Schumann Return?

1. General Information
• -PLL
• -Two Face Fuzz
• -Lion
• -Lion X – Still looking

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
November 11, 2009

Schumann Electronics Corp. is very pleased to announce the issue of a brand new line of effects pedals. Along with the continued production of improved versions of our classic line of pedals listed on this site, we will be introducing some exciting new unique hand wired products that are guaranteed to blow you away!

Contrary to rumors, John Schumann is alive and well and in the final phase of prototype detailing. He is not now nor was he ever dead, in a state of suspended animation or living as a recluse huddled around his cast iron stove in an 8 x 8 windowless shack in some remote area of the Alaskan tundra. John has taken the past several years investigating the landscape of the vast unexplored regions of the analog electronic universe making many exciting discoveries and innovations along the way. In short, Schumann Electronics has been on an extended hiatus without ever having the intention of closing up shop forever. So for those of you who have been waiting for the opportunity to finally acquire an authentic premium quality, all American, hand wired Schumann Effects Device, the wait is soon coming to an end. Check back frequently for the launch of our brand new Schumann Electronics Internet Storefront. Just keep in mind that since all our products will continue to be 100% hand loaded, wired, soldered, assembled, individually tested and fine-tuned, initial available inventory quantities may run a bit short of the demand. In any event, we are committed to produce the finest quality original design electronic gear that will prove to be completely unrivaled by any cheep counterfeit or cloned copy.

Thanks to all of you musicians and musical equipment aficionado whom have helped to perpetuate the legend around these legendary pedals!

Slade
President & CEO
Schumann Electronics
schumannelectronics@gmail.com

I the 19th, I got a response to an email.

Hello Adam-

In case you are unaware, Schumann Electronics has finally emerged from a 4 year hiatus. I am in the process of going through the hundreds of emails that have previously been sent to the old Schumann Electronics address. Although most have gone unanswered, I am making every effort to respond to some long awaited questions. We appreciate and thank you for your interest in Schumann products. Please also note that although we would like to accommodate all inquiries asap and in any way we can, we are currently not taking any informal orders nor do we currently have a waiting list available. My suggestion is to check back with our website at www.schumannelectronics.com frequently as any and all announcements regarding product availability dates, pre-production and standard run ordering information and pricing will be posted there either on the home page or filed under an upcoming “Press Release” tab. Due to overwhelming demand and prior customer frustration, quantities will be limited to 1 unit of each product per customer to give those who have been waiting years a fair shot at finally acquiring one of our fine pedals.
Once again, thank you very much for your interest! We are sure you as well as all our customers will be very pleased to learn what we have been up to!

As far as the PLL, Lion, Lion X & the Two Face Fuzz, you and everyone else will be thrilled at what John has done with these designs. (I have been addicted to the prototypes, playing my guitar, bass, synth and anything else I can plug into them!) They are truly phenomenal and actually blow the original designs away! Thanks Adam for contacting us and expressing your interest. Just be sure to keep an eye out and watch for our new site. Any and all info will be posted there.

Peace-
Slade
President & CEO
Schumann Electronics

UPDATE
January 18, 2010

The past two months since our initial announcement have been very exciting and productive. We have been quite shocked by the overwhelming response and wish to extend our sincere gratitude for such a warm reception! Currently, John Schumann is working diligently on tweaking the final PLL prototype revision, which will be our working production model. We are very pleased to inform everyone that the new PLL has greatly surpassed the original issue in features, sonic variables, tracking accuracy, and build quality. I have personally been testing it daily, running Guitar, Bass, synth, mp3 tracks and even drums through it with unbelievable results! There seriously is nothing like it!

Now that John has finally been given the opportunity to create completely on his terms, he can continue to invent electronic devices that will allow creative people access to a sonic palette that previously only existed in the intangible realm of the imagination. Both John and I have a passion for creating and feel no less than honored to be able to offer our unique tools to those who are on that perpetual quest to produce something different and completely individual. The next update posted here will announce the date of our new web site launch. The new web storefront will include all available products and accessories as well as sound samples and video demos. The first unit to be available will be the PLL rev.3, which will be followed by the Lion X and the Two Face Fuzz. Periodically throughout the year we will also introduce another series of unique products that are sure to blow you away!

One of the most common questions we have been asked is regarding prices and availability. Unfortunately I do not have any concrete information on price and availability of any of our devices. We are not certain exactly how soon, but since we are in the final phase of prototype refinements, it shouldn’t be much longer. The price is still TBD. Once we begin our initial production run, we can establish our actual per unit cost and then a fair retail price (which is impossible to determine at this point since the 100% analog units will all be 100% hand made here in NY). We encourage any of you who are interested to send us an e-mail requesting to be on our mailing list. We will be sure to let you know as things develop and you will be the first to know when we are about to release new units for purchase.

Thanks again for all your interest and kind words! Feel certain your patience will be greatly rewarded!

Slade
President & CEO
Schumann Electronics
schumannelectronics@gmail.com

E-mail posted on thegearpage Jan 23rd 2010

Hopefully the following will answer some questions for you.
I can tell you that the legacy pedals (PLL, Two face Fuzz and the Lion X) have been redesigned from the ground up. All have major circuit revisions that contribute to vastly improved sound, sonic variables and control management and function completely as they were originally designed to operate. Appearance is virtually identical to the original units, with the exception of slightly larger box dimensions to accommodate the more complex circuitry. Build quality is absolute top notch utilizing printed circuit boards that are still all 100% analog, (NO programmed or modeled chips or robot stitched PCBs etc… Just good ol’ solid antiquated 1970′s technology!) hand stuffed and then wave soldered at our facility before being individually tested and tweaked. This differs from the old “one by one” tedium of hand etching boards and then hand soldering each point that, although charming, is such a horrible way to try to accomplish a serious well made electronic instrument. Once again, I do stress that these are still all 100% hand made but using techniques that will allow us to be much more efficient with a very tiny failure rate. All units will have at least a 5 year full replacement warranty. This is about all I can tell you for now. The cost is still as of today TBD and will be based on a fair mark up from our actual per unit cost once we begin our production run. Production quantities of all the legacy units will be absolutely limited. That is, once we complete our product run, we will no longer be producing the legacy units in stock quantities, however they will still be available as a custom ordered item, obviously at a much higher cost. We have many completely unique electronic devices in line for development and production and would prefer not to saturate the market with any one item.
Units wil become available the moment we complete our first production run. As all things like this go, due to all the different variables involved, it is impossible to determine the exact date of availability. For example, our original target for the PLL was January 1st. This would have been possible if we had decided to produce the original PLL as it were. As the new revision was being developed, we recognized many opportunities for improvement and decided it would be well worth the additional time needed to realize further development. At this point we are on schedule for a retail release sometime during this first quarter. That’s all the info I have for now. Pass it on if you wish and thanks for your interest once again!
As you requested, You have been added to our mailing list.

Cheers!
-Slade

April 22nd 2010 Update. Note: The pedal maker referenced in this note is Snazzy FX and their pedal the Mini-Ark

Hello and many thanks for your interest and patience!

Over the past several months we have been receiving a steady flow of emails requesting information regarding our products. Mostly, we are asked when our pedals will be available for sale as well as the price. The answer to these two questions is simply “soon and still TBD”. I fully admit that there has been an ample amount of time to make these reissues, but as you read further, you will understand the delay.

When John Schumann and I first began designing the reissues of his PLL, Lion X and the Two Face Fuzz, it was decided that they were going to be just that. Exact copies of the original units with the exception of greatly improved circuitry design and construction with the benefit of an improved sonic quality. After about 2 months of refinements, the reissues were ready for final prototyping and then on to the “by hand” manufacturing process. All was right on schedule…

One day while surfing the web, I came across a blog that featured new effects pedal makers at the Winter NAMM show. As I browsed the pages, I landed on a person with 3 pedals that he claimed to be uniquely his inventions hatched from his own genius mind. Curious looking, colorful clashing things with lots of tiny knobs. There was a youTube demo from the show that I clicked on to hear what these things did. The first box demo was initially not very impressive to me and I almost moved on. That is, until I heard what sounded vaguely like the Schumann PLL! How could this be? First of all, the Schumann PLL was made with the most unusual unorthodox and sloppy methods of design, along with potting and booby trap circuits built into the boards as a deterrent to any would be forger. It would take a maniac to even consider a crack at reverse engineering, let alone be successful. I showed John the video, during which his response was “That sounds kind of like a PLL. It sounds similar, but is not the same.” And then he remarked “Hey I know that guy!” Apparently this person was a big fan of John’s designs and had been working on a personal project of his own a few years ago. He was able to contacted John and picked his brain for information on how the PLL worked, among several others of John’s inventions that he was curious about. Being the kind trusting soul he is, John freely offered to help him after this person emphatically assured him that any information John gave him was to be used for his own personal purpose and never for commercial use or any monetary gain. It was just between him and John and would never go any further. I could not believe this. And John, being an information hoarder, quickly retrieved all the email correspondence and let me read it for myself. Of course I was very disappointed in this person, and sad for him with what damage he had surely inflicted on his own Karma, but more so I was disappointed in John for being so trusting and careless with his intellectual property. Rather than dwell on something that was out of our control, we decide to scrap all work done up to this point and begin again from square one.

Although it was hard to swallow coming within an inch of completion only to step back back a mile, discovering this persons agenda that day has now proven to be a true blessing in disguise. For the past several months the PLL, the Lion X and the Two Face Fuzz have undergone complete design changes resulting in vastly improved sonic qualities as well as additional useful features. John was having fun again feeling like he was inventing brand new things, as by default, he has finally been given the time and opportunity to redesign the original 3 pedals to be so vastly improved that they surpass even his own expectations! These are all truly professional analog electronic signal shaping and coloring devices that we are certain will continue to be a staple on the pedal boards of all our rock star friends and any one else who was lucky enough to acquire them the first time around.

We are both working very hard and will not be releasing anything for sale before we have enough quantity built and tested to meet our initial demand. Being all hand made, this is not a quick process, but we assure you it is well worth the wait!
Regards,
-Slade

April 22nd Follow-up:

Hello again-

It has been brought to my attention that there has been a swelling of negative responses on the various message boards regarding today’s email update. Without delving into the politics of the situation, my primary purpose of issuing this was to keep those whom are interested informed of our progress and not to focus on or cry foul about any third parties similar devices, which appears to be at the source of the unfavorable feedback. My intention was not to create a smear campaign against people whom I am certain have labored intensely and proudly on their devices, but rather to explain what our motivation was to create entirely new versions of our 3 original designs resulting in the months long delay. I just want to be sure that it is clearly understood that we have decided that rather than reissue 7 year old designs based on decades old circuits (i.e. PLL) that could today probably be compared to a few other designers interpretations of the same circuits, we made the decision to move beyond to much improved more sophisticated devices that had actually already been in development by the time the reissues were nearly ready for production last January. It only took the realization of the likelihood of negative repercussions we may suffer by being confronted by a group of angry people who purchased the legacy reissues only to discover 6 months later that they wish they had been informed of our intention to produce much improved redesigned versions. Believe me when I say that the difference between these versions is ”like night and day” and to assume we would skate through that one unscathed is, in our opinion, completely unrealistic. (We will be emailing you exclusive sound bytes from each in the coming weeks)

After revisiting it, greatly concerns me and I do understand how my earlier email has left a different impression of my true objective on many of you. But I can do no more than to offer this explanation and assume you now understand our intentions are genuine and clearly defined.

As always, please feel free to contact me with any questions or feedback. I am more than happy to respond.

Aug 12 2010 Email Update

Here’s an update. Everything is going very well. Both John and I are very pleased with our progress. It has occurred to me, however, after sifting through the multitudes of incoming e-mails all asking the same question of when the pedals are going to be available, how much will they cost etc… as well as speculation of whether this project is even happening, that I need to stress that everyone please be assured Schumann Electronics is a tangible company with actual completed functioning electronic devices, that sound unbelievable! We are currently in the stage of developing our manufacturing techniques where we can maintain the “100% hand made in the USA (NYC)” promise and be able to keep costs down to affordable levels. Although it has been much more difficult than anticipated, we are getting there. I am sure very few people would be willing or able to part with $1000+ these days for a shiny new PLL (or any pedal for that matter), so we have been experimenting with ways to lower our cost without compromising sound, quality or design. We certainly will not outsource anything to a foreign country (i.e.. China) and will not release anything for sale until we are absolutely ready. And when will that be? Could be as soon as next month, but don’t quote me on that. In any event, we are just as excited and impatient in offering our creations as many of you are in getting your hands on them, so we are doing our very best to make this happen hopefully sooner than later. I will definitely keep you posted of any new developments.
Feel free to pass this on to whomever may find it informative, and as always, thanks for your continued interest!

-Slade

… the Saga Continues …