Hello to all (now) Old Friends

[bfish]

For you old alumni, there's plenty of name-dropping in the many articles on Altec in the old Billboard mags. Here's a Google books search for "Altec" in past Billboards;

altec nineteen intitle:billboard - Google Search

Pick issues from "your" time, and see who pops up.

(I wanna know more about this "Hippie" character...

[Wes Dayen]

Thanks for the welcome guys.
The "Hippie" I referred to was Richard Donaldson, one of the engineering techs that watched the stuff coming off the line. He did a lot (I believe) to help perfect the 9440, working closely with the lab guys up front. He was also a blast to me to work (indirectly) with. Always something enjoyable going on back in that back room.

I knew a lot of the guysin the stockroom too, and I was back there alot needing this or that. Can't say I honestly remember you though Dave. Wish I could say I do. I worked alot with Dick and Bruce Johnson however. Anyone heard anything from any of these guys in years past ? I always wondered what happened to them all.

I was always kind of a hands-on guy when it came to production stuff, whether speakers, drivers, amps, equalizers, etc. I must confess I did not care for the tangerine plug when it came out. Never appeared to have a smooth response when I was testing, where the original all aluminum diaphrams always did. Course they would never stand up to the higher power the symbiotics did. They also were not quite as smooth, at least with a sine-wave sweep.

I do have quite a bit of hands-on with the mics too (if someone has a question and this old brain can still remember). Also worked alot with Bill Hayes, who I had the privilege of meeting up with at his home about 6 months back. Heck of a nice man.

Nough for now. I'll try and touch base with the forum when I can. I'm on the road quite a bit now, so it may be only once every couple weeks. What a loss the old Altec is. Was it 1981 it moved to OK. ? I left in 79.

God Bless y'all !!
Wes

[voice of the theater]

Thanks for the welcome guys.
The "Hippie" I referred to was Richard Donaldson, one of the engineering techs that watched the stuff coming off the line. He did a lot (I believe) to help perfect the 9440, working closely with the lab guys up front. He was also a blast to me to work (indirectly) with. Always something enjoyable going on back in that back room.

I knew a lot of the guysin the stockroom too, and I was back there alot needing this or that. Can't say I honestly remember you though Dave. Wish I could say I do. I worked alot with Dick and Bruce Johnson however. Anyone heard anything from any of these guys in years past ? I always wondered what happened to them all.

I was always kind of a hands-on guy when it came to production stuff, whether speakers, drivers, amps, equalizers, etc. I must confess I did not care for the tangerine plug when it came out. Never appeared to have a smooth response when I was testing, where the original all aluminum diaphrams always did. Course they would never stand up to the higher power the symbiotics did. They also were not quite as smooth, at least with a sine-wave sweep.

I do have quite a bit of hands-on with the mics too (if someone has a question and this old brain can still remember). Also worked alot with Bill Hayes, who I had the privilege of meeting up with at his home about 6 months back. Heck of a nice man.

Nough for now. I'll try and touch base with the forum when I can. I'm on the road quite a bit now, so it may be only once every couple weeks. What a loss the old Altec is. Was it 1981 it moved to OK. ? I left in 79.

God Bless y'all !!
Wes

Thanks for checking in again Wes! Sounds like some interesting and fun times for you (like working with Richard Donaldson for example). I personally haven't heard anything from/about Dick or Bruce Johnson but maybe someone else here has. Not to mention, new people are finding this website/joining here all the time including former Altec employees like yourself so maybe you'll log in and find posts from them here--after all this is THE place to be for all things Altec. If you are still in touch with Bill Hayes, I'm thinking he might appreciate being told about this website (if he doesn't know about it already).

As far as the tangerine phase plug, I think it was when they combined it with the H.F compensation in the Model 19 crossover (and other similar Altec crossovers produced in those days through the Oklahoma days) that the "magic" happened (smooth extended frequency response). This document shows the frequency response with the crossover in play (and controls set to the "optimum" position). http://www.altecpro.com/pdfs/vintage...r%20Manual.pdf
Interesting that they didn't measure very smooth without the H.F. compensation from the crossover-- this type of info from those days is "pure gold" IMHO.

To answer your question regarding the move to Oklahoma, I'm not sure when they started moving everything to Oklahoma City (there are most likely others here who can chime in about this). According to this timeline (which is probably far from "gospel"), it looks like by 1984 everything had moved there. http://www.altecpro.com/about/timeline.htm This may be of interest to you. I'm pretty sure I saw a "better" history/timeline somewhere, but can't find it today of course. Anyone else out there know of one?

[DSauro]

Wes, Dick left Altec some time in 1980. He went to I.T.T. Cannon, in Santa Ana, and I left to go there in early '81, not sound equipment related. In the later 80's Dick was relocated to Nogales, AZ. Kinda lost contact at that point. Sorry I can't provide more recent history.
Bruce and I used to carpool from Mission Viejo to the Anaheim plant in the late 70's. I met my wife, Kathie, at a party at Bruce's home in 1977. She worked with Bruce's wife, Laurie. Been together ever since.
Bruce left Altec when the Anaheim plant was closed, and I last had contact with him in 1998. We both changed employment venues a few times, but never together.
Bill Hayes is still the man for Altec Mic's, as you know. He just keeps on goin'. Same address on Cris St., in Anaheim. I lived a few blocks away from him before Altec (for me).
Roger, or any other "old Altec" alums care to share?

[DSauro]

........and I neglected to thank Brad for the Billboard link, so, thank you. A ps. to the hippie comment, we were all hippies back then, weren't we? I mean, just maybe the best old Anaheim Altec stories are not sound equipment related, and may not be proper on this board. Well, maybe

[voice of the theater]

........and I neglected to thank Brad for the Billboard link, so, thank you. A ps. to the hippie comment, we were all hippies back then, weren't we? I mean, just maybe the best old Anaheim Altec stories are not sound equipment related, and may not be proper on this board. Well, maybe

Dave, we're all (presumably) adults here. As far as I'm concerned, let the stories fly! As Altec Best stated,

Hey Dave, I always enjoy hearing about any kind of Altec History ! Especially from the Anaheim plant.Where most of Altec's product history was produced ! :2thumbsup:

which hopefully applies to any stories you may have about Altec in the 70's that may (or may not--doesn't really matter) shed light on the "spirit" of Altec/the guys in the ranks of Altec back in the 70's......

[bfish]

My pleasure Dave.

........ we were all hippies back then, weren't we? ...

That's how I remember it, but fewer and fewer will cop to it these days.

[Altec Best]

My pleasure Dave.



That's how I remember it, but fewer and fewer will cop to it these days.

Some still are at heart !

[Wes Dayen]

The name "Hippie" developed out of our friendship and kidding around. I honestly would address him that way. Every time I wanted to say something to him I would say, "Hey Hippie! . . . ." That was because he had long hair. He would always addres me as "Hey Redneck," because I had short hair. Anyway it must have seemed really funny to anyone that heard us talk to each other.
WD

[Wes Dayen]

Dave,
Do you have an email, phone or address for Bruce Johnson ?