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Vintage Vibe's Former Competitor........


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OK, this has been driving me nuts:

 

A while back, there was another boutique East Coast company that had a focus very similar to Vintage Vibe - they specialized in repairing/renovating vintage electro-mechanical keyboards, selling parts/accessories for those keyboards, doing custom work, etc.

 

I believe they might have also built some of their own instruments as well.

 

I think they were around before Vintage Vibe came along, and were based in.....Connecticut, maybe?

 

I also remember that their reputation suffered a hit towards the end of their run, and that they eventually ceased operations.

 

The more I write this post, the crazier it's driving me, so PLEASE remind me of the company's name.

 

I know you guys are gonna know immediately who it was.

 

Thanks!

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I have been dealing (not as much as I would like to) with Vintage Vibe for over a decade. The only other company in the mid Atlantic that I know is still in business is RetroLinear, based inthe Philadelphia region. Don't believe they ever made their own instruments, just repair and rebuilds.

There was also SpeakEasy Vintage Music based in southeast Pennsylvania, somewhere around Lancaster, IIRC. I should remember, I was there twice. They closed up shop after Steve Hayes passed away, quite a few years now.

:nopity:
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I have two Speakeasy preamps: one for Leslie 122/147 and one for Rhodes. Outstanding stuff. Used to have their rotary speaker with a real top rotor and simulator on the bottom.

Stephen Fortner

Principal, Fortner Media

Former Editor in Chief, Keyboard Magazine

Digital Piano Consultant, Piano Buyer Magazine

 

Industry affiliations: Antares, Arturia, Giles Communications, MS Media, Polyverse

 

 

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Steve was pretty shrewd and screwed over a couple people I know. I remember talking to him and telling me that an A-100 chop was 3 grand...ah no..

"Danny, ci manchi a tutti. La E-Street Band non e' la stessa senza di te. Riposa in pace, fratello"

 

 

noblevibes.com

 

 

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Steve was pretty shrewd and screwed over a couple people I know. I remember talking to him and telling me that an A-100 chop was 3 grand...ah no..

 

This was not my experience at all. I knew Steve pretty well and was an early beta tester for some of his earliest versions of preamps and rod box Leslie things. He was a nice guy who knew the tech really well and wanted to work on making things just right for even the most niche customer requirements.

 

I still have one of the rack preamps for my 122 and there are a couple of us that have perpetually traded a preamp pedal several times (it stays in a close family of keyboard brethren, even if they are quite geographically dispersed).

 

RIP Steve and Speakeasy.

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I also came to know Steve personally. I had heard about a couple bad transactions, but that was not my experience. He built me two Roadboxes, a preamp and my magnificent AMA. I requested several design mods over the years and he built them to fit my needs.

 

Towards the end of his life he would call out of the blue and we would just chat. RIP Steve.

 

http://www.hotrodmotm.com/sounds/roadbox/decimator.jpg

 

http://www.hotrodmotm.com/sounds/roadbox/ama_rack.jpg

Moe

---

 

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