What a sad day it is, knowing Black Gates will become scarce before too long, and the already insane prices will skyrocket. Granted, I'm sure all the dealers have stocked up the best they could, but still........

With the gradual decline of the huge Japanese tube audio culture (and the Japanese economy) over time that helped support products like Black Gate, it was inevitable.

We've already lost Shinkoh tantalums and Cerafine ALA can filter caps, and will undoubtedly lose a lot more high quality Japanese goodies as time progresses. Steve Melkisethian of Angela Instruments told me the other day that Riken Ohm resistors will probably be made only a couple more years. Tango has already shut down once a few years ago, then started up again, and reportedly their future is uncertain. Azuma tube sockets will probably be a thing of the past before long, seeing as how 99.9% of commercial tube amps have the much cheaper Chinese crap sockets.

Sigh...........

Thermionic

Been hearing of this one for a while. They are nice caps.

There are many options for capable designers though. Just a matter of skill and budget. Fortunately, budget is not such an issue with DIY stuff as skill is.

If Tango actually goes under, I am certain that somebody will buy the name and offer reproductions for 2x the original price. There will be folks to pay it too.

Funny how price does so much in this perception-based hobby. At a bargain basement price, an item might not sell very well. At double or triple, it *MUST* be worth the money, and will sell at 6 to 10x the rate. For the same item! No accounting for this sort of market behaviour though....
cheers,
Douglas

This last time, it was said that Rubycon made the statement that it would be producing the Black Gate line for at least the foreseeable future. A few months after that, they changed their mind again, and announced that when their contract expired in August, they would permanently discontinue the line for good, no ifs, ands, or buts. The last I read, JelMax was trying to negotiate with them.

Thermionic

there were several OEM's and distributors who bought VERY large quantities of the Black Gates and it's rumored that before the production ceased additionally large inventories were produced that should keep the pipeline full of products for years to come.

just what I've heard...

Mike

(January 2005):

pcX, along with all world-wide distributors and OEM users of Black Gate electrolytic capacitors, were informed this last Spring that Rubycon (the sub-contract manufacturer) has apparently decided that they will no longer produce the Black Gate range of capacitors for Jelmax Corporation in Japan (B-G's designer/patent holder). Both Jelmax, and their export agent, have confirmed that if this does come to pass, it will spell the end of Black Gate production by mid-2005 (although distributor/OEM orders are required to be placed by no later than the end of 2004). For whatever unspecified reason, finding another sub-contractor is not an option for Jelmax, apparently.

pcX recommends that those who read this, and who have (or will have) projects that require Black Gate capacitors, buy what you need now - don't wait !

There are no equivalent quality replacements for any of the Black Gate types - period !

Given this fact, pcX is endeavoring to stock up B-G inventories as best we can (as much as we can afford) for the period after mid-2005 (the expected end of production deliveries)....but we can make no guarantees as to how long these stocks will last beyond this date.

(April 2005):

pcX was just informed that JELMAX had successfully negotiated the on-going production of it's B-G caps, with it's sole and current sub-contractor - RUBYCON.

(June 2005):

pcX was just informed from B-G's Japanese export agent that RUBYCON has "changed it's corporate mind" on continuing as the B-G subcontractor for JELMAX...once again throwing into jeopardy the on-going production of B-G caps - beyond August 2005.
As a result of this surprising turn of events, Jelmax is apparently attempting to re-negotiate the production extension yet again....if unsuccessful, we have been told that factory production shipments will cease within the next 2 months.

(July 20th 2005):
pcX was just informed from B-G's Japanese export agent (and from sources within Rubycon) that negotiations to extend Rubycon's "subcontract" production of B-G, have failed. Thus, final factory orders will be accepted until Friday August 5th....that's it !

pcX has already been accumulating substantial stocks, to ensure sales of the most popular values, for years to come....and we will make one more "last buy", to top up these, and a few more values too (factory deliveries of which, will continue into the late fall, we suspect - due to standard lead times).

Thermionic