From kaluna55@erinet.com Thu Sep 02 22:48:45 2010
Subject:My Voce died and my speaker got fried

I was rehearsing with my group last week and my Voce V5 just quit
working. No sound from the drawbars, two lights went on but nothing else
worked. My JBL Eon 15 also stopped working, just a low level signal with
a lot of crackling. I got to my gig and two notes on my pedalboard
didn't work. Our church organ and my computer organ set-up also ran into
problems. And yeah, last Monday we had to have a plumber out to fix our
sink.

The JBL is being repaired at a repair shop in Dayton. I called Tony
LaBrasca about the Voce, he said he'd look at it and get in touch with
Dave Amels. He said if the circuit board is fried I've got a real
problem since they don't make those any more. Tony and indirectly Dave
Amels have been helpful to me in the past but you can't get the part any
more I don't know what I'll do.

The V5 was my first clone, I got it in 02. I got an XK3 because I wanted
all the live drawbars but I also kept using the Voce. I've used it to
feed an 888 "left-hand bass" sound into my pedalboard Also, I was just
setting up a lightweight system to use for afternoon gigs. (Casio
keyboards - V5 - Ventilator - Speakeasy Classic - JBL.) The Vent seems
to improve anything plugged into it but the V5/Vent combination was
especially nice. If I could get another drawbar controller for it it
would have a whole second life.

I realize that it's the nature of gear to wear out but my recent tsunami
of equipment failures has made me think. When I've bought an instrument,
I've always asked myself "Will I still want to play it five years from
now, would it still work? Now I have to ask "Will there be parts for it,
will it still be supported" Steve Hayes, Tony LaBrasca and Bruce Wahler
have been great with support so that's not an issue but the parts and
service issue gives me something else to think about. I'm not easily
able to sell off my gear every time something new comes out

The VB3 is a high end program at a low end price but I still can't see
using it on a jazz gig, and computers about even worse on obsolescence.
The company who sold me the AU host program wouldn't even send me a
manual and told me to upgrade to a version that wouldn't even run on my
computer.

Are there any opitions other than finding another Voce or an XM-2? Maybe
the V machines could be an option but I just don't know much about them.

I'm less sentimental about the JBL. I've got two of them, they get the
job done, but still leave me wishing for something with top and bottom
rotors that could break down and fit in a car. I'd like to check out
what's available, with speakers though I like to hear them live.

Anyway, sorry for ranting and rambling, I'm just hoping I can get keep
my V5 going and getting everything else fixed. Thanks for listening.

Larry