Myers Depot Metal Detectors

My view of detector evolution

Cherry Picker

Cherry Picker

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Joined
Jan 12, 2006
Messages
13,559
Location
Dodge City KS
I've been swinging a detector for close to 50 years now and have watched, & used, the evolution from the old BFO to SMF. To me, it seems there has not really been much in the way of detector technology since the 90s other than ergonomics, lighter due to more powerful components, simultaneous multiple frequencies, and wireless Bluetooth.

A lot of talk today about iron bias, but isn't that really just an expanded ferrous target segment to allow a finner tune between ferrous & nonferrous targets?

I remember the time when Garrett & Whites were the most popular detectors in America because you turned them on, loaded a factory program, and it had a nice stable threshold and you learned to get depth from listening to the slight changes in the threshold. Today's detectors are so rice crispy, snap, crackle & pop, that a threshold is pretty useless except in all-metal.

I think American hunters see across the pond all those 300-500 year old coins and think that has got to be what we need here in America. We have given up the American made solid detectors for the rice crispy machines from across the pond.

Things seem to have reversed. It used to be you bought a Whites, load up the coin program, and it had a nice solid threshold, if you wanted it, until a target was under the coil. No, it wasn't very deep, but you could turn up the AC/DC sensitivity, and TX power to get depth. You also ended up with a rice crispy detector if that is what you like. Today the hottest detectors on the market seem to be little more than a detector with everything turned up for maximum sensitivity, and it becomes a rice crispy.

Just my rant for the day...
 
It's sad that Whites and Tesoro were not willing to keep up with the times and caused themselves to go extinct.

Badly run toward the end as they should have listened more closely to their top engineers before it became too late.

Instead of snap/crackle/pop, then simply fizzled out.
 
T-Man said:
Suddenly I'm craving a bowl of cereal. :D
Click to expand...

LOL.

I agree Dave. I was a Tesoro and a Whites fan for a long time.

Things seem backward now. You could buy your first detector and it was easy to use & learn. Once you got more experienced, you could start tweaking it for better performance. Today you buy one that is hard to understand and have to tweak it to calm it down to make it easier to learn.

I still think most Americans have made the mistake of expecting American made detectors to perform like those across the pond when that is not what is best. Here in America, our detector needs are not like those in European countries. My American made detectors worked just fine, but a lot of people saw those videos from the ground, not like American soil which seemed to show they were the best. My DFX, once tweaked, performed just as well, and better, than most the foreign detectors I've owned. I will say I have yet to find a deep silver magnet that can match my E-Trac.
 
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Dave_e said:
It's sad that Whites and Tesoro were not willing to keep up with the times and caused themselves to go extinct.

Badly run toward the end as they should have listened more closely to their top engineers before it became too late.

Instead of snap/crackle/pop, then simply fizzled out.
Click to expand...

:(
 
The majority of people think the more gadgets, bells and whistles the better.
I always think about guitars when this discussion comes about.
Most modern guitar players have as many sound effects pedals and gizmos.as they can fit on a stage. The older players did not use pedals or gizmos and could just roll the knobs on the guitar and bend the strings to make the same effects. You can use your thumb to roll the discrimation knob on a old Tesoro and pretty much tell what the target is.

Roy Buchanan always comes to mind.
 
Stiffwrists said:
Pardon my ignorance... what constitutes a Rice Crispy machine?
Click to expand...

Any detector you turn on with a factory program that makes constant noises. Snap, Crackle & Pop. I never had EMI issues with my old detectors. I think manufacturers have jacked the settings up so high to try and best everyone else, they run on the edge of instability.
 
Detector, I’ve been thinking what you’ve been saying...Last three years I’ve been buying the newer tech machines and running them through the paces...And my finds have gotten worse, I mean my finds rate pretty much fell off... I’m proficient with any machine and I catch on fast to what’s going on when I get a new one...But they’re just not producing what I’m usto, and I gotta say it’s the newer machines that’s not producing,, and not the sites or my ability to use these newer machines..
 
atomicbrh said:
The majority of people think the more gadgets, bells and whistles the better.
I always think about guitars when this discussion comes about.
Most modern guitar players have as many sound effects pedals and gizmos.as they can fit on a stage. The older players did not use pedals or gizmos and could just roll the knobs on the guitar and bend the strings to make the same effects. You can use your thumb to roll the discrimation knob on a old Tesoro and pretty much tell what the target is.

Roy Buchanan always comes to mind.
Click to expand...

I only have two pedals. A Boss loop pedal and a fuzz pedal. If I want any different sounds then that I buy a new guitar. I have 7 now. Just purchased my 7th from someone needing the money. It gives a sound none off the others have. Needless to say I was out of room at 6 guitars. LOL
 
ChrisMD said:
You're never out of room for more guitars as long as you have walls with space to hang them...ask me how I know :laughing::laughing:
Click to expand...

My wife once asked me why I needed so many guitars? I said why do you need so many purses? It got deathly quiet as we just looked at each other, until we just both agreed to disagree. Quietly ofcourse. We have not discussed it since. :laughing:
 
atomicbrh said:
Most modern guitar players have as many sound effects pedals and gizmos.as they can fit on a stage. The older players did not use pedals or gizmos and could just roll the knobs on the guitar and bend the strings to make the same effects.
Click to expand...

Band I saw last weekend guitarist simply had a Les Paul, zero pedals, rolled the knobs and bent the strings, just as you said. It sounded so sweet and vintage.

Modern detectors are simply trying to milk more depth via software and multi-frequency out of a technology (VLF) that has hit the wall.

I can't wait to see what replaces VLF, and the game starts anew.
 
randy said:
Modern detectors are simply trying to milk more depth via software and multi-frequency out of a technology (VLF) that has hit the wall.

I can't wait to see what replaces VLF, and the game starts anew.
Click to expand...

Exactly!

VLF reached it's theoretical performance limit many years ago. Despite the hoopla, when set up correctly, there is no significant performance difference between detectors like the Nox, Legend, or D2. Granted, the Legend will have a performance hit in iron due to it's high iron bias preset, but the next Legend update will include a manual iron bias control.

Anyway, provided that one is using any decent detector, then the brand of detector used, is the least important factor when it comes to good finds. Far more important is your knowledge, experience, and the site itself.
 
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randy said:
Band I saw last weekend guitarist simply had a Les Paul, zero pedals, rolled the knobs and bent the strings, just as you said. It sounded so sweet and vintage.

Modern detectors are simply trying to milk more depth via software and multi-frequency out of a technology (VLF) that has hit the wall.

I can't wait to see what replaces VLF, and the game starts anew.
Click to expand...

I've been playing guitar since I was 8 years old. Played my first gig in 1969 and gigged solidly for the next 20 years. I had no pedals just my guitar and amp. Today in my home studio I use a modeling amp, a Peavey Vypyr, that has a lot of built-in effects, but I don't use them.

Detectors are a lot like guitars. Gizmos are cool, for the most part, but in the end, it is the person holding the detector/guitar that makes the difference.
 

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ChrisMD said:
My biggest problem right now is I live literally 5 minutes from the Paul Reed Smith factory, and the employees are always selling their employee gift custom made one-offs, and they are so unique I gotta have every one of them :lol:
Click to expand...

I am glad I don't live where you live. I'd have to change my name to Silver Sky. :lol:
 
Detector said:
I've been playing guitar since I was 8 years old. Played my first gig in 1969 and gigged solidly for the next 20 years. I had no pedals just my guitar and amp. Today in my home studio I use a modeling amp, a Peavey Vypyr, that has a lot of built-in effects, but I don't use them.

Detectors are a lot like guitars. Gizmos are cool, for the most part, but in the end, it is the person holding the detector/guitar that makes the difference.
Click to expand...

I have played since I was 12 or so. I was taught three chords and the rest self taught. Most of that time was all acoustic until the last 10 years. I have a 100 Watt Boss Katana. I used some reverb and delay but it's mostly just a combination of gain and tone knob.

I bought a set of Billy Gibbons Mexican Lottery strings that were 7 gauge. I never put them on anything until I got my Flamed Maple Top Telecaster then I put them on it and the sound is awesome. I hated them the first week as I was always accustomed to 9's and 10's. THEN something happened and they just clicked. The sustain is so much better. I don't think I'd put them on any other guitar I have but they work great for that.

I think the hate part came from how they felt from being so light but then I got used to them and that is all I'll have on that guitar now
 
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