House of Rock

26 May Update on the SVDS Replica: Production started!

Update as per 26th May, please find riginal post below

Dear members,
just want to give you an update on the progress.
Our tech Markus found a few smaller problems on the initial circuit design and had to redo it. Thats bad news basically, but the work was already done when you’re reading this.
Since we have a new circuit now, we want to hear it and test it again together with you all, before we give it into production. This means, another prototype will be made and Fil will
test it and demo it for you.
During the upcoming week, the PCB boards are made, then the prototypes will be assembled by our tech Markus.

Sometimes, you get stuck with just a detail, in this case it’s the replica’s case enclosure. We want it as close as possible to the original, which takes a big effort, because no pre-made industrial case fits our needs. So it will be custom made and printed like the original exclusively for us. We just found a company which will handle the case labelling for us.

So, while it’s silent here, be assured that we’re working on it in the background. We are even testing a decent, not too expensive modern wireless unit that will fit the replica’s needs perfectly, since the replica itself will not contain wireless functionality.

As soon as it makes sense (when we know the final costs and prizes) we will open a prescription list.
Thank you for your patience,
Franz
End update, please find original posting below

Dear members,

before I explain the title of this post, please let me introduce you to Markus.
Markus is a very experienced electronics technician here in Vienna, Austria. He is not only a electronics engineering graduate, but also has a lot of experience in the production of electronic and electrical devices. He builds his own tube amps, he is working on his own line of studio monitor speakers, and in general, his special interest is audio electronics.

Yesterday, Markus took over the job of producing the replica. We both signed his contract and NDA agreements and Markus took over Guido’s fantastic pioneer work and examined an original SVDS.

Markus signing contracts

Proud Markus with SVDS

In the above photo you see a Vega Pro 63. This unit is not functional but its metal case has the exactly same dimensions as the original SVDS, so this one was handed over as a sample in order to reproduce an authentic enclosure for the replica.

So, what are the next steps? Short answer: preparing the batch production.
Long answer: Markus will manually build a handful of prototypes again, exactly like they will be built at the factory. These prototypes will be tested and showcased here.
Upon successful testing, the prototypes will then need to be checked for compliance with the European standards for electronic audio devices. Finally factory production can then start.

Update: Markus will also take care of the pedal/stompbox version of the SVDS replica. It will be released after the big (Gold/Deluxe) version but will sound just the same and therefore also just like the SVDS. The exact same process for the big (Gold/Deluxe) version of the SVDS replica will be repeated for the pedal/stompbox version.

We are definitely a big step closer now.

Your SoloDallas team
Fil & Franz