Home Musical Gear and Equipment!!!

Eye Balling the Avalon 737 Sp

I've been eye balling the 737 for a while and noticed the price on these very a lot.  

900-2700.  most sellers only have pictures and with today's tech I feel there isn't a reason to at least demo the gear for those who can't make a trip.

Thoughts?  Are the new Avalons just as good or stick to a classic?

Comments

  • highmtnhighmtn Administrator, Moderator, Enrolled, Pro, 3.0 Streaming Posts: 15,354

    $2750 is list price for a new 737.  You can buy them for less and you can buy used ones. 

    Ask them why it's for 900. 

    I had someone offer me a deal that was too good to be true on eBay for a Triton keyboard.  It was a scam.

    There is a markup on electronic gear, and it is possible that some are offering them for a small fee over wholesale, but it's also possibly a scam.

    Is there a "new" 737 with lower pricing?  These are high-end boutique pieces of sound gear.  They are not inexpensive.

    Bob

  • kaulferskaulfers Pro Posts: 300
    The price range is just a big gap.  The avg seems to be around 1500.  I'm wondering if the new ones have a sigma like ooo "they are built like the use to be" implying the quality has gone down.

    There doesn't seem to be a shortage of them by any means.
  • VirgoTripVirgoTrip Pro Posts: 15
    edited April 2015
    Hey, Kaulfers! I'm new here (first day, second post!), so sorry if you've already found your answer, but... I own an Avalon VT 737-sp (the black 10th anniversary
    edition).  One of the main complaints about the old models was the compressor attack time.  Supposedly it was not fast enough and as the story goes, however many years ago, Trent Reznor and Babyface got together
    with their Avalon pre's and worked out a mod to make the attack on it a lot faster.  From what I understand, it (know as the "babyface mod") is such a very popular mod for them that many owners of the older models attempted it or had it done and newer models can be ordered with it already done (I'm not certain if the factory does it to all new models now, or just the 10th anniversary ones, but I know that mine already had it done and I bought it brand new when the black plate versions were released). So when looking for ANY sort of used recording gear, bear in mind things like people modding them themselves, bad tubes, overloaded input stages, bad circuits, no power strips included, etc...  Sometimes a low price tag can have a lot hidden.  Was the gear kept in a smoke/moisture free environment, was it damaged being transported on the way to a location recording session,  is it static-y or are there weird noises like electrical hums to it, etc...  Sometimes really cheap high end recording gear is non-functional and sold for back-up parts only. Gear like this is not at all cheap new, but usually stores around any holiday of the year run 20% off sales, saving you something like $600 on a piece of gear like this.  I can't speak for the older models as I've never used one or the slow compressor, but I thoroughly enjoy mine.  It definitely has a distinct characteristic, and it's awesome as a bass DI too if you play other instruments.  The distortion you can get from slamming it is KILLER!  As I said, I'm new here and want to remain within courtesy and rules, so I'm not sure of the rules about posting a link to sites that sell gear, but there is an independent web store that sells a lot of high end recording gear that has a section where they shootout almost all of their preamps, compressors, eqs, mics, etc... with vocals/guitar/drums so that you can hear how all of them sound with the same source material without having to buy them.  I know it's nowhere near hands on, but it'll at least let you hear if it sounds good to you!
  • highmtnhighmtn Administrator, Moderator, Enrolled, Pro, 3.0 Streaming Posts: 15,354

    The forum does not allow any links to other vocal sites or discussion of other vocal methods. You have to go to their sites to talk about their methods.  

    Ken does make recommendations on a lot of good recording and live use gear, but not necessarily to sales sites.  Ken does not hide the fact that he uses an Avalon 737 along with a Neumann M149.  So, since we all like gear like that, we probably all want to know who is selling it at the most reasonable price.

    A lot of us here are gear hounds, so we're probably all curious about who the web store is for recording gear. 

    Being how this is the part of the forums called Musical Gear and Equipment, we can probably allow a link.  If it turns into some sort of fairness melee, or a glut of spam, then we'll just wipe the link out and forget we ever had this conversation.

    : ^)

    Bob

  • kaulferskaulfers Pro Posts: 300
    VirgoTrip,

     Nice tips man. The only "problem" about buying great gear is...you always want to get more..
  • VirgoTripVirgoTrip Pro Posts: 15
    edited April 2015
    @highmtn absolutely understandable about other methods/courses!  I just figured that with gear it would be better off to ask to be safe then to go posting names or links and break rules in my first days here.  haha! 

    Anyway, there is a retailer named "Zen Pro Audio" that has a section on their website called "The Clipalator" that has TONS of examples of what different microphones, pre amps, compressors, EQs, reverbs, etc. sound like all using the same source material (that you can even download) so that you can compare the minor/major differences between gear you are looking at. They have examples of gear running from hundreds to those in the thousands of dollars, too, so it's not one sided either. It's cool because you can even put the files in your DAW of choice and hear what a certain mic/preamp sounds like on vocals with, say, a different mic you want on drums...  Very nice, knowledgeable, and personable owner too!

    As far as price, most of the major on-line retailers 9 times out of 10 run percentage sales around holidays (almost all holidays, not just major ones too), but often high end companies (understandably) opt out, but you never know what you'll chance upon.  It's a great time to get gear that is just too hard to justify that extra price tag.  Or even reasonably priced ones too!

    Oh man @kaulfers, tell me about it!  I went to college for audio engineering years ago (work in a different field, though), and basically any money I had saved for very long times went straight to Neumanns, Royers, Gibsons, Fenders, etc... Once that bug bites, it's baaaaaad!
  • kaulferskaulfers Pro Posts: 300
    @VirgoTrip,

     *IF YOU ARE A COMPETING DEALER / SELLER OF PRO AUDIO GEAR, YOU ARE NOT A
    CUSTOMER OF ZENPRO AUDIO AND ARE NOT ALLOWED TO STREAM OR PLAY OUR
    FILES. GO TRAIN YOUR OWN STAFF!

    Classic..line.
  • kaulferskaulfers Pro Posts: 300
    edited April 2015
    @VirgoTrip,

     Right now I've invested mostly into treating my listening/recording space. I guess I could have just bought those headphones Ken pointed out and saved a few zeros.  I like being unpluged though and it makes the room look more legit.
  • VirgoTripVirgoTrip Pro Posts: 15
    Right on, @kaulfers.  That's a pretty good thing though even with the expense because recording/tracking/listening in a proofed room is a solid way to up the game of your recorded sound and listening (as I'm sure you know!).  I couldn't find the thread for the headphones you were talking about, so excuse me if my responses aren't exactly on topic - were the headphones/proofing for tracking or listening/doing exercises or all the above? lol! :)  Is that your set-up in your picture?
  • kaulferskaulfers Pro Posts: 300
    @VirgoTrip,
     
     The pic is one someone snapped while I was sitting at the radio desk where I use to work.  Which is where I really started learning about sound.

    Ultrasone pro 900, and newer ones, Pro Pack 4 video 3.  He is answer questions about gear.



  • VirgoTripVirgoTrip Pro Posts: 15
    Ah, very cool, gotcha!  ;  Oh, that would explain it - I just got the program this past week, so I haven't checked those out yet.  I figured I would only watch the volume one dvd and the volume one website videos very regularly and then do the same with the next level as I progressed.  That is what they mean when they say before the 1st audio workout "watch all the videos," right?  Not meaning "watch all the videos from the entire course," yet, right?  haha
  • kaulferskaulfers Pro Posts: 300
    Some of the pro packs cover other things beside singing.  Some go on about writing songs, guitar, gear and a few other FAQs Ken go into details about. I'm on volume one, haven't looked at any other volume of the training yet.@VirgoTrip
  • VirgoTripVirgoTrip Pro Posts: 15
    Nice - thanks!
Sign In or Register to comment.