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Inmate Central Inmate Central, where civil and family-friendly discourse about off-audio topics (other than religion and politics) is welcome. |
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In Reply to: Horrible news, folks. We lost Bruce yesterday. posted by Muzikmike on April 6, 2010 at 08:58:55:
I never met Bruce in person, but I did have some contact with him online through Audio Asylum. I'd like to share the story of that, because I think it gives some insight into the kind of person he was.
Back in 2006, I had considered making a transition from salaried employment to being a contract worker or "job shopper". I didn't have any experience with that, so I wasn't sure how to proceed. On a whim, one evening I posted on Outside Asylum asking some questions about it: such things such as whether to avoid the "job shops", what kind of salaries could be expected due to the decrease in overhead of the hiring company and other concerns.
The next day, I checked my email and found there was a correspondence from Bruce. Now, I didn't know Bruce at all, so this surprised me a bit. He had apparently done the same thing himself, in the IT business as I recall, and shared many of his experiences. This email was quite long and detailed, giving all kinds of helpful advice and information about the subject. I was really grateful for the help he provided.
Also, it just so happened that my preamp had died a few days earlier, and I had decided on a particular replacement. The only trouble was, the local dealer for this brand in my area, who have since gone out of business, happened to be a bunch of jerks. I noticed in the sig of Bruce's email that he was also a dealer for this brand. I wrote him back, thanking him for his advice about job-shopping, and also told him about my situation with the preamp. I basically said I couldn't stand the local dealer, and because he had helped me out, I wanted to give him my business instead. He determined the supplier didn't have clauses restricting online vendors from shipping components to people in areas covered by a local dealer, so that was fine.
I asked him how much he charged for it, and he came back with a price that was lower than the online discount house that sells the brand. I was amazed at this and immediately told him he had a deal. He wasn't able to process credit cards, so I had to send him a check. Now, he knew my system was down, so what did he do? He had the preamp shipped to me before he even received my check. How often does that happen in this day and age?
A couple of months later, I got an email from him. Being the cynic I am, I figured it might be a sales-oriented thing. I was somewhat taken aback when I read it. "How does the preamp sound?", he was asking. "Are you happy with it?"
The preamp has been great and is still going strong. Last night, I listened to the system for the first time after hearing the news about Bruce. I thought about that experience when I was listening. Then today, I decided to write this. I hope this says something about the kind of guy he was, and that I didn't bore you with my rambling.
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Follow Ups
- I'd like to share a story about Bruce - andy_c 08:26:54 04/07/10 (5)
- One can never fault . . . - psgary 16:29:27 04/07/10 (0)
- Thanks for the stories... - EdAInWestOC 13:09:57 04/07/10 (0)
- Yes, Bruce was like that - Grover 08:54:23 04/07/10 (2)
- We were making some audio related plans that I feel I have to - Muzikmike 10:23:54 04/07/10 (1)
- Do you remember when I "panicked" years ago and sold most of my gear? - JimK 10:41:20 04/07/10 (0)