Manual Losers! (a rant)

jon_kull · Post by **jon_kull** » Fri Apr 03, 2009 10:48 pm

I keep all my manuals on a bookshelf with all my other books. I've never lost one and don't understand how people lose them.

wooperman wrote:Personally, I keep the boxes, packing materials, manuals, software, All of IT!, becaue I know that that stuff alone could be worth 10-15% of the total price.

You must have a big house.

I never understood the obsession people (on ebay in particular) have with 'original packaging'. Holding on to a box indefinitely isn't necessarily a good indication of how people treat their possessions. I've bought things that came in the original package but still looked like the previous owner took a hammer to them. On the flip side I baby my gear but don't always hold on to the boxes so people see them as having less value. It's really kind of silly.

EricK · Post by **EricK** » Fri Apr 03, 2009 11:12 pm

wooperman wrote:Erick,
Do you have my lost manuals? For real, I have read your posts here, I know you are the type who would prefer the manuals. You just don't want to admit it yet - you are as neurotic as I am. It's hard to be a gear keeper and not know the importance of the manual. I mean, a pair of PA speakers - probably dont need the manual for that, as most important info is printed on back panel.
But, the last 3 things I bought did not come with the manual and the people were like "I lost it" I understand that might just be a catch-all for "i just don't have it". But look at the incredible numbers of used gear that doesn't have the manual.
Hey! it would probably explain why gear forums are always chock full of jack-arses flooding the forums with questions that are easily found in the manual!!

Man this is a fun thread.

I still have the original box for my MicroMoog along with the 2 styrofoam inserts and the manual.

My Moog manuals are in a special folder. First theres the sales literature that Mike Bucki sent me for the system 15, 35, and 55. THen theres the price list. My theremin manuals, Voyager manuals, all my FOoger manuals and even a sweetwater printout of all the foogers I do'nt have.

Neurotic......naah, I just read them over and over again when its time for number 2.

great thread!

Eric

Voltor07 · Post by **Voltor07** » Fri Apr 03, 2009 11:30 pm

jon_kull wrote:I never understood the obsession people (on ebay in particular) have with 'original packaging'. Holding on to a box indefinitely isn't necessarily a good indication of how people treat their possessions. I've bought things that came in the original package but still looked like the previous owner took a hammer to them. On the flip side I baby my gear but don't always hold on to the boxes so people see them as having less value. It's really kind of silly.

Some boxes I keep, and others I don't. The ones I keep usually end up storing manuals or are reused as Christmas or birthday packaging. I generally agree with the statement that a box means nothing as far as condition of the gear that came in it. My Super Nintendo that was in the flood we had was being held together with duct tape and epoxy. The flood finally did it in.

EricK · Post by **EricK** » Fri Apr 03, 2009 11:42 pm

Woop,
I confess, I voted Yes.

I found this in my grandmothers attic when I was putting some mouse bait up there. I saw the OO and I was like

What is this????????? OMG. I wondered what was in it. Needles to say I got it as soon as I could.

I feel so much better shareing these with you. lol

wooperman · Post by **wooperman** » Sat Apr 04, 2009 3:07 am

Jon_kull,
Mourn those boxes....Just next time please, continue the quote down to where I said that I don't expect others to keep the boxes. I was qualifying that as proof that I am uptight about the ephemera.
"Kind of silly" is a phrase important people use to talk about people beneath them. You are one of us Jon_kull, and you know deep in your head when you buy used gear - you get a little tingle when you know it has all the original factory bits.
Not admitting that is very silly.

till · Post by **till** » Sat Apr 04, 2009 7:47 am

I voted NO, because most of my synths have some kind of software in it. And the manual is always at least one update older then the software I use.
But on a collectors vintags synth, I would keep the original manual for sure. But I bought my minimoog used in 1982 or 1983 without a manual. And I did not miss it for real usage.

EricK · Post by **EricK** » Sat Apr 04, 2009 10:03 am

Woop,
You want to know something though, I bought Used talkbox from a pawn shop, had original stuff (as far as I know). I even cleaned the tube and used it.

bunnyman · Post by **bunnyman** » Sat Apr 04, 2009 10:26 am

Still have all manuals except 1, my sig series theremin manual and signed certificate (both lost after Katrina...). 2, My MS-20 manual (although I still have the settings manual and the xeroxed set of ESP instructions). Unfortunately, I lent the synth and books to a friend back when I first got it, and he lost the manual (and doodled all over the settings manual!). I can't believe I'm still upset about this 29 years after the fact (thanks a lot, Caleb

)! Thanks to the interweb toobs, both manuals have been replaced (along with a copy of the MS-20 service manual!).

-andrew bunny

Voltor07 · Post by **Voltor07** » Sat Apr 04, 2009 11:00 am

The internet has made finding manuals much easier, that's for sure.

wooperman · Post by **wooperman** » Sat Apr 04, 2009 12:18 pm

Yeah Voltor, I never thought about that, but these are probably some vestigial feelings I have from back before the internet....
This new realization changes nothing! It still erks me that grown-ups lose manuals.

Edit: Till - would say that doesn't count, software manuls are always in the help tab. But installation instructions might be useful 30 years from now when people have all of their computing needs kept on a server and their is no place to install a cd (unless you go buy a Dell Dimension used from the Pawn shop)

Voltor07 · Post by **Voltor07** » Sat Apr 04, 2009 1:17 pm

wooperman wrote:Yeah Voltor, I never thought about that, but these are probably some vestigial feelings I have from back before the internet....
This new realization changes nothing! It still erks me that grown-ups lose manuals.

I just remember looking for a Link to the Past manual for three weeks.

till · Post by **till** » Sat Apr 04, 2009 1:19 pm

In 30 years most of the softsynth won't run, because no one has a working Win XP computer compatible with the softsynths of today. And if the software is on a CD-ROM, you won't find a way to get the data into a computer.

Just notice how many software we all used just 15 or 10 years ago won't run on todays computers.

But my Minimoog is still doing fine after 30 years. And maybe, just maybe, it will still be playable in 20 years.

Voltor07 · Post by **Voltor07** » Sat Apr 04, 2009 1:33 pm

Till, this is EXACTLY why I prefer hardware over software. Gear will last a lifetime (or two in the case of Hammond organs, or three in the case of pianos) if taken care of. How many Yamaha CX-5 computer thingies were sold? How many still work? (At least one does...my best friend pulled it out of the garbage in it's original box, WITH the manual). The cartridges sell on E-Bay for 99 cents each, but without a CX-5, they are useless.

Nick Montoya · Post by **Nick Montoya** » Sat Apr 04, 2009 5:52 pm

The coolest manual I ever lost was Brian Kehew's original Minimoog manual that he learned from! I had him sign it and everything, because I was big fan of his - before we were friends! Now I'm an even bigger fan of his! He gave it to me as a gift when we were recording the tracks for our new album, aprox. a year ago.

But I lost it...... to a wildfire- that is...

Nick Montoya · Post by **Nick Montoya** » Sat Apr 04, 2009 5:55 pm

Nick Montoya wrote: um.. i just quoted myself by accident..oooops

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Manual Losers! (a rant)

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