Neve 4081 anyone?

[Pappy725]

Hey! Quit shoving back there in line, okay?

Seriously, here's an email from David Walton of AMS-Neve regarding my inquiry about shipping times:

Hi Stephen,

Thanks for your e-mail. The 4081 units are being manufactured in batches.
The first 2 batches are being made to clear all the pre-orders we received
from dealers and the third batch is for new orders and of course, the
competition winners. The first batch is now shipping and production of the
second batch has started. It is expected that your unit will be shipping in
approximately 3 weeks time when the production of the third batch is
complete.

I'll be in touch once the unit ships to you.

Best regards,
David

So, a little longer, patience, patience....

Back to navel gazing to make the time fly by.

As if my daughter's wedding this weekend, the Texas Folklife Festival the next weekend, a week at the island after that, and rehearsals for a theatre production I'm playing in at the end of June won't be enough to keep my mind off it.

Thanks for the support guys.
Pappy

[Pappy725]

At long last, (230 days, to be exact) the Neve 4081 has arrived at my doorstep. Thank my lucky stars I was home today on my day off. In the box (shipping box, I might add, no marketing type packaging) the unit, well encased in cut-to-fit styro or whatever flavor of foam they use now, a USB cable, AC cable to connect to the power brick with the 8?pin power cable to unit, and a "User Information" CD. Damn, I have a session to mix, no time today to play.



Yeah right, sometime this afternoon I will fire this mother up. Anybody in Central Texas got any really nice mics I can borrow to test it out with? Well, okay then....
This is really a nice way to start Christmas.
Pappy

[monkey man]

We've got one half-decent mic here in Jungleville, Pappy. Send her down here and I'll test it for you at no extra charge over and above the freight costs, which you'll of course pay for.

Sorry you had to wait so long. Enjoy!

Bugger.

[Pappy725]

Thanks, MM. It's a really nice looking piece of gear: big knobs, lots of buttons that light up when you push 'em. Sweet!
I'm looking forward to checking it out real soon. Duty calls however, and I've got to get this middle school Xmas concert mixed and burned to CDs for all the loving parents.
How did I get trapped in Hell? I didn't become a band director because of the thought of 5th and 6th graders with horns and drums. Now the few gigs I get recording are those 6th and 7th graders!
Oh well, I'm doing what I love.

Music


Pappy

[monkey man]

I doubt many 6th and 7th graders get the chance to record through Neve gear. Oh, and don't feel so bad about being in Hell; having spent most of my life there, I can verify that whilst it's barely tolerable in every conceivable way, it is survivable. I hope. LOL

So... is it heavy?

[Pappy725]

Nope, 4.5 KG is all. And that's with the box, cables and power brick. The serial number is etched (scratched?) by hand on the back of the unit.

Now, back to 'Who Let the Elves Out?'

Pappy

[monkey man]

Ha! Kids. Gotta love 'em.

I'm surprised at the mass of the unit, Pappy. Of course, this means it'll be cheaper to send to me. LOL

Happy teaching/engineering.

[Pappy725]

I'm surprised at the mass of the unit, Pappy.

Yeah, it feels like a substantial piece of gear, but I think the power brick is the heaviest part of the equation. Definitely handmade. Ooh cool, boutique gear

Later,
Pappy

[jon]

Pappy how bout a picture of it in your studio?

[Pappy725]

Well, it's sorta , um, uh ,, kinda still in the box. Now don't get me wrong, I was home yesterday when Fedex showed up with it and I opened the box faster than a kid on Christmas morning, but my studio is basically the corner of the living room and my one rack is full with my 828mkII and my 8Pre. Good news is, no gigs this weekend (how is that good news?) so I get to hook it up and see if I can tell a difference. I'll try to remember to take some pictures. AMS-Neve gave away 5 of these puppies and the other US winner is Rob Tavaglione, who has a studio (a real one, I mean) in North Carolina. He also uses Macs and DP. Small world, eh?
So yeah, hopefully I'll be able to post some pics.
Pappy

[monkey man]

Some Unicorns have all the luck. LOL

A hand-made tranny? Oh boy. Nice. As long as the transformer's heavy, it's usually a good sign IMHO. Then again, if the unit has the word "Neve" anywhere on it... LOL

I agree with jon though... Pics... pics... pics... pics... but no pressure, eh? LOL

[jlaudon]

Here's a pic

[monkey man]

Fwoaaa... that's decidedly pornographic, John.

Perhaps Pappy's besotted with the thing, explaining his absence. LOL