ALTEC AA-1000

[tomt]

http://cgi.ebay.com/WESTERN-ELECTRIC...QQcmdZViewItem

[bowtie427ss]

I recognize those, think they've been around the ole auction block before.

Aren't they about as commonplace as hen's teeth, flyin pigs, and white blackbirds?

[Old Guy]

In the immortal words of a famous urban philosopher....

Day-um!

[selmerdave]

I don't know, for >$4k you'd think you'd get something more than orange drops...

Dave

[bfish]

I think the signifigance would be mainly the "Altec Service Corp" branding. Interestesting that it's not "All Technical Service Corp", but the Dec. '45 date on the lit puts it long after they acquired Lansing and became Altec Lansing. Did the original service company continue operating, perhaps independantly, even after they became a manufacturer?

[bfish]

OT-deleted

<font color="#FFFFFF" size="1">[ April 15, 2008 01:28 AM: Message edited by: bfish ]</font>

[bfish]

While digging for further details on ASC, I found this tidbit safely tucked away in the Wayback Machine;

"ASC Companies, formerly Altec Service Corp., was founded in 1937 to provide installation and maintenance support for the sound and projection systems of the growing motion picture industry. As the cinema industry advanced, ASC was there to provide the various innovations from Cinerama, 3-D, 4 & 6 track magnetic, Sensurround, 70mm, Dolby stereo and Lucasfilm THX, to DTS, SDDS, and Dolby Stereo Digital Sound. Along the way, ASC even pioneered the radio systems that removed the poles and speakers from the once thriving drive-in theatre business. Today, the ASC Cinema Systems Group still stands as one of the major players in the motion picture industry."

"Building upon this proud heritage, ASC expanded it's ability to provide, install and support audio and visual equipment to additional venues such as auditoriums, stadiums, arenas, convention centers and houses of worship. To maintain the needs of the growing corporate and educational markets, the ASC Contracting Group now integrates control systems, network communications, audio and video conferencing, presentation display devices, media retrieval and distance learning throughout boardrooms, training facilities and schools."

"As an employer in more than 15 states, ASC Companies has demonstrated national delivery capability by providing complete systems, as well as design, installation and maintenance services to our markets."

"In 1997, ASC moved to Dallas, Texas, building their corporate complex around an historic recording studio and production facility. The studios will serve as the core component for the ASC Entertainment Group as it expands into sound on film, score development and post production."

"Not many companies can boast the ability to manage decade after decade of change within an industry...ASC Companies can."

[bfish]

Update;

Current commercial listings for 7027 Twin Hills Avenue, Dallas, TX 75231

ASC Technical Services Corp.*
ASC Sumet Sound Studios
ASC Management & Productions

among others, potentially related.

*SIC: 7622
Sales: $10-25 Million
Employees: 50 - 99
Industry: services, miscellaneous repair services, radio and television repair

In the overall evolution of things, it appears today that Altec Service Co, the plain-jane older sister, survived longer on the original path than her starlet little sister, who, after a glamorous career in Hollywood, suffered one abusive husband after another before ultimately walking the streets in the wee hours. To be fair, both require a bit of face paint to be recognizable by old friends. Funny how things work.

<font color="#FFFFFF" size="1">[ April 14, 2008 09:52 PM: Message edited by: bfish ]</font>

[Todd W. White]

Yes, Altec Service Corporation continued to operate until the first spinoff by Jimmy Ling, whereupon it was purchased by J. Bruce Waddell (who replaced George Carrington, Jr. by Alvis A. Ward when Lee Webster, LTV's banker from Richardson, Texas, showed up shortly after the LTV acquisition to meet Georgie, and found he skipped out on the appointment to go fly with the military to Spain. Ward, who promised George Carrington, Sr. that Georgie would always have a job with Altec, was forced by Webster to fire him as President of Altec Sercvice. Waddell was a regional manager, and Ward brought him in to take it over.), and Robert V. Gandolfi, who was working in the accounting department at Altec Service at the time.

They called their company "ASC Technical Services", the ASC standing for Altec Service Coporation.

I went to work for ASC, by then located in Plano, Texas, in 1990, to help them get into the sound contracting business on a large scale. Prior to my tenure there, they hadn't been able to crack the market very well as ASC Sound, Inc. I was brought in to help them take their system design and installation quality up several notches, be their lead sales engineer, and to get them onto the acoustical consultant's approved list.

Mr. Waddell was a first class guy whom I enjoyed working for - men like him don't exist anymore in the corporate world.

[bfish]

Until the Ling spinoff, was Altec Service Corp primarily engaged in installing/servicing W.E. installations as originally established, or had they branched into other endeavors too?

By the lit in the auction listing, it appears that in late '45, Altec Service was still to some degree subject to W.E. directives.

Or should I just wait for the book to come out?

<font color="#FFFFFF" size="1">[ April 15, 2008 01:32 AM: Message edited by: bfish ]</font>