer oriented, especially for Fenders, I used to see a lot more talk about various boutique pickup makers, whose pickups would list for a lot of money, say over $300 for a set, and I think that drew people into attempting to make pickups with the hope of selling them for a good profit. I feel like that gold rush might be over, I more often see talk about budget pickup options, sets costing less than $100, which can be import product, the big name brands, and some newer domestic pickup makers that are undercutting the existing market. The profit potential is lower than it used to be.

I still see a lot of interest in boutiques with vintage P.A.F. fans, but putting together that type of pickup is a little bit more work, and so there's a higher barrier of entry, and I think that market is also saturated anyway. The pickup makers who are discussed a the most have been going for more than a decade now, not many new names.

As for MEF overall, I think people are embracing modeling amps. Fender's Tone Master series seems to be really popular, a modelling amp that intended to cross shop with vintage tube amps. As that sort of thing becomes more popular, fewer people are going to take an interest in DIY amp mod'ing and repair, since those amps are barely user serviceable anyway.

With DIY pedals, I think the situation is similar with pickups; with a boutique OD pedal costs $300, there's high perceived value in making your own, but when you can buy an import clone for $30, it must make the exercise seem much less worthwhile.

[g1]

I'm going to point out that aside from The Great Waldo none of those I refer to as 'the pickup guys' has responded to RG's original question.

No offence intended, but the rest of us have pretty much hijacked this thread. The pickup forum is seriously on the decline.

[copperheadroads]

Very true .& sad . Any one want to start a discussion about pickups ?