AD/AL's not dead?

uwmcscott · Fri Aug 20, 2021 9:48 am

So I saw a 3010 "damn wide" pop up in my Reverb feed as a pre-order from Rondo, and also a nice looking AD. Maybe a sign that there will indeed be some coming in the future? Pricing on the AD is high, but what else isn't lately?

https://www.rondomusic.com/ad28001.html

https://www.rondomusic.com/product10638.html

Fri Aug 20, 2021 10:09 am

Not only is it too pricey but it has the horrid "uniform neck profile" and 1 5/8" nut width.
Nothing I would spend a penny on even if it weren't backwards.

At that price & with those specs, I believe the AD is dead.

sabasgr68 · Fri Aug 20, 2021 11:40 am

I hope they´re not. I still have hopes on getting an AD3200 somewhere in time, but the 1 5/8 nut doesn´t smile with me.

nomadh · Fri Aug 20, 2021 12:05 pm

I keep thinking the les paul sales pond has been mostly fished out for 15 years now. I thought a company like rondo could recreate their whole lp lineup in DC models and resell us our lp collections as double cuts. Firefly and hb seems to keep proving there is an unlimited market for copies of the old classic. And no manufacturer agrees there is much of any market for hq inexpensive lp DC models.

mighty_duck · Fri Aug 20, 2021 5:02 pm

That's weird. When we were trying to get the AD-3200 produced, Kurt communicated to @tobijohn , that he couldn't do the old AD shape anymore (presumably, because of Gibson copyright issues).

It's good to see the AD shape back. But the price and 1 year lead time are turn offs. The uniform taper shouldn't be too bad, may even be good.

Fri Aug 20, 2021 6:06 pm

mighty_duck wrote: ↑Fri Aug 20, 2021 5:02 pm That's weird. When we were trying to get the AD-3200 produced, Kurt communicated to @tobijohn , that he couldn't do the old AD shape anymore (presumably, because of Gibson copyright issues).

It's good to see the AD shape back. But the price and 1 year lead time are turn offs. The uniform taper shouldn't be too bad, may even be good.

That's news to me, he did tell me that shape was unacceptable because of run-in with Gibson several years ago which resulted in that AD-2250 debacle. I was just about to contact him and re-pitch the flat top DC design that @TVvoodoo came up with (see below). I actually like it better than the original Gibson. I'm sure that AD is a lot nicer but there a couple well built Harley Benton DCs currently in stock for less than $250...

Mossman · Fri Aug 20, 2021 8:15 pm

tobijohn wrote: ↑Fri Aug 20, 2021 6:06 pm
mighty_duck wrote: ↑Fri Aug 20, 2021 5:02 pm That's weird. When we were trying to get the AD-3200 produced, Kurt communicated to @tobijohn , that he couldn't do the old AD shape anymore (presumably, because of Gibson copyright issues).

It's good to see the AD shape back. But the price and 1 year lead time are turn offs. The uniform taper shouldn't be too bad, may even be good.
That's news to me, he did tell me that shape was unacceptable because of run-in with Gibson several years ago which resulted in that AD-2250 debacle. I was just about to contact him and re-pitch the flat top DC design that @TVvoodoo came up with (see below). I actually like it better than the original Gibson. I'm sure that AD is a lot nicer but there a couple well built Harley Benton DCs currently in stock for less than $250...

That looks a lot closer to a Gibson DC than the design that I submitted, and we all know what further modifications Kurt made to that. Seeing him reintroduce this model without any changes to the body shape kinda irks me, and makes me want to call BS on his excuse for ruining my design.

Fri Aug 20, 2021 8:24 pm

Mossman wrote: ↑Fri Aug 20, 2021 8:15 pm
That looks a lot closer to a Gibson DC than the design that I submitted, and we all know what further modifications Kurt made to that. Seeing him reintroduce this model without any changes to the body shape kinda irks me, and makes me want to call BS on his excuse for ruining my design.

That bothers me too as does the fact after all the back and forth we've had over that one and the AD3200MCC, he didn't talk to us prior...

thepezident · Fri Aug 20, 2021 9:23 pm

quote=tobijohn post_id=31702 time=1629505475 user_id=50]

That bothers me too as does the fact after all the back and forth we've had over that one and the AD3200MCC, he didn't talk to us prior...
[/quote]

@tobijohn who?

Mossman · Sun Aug 22, 2021 3:00 pm

tobijohn wrote: ↑Fri Aug 20, 2021 8:24 pm
Mossman wrote: ↑Fri Aug 20, 2021 8:15 pm
That looks a lot closer to a Gibson DC than the design that I submitted, and we all know what further modifications Kurt made to that. Seeing him reintroduce this model without any changes to the body shape kinda irks me, and makes me want to call BS on his excuse for ruining my design.
That bothers me too as does the fact after all the back and forth we've had over that one and the AD3200MCC, he didn't talk to us prior...

Yeah, I wasn't buying it back then, and I'm certainly not buying it now. My design was already far enough away from Gibson's. I think Kurt just wanted to put his own fingerprint on it.

I'm not sure that Kurt would feel the need to talk to us about any of his decisions. I mean, if he wants marketing data it would probably be in his best interests to solicit our opinions, but maybe he thinks our numbers aren't large enough to represent a viable market sample, and we're not even his core market anymore.

Mossman · Sun Aug 22, 2021 3:01 pm

thepezident wrote: ↑Fri Aug 20, 2021 9:23 pm quote=tobijohn post_id=31702 time=1629505475 user_id=50]

That bothers me too as does the fact after all the back and forth we've had over that one and the AD3200MCC, he didn't talk to us prior...

@tobijohn who?

[/quote]

Kurt.

Sun Aug 22, 2021 3:03 pm

thepezident wrote: ↑Fri Aug 20, 2021 9:23 pm
@tobijohn who?

The nerve of Kurt, ya know? The hardest part of owning my own business was getting the customers to realize the world revolved around me...

watercaster · Wed Oct 27, 2021 7:52 pm

I have the red one and the blue 2800 uniform neck profile and don't notice any difference compared to my two 3000m model necks.

nomadh · Thu Oct 28, 2021 8:01 pm

If we are pitching a design again I'd like to see something more SX priced in a DC JR. Either nearly correct tvy (but since thats impossible) a nice unfilled grain oil finish. Fixed neck mahogany of course. Keep it under $200

Thu Oct 28, 2021 8:20 pm

nomadh wrote: ↑Thu Oct 28, 2021 8:01 pm If we are pitching a design again I'd like to see something more SX priced in a DC JR. Either nearly correct tvy (but since thats impossible) a nice unfilled grain oil finish. Fixed neck mahogany of course. Keep it under $200

Sometime in the next few weeks, I'm going to rattle the cage again regarding the symmetrical DC that @TVvoodoo came up with. However, rather than the Jr/Special style pickguard, I was going to suggest the faux Melody Maker style as well as the other specs that were on the AD-201. So basically, a DC AD-201:

https://www.rondomusic.com/Agile_AD-201_Nat_Cherry.html