About the trainwreck "reissues"...

[Cliff Schecht]

Yeah I'm excited to show off the new PAiA modules at a NAMM show. We don't make any extraordinary claims, just that our modules are cool, fun and inexpensive .

[Mrscratch]

I still find it funny that JM had to start with the Rocket first because as he found out its the easiest one to CLONE.

I don't think this is accurate. Didn't he start out by completing the Rocket that is now at Lark Street, and then building several more Rockets after having his hands on the one Ken had partially built?

I reckon that's why people that want Expresses are being quoted an 8 month lead time. So he's got 8 months to figure out how to build them and make them stable, and sounding like Expresses.

The 8 month lead time was at the BUYERS request so he could come up with the money, not because the builder needs time to "figure out" how to build an Express. Other models are available now including the Express.

I don't understand why several people are bashing the builder (JM or John Mark) as if he doesn't know a soldering iron from a spatula? Wouldn't we assume the Fisher's would put a competent builder down in Ken's workshop with his tools, parts, and build notes, especially to come up with an official reissue of the Trainwreck models?

yes this was me. i asked to be on the list, and told him that i would need about 8 months to come up with the money.JM was super cool. he said "no problem!"
he figures he will be building the expresses in about that time. he is working on rockets right now. all of this is ME asking him for time to come up with the money, while maintaining my place in line. we spoke for a long time. super good guy.

[selloutrr]

Just wait until all the magic is gone and you can go to any guitar center or musicians friend and buy a trainwreck on layaway or finance on the card. In 20 years it'll be I learned to play on a tw not I learned to play so I could play a tw. They will be out sourced prob digital and made by robots with cheap parts on pcbs just watch ... It is the way of the reissue!

[arubalou]

The scepticism is pretty well-founded given the text that's been on trainwreck.com for all these years about cloners and that no-one but Ken can build them.

Then, suddenly, when it suits the family, along comes someone with (quote) "better ears than Ken", "that helped Ken tune the amps" and therefore is definitely the person to build these reissues, although he wants to remain anonymous for whatever reason and no-one that knew Ken has come forward to substantiate the strength of the connection between them.

Clearly he wasn't around when Ken couldn't find anyone who could build the amps to his standards so either JM was otherwise occupied during this period or simply wasn't up to the job.

It hardly ties in with him being Ken's right-hand man.



This is without even getting into how other manufacturers that Ken also had working relationships were rebuffed when they discussed producing his amps because he felt it wasn't going to work out properly.

And on top of that we've got the new "5 laws" BS, which further insinuates that JM knows something none of us are privy to, nor will be allowed to know. It's actually quite offensive.

So, all things considered, I'd like to see one good reason for not being sceptical.

hello i am new here this is my first post. my aunt lives next door to his old house. i knew kenny, him mom esta and his brother scott and would always try to hang out with him when we went down to colonia. kenny was a real nice quiet interesting guy. i never heard him talk about anyone who helped him voice his amps, helped him out etc. he always inferred that he built all his amps by himself!

[redshark]

[/quote]
hello i am new here this is my first post. my aunt lives next door to his old house. i knew kenny, him mom esta and his brother scott and would always try to hang out with him when we went down to colonia. kenny was a real nice quiet interesting guy. i never heard him talk about anyone who helped him voice his amps, helped him out etc. he always inferred that he built all his amps by himself![/quote]

Are you a guitar player? Did you ever try his amps? Welcome to the forum!!!

[arubalou]

hi redshark, thanks. i was starting to learn how to play when i knew kenny but like an idiot i stopped. one of the dumbest decisions i ever made. i asked kenny one time about buyiong one of his amps and he told me flat out that there was no way i was ready for one!!! he wasn't being stuck up or anything he was just telling me the truth. he was an interesting guy. he'd come into my aunts house very polite, say hi, sit at the dining room table and really didn't say much until someone would start talking to him. he seemed to know so much. it was too bad he caught chronic fatigue syndrome, that was the start of his downfall. he liked my mother alot and named an amp after her it is the "trudy".

[redshark]

Very nice arubalou!! As you can see around this forum we all have lots of respect for Ken. It's great to hear stories like yours. So if you are not a guitar player what brings you here? if you don't mind me asking.

[mac0611]

nice story. I, like many others here are very dissappointed that we can never meet him. He was one of the very few before the internet machine that would openly help others gain perspective and knowledge about guitar amps.

[arubalou]

redshark: what brings me here? i just googled trainwreck amps for the hell of it and wound up here. go figure!! i keep meaning to pick up guitar again, i bought a 15 watt marshall last year but really haven't done much.

reading the various posts gets me interested in building an amp of my own i'll say that.

[M Fowler]

arubalou,

To build your own in memory of Kenny someone you knew would reallty be a tribute to the man and a good learning experience for you.

Welcome by the way

Mark

[arubalou]

how hard is it to build a amp? i am very good with my hands but know very little about electronics. it would be fun to build though.

[M Fowler]

With this crew your in good hands and there are a few that may just live in your area that can help out, never know.

I think many people can build an amp without electronics background but they will need supervision and the will to spend time learning.

The voltages inside the Trainwrecks are lethal if precaution is not taken and we mean each and everytime your working in a amp.