Off Topic Goodbye Lightweight Amps?

[MK Bass Weed]

Or Goodbye Cheap Lightweight Amps?

Just reading about the "Neodymium shortage", effecting alot of industries...Yipes

Anyone hear about this?

 

[Manfloozy]

this would be the first. I wonder if it's anything like petroleum or diamond "shortages"....

 

[drTStingray]

Well maybe lightweight speaker magnets?

And Bongos?? The pickups have neodymium poles.........

I'm guessing the usage of this rare commodity in speakers and pick ups is in relatively small quantities.

 

[MK Bass Weed]

Some Neo cabs took a big price jump. I'll sleep okay, not getting all chicken little but sheesh, I like light cabs, gonna score a new one in the fall. Google it, interesting anyways.

 

[Movielife]

Yeah, I followed this topic on tbass. Strange. Even the mighty Bergantino have stopped making neo-loaded cabinets.

I was just about ready to try and find one to buy as well.

I wonder what the other manufacturers will do?

 

[melvin7822]

The neodymium shortage shouldn't affect us at all. The substantially increased export costs only apply to the raw material. Raw neodymium is not exported to the US. Thankfully, the magnets and such are manufactured in the same country that mines the raw material.

 

[melvin7822]

Yeah, I followed this topic on tbass. Strange. Even the mighty Bergantino have stopped making neo-loaded cabinets.

I was just about ready to try and find one to buy as well.

I wonder what the other manufacturers will do?

I've seen no such evidence to support that Bergantino has stopped making neo-loaded cabinets. The AE line appears to be very much intact.

 

[smallequestrian]

The neodymium shortage shouldn't affect us at all. The substantially increased export costs only apply to the raw material. Raw neodymium is not exported to the US. Thankfully, the magnets and such are manufactured in the same country that mines the raw material.

That's not quite true. Emminence, who has been making some fantastic Neo based designs, has had to increase the price of their 3015LF dramatically. Pricing of Neo cabs will go up in the short term. The main issue with Neodymium and other rare earth medals is that they are basically only mined in China. However, there are supplies in many other countries (including the US) but up to this point have either been too dirty or expensive to mine with a cheap supply available in China.

Now that China is making it more costly to mine and export, you will see that other countries will pick up the slack. Also, in some industries, like my own, we are actively designing out rare earth usage in as many applications as it is practical. This will damper the rising prices a bit until other sources are actively and practically mined. My company has been getting our customers to switch parts using palladium to nickel based parts with equal performance by incentivizing the nickel parts with better pricing and supply/lead times. The palladium parts existed first and are on a lot of designs, so it can be costly to requalify parts that are already in use.

I've seen no such evidence to support that Bergantino has stopped making neo-loaded cabinets. The AE line appears to be very much intact.

Jim sent out a letter to the dealers saying that his cost of drivers went up 150% or something, so until the pricing is back in line he will have to discontinue. He is building with whatever drivers he has left in stock and will be bringing out some new ceramic based designs later this year.

 

[melvin7822]

I stand corrected. Good to know.

 

[Lynottfan]

I look at my cabs, see EBS Neo and smile

 

[ksandvik]

Time for scientists to find some new artificial materials for Neodymium replacement.

 

[Movielife]

I've seen no such evidence to support that Bergantino has stopped making neo-loaded cabinets. The AE line appears to be very much intact.

It's true, the UK dealer only has a few left. Officially no more being made....

The only series left is the NV.

Crazy!

 

[keko]

Or Goodbye Cheap Lightweight Amps?

Just reading about the "Neodymium shortage", effecting alot of industries...Yipes

Anyone hear about this?

I was talking recently with one friend of mine, first class electro-acoustic engineer, ...so, it was pretty dramatic discussion about neo cab magnets! That guy is really in the business and really convinced me that neos just crushed in a particles in a short time, that left me speechless!
Anyway, I don't have any neos in my rig, so problem solved!

 

[Rick Auricchio]

Keko, if you're implying that neo magnets are less reliable than ceramic, that has been shown to be untrue.

 

[bbernard]

They should replace the stuff with something that is easier to pronounce. Wood, a fine word. Nothing tricky there. Things started going herky-jerky when steel and iron gave way to aluminum. Come up with a new word, something like plooth. Or just change the name to "neo."

 

[DTG]

Or "pants"

My new amp is pants !! Could work

 

[maddog]

Neodymium magnet - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

 

[Musicman Nut]

That's not quite true. Emminence, who has been making some fantastic Neo based designs, has had to increase the price of their 3015LF dramatically. Pricing of Neo cabs will go up in the short term. The main issue with Neodymium and other rare earth medals is that they are basically only mined in China. However, there are supplies in many other countries (including the US) but up to this point have either been too dirty or expensive to mine with a cheap supply available in China.

Now that China is making it more costly to mine and export, you will see that other countries will pick up the slack. Also, in some industries, like my own, we are actively designing out rare earth usage in as many applications as it is practical. This will damper the rising prices a bit until other sources are actively and practically mined. My company has been getting our customers to switch parts using palladium to nickel based parts with equal performance by incentivizing the nickel parts with better pricing and supply/lead times. The palladium parts existed first and are on a lot of designs, so it can be costly to requalify parts that are already in use.



Jim sent out a letter to the dealers saying that his cost of drivers went up 150% or something, so until the pricing is back in line he will have to discontinue. He is building with whatever drivers he has left in stock and will be bringing out some new ceramic based designs later this year.

Well I won't or wouldn't miss Neo Speakers for they just don't cut it, in big clubs or outdoors.

 

[keko]

Keko, if you're implying that neo magnets are less reliable than ceramic, that has been shown to be untrue.

If You wanna compare pickup magnets, we don't talking here about that!

We're talkin' about speaker magnets, ...so, powerful speaker's neodymium magnets have problem, cause they are less resistible to vibrations, overheating and other influences which happen inside bas cab...!!!

One more time, don't mix this problem with pickup magnets!

 

[Duarte]

They should replace the stuff with something that is easier to pronounce. Wood, a fine word. Nothing tricky there. Things started going herky-jerky when steel and iron gave way to aluminum. Come up with a new word, something like plooth. Or just change the name to "neo."

This will solve the shortage!