Why I Only Buy the Best.

When I was a kid, I grew up constantly fixing things. My father would get up early on a Saturday, curse, drink his coffee, and tell me I needed to help him fix the car.

So we’d get outside while it was still cold, arrange the tools, and proceed to spend an inordinate amount of time banging, clanging, knocking, unscrewing, cursing, and generally struggling with fixing the thing. Followed by the inevitable trip to the auto parts store, waiting for the parts, and finally, finally, fixing the starter or replacing the brakes. And then at last getting to clean that mucky crap off my hands using some special auto parts store “hand goop.” It was bright green, or sometimes orange, and had a really funny smell. But it worked.

Ah, thems were the days.

I loved it.

And I hated it!

First of all, I always loved taking things apart. I would take anything apart that had screws, could be unlocked, pried apart, or dissassembled in any way - because I loved seeing how things worked. So you’d think I would have absolutely loved helping my dad all the time to fix things.

Well, I did, to a point. I loved learning how things worked - but I really disliked being forced to have to fix things all the time. It sucked the joy out of it, and my dad’s attitude didn’t help either. And the same things would break in a few months, and we’d be fixing it again! I really began to hate anything cheap! (Not to mention the fact that after spending a day helping my dad, he would tell my mom that he had fixed the car - the nerve! I helped too!)

That feeling of hating to fix things grew. After fixing hundreds of things for years, I began to simply detest anything that wasn’t made well. I wanted high quality tools - Craftsmen. I wanted the best of everything.

So in my own life, I began to only buy the absolute best of anything I could afford.

It was a revelation!

Instead of buying crappy cheap things that would break, I invested in things that lasted, were beautiful, enjoyable to use, were stylish, and even enviable.

When I bought my first car, I applied this philosophy. I bought a brand new, white, 1993 Honda Accord, manual, and it drove buttery smooth - an absolute delight to drive! And it drove as well on the day I sold it as the day I bought it. Best decision I ever made on a purchase - and it was because I insisted on buying the best.

I came to discover the truth in the saying “if you buy cheap, you buy three times.” Cheap things broke. Expensive things generally lasted.

This is the philosophy I apply to each and every product I make.

I don’t make these faders just for money - I make them to create and spread excellence in the world! To distribute joy. To help making music be the absolute bliss it can be, with tools that are delightful to use, visually pleasing to look at, and that feel great in the hands.

Any way I can make them better - I do. Because I want to make the absolute best faders in the world. Because it’s wonderful to have high end tools that last and last, and that pay you back over and over again.

Paying a premium for nice things pays you back in so many ways: every single time you use the item, it’s a joy, easier than other tools, better made, with better results. Often you get done faster, too.

And even if your end result is only 10% better, just think: every single time you use that higher end tool or product, your work is 10% better. Every. Single. Time.

That’s why I make faders that are designed to last you a lifetime, and to bring you happiness, joy, simplicity, and just a better experience making music. That’s why I offer 2 year warranties on most products, instead of just 1 year, and a 5-year warranty on the flagship Presidential too.

I believe in what I’m making here, and bring the highest integrity, work ethic, passion, energy, and intelligence to each and every fader that goes out the door.

And it all started in my dad’s garage, helping him fix the car. Again.