Product Engineers
Gerald Stanley is without question one of the pioneers in pro audio, working as product engineer for Crown International for several decades. Over 45 patents have been issued to him over his 45 year career with Crown. Gerald began working for Crown International, located in Elkhart, Indiana, in...
Chip Owen is the product specialist at Fox Bassoons who helped engineer a series of instruments for Fox over the years including the Fox Model 900 Contrabassoon, which was first introduced in 1971. Chip supervised the development of many of the Fox products since that time and has played a key role...
Wayne Tanabe is a pioneer in the band instrument repair field who has helped create and improve several methods for instrument cleaning using ultrasound and cryogenics. Looking towards ways of cleaning band instruments without harming the horn, Wayne began experimenting with deep freezing the...
Larry Ramirez had a fascinating career in music! As a trumpet player he landed his dream job designing instruments for many of his childhood heroes! While working for Leblanc, Larry was assigned to repair the instruments of many of the company’s top endorsers. Over time he developed friendships...
John Meyer founded Meyer Sound Laboratory back in 1979 and soon became an important pioneer and innovator in sound reinforcement. He worked to establish a balance in the sound created by the microphones, signal processors, amps and loudspeakers to produce the desired sound for both live and...
Bobby Dukoff was a big band saxophone player during the swing era when he looked for ways of improving his own sound. While working for the Jimmy Dorsey Orchestra, Bobby began playing his own mouthpiece, which showcased his style. Soon other musicians were asking for the mouthpiece and the Bobby...
Red Dog Weber saw a pogo-cello during the NAMM show in the early 1950s and thought if there was a percussive version of this instrument he could play it with his band and have a lot of fun. He started designing the instrument that he called the "boom schtick" in 1958 and has made thousands of them...
Gary Sunda began building guitar amplifiers under the name Sunda in the 1960s before he was hired by Don Randall to create a new line of amplifiers, Randall Amps. Gary began designing products for the Randall Company in 1970 and stayed until just after Don sold the company in 1990. Gary continues...
Peter Gotcher played drums in a band with Evan Brooks and they both became interested in creating electronics to change sounds. Together the two school mates created digital audio machines and in 1984 they formed Avid Audio. Later the company became Digidesign and produced a string of innovative...
Kazuo Yairi was one of the most renowned guitar luthiers in Japan. His long career began as a child when he watched his father building unique handcrafted instruments for local students and musicians. The company expanded under Yairi-san's leadership to include several new models, but always with...