Actually that is incorrect, Dave Cunningham of Entertainment technologies sent out the design of the ETC Source Four to ETC in 1993, the Shakespeare came out about 2 to 3 years later.as much as i love the s4 we have to get our facts straight, the s4 was the answer to altmans fixture not the other way around.
JH
In my high school we were in the process of migrating our VERY aged inventory of 6x ERSs into source fours. Though at my current college theatre, they almost exclusively use shakespeares, this includes zooms and fixed degree units. We have 5 S4 which I have been told by fellow students were purchased as a test and they decided to purchase the shakespeares over them. Why would they do this? I haven't asked our TD their reasoning yet, is there any logical reason for this?
Personal preference. I know some people that love the Strand SL, while I couldn't hate it more (obviously they've never seen the plastic barrel rotation ring break, allowing the light to fall and the safety cable around the yoke to become useless).
Some people are going to find things they like that others don't. It's also possible someone was given a really good bulk discount on Shakespeares. As far I'm concerned, the Shakespeare is doesn't compete (yes, Altman put a lot of research into theirs, but ETC still did it better and did it first). Typically, Shakespeares run a higher price, and come in sub-par in almost every category to the Source Four. Meanwhile, the only thing the SL has (IMO) over the Source Four is the 360deg barrel rotation. But again, I've seen that barrel rotation feature fail in ways that could get someone killed. Also, most SL's I've come across are missing knobs, screws, or other pieces. So while they do allow for 360deg barrel rotation, that doesn't mean very much if the knob to lock the rotation in place has been broken off.
Everyone will find different qualities they like that others might not agree with. If you use a fixture for a couple months while it's brand new, your likes/dislikes will change after you've been using those fixtures for a decade. There are a lot of factors that are in play, from different physical features of the fixtures to the politics of how projects and installs get bid.
For the record, I am also not a fan of the SL. The fixture's overall concept is great -- it's the build quality that was lacking.
Having said that, while I've seen and worked with fixtures with the broken bushing that locks in the fixture's rotation, I've never seen it as being a safety hazard. More of an annoyance. From what I gathered last time I took apart an SL (to replace this very part), the plastic piece can break and move to other areas within the collar so that the knob's bolt can no longer apply friction, which holds the fixture in place. The reason I say it's not a safety hazard is because the instrument's body is grooved all the way around, and several 'keys' on the collar fit within these grooves. Unless these keys break off, or the collar comes apart at the seams (the collar is held together on the top and bottom using machine screws), I don't see how the light could fall out of its cradle. Maybe you could enlighten me?
I will say this: The compact size of the SL Zoom is awesome. No bigger around than a fixed focus, only about 4-6" longer with no huge cannon-sized barrel. I wish ETC or Altman would do that!
The collar itself snapped in half. It was an FOH catwalk fixture at a theatre I worked at a few years ago. I don't remember much else about it so I'd be willing to admit that there is a possibility that there is some sort of safety mechanism in place, but I remember thinking we were really lucky to find it before it fell.
Removing the reflector from a Source 4 is not that hard. First you take the lamp cap off, and the remove the body of the unit from the gate and lens assembly. Then find a nice patch of wood floor, turn the yoke 90˚ and bash the body on the floor. It may take a hit or two, but usually the reflectors pop right out. This is one of those ETC solutions (like gaff tape on the Revolution scroller), but it works, and I haven't broken any reflectors this way.
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