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Lamy 2000 Black Amber Fan Club


LightSabre

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Recently I was given the 50th anniversary edition of the Lamy 2000 as a birthday gift, since I am about as old as it. I use it now with Diamine Sunset, a warm, deep and wide coloured, wet ink and it has a medium nib. I've got number 432 of the 5000 that were made. When I started to read around on the internet I found quite a few lukewarm posts about this pen. But I don't agree. It's great. So good even that I thought it would be nice to see if there are other enthousiasts out there.

What do I like about it? The Black Amber is a beautiful, subtle tribute to both the original and the metal versions of the Lamy 2000, and a dream of a pen in its own right. It's warm and deep to the touch. The surface is magical to look at: even and calm with a shimmer of gold that hovers on the brink of breaking through and endlessly changing at the same time - like the spirit over the dark chasm the moment before creation, or the Rheingold shimmering through the dark waves of the river. It is really both black and amber. The nib, as we know, is super smooth. The tines ride over the page like a pair of skates. The aesthetic of the Lamy 2000 is based on two principles: functions remain in the background and invisible until needed so the pen radiates tranquility; and elegance and functionality belong together in a dialogue without becoming one, so the pen radiates both meaning as well as modernism. The fountain pen is about the relation between the invisible and the visible, the unconscious and the conscious, the well and the outflow of the fountain, the potentiality of the thought or dream and the actuality of the written word, the inner and the outer. Mark Twain liked his Conklin because it "carries its ink in its stomach". This dialectical union of opposites guides the aesthetic of the Lamy 2000 and has made the pen the most iconic of modern fountain pens, because it reflects the nature of the human psyche and the nature of the creative process. In the Black Amber these characteristics are in a true sense celebrated, raised to the second power and mirrored back onto themselves, in a casual-sublime way which gives itself slowly and over time, again - like all good writing, like life itself. It maintains the understatement necessary for a pen not to become a fetishistic object, but it is also through-and-through carried by the expression of a coherent vision. Every aspect of this pen is in perfect, dynamic balance, again a union of opposites, that of movement and rest. It's meant to be used. You feel the character of the pen only when you use it. That's when it shows itself, when you use it in the movement of writing in which the writer finds rest. To me, it's a work of art that brings out my better creative self. It's a light sabre, a sorcerer's wand, a weapon of choice for a writer.

There is an interesting post about the aesthetics of the fountain pen (http://www.peneconomics.com/blog/2015/6/22/fountain-pen-aesthetics); I think the Black Amber can be used as a good illustration of how to start to formulate it.

I'd love to hear from people who also like their Black Amber!

Edited by LightSabre
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The lukewarm bit is explained well in this thread: https://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/topic/310508-is-it-just-me-or-is-the-lamy-2000-black-amber-way-overpriced/

 

It's certainly a nice pen, but you did receive it as a gift (and thus did not have to rationalize the price) :)

“I admit it, I'm surprised that fountain pens are a hobby. ... it's a bit like stumbling into a fork convention - when you've used a fork all your life.” 

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It is usually warming to see someone keen on a pen but after reading those 400+ words in your second paragraph I think, well, it's a pen. Some of mine are quite nice too, yet I have no expectation a Valkyrie will carry them to the Gotterdammerung. Mine radiate ... the sort of pen-ness a pen radiates.

X

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Thanks for your responses, pen friends! I do agree that it is overpriced, so only for special occasions, to give or to receive. It's definitely by far the most expensive pen I have ever owned (I have used Safaris and Al-Stars daily for decades), but not by any means the most expensive pen on the market. Far from it :) . S.E.B Brown has a nice video on expensive pens: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A9ZKg3tcTM4. For me, part of a good pen is that it has a reasonable price. It is part of the charm of pens that they can be beautiful, great and wonderful instruments to work with and not cost the earth. Because I also agree with the "well, it's a pen" statement. I think this one does that really well, it is just a pen, nothing fancy. But describing what makes just a pen just a pen is something else, and may well even take more than 400 words :).

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Happy owner of the metal one, which is a great pen and a favorite writer (I like it far better than the makrolon version). I did try the black Amber version and honestly the pen is beautiful... but not worth the price difference. You are right, it's an excellent pen in its own right, but as far as I can tell it's a steel 2K on a dark dress. So basically,the price is the problem. I would have paid, say, 75$ more for the anniversary version, but this is simply too much.

amonjak.com

post-21880-0-68964400-1403173058.jpg

free 70 pages graphic novel. Enjoy!

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Charming love letter to the Black Amber 2K.

"If you can spend a perfectly useless afternoon in a perfectly useless manner, you have learned how to live."

– Lin Yu-T'ang

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  • 2 weeks later...

So good even that I thought it would be nice to see if there are other enthousiasts out there. What do I like about it? The Black Amber is a beautiful, subtle tribute to both the original and the metal versions of the Lamy 2000, and a dream of a pen in its own right. It's warm and deep to the touch. The surface is magical to look at: even and calm with a shimmer of gold that hovers on the brink of breaking through and endlessly changing at the same time - like the spirit over the dark chasm the moment before creation, or the Rheingold shimmering through the dark waves of the river. It is really both black and amber. The nib, as we know, is super smooth.

I have the same pen (540/5000, EF nib) and fully agree with you! Now, my dream would be a Lamy 2000 “Piano Black” Version.

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Again, thanks for all your responses, pen friends!

 

As to black and amber: when you use it, the black and the amber really come through I find. Yes, it is a 2000 Metal underneath. But - to carry on the detail for a bit longer - initially I was baffled if not worried about the fact that, for the anniversary edition, Lamy had decided to divert from the characteristic surface lines on the Makrolon and the Metal. Why?? Well, when you use this pen (others have noticed it too) you get a constantly changing pattern of dark flowlines, which refers to the surface texture but is not the same. The lines on the Makrolon and the Metal have a tactile function (feels nice) and a visual function (they create a moving surface as you move the pen). It is the same with the Black Amber. The black refers to the Makrolon. The amber, which then starts to shine by contrast, refers to the golden jubilee, and the metal - that is there underneath this whole subtle display. Again, in the words of our aesthetician of the fountain pen: we have tension, contrast and understatement. And you know something else, the more you talk about it the more the whole things refutes you. Pens are not meant to be talked about all that much. You use them. So even there the whole thing reflects back on itself. Ah well, at the end of the day I just love using it.

 

Very nice to hear of the lucky owner of nr. 540! Thank you so much. The Piano Black may have to wait another 50 years :)

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SuperBowl sale at lamyusa.com will get you this pen for $236 through 2/7.

😳

"If you can spend a perfectly useless afternoon in a perfectly useless manner, you have learned how to live."

– Lin Yu-T'ang

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I love your footer!

Well, LightSabre, we probably have a certain obsession for design aesthetics in common.

 

FYI - you've successfully recruited me as I made use of the 60% discount to order an EF of this pen. Actually, it was a combination of things. I've really hated all newer Lamy releases until I got the Aion which is so tactile and fun to write with, I completely forget about the fact that the cap doesn't close tightly.

 

I've never been a fan of heavy metal pens, but there is something incredibly pleasing about the smooth objecthood of the Aion that I'm thinking I may actually get to like the L2K black amber. I think it might also go well with my VW Golf. 😁 It's worth a try!

"If you can spend a perfectly useless afternoon in a perfectly useless manner, you have learned how to live."

– Lin Yu-T'ang

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I too took advantage of the 60% discount to get an EF 2000 Black Amber. I had hoped for an F, but alas it was not to be. That said, it hasn't even arrived yet (Lamy USA printed the shipping label on Friday but didn't tender it to UPS until today :( ) and I'm already debating selling it as soon as it arrives or making it a safe queen. Somehow I forgot it doesn't have the viewing window, and a coworker tells me they are known to have insufficient cap retention in the pocket.

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Got one on sale from Lamyusa, too. Just too good of a deal to pass up. I had a SS version for years, so I know what Im getting into in terms of the weight. I only sold it in the madness to get something else; it was a perfectly smooth and useable pen...without the cap posted.

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My L2KM50 arrived today, EF nib. Number 2931, a nice number (3x977 if I calculated correctly).

 

First observations: No booklet, no literature, strange! The finish is indeed mysterious, a brass metallic look that tends to tarnish a bit with handling. I like that. The fit is not as perfect as the advertising suggests, there is a definite seam between section and barrel, although the piston knob sits flush. I can live with this, filed under "pen-ness." I definitely like the beveled edges, rounded corners, matte surfaces that are nice to the touch. Very few other objects feel that good in the hand. The nib is without problems, a F line width with good ink flow that writes well at various angles. I feel comfortable with this pen, it speaks to me like few other pens, maybe the Pelikan M805 Stresemann. Not worth MSRP, but at around 250 with tax, definitely worth it. It reminds me of other well-machined objects, a MagLite or bicycle.

"If you can spend a perfectly useless afternoon in a perfectly useless manner, you have learned how to live."

– Lin Yu-T'ang

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I have a 2000 Makralon and also the Black Amber. I prefer the Makralon, but I really like the Black Amber too. It is beautiful to look at, and it is beautiful to write with. I bought it for myself. It is not the most expensive pen I own but it is the most extravagant pen purchase I have made. I can't justify the price I paid, it's not really "worth it", but I wanted it and have no regrets.

 

Sign me up to the fan club.

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Well, LightSabre, we probably have a certain obsession for design aesthetics in common.

 

FYI - you've successfully recruited me as I made use of the 60% discount to order an EF of this pen. Actually, it was a combination of things. I've really hated all newer Lamy releases until I got the Aion which is so tactile and fun to write with, I completely forget about the fact that the cap doesn't close tightly.

 

I've never been a fan of heavy metal pens, but there is something incredibly pleasing about the smooth objecthood of the Aion that I'm thinking I may actually get to like the L2K black amber. I think it might also go well with my VW Golf. It's worth a try!

absolutely - the design is wonderful and it goes well with the VW Golf, you are right. The origins in Bauhaus are important, but more so the revival of Bauhaus in product design in the Braun company after the war. Those designs also formed the basis of Apple's products. I am very happy you found an EF at 60% discount. How are you liking it so far??

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Excellent, NOS!

 

what is the number of your

 

I have a 2000 Makralon and also the Black Amber. I prefer the Makralon, but I really like the Black Amber too. It is beautiful to look at, and it is beautiful to write with. I bought it for myself. It is not the most expensive pen I own but it is the most extravagant pen purchase I have made. I can't justify the price I paid, it's not really "worth it", but I wanted it and have no regrets.

 

Sign me up to the fan club.

Excellent new, NOS!

What is the number of your Black Amber?

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Got one on sale from Lamyusa, too. Just too good of a deal to pass up. I had a SS version for years, so I know what Im getting into in terms of the weight. I only sold it in the madness to get something else; it was a perfectly smooth and useable pen...without the cap posted.

Hi Jezza, which number have you got?

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