Joe Grado Bio Highlights
MY ENTRY INTO THE HIGH FIDELITY INDUSTRY
IN 1951 I PURCHASED A MARANTZ MODELC PHONO PREAMP AND IT JUST DIDN’T SOUND AS GOOD IT WAS SUPPOSED TO. I CALLED THE MARANTZ COMPANY AND WAS ASKED TO BRING IT IN FOR TESTING. WHEN I BROUGHT IT IN I WAS INTRODUCED TO SAUL MARANTZ WHO IN TURN INTRODUCED ME TO THEIR CHIEF ENGINEER SID SMITH. SID LIKE MYSELF WAS AN ASPIRING OPERATIC TENOR. NEEDLESS TO SAY IT WAS THE BEGINNING OF A LIFE LONG FREINDSHIP.
SID CHECKED OUT MY MODEL C AND TOLD ME THAT THE ONLY THING HE COULD FIND WRONG WITH IT WAS A ONE DECIBLE RISE AT 10KHZ. HE SAID IT WAS VERY UNLIKELY THAT THIS COULD BE THE PROBLEM. TO PROVE IT HE TOOK OUT HIS MASTER MODEL C AND ASKED ME IF I WOULD LISTEN TO BOTH UNITS TO PROVE THAT THE SMALL DIFFERENCE OF PLUS ONE DECIBLE AT 10KHZ COULD NOT BE HEARD.
WITH MY CURIOSITY AROUSED I AGREED IMMEDIATELY, AND THAT WAS THE MOMENT THAT MY LIFE CHANGED FOREVER. I PICKED MY “DEFECTIVE” UNIT SEVEN OUT OF TEN TIMES. HE THOUGHT THIS TO BE A VERY SPECIAL TALENT. I DIDN’T REALIZE THE SIGNIFICENCE OF WHAT HAD JUST HAPPENED, SINCE I REALLY DIDN’T KNOW WHAT A DECIBLE WAS. SID SUDDENLY BECAME VERY ANIMATED AND WANTED TO KNOW EVERYTHING ABOUT ME AND THE WORK I DID FOR A LIVING.
I TOLD HIM THAT MY MAJOR SUBJECT IN HIGH SCHOOL WAS WATCHMAKING AND THAT AT THE AGE OF FIFTEEN I ENTERED A COMPETITION RUN BY THE SWISS WATCH INDUSTYRY AND GOT THE HIGHEST MARKS IN THE WORLD, IN BOTH THE WRITTEN AND PRACTICAL TESTS, AGAINST WATCHMAKERS OF ALL AGES AND EXPERIENCE.
WHEN I WAS SIXTEEN I WAS EMPLOYED BY THE PRESTIGOUS TIFFANY AND COMPANY AT FIFTH AVENUE NEW YORK, CITY.AS A FULL FLEDGED WATCHMAKER.
I ENLISTED IN THE NAVY AT SEVENTEEN AND AT NINETEEN YEARS OF AGE I TAUGHT WATCHMAKING FOR THE NEW YORK BOARD OF EDUCATION AT THE SAME HIGH SCHOOL THAT I GRADUATED FROM AND IN THE SAME CLASS ROOM THAT I LEARNED THE TRADE THREE YEARS EARLIER AS A HIGH SCHOOL STUDENT.
I CONTINUED TO TELL HIM OF MY TIME WORKING FOR THE BULOVA WATCH CO IN THEIR PRODUCTION TOOLING DEPT. IN MY WORK I WAS HEAVILY INVOLVED IN STUDYING THE PRODUCTION LINES AND ULTIMATELY DESIGNING AND BUILDING THE NECESSARY TOOLING TO CONSTANTLY OPTIMIZE EACH INDIVIDUAL LINE OF PRODUCTION.
SID SAT AND LISTENED TO ME TELL MY STORY AND WHEN I WAS THROUGH HE JUST LOOKED ME IN THE EYE AND SAID “ JOE, THERE’S A MAN THAT DESPERATELY NEEDS YOUR HELP AND HIS NAME IS SHERMAN FAIRCHILD”. I OF COURSE KNEW THAT SHERMAN FAIRCHILD WAS ONE OF THE RICHEST MEN IN THE WORLD AND OWNED MANY SOPHISTICATED COMPANIES AROUND THE WORLD. WHAT I DIDN’T KNOW WAS THAT HIS PRIDE AND JOY WAS A SMALL COMPANY HE OWNED NAMED FAIRCHILD RECORDING
MY QUESTION TO SID OF COURSE WAS “ WHAT PRAY TELL WOULD A MAN OF THAT WEALTH AND KNOWLEDGE NEED FROM THE LIKES OF ME”, AND THIS IS WHAT SID TOLD TO ME.
“FAIRCHILD RECORDING INTRODUCED A NEW MOVING COIL PHONO PICKUP,CALLED THE MODEL 220. CONSUMER REPORT DID A REVIEW ON IT AND THOUGHT IT TO BE A VERY GOOD PRODUCT AS FAR AS PRODUCING HIGH QUALITY SOUND BUT RECOMMENDED NOT PURCHASING IT BECAUSE IT DETERIORATED VERY QUICKLY.”
“FAIRCHILD HAD HIS PEOPLE WORKING AROUND THE CLOCK TO SOLVE THE PROBLEM WITH NO SUCCESS WHATSOEVER AND HE’S AT HIS WITS END”. SID SUGGESTED THAT I GIVE MR. FAIRCHILD A CALL TO SEE IF I COULD BE OF HELP. I THOUGHT IT TO BE A GOOD IDEA AND TOLD HIM THAT I WOULD CALL.
ABOUT A WEEK LATER I HAD SOME TIME AND CALLED MR. FAIRCHILD. EXPECTING TO BE BLOCKED BY A SECRETARY, I WAS QUITE SURPRISED THAT MR. FAIRCHILD ANSWERED THE CALL HIMSELF. AFTER A HALF HOUR CONVERSATION HE ASKED ME WHAT I WAS DOING AT THAT MOMENT. I TOLD HIM THAT I HAD ALREADY FINISHED MY WORK FOR THE DAY. HE TOLD ME TO SIT TIGHT THAT HE WAS SENDING HIS LIMO OVER TO PICK ME UP. HE WANTED ME TO GO THE PLANT TO SEE WHAT WAS GOING ON. WITHIN ANOTHER HALF HOUR WE WERE IN HIS LIMO ON THE WAY FAIRCHILD RECORDING.
WHJEN WE GOT TO THE PLANT SHERMAN ESCORTED ME THROUGH THE PHONO PICKUP DEPT. THERE WERE SIX PEOPLE WORKING ASSEMBLING PICKUPS. I MADE A QUICK STUDY OF THE PRODUCTION LINE AND THEN SHERMAN AND I WENT INTO HIS OFFICE TO DISCUSS THE MATTER AT HAND.
HE TOLD ME THAT THE SIX PEOPLE WORKING IN THE PRODUCTION LINE I HAD JUST OBSERVED WERE ASSEMBLING ABOUT 150 PICKUPS A MONTH, THEY ALL PASSED INSPECTION AND PERFORMED WELL BUT IN A VERY SHORT TIME THEY STARTED TO DETERIORATE AND NOT PERFORM WELL AT ALL. SHERMAN CONTINUED TO TELL ME THAT HE TRIED EVERYTHING. HE HAD ALL KINDS OF SPECIALISTS COME IN AND DO ALL KINDS OF INVESTIGATIONS, BUT TO NO AVAIL.
THE RATE OF RETURN WAS 150% AND THIS HAD BEEN GOING ON FOR SOME TIME AND THEY WERE TALKING ABOUT SHUTTING DOWN THE PHONO PICKUP DIVISION.
SHERMAN LOOKED ME IN THE EYE AND SAID “WELL WHAT DO YOU THINK?”
DUE TO MY HAVING A GOOD JOB AT BULOVA AND MAKING A VERY NICE SALARY, I DID NOT FEEL THREATENED AND FELT FREE TO GIVE HIM AN HONEST ANSWER WHICH I WOULD HAVE DONE ANYWAY. I TOLD HIM THAT TO MANUFACTURE A PRECISION INSTRUMENT REQUIRED A PRODUCTION LINE WHICH HAD TO HAVE THE FOLLOWING REQUIREMENTS. FANATIC CLEANLINESS, FANATIC ORGANIZATION, FANATIC PLANNING AND FANATIC QUALITY CONTROL. THE FAIRCHILD PRODUCTION LINE HAD NONE OF THE ABOVE AND LOOKED LIKE A DISORGANIZED GARBAGE DUMP.
MY IMMEDIATE THOUGHT WAS THAT HE MIGHT ATTACK ME WITH A BASEBALL BAT, BUT INSTEAD HE JUST SAT BACK AND ROARED WITH LAUGHTER. HE AGAIN LOOKED AT ME AND ASKED “ WELL, WHAT ARE WE GOING TO DO ABOUT IT?”
TO THIS DAY I DON’T KNOW HOW HE DID IT ,BUT I AGREED TO COME AND CLEAN UP HIS MESS AND FOR LESS MONEY THAT I WAS EARNING AT BULOVA WATCH. YOU MUST REMEMBER THAT I STILL DIDN’T KNOW WHAT A DECIBLE WAS.
AFTER TAKING A “WEEK END CRASH COURSE IN ELECTRONICS” I STARTED WORKING AT FAIRCHILD RECORDING AS THE RESIDENT “GENIUS”.
FORTUNATELY FOR ME THE ELECTRONICS IN A PHONO PICKUP ARE RATHER SIMPLISTIC AND THIS PICKUP WAS PRETTY GOOD IN THAT RESPECT. THE MECHANICAL DESIGN HOWEVER WAS DIFFERENT STORY, IT WAS DISASTER ! HOW IT EVER WORKED AT ALL WAS A MIRACLE. BUT THIS WAS MY FIELD OF EXPERTISE.
AND I KNEW EXACTLY WHAT HAD TO BE DONE.
AFTER DOING A TOTAL EVALUATION AND STUDY I DETERMINED THAT I WOULD HAVE TO DO A COMPLETE MECHANICAL REDESIGN OF THE PICKUP AND ALSO DESIGN A TOTALLY NEW PRODUCTION LINE FROM SCRATCH.
SIX WEEKS LATER I HAD A NEW, VERY STABLE PICKUP DESIGNED AND A BEAUTIFULLY TOOLED UP PRODUCTION LINE READY TO GO.
SIX MONTHS LATER FAIRCHILD RECORDING WAS TURNING OUT 3000 PICKUPS A MONTH WITH A DEFECTIVE RATE OF LESS THAN ONE QUARTER OF ONE PERCENT. ALL THE PARTS FOR THE PICKUPS WERE NOW MADE IN HOUSE WHERE WE CONTROLLED THE QUALITY TO PERFECTION.
CONSUMER REPORT DID A REVIEW ON THIS NEW FAIRCHILD MODEL 225 AND RATED IT AS EXCELLENT IN ALL CATEGORIES AND A VERY STABLE PRODUCT UNDER ALL CONDITIONS.
SHERMAN AND I BECAME REAL BUDDIES. HE WAS ECSTATIC ABOUT EVERY THING THAT HAPPENED AND TOLD ME I COULD WRITE MY OWN TICKET. BEFORE HE PASSED AWAY A COUPLE OF YEARS LATER HE AND I WERE HEAVILY INTO DESIGNING A CONVERTABLE AUTO/AIRPLANE. HE WAS TRULY ONE OF THE NICEST PEOPLE I EVER WORKED FOR.
THE MODEL 225 PHONO PICKUP WAS MY FIRST DESIGN AS A NEW MEMBER OF THE HIGH FIDELITY INDUSTRY.
THE LAST PROJECT THAT I COMPLETED BEFORE LEAVING FAIRCHILD RECORDING WAS TO DESIGN THE INDUSTRIES FIRST ONE SPEED ( 33 1/3 RPM ) TURNTABLE.
IT WAS A SMASH SUCCESS. EVERY OTHER TURNTABLE WAS ECLIPSED OVERNIGHT.AFTER ALMOST SIXTY YEARS IT IS STILL GOING STRONG.
STARTING GRADO LABORATORIES TO COME SOON
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