Custom Faceplates for Vestax 06Pro, 06proA

Details from the old Audio8 website:
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Black powder coat paint (the highest grade available) is applied to a textured aluminum base. A heating process melts the powder into the minute grooves of the metal for complete adhesion. The process results in a slick, hard-wearing base. A lightly textured plastic covers the enhanced aluminum. Months of research and testing went into choosing the transparent, super resilient material. It also features a fine texture that improves scratch speed, helping stop stick while freeing hands to slide. Silk screens of the artist’s design appear underneath the plastic overlay. Silk screen paint appears significantly brighter and fades less than digital printing. The durable overlay protects the valuable artwork from contact. After the overlay application, openings are laser cut to produce the cleanest edges and most accurate fit producible. The end product is an incredible faceplate that outperforms the standard style combined with an improved surface and greater durability.
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Actually, the silk screen is on the overlay, not on the aluminum. That is why the graphic looks so good. Also, the overlays were laser cut before applying them to the aluminum, not after.

I made these faceplates in early 2000 before China starting eating up metal resources from the States. I looked into doing another run of Rane 56 faceplates with other artists, but the cost of the metal tripled in just a year from when I made the 06 faceplates. I’m only interested in really designing quality projects, so using a cheaper metal or cheaper graphic process was out of the question. That is why so many people starting releasing “skins” for products instead of complete front panels. The cost for small runs got too high. I haven’t looked into it for a few years, so I don’t know how much it would be now.

The metal and black paint were done in Southern California by a small metal shop. The overlays and silk screens for the overlay (including laser cutting and 3M adhesive) were done at a different company in the States (I don’t remember their location).