Anyone who remembers the ''70s (that IMO was the golden age of home stereo) and grew up in the NY City area, surly must remember "Crazy Eddie" and the often entertaining Crazy Eddie commercials.😀
Crazy Eddie - YouTube
Crazy Eddie outakes 1 - YouTube
Crazy Eddie were NY City area home electronic/high end stereo super stores and sold all the top audio brands of the day .
That is former DJ and ad exec Jerry Carroll doing most of the commercials. He had the overly hyper sale pitch down to a fine science..... LOL
Crazy Eddie - YouTube
Crazy Eddie outakes 1 - YouTube
Crazy Eddie were NY City area home electronic/high end stereo super stores and sold all the top audio brands of the day .
That is former DJ and ad exec Jerry Carroll doing most of the commercials. He had the overly hyper sale pitch down to a fine science..... LOL
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Sure do, and I was in DC!
Down here, we had the adds for the drag strip. "Saturday night! Under the lights! National Capital drag raceway! Be there, there, there......." It is still there. Dixie Electronics is gone. That is where we bought things. No showroom, just a counter. At least B&H is still going strong.
Of course, the other Icon was Earl Shibe automotive painting.
Down here, we had the adds for the drag strip. "Saturday night! Under the lights! National Capital drag raceway! Be there, there, there......." It is still there. Dixie Electronics is gone. That is where we bought things. No showroom, just a counter. At least B&H is still going strong.
Of course, the other Icon was Earl Shibe automotive painting.
Yeah, he would "paint any car for $29.95".... not well but, he would paint it. LOL
BTW, now I can't get that tune out of my head....."When you think your ready, come down to Crazy Eddie...the man who has most everything in Stereo sound......🙂.
BTW, now I can't get that tune out of my head....."When you think your ready, come down to Crazy Eddie...the man who has most everything in Stereo sound......🙂.
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Yup, I remember Crazy Eddie too. Anyone in NY at the time who cared about stereo did.
Think he absconded to Israel after the place went under and went on trial back in the US.
But it was nice while it lasted.
Think he absconded to Israel after the place went under and went on trial back in the US.
But it was nice while it lasted.
The story of the real Eddie ( Ed Antar) ) a convicted felon, is interesting to say the least.
He did indeed skip to Israel but, the law caught up with him for stock fraud
The long and wild Crazy Eddie investor fraud case nears the end | NJ.com
He did indeed skip to Israel but, the law caught up with him for stock fraud
The long and wild Crazy Eddie investor fraud case nears the end | NJ.com
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Scheib, I think. Famous for using watercolors. They were around until about 3 years ago.
When I saw the thread title, I thought there would be a Larry Niven reference, but apparently not.
Earl Scheib paint jobs were good if you did your homework.
I had them paint a 55 Chevy with enamel (I supplied the paint) and they left it in the bake room over the weekend after baking it. Great paint job, however I did all the prep work including removing whatever trim I could, and removing the bumpers.
The big problem with the Earl Scheib $29.95 paint job was that they rolled your vehicle in, masked it off and painted it. If you didn't polish it to remove old wax, and wash it just before taking it in, you ended up with wax and dirt under the paint. They also used lacquer instead of enamel for the 29.99 paint job, but would use enamel if you paid extra ($5?? in 1971).
I provided the paint because they did not stock the color I wanted (Petty blue)
And they are still in business:
Home
I had them paint a 55 Chevy with enamel (I supplied the paint) and they left it in the bake room over the weekend after baking it. Great paint job, however I did all the prep work including removing whatever trim I could, and removing the bumpers.
The big problem with the Earl Scheib $29.95 paint job was that they rolled your vehicle in, masked it off and painted it. If you didn't polish it to remove old wax, and wash it just before taking it in, you ended up with wax and dirt under the paint. They also used lacquer instead of enamel for the 29.99 paint job, but would use enamel if you paid extra ($5?? in 1971).
I provided the paint because they did not stock the color I wanted (Petty blue)
And they are still in business:
Home
Yeah, it has been my understanding that the $29.95 was sort of a "loss leader"
They would then tack on any extras the customer would agree to like cleaning and any minor bodywork , surface prep needed.
Of course, if you did all the prep work yourself, it was a good deal .
They would then tack on any extras the customer would agree to like cleaning and any minor bodywork , surface prep needed.
Of course, if you did all the prep work yourself, it was a good deal .
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Let me make a vague reference to audio here before this is too far off subject. They use surplus paint. " red". Virtually no prep and masking only sort of. The cost of decent paint, JUST THE PAINT, do do a pair of sats and a sub was about $200. Doing a "factory" paint job on a car,which is pretty poor, costs about 6 grand. A good job,30 grand and up. Those restorations you see at auction on TV selling for 50 grand may have 60 grand in the paint. ( I used to hang around a restoration shop) I have yet to be able to get a really good paint job on MDF or plywood using hardware store paint. Only the ones where I put on several coats of poly resin, evercoat filler, primer, sealer, and Centari have come out well. My next set are going to be exotic wood finished in clear poly. It is cheaper! I wonder what people like Gedlee do in their production line with paint.
tvrgeek, I guess a lot depended on where you were. The Earl Scheib shop in Columbia SC in 1971 gave you a choice of something like six or seven colors for the $29.99 paint job. As I said, no prep just mask and shoot. I had friends get their cars painted there. The ones that did the prep work looked pretty good.
I think I spent close to $300 on House of Kolor paint when I painted my motorcycle in 1999 or 2000.
Painting is the easy part.
I think I spent someting like 20hrs wet sanding the gas tank for the motorcycle alone. Wet sand it till the primer coat you shot yesterday is almost gone. Dry it good and shoot another coat of primer the second day. Let it dry till the third day and sand again....
Like my dad used to say, "The difference between a good job and a bad job is a ten cent sheet of sandpaper".
Then again, sandpaper has gone up a bit.
I can't find the photos on this computer , but if you scroll down there are a couple shots here, along with the finished bike at the bottom.
Rebuilding the Ironhead Sportster
I think I spent close to $300 on House of Kolor paint when I painted my motorcycle in 1999 or 2000.
Painting is the easy part.
I think I spent someting like 20hrs wet sanding the gas tank for the motorcycle alone. Wet sand it till the primer coat you shot yesterday is almost gone. Dry it good and shoot another coat of primer the second day. Let it dry till the third day and sand again....
Like my dad used to say, "The difference between a good job and a bad job is a ten cent sheet of sandpaper".
Then again, sandpaper has gone up a bit.
I can't find the photos on this computer , but if you scroll down there are a couple shots here, along with the finished bike at the bottom.
Rebuilding the Ironhead Sportster
HOC runs over $1200 a quart now. Don't think I would paint my speakers with croma-changing effects paint though. I really like the brown metallic I did. $80 a quart and I did not clear it.
Anyway, "Crazy Eddie" was from a time when audio stores had walls of hi-end speakers, amps/receivers , that could be instantly switched to compare the sound from them .
It was not a perfect set up as the speakers were in different postilions that obviously effected the perceived sound but, at least they usually had a large selection of quality equipment.
Even the local "Radio Shack" was set up like that and sold quality audio products.
As a contrast, what does a modern store like "Best Buy" have?
At best, just couple of cheap little plastic cabinet speakers. Try to find and an amp or any real audio equipment there. All you will find is some junk "home theater".
BTW does anyone know what "THX" for consumer use is other than a marketing gimmick to sell audio junk to the ignorant masses?
It was not a perfect set up as the speakers were in different postilions that obviously effected the perceived sound but, at least they usually had a large selection of quality equipment.
Even the local "Radio Shack" was set up like that and sold quality audio products.
As a contrast, what does a modern store like "Best Buy" have?
At best, just couple of cheap little plastic cabinet speakers. Try to find and an amp or any real audio equipment there. All you will find is some junk "home theater".
BTW does anyone know what "THX" for consumer use is other than a marketing gimmick to sell audio junk to the ignorant masses?
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Best Buy owns Magnolia. Their larger stores do have some decent stuff. Not like the old days, that's for sure. The market is HT, so they stock HT. We are stuck with long drives, companies like Outlaw, Ohm and Emotiva that only direct sale, and Crutchfield, Audio Advisor who have return policies. For most decent stuff, I think you really have to have it home for a few days anyway.
RS sold a few decent items. I think their receives were made by Sherwood back when they made decent stuff. Even the Hech company had an audio department. Mom and Pop's ruled. Knowledge, service, selection.
THX is a broad set of specs. Everyone can't meet them even though the bar is set pretty low. It means nothing to me.
RS sold a few decent items. I think their receives were made by Sherwood back when they made decent stuff. Even the Hech company had an audio department. Mom and Pop's ruled. Knowledge, service, selection.
THX is a broad set of specs. Everyone can't meet them even though the bar is set pretty low. It means nothing to me.
Speaking of Mom and Pop stores ........
Alan Markoff sold me my fist high end sound system out of his Middletown,NY audio store that consisted in part of of a Sansui receiver and a pair of JBL L-100s
Bill Hanley - The Father of Festival Sound
(scroll down to "details lost in history" )
Alan Markoff sold me my fist high end sound system out of his Middletown,NY audio store that consisted in part of of a Sansui receiver and a pair of JBL L-100s
Bill Hanley - The Father of Festival Sound
(scroll down to "details lost in history" )
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Fwiw, I worked for Crazy Eddies as a repair tech, in the Bronx, in the early 70s... quite a place.
Zoo.
Sold a LOT of carp. They did.
_-_-
Zoo.
Sold a LOT of carp. They did.
_-_-
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None of the stores I bought from in the 70s are still in business. Kind of sad in a way. Big Box electronics stores have done to mom and pop audio stores what walmart did to the rest.
If I ever re-paint my bike, it will be Blue Indigo Metal Flake with silver
ghost flames. I can't find the paint.
If I ever re-paint my bike, it will be Blue Indigo Metal Flake with silver
ghost flames. I can't find the paint.
One store I bought from in the 1970s, is still in business: Pacific Stereo. Over the years they've transitioned from in-home to in-car equipment.
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