Slacker

Quote:

Slacker

LOL

I have to pass off some of my EHX addiction blame to you. Your website has given me the worst G.A.S. over the years, and still does.
BTW, I tried switching out the 4558 op amp in my Mistress, but that didn’t help the volume drop. Is there a different OP amp I should try?

Cheers!

I hope for your sanity that isn’t fake 😆

That looks authentic to me. I have an autographed poster.

have you reversed the lid for the picture or does it not have the ‘big muff’ screen print?

It’s a pic of Mike flexing his arms. It was made during the attempted takeover of the tube factory and was available at the NAMM show a couple of years ago. I’ll try to post a pic tonight.

“attempted take over of the tube factory”? What’s that all about?

05 / 17 / 06

Sovtek According to the New York Times, the ExpoPul vacuum tube manufacturing facility in Russia is under attack by what owner Mike Matthews call the mob. Mr. Matthews purchased the tube manufacturing facility years ago and sales have steadily grown from 40,000 tubes a month in 1999 to 170,000 in 2005. During a telephone interview, Mr. Matthews has said “It’s rock ‘n’ roll versus the mob. I will not give in to racketeers.” With stories of the mod, shady Russian police wearing masks to hide their identity, and bribes that can reach all the way up the Russian judicial system, it makes one wonder who actually controls Russia. Yuri Alekseyev, a chief ministry investigator was quoted by the Interfax news agency, said “Dozens of major deals for the purchase and sale of companies take place in Russia every month. The process is ever more frequently accompanied by gross violations of the law.” In typical mafia coercion tactics, Russian Business Estates director Vitaly V. Borin desires purchasing Mr. Matthews’s ExpoPul factory for pennies on the dollar to, in turn, sell to another investor. Of course Mr. Borin also claims to be using only legal tactics to achieve his goal. It appears ExpoPul is now under attack as Mr. Matthews is refusing to sell the factory as reports include the electricity being shut off and invaders using jackhammers raised dust to contaminate the factory’s clean rooms. The situation grows ever more complicated with each passing week. As for world tube production, the Russian facility is said to manufacture well over half of new vacuum tubes worldwide including those under the brand name Sovtek.

In related news, Russia has become a mixed place to conduct business, including the high-end audio industry where there has been mixed reaction worldwide between the two major importers that have caused a single yearly major show to become two separate shows. Taking sides with either show can be quite a decision on various levels, with some manufactures and press members choosing to not attend either show due to various concerns and fear.