p.a.dogs1 wrote:Don´t be too sentimental!
Roland Meinl GmbH & Co. KG is the world´s biggest percussion producer. Every Meinl product is primarily not the result of a philosophy but a result of a pricing.
Now, now, I do know that Meinl did not produce for humanitarian reasons, but to make profit.
There is no doubt about that. What I wanted to express is that I simply find the early Woodcraft and its sound really stunning.
p.a.dogs1 wrote:When the first Woodcrafts came up, all over Europe existed workshops, where freaks built really unique instruments under specific local conditions. Afro Percussion in the Netherlands, PJ in Copenhagen, Delaporte and formerly ASBA in France, Finnish Percussion in Suomi, Schalloch in Hamburg and some more ... Even Sonor, one of the big brands, built congas from local beech for professional requirements and with elaborated hardware (Sonor congas were at that time more expensive than the Classic models of LP). But nevertheless there was the suspicion that the really authentic congas were made in the USA: Gon Bops, LP, Valje. Meinl was more or less known as a producer for reasonable school equipment, not for high-end.
Maybe. And don´t forget Jost Reiche as the German mahogany "freak".
p.a.dogs1 wrote:Considering this market situation it was surely a good idea to show some competence by combining "Made In Germany" with original barrel making traditions, provoke connotations of the legendary german oak etc. What I want to say: the beginning of Woodcraft production is more motivated by marketing strategy than by cultivating a specific requirement. This can be seen at the today´s instruments named Woodcrafts. They don´t have anything in common with the original barrels. Meinl seems not to be very much interested in continuing the self-initiated tradition.
You might have a point there. Of course Meinls are mass produced, which does not say much though, as virtually ALL major brands are mass-produced.
They have really marked their territory just as much as LP or Pearl, with all its good and bad sides.
Hence
bashing Meinl for their undoubtedly clever marketing strategies would be rather pointless. For "ze Jermans":
http://www.thomann.de/de/prod_pdfreview ... 412058.pdfAt least I am still loving those oak tubs of mine
Which by the way are not really mass-produced
p.a.dogs1 wrote: I am sure that the Woodcrafts from the 90ies are of same quality (or even better) as Woodcrafts from the 80ies. Btw. those plastic pieces under the sideplates make not much sense in my eyes - and prevent that the instruments become dignified with age.
What do you mean by dignified with age? I have seen sideplates sunken into the shells of luan Gon Bops, for example, and cannot say I find that particularly "dignified".
Besides, the fact that the metal of the sideplates does not touch the wood might have certain extra sound qualities, perhaps the shells can vibrate more freely? Don´t know.
On the other hand I have even thought about removing that rubber coating of my 1998 Woodcrafts, they do not look to good and start to crumble.
But I am too lazy - or busy