[Armaegis]

I had a Grado HF1 briefly and hated it. I had the 325is on hand at the time and thought they sounded tame in comparison. The HF1 is easily the brightest and most ear piercing Grado I've heard.

 

[Claritas]

 
Added Smeggy's Thunderpants into the list for various reasons. 

 
One could make a whole list of all the small-batch custom modders.

 

[stacker45]

Last I heard, Grado has stopped production on the Bushmills X. I think that  they sound very good for $395 headphones, I actually preffer them to the RS1i, and I think that they look very nice with those wooden cups and that soft brown leather headband. I think that they're definately a no brainer for any Grado fan.

 

[Claritas]

Last I heard, Grado has stopped production on the Bushmills X.

Whom did you hear it from?

 

[stacker45]

Who do you think I heard it from, Claritas, I heard it from John Grado, he called me up, like he always does every Monday mornings, and confirmed that production has stopped on the Bushmills X.
 
Seriously, I didn't actually hear it, that's just a figure of speach, I read it. I don't have a very good memory, so I can't remember if it was here on Head-Fi, or somewhere else.
 
In hindsight, I should have mention that the information didn't came from a ''sure source'', but since they're supposed to be a limited edition, I wasn't surprised to read that production had stopped.  To be honest I was a lot more surprised, (and disapointed).  when they came out with a second batch.

 

[Jon-LF]

One could make a whole list of all the small-batch custom modders.

I definitely agree, and someone should start that list That being said, no other custom modder made that kind of flourish, warranted a headfi group buy, went bust.... Leaving scores of people without headphones they paid for. That's a fantastic piece of headphone history, and easily in the top 3 in terms of quality of sound improvements.

Alpha Dogs/Mad Dogs on the other hand, are quite easily available, and will continue to be so.

I don't own a Pair of Thunderpants, but it impresses me how they are still so sought after - and so quickly sold (if they work). I don't own a pair, but it definitely intrigues me.

 

[Claritas]

In hindsight, I should have mention that the information didn't came from a ''sure source'', but since they're supposed to be a limited edition, I wasn't surprised to read that production had stopped.  To be honest I was a lot more surprised, (and disapointed).  when they came out with a second batch.

I asked you about it because none of the three firms involved has given me confirmation that the model has been discontinued.

Why you would be disappointed about their producing *more* of something you like? I don't understand.

 

[Jon-LF]

I asked you about it because none of the three firms involved has given me confirmation that the model has been discontinued.

Why you would be disappointed about their producing *more* of something you like? I don't understand.

Because it will be less limited, hold less value, be less prized. I'd be pissed too to be honest if I was an early buyer. Personally, I think Grado makes this mistake too often (they did the same with the HF2, I think). To be honest, I feel they need to commit a number when they launch a product and stick to that.

I think the Bushmills look great, prob sound fantastic (apparently smell great) but passed on them 3 times when they appeared new on Headfi's buy/sell mainly because I wasn't sure if they were true limited editions.

 

[Claritas]

Because it will be less limited, hold less value, be less prized. I'd be pissed too to be honest if I was an early buyer. [...]

I [...] passed on them 3 times when they appeared new on Headfi's buy/sell mainly because I wasn't sure if they were true limited editions.

I don't care about how much headphones are "worth." I want the best-sounding models to be reasonably priced and never go out of production so many more people can enjoy them.

 

[Jon-LF]

I don't care about how much headphones are "worth." I want the best-sounding models to be reasonably priced and never go out of production so many more people can enjoy them.

Definitely. However, collectors of LEs possibly buy them for their rarity, it's like collectors of anything I suppose. There is a bit of a difference between being a collector, vs being an audiophile. I'm a bit of both, hence the thread

 

[Jon-LF]

I've updated the OP with my impressions (only did half, it's 3am) lol. Also added the very rare, highly rated Audio-Technica L3000 from 2003, which apparently gets snapped up in 24 hours on Head-Fi upon listing. 
 
Feedback is welcome and I hope this will become an informative thread for collectors like myself.