written by: Tenebrous
Thanks a lot Mike hehehe... Seriously though, please do let us know your impressions and keep us updated as to how you're getting on!I've just noticed that a new "silver" trim option has been added for the Alpha.
However, both gold & rhodium have gone up, with gold going up to +£470 and rhodium to +£705!
So all those of you who already have gold or rhodium... you lucky bleepers! ;)
Well spotted. All those who have Rhodium (which is the finish also applied to nearly all white gold jewelry) should be particularly pleased as it has become incredibly expensive - we only put 0.1 of a micron on and the cost to us is only just covered by the price now quoted - we don't make much at all on that option. Apparently it is used in alloys that are important in electrical car manufacture, which is one of the reasons it has become so expensive recently.
The Silver finish is very nice though - the only downside is that it's softer and must be polished occasionally. Most classical musical instruments use this as standard. It has a very nice quality to it, a little more mellow than the Rhodium.
John
Yes, anyone would think I just sat and stared at the ordering page all day... *cough*... anyway... and to honest, I'd be happy with tinfoil trim.
Thanks for the reply John :)
I have rhodium on my Alpha, and am beginning to wonder whether I should have stumped up the extra for the wooden keys (I went for the plastic in the end). Is this something that could be retrofitted for a fee later if I want to ?
OH, also, that reminds me... any news on the piano black finish?
Well we have one. It looks great. We're having trouble with defining the process to make it though - it has a giant mess of variables, all hard to contriol. If you want one, ring us up.. its not ready for a standard offering as yet.
John
Hi 0beron
We could retrofit wooden keys for you, but it's expensive - it requires a keyboard rebuild as the keys cannot be changed without that. Would you like us to price that for you?
John
John, I'm holding off on purchasing 'til I've had a play with Win EigenD anyway and I'm assuming a piano black would be a bit more costly atm 'til you get the manufacturing process nailed. Please don't increase the price of standard ones before I've played with Win EigenD, I nearly had a funny turn when the gold&rhodium went up, until I saw you'd added silver :)
The keys are a long way down the priority list at the moment really. I guess with a keyboard rebuild, it would come out at way more than the £400 or so it takes to get wooden keys in the first place?
I think it's a good sign that people are wanting Alphas now, especially former pico users, and wanting the best for their Alphas. I think it was the right move to have such a gloriously built top of the line instrument.
My instrument is Maple Gold Ebony #1. At least that's how I read the serials. They are coded by the finish options. It was a huge leap of faith to choose to be an early adopter. but I'm really glad I did it. I'm due for a new blog entry to that effect. So I owe you guys some public praise.
The Alpha is really an instrument to bond with. Like a fine guitar or whatever traditional instrument you came from.
Eigenlabs have in the past emphasised that the Alpha is really an instrument, and not just another synth controller, and I really think this is true. The wood finishes really make it look the part.
What really made me think of the alpha as an instrument is when I had the cello sound mapped onto the keyboard, and noticed odd noises when I picked it up from the stand. I thought something was broken for a while, but I was actually nudging a key on the edge of the keyboard, and at the same time brushing the strip controller that bows the cello, so it squeaked and creaked like a real instrument would if you nudged parts of it while moving it around.
Totally agree..have had the exact same experience many times and it's so true. It's like picking up a guitar on stage and having the strings squeak. It's so sensitive that it gives that subtle feel rather than a blast which is what would happen if a keyboard player hits the keys by mistake.
Thanks guys. Now I want one even more. ;)
Thanks guys. Now I want one even more. ;)
Wooohooo, exciting! I've seen Eigenlabs use both connected to the same computer at Musikmesse, but they were running a modified version of EigenD for that. So it's definitely possible, but maybe not out of the box.
Thanks a lot Mike hehehe... Seriously though, please do let us know your impressions and keep us updated as to how you're getting on!
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