Now that's old - Journal Entry number 3

It was not too long ago that a gentlemen stopped into my shop Hartville Music with a plastic grocery bag and a story. Inside this bag would be something I had only seen in patent drawings for the Echoplex. 

Once upon a time Mike Battle had told to me the story of how he went to visit Les Paul back in the early days of the Echoplex, possibly even before full production went into effect. He told me that he had gone up to visit "old Les" (as he called him) and demo one of his 'plexes to him as he said he wanted one. Les was impressed with the machine and instantly got one for himself. Mike was extactic and felt a great sense of achievement since Les Paul was possibly the greatest guitarist around at the end of the 1950's (possibly the greatest electric guitarist ever, period)

The story went on to tell of how Les's cabin was in the woods and a bit secluded in the trees. After everyone had a great visit and had retired to bed, Mike said that there was Les's pet black snake that had gotten loose and crawled into his bed. (This notorious black snake had grown in length over the years as the story had been told and retold, 2' 4' 6' heck, that thing may have been 20' when I heard it first in the 1990's) Side note: I really miss hearing it being retold as Mike's facial expressions WERE the story told in only his crystal blue eyed ornery way. (To hear Mike's version of the story please see this site https://www.namm.org/library/oral-history/mike-battle) I am so glad that Dan DiFiorentino recorded this interview in 2002. I was there but not allowed to be in the room where they were recording it. Mike had a great time that day.

Mike being an old Oklahoma boy was not phased by a black snake and he proceeded to take a broom and remove it from his room. In the morning Mike caught up with Les and asked him about his pet black snake and he thought it was kind of funny that Les would let it loose in Mike's room as a practical joke. Les's eyes got huge and he had indicated that he did not have any pet snake. Then Les got a broom and kept it nearby the rest of the day just in case his "pet" returned. 

Back to the plastic bag. Inside of this bag was one of the two Echoplex protoypes that had made the trip to Les's house. Legend has it, these were serial number 3 and 5. One of them had failed during the trip up for the demo and the other was a success. The one in the bag was the one that had failed. This poor old machine had spent many years in a shed doing nothing but aging.

The owner of the machine was once a young teen in the surroundings of the legendary Staff Music and Mike's Battle's Electronics in the Akron Ohio area. He grew up as the fly on the wall watching this whole thing evolve. Now, as its owner is taking care of this piece of music history.

This piece looks much different than its descendants. Four control knobs on the right with Mike Battle's handwriting on the labels. The adjustable Record Head was on a radiused track instead of the later linear track. It was the thing of patent drawings or sketches, not the later reality to come. This was part of the patriarchy of all things Echoplex. The great-granddaddy of them all, with just a few teeth left, scars, sunroasted skin, and enough stories to tell for your lifetime. This was the proof of concept. It even smelled of the mold it had earned the right to wear.

As much as I wanted to open it up, I also wanted nothing to do with the insides out of immense respect for its current state and what it represents. The thought of possibly damaging what had been preserved was enough to not have a look under the hood, nor to even ask to. This was one of the first ever. When things were not yet figured out yet and that feeling of discovery was still present. Butterflies in the stomach about hearing the Echoplex for the first times. Not filling orders, quality control, or dealing with repairs, but the journey ahead still left to be planned, or even patented. Simple handshake deals on hand written receipts, if any. This was a piece of the "dream" and one example that worked, at least before driving to Chicago.

Thanks for reading

Bart Postlewait 6/9/2023