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Work Queue
If you are interested in having me do work on your maggies you must first email me to secure a place in my work queue. Why do I have a work queue? First, the mod has proven to be extremely popular and desireable because it is everything I say it is. Second, I am one man and I have no desire to expand. To me this is art and you should get the artist when you pay for art, not his apprentice. Because of these things it takes time for me to get to everyone so the queue provides order. It is free to join it and free to leave it, I only ask you join if genuinely interested.
When I am working it's essentially a 7 day a week job, so I have two work "seasons" per year. The first "spring" session starts at the beginning of February and ends when June does, and the second "fall" session runs from about the last week of August to Thanksgiving. Due to demand beyond my expectations the wait can sometimes run anwhere from 6 months to a year. I know audiophiles need instant gratification when they get the itch but all I can say is be patient. The wait shows how much this mod is valued and I will make the time spent waiting worth your while when I get to you.
The list is currently full for the Spring 2010 session and I am now taking names for the Fall of 2010. If you have questions feel free to write any time.
Note that none of the prices below include
the cost of wood or shipping.
The costs noted below are for the complete mod. This includes the labor, all crossover parts, hardware, finishing supplies and etc... It does not include the cost of the wood chosen or the return shipping charges. They are separate because they vary with every job. Information and costs for wood are listed below.
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Item
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SMGa or MMG
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MG-12
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MG-1.6
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MG-3.6
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| 1:Magnestand Mod
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$1,535
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$1,615
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$1,675
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$1,895
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The above list covers the main production models. If you do not see your speaker listed above it does not mean we cannot do it. I have done a few odd models but they tend to be one off affairs, and in the interest of space I don't want to list every one of the many maggie models. Therefore please write us with any model inquiry you have. In fact, one of the benefits is we give a discount to people who allow us to perform the mod to a new model for the first time.
How it works. A month or so before my work session begins you'll be emailed to confirm your intent. Once I hear from everyone you'll be assigned a work week date. I'll then email you 1-2 weeks before you are due to schedule when you should ship your speaker to me. A $300 parts deposit is due at this time. Work is usually completed in 7-10 days. Unusual finishes or other delays may lengthen this time and you will be informed of this, but quality is job #1 and some times things take time. Final payment plus shipping fees are due upon completion.
A note about paypal I am happy to offer this service as a means to expedite your transaction. However my margins are very slim, and losing 3% of what I charge is more than I can bear. When I supply the final bill you can mail payment (personal check or money order) however if you opt to use paypal an extra 3% will be added on to your total after shipping costs are factored in. The only exception is the $300 deposit. I'll take this by paypal with no added fee.
A Word About DIY, Kits and XO boxes
I no longer offer kits. It took me as long to make them for half the money. I will make fully built and wired crossover boxes if you cannot afford the entire mod. However the boxes are not plug and play and will require you to turn your drivers and rewire them. They run from $600-700 depending on model. Email me if interested.
The DIY info page can be reached here.
Wood Species
First off, it must be remembered that like any commodity wood has "seasons" and there are times certain species cannot be obtained once that years stocks run out. So don't assume you can get any wood because it's listed, and on the same note don't assume a wood can't be had because it isn't listed.
Second I had a wood samples pack. However it caused more confusion that it solved, as wood from one lot never looks like the wood in the next and watching after this pack to make sure it got mailed to the right person (and the order always keeps changing as people suddenly realize they won't be home) became such a burden that I could not afford the time to look after it anymore. It will be replaced by a word document with what I consider true to life images and perhaps even a flash "model builder" here online.
Finally please keep in mind wood is a commodity like gas. The prices of it can fluctuate a lot, so all the numbers given below are only rough cost estimates.
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Wood
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MMG
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MG-12
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MG-1.6
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MG-3.6
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| Ambrosia maple
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$165
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$188
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$205
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$250
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| Red Birch
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$165
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$188
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$205
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$250
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| Brazilian Cherry
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$198
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$220
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$253
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$298
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| Canarywood
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$178
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$198
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$235
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$276
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| Cherry
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$178
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$198
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$235
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$276
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| Granadillo
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$286
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$312
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$361
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$435
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| Leopardwood
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$260
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$295
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$345
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$410
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| Lyptus
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$154
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$170
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$195
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$240
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| Maple
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$154
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$170
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$195
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$240
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| Oak (flatsawn)
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$150
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$168
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$190
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$225
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| Oak (quartersawn)
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$178
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$198
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$235
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$276
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| Peruvian Walnut
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$242
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$264
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$305
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$355
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| Purpleheart
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$220
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$245
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$275
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$320
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| Santos Mahogany
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$220
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$245
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$275
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$320
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| Sapele
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$198
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$216
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$245
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$295
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| Walnut
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$180
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$200
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$247
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$285
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I will not use some woods for sensitivity reasons such as Mahogany and Padauk. If you ask for a species not listed and it's one I won't use I'll let you know. I'd like to live to see my grandkids.
I am always trying to increase the species I offer and can now get the following on a fairly consistent basis - Curly or Tiger maple, Birdseye maple, Flame Birch, Curly Cherry, Quarter Sawn Sycamore, Ash, and Zebrawood. They should be added to the above list soon once I have firm prices. True Lacewood, Bloodwood and Goncalo Alves are also sometimes available but generally only in sizes to do smaller maggies like the MMG. Email me with inquiries.
PARTS USED
Crossover Boxes - It is getting around that I do special things to the XO boxes. This is true. There is no knowing how fancy or what wood I'll use for yours, and yours will be like no one elses. This is the only real chance I have to personalize each model and I do not charge extra for this. (It's my gift to you) However, if you have in mind a certain style or wood I will of course oblige, (say boxes made from zebrawood) but this will cost extra depending on the species you ask for. This pic below is a good example. The boxes are alder which I don't charge more for, but the customer wanted zebrawood and cocobolo tops, which I added at a slight extra charge.
Plinth Spikes - I use Dayton spikes, which are precision machined from solid brass and then plated with a durable black chrome finish. They are hefty, attractive and even have tips which can be raised for levelling. Also included are pads and floor discs for hardwood applications.
Wire - Crossover boxes and Maggie insides are wired with DH Labs 14ga. teflon insulated, silver-plated, stranded, high purity copper wire. I find this wire yields the best results of quickness, naturalness and musicality.
Binding Posts - We now solely use the BP 1.5 post made by Vampire Wire. It is milled from solid brass and then coated in copper, silver and then gold. They are sonically the equal or better of anything we've heard, and their gold plating insures a lifetime of pure sonic playback.
Caps & Inductors - If my frame is the backbone of the maggies, then this is their new heart. I spent much time and effort coming up with what I consider to be the ideal arrangement. My goal was to maintain harmony and musicality while adding thunderously deep lows and beautiful articulated highs with no etch or glare common to many upgraded crossovers using "boutique" caps. In this goal I was successful as there is just enough "heat" to give transients a palpable air of realism, without tint, coloration or listening fatigue. It's as close to real as you're likely to get, at even 5 times the price, and the parts were chosen upon the sonic results they produce together, not their price.
Hardware - Maybe not a glamorous aspect, but there are a lot of little bits that go into making this design work, and some of them like the brass threaded inserts don't come cheap. We use the best stuff we can to insure a lifetime of problem free use.
Tweaks - Only one "tweak" is needed, and that is in regards to decoupling the crossover box from the plinth. To completely remove the box from the vibrations of the plinths I include a set of Herbies Iso-Dots which work wonderfully. They are included with the cost of the stands.
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