Isn't that the case with almost any product you can think of these days? 
I have for about a decade tried to figure out how to make high quality, simple, handwired, cost effective guitar combos.
Small scale high quality production - with clever service plans so that guitarists (or bass players) come by for a periodic control.
But finding supplier deals for all parts needed is quite time consuming, it's not really survival of the fittest in this world - it's survival
of the biggest! What i did find out, to my surprise - is that a search for local parts manufacturers supplied me with amazingly
fine parts. Thats the goal, really - good for the environment too - and it seems that medium sized manufacturers have a different view
now. Most of the bigger industy in town are gone (glass, paper etc.) and the finance crisis some years back left the smaller ones shaking - thus making them more flexible perhaps.
But it's clear of course that making good quality, servicable amps at reasonable prices in vast numbers is near impossible these days.
Marshall did well for a long time, at least the stuff that moves through my shop has been quite serviceable - with
the possible exeption of one or two iffy valvestates.. but people tend to get rid of them instead of taking them to service.
Most pre-70's stuff is a joy to service.
