Whither Echoplex?

[James Keepnews <keepnews@node.net>]

Greetings.

In and among my new year's resolutions for this Y2G is to absolutely,
mercilessly and without surcease pester Gibson brands with questions
regarding the long-promised, increasingly deferred and ultimately
unavilable (former) Oberheim Echoplex. In my last post to the Gibson
on-line forum, it was suggested that Gibson's Trace Elliot division
would be releasing this premier looping device sometime at the beginning
of this year; I now understand that this release has been (once more!)
pushed back to the spring.

It's a shame that this product -- a profitable one for Gibson, from my
understanding -- continually experiences production setbacks and delays
on its new release. A cynic might believe that it might never see the
light of a commercial day again. I am not that cynic, but I am cynical
enough to believe that nothing at all will occur on Gibson's end without
a regular reminder of interest in this product. Accordingly, I am
forwarding this note to Gibson Corporate, Trace Elliot product
development (from whom I am still awaiting a reply from my last e-mail)
and the Looper's Delight mailing list. Sunlight is the best
disinfectant, of practices as much as product development.

I invite you to look forward to my next note to you all, and a regular
stream of similarly inquisitive notes, until either the Echoplex is
brought back into production or a statement is issued to the effect that
the unit will never be issued again. Au revoir!

Very truly yours,
James Keepnews