Plasma Music Limited

26/08/2026

TO MY CUSTOMERS AND FRIENDS ALL OVER THE WORLD…

As of 12th August 2026, the EU has enforced its EPR legislation. Unfortunately, the implementation is not as good as the idea itself and means that the EU market is now lost to thousands of small businesses.

I was supposed to take August off to spend a little time with my family but for the last few weeks, I’ve been trying to get my head around it all and find ways to keep Plasma Music Limited active in the EU market.

I’ve been quite unsuccessful and Plasma Music Limited remains closed for business to all my customers and friends in the EU.

Concerned about the implications of this legislation, I would kindly ask people to sign the petition here:

Stop destroying EU micro-businesses: Immediate moratorium on cross-border EPR fees

17/08/2026

I and thousands of other artists, creators and micro-businesses are struggling just to get information about the new EU EPR legislation. Many have given up and have withdrawn from trading with the EU... permanently.

If you reside in the EU, you have an opportunity to have your say regarding EPR legislation. Plasma Music and thousands of other creators are NOT against cutting back on packaging waste but the implementation of the EPR legislation means that artists, creators and micro-businesses will no longer be able to supply you.

Please help us by having your say here:
https://ec.europa.eu/info/law/better-regulation/have-your-say/initiatives/15352-Packaging-and-packaging-waste-rules-on-national-registers-of-producers_en

12/08/2026

A magical evening watching the eclipse from down by our village pond.

It didn't get dark but the temperature really dropped.

11/08/2026

My old boss, Dave Simmons and I have been meaning to meet up for about three years but as we all know, life often gets in the way. Well today, Dave surprised me by popping over and spending the afternoon here in Hemel Hempstead.

We popped out for a pint but Dave couldn't stay as long as we'd have liked. Hopefully, we’ll do this again soon.

08/08/2026

It is with extreme regret that due to new EU EPR legislation, I am now no longer supplying products or services to the EU or Norway.

Import fees have recently sky rocketed with the removal of the 150 euro de-minimis and now this. EPR or Extended Producer Responsibility requires exporters to the EU and Norway to register (for a cost) with each member state (so much for the 'union'). For a small business like Plasma Music, that's quite impractical.

I very much hope that the EU comes to realise that the restrictions it's imposing on its citizens is quite ridiculous and that things will change... but I doubt it.

More information can be found here: https://www.complir.io/resources/guides/extended-producer-responsibility-eu-guide

29/07/2026

Zurück ins Vaterland

Letzte Woche haben meine Frau Julie und ich einen kurzen Ausflug zu Verwandten nach Celle in Deutschland unternommen.

Manche wissen vielleicht, dass meine Mutter aus einem kleinen Dorf an der deutsch-österreichischen Grenze namens Bayerisch Gmain stammt, und ich war schon immer stolz auf meine enge Verbindung zu Deutschland. Vielleicht hätte ich diesen Beitrag „Rückkehr ins Mutterland“ nennen sollen.

Katana, meine älteste Tochter, hat ein Jahr ihres Studiums in Bremen verbracht, und da meine Heimatstadt Hemel Hempstead eine Städtepartnerschaft mit Neu-Isenburg unterhält, haben wir dort auch viele Freunde.

Tatsächlich haben wir Freunde in ganz Deutschland, und ich muss unbedingt Micha Buchner aus Kelkheim erwähnen, sonst werde ich nie mehr Ruhe haben!

Nun, letztes Jahr hat Julies Nichte Maranda diesen reizenden Mann namens Tamino geheiratet. Sowohl Maranda als auch Tamino leben in Celle, etwa fünfundvierzig Minuten östlich von Hannover, und wir alle haben diese wunderschöne Stadt ins Herz geschlossen.

Es waren zwar nur vier Tage, aber wir hatten einfach eine unglaubliche Zeit. Fantastisches Wetter, das beste Essen und natürlich tolle Gesellschaft.

Es war eine tolle Zeit, aber ich glaube nicht, dass ich jemals wieder zum Flughafen Hannover fliegen werde. Das muss der schlechteste Flughafen sein, auf dem ich je war, und definitiv der am wenigsten deutsche! Das einzig Gute war der „Scorpions Hub“. Für mich persönlich war es wie eine Reise in die Vergangenheit.

Wie auch immer, ich freue mich schon sehr auf unseren nächsten Besuch. Hoffentlich können wir dann länger als nur ein paar Tage bleiben.

29/07/2026

22/07/2026

A busy day catching up with power supply orders.

Pictured are three Dark Matter PSUs for the Simmons SDS7, half-way through build.

I had an insane issue with Vigortronix. My first 2026 order (in January), took a staggering seven months between payment and delivery so I'm busting to get stuff out for my very patient customers.

12/06/2026

I've been working on guitar and bass amps since 1985 but this year, while in the middle of requesting technical literature and ordering parts, it was suggested by the men in black themselves, that Plasma Music Limited apply to be an BlackStar authorised service centre.

I've never been pushy when it comes to relationship[s with manufacturers and distributors but on this occasion, it feels quite special to be recognised.

I'm over the moon!

05/06/2026

A LIGHTBULB MOMENT... I rarely use this kit, but when an amp comes in that’s continuously blowing fuses, the current limiter that I built last year is now quite indispensable. How did I manage without it?!?!?!

My current limiter doesn't just save me from swapping out fuses every thirty seconds. It helps me diagnose the problems but more importantly, it does that safely.

On this occasion, the customer wasn't too lucky. It took me a couple of minutes to ascertain that the heater windings of the power transformer were shorted out. Off the top of my head, I don't know what the resistance of the winding should be but 0.6Ω seems pretty short!