Who has met Paul Klipsch?

[biomedtech]

I once met the Man at Ramstein AB, Germany, during a massive product promotion. He was personally signing every pair of speakers purchased by military members at the base exchange. He wore a button under his shirt-collar, that he could flash at a moment's notice. At the time I was a lowly mesquito-winger that couldn't afford to purchase a pair of Heresys, but Mr. Klipsch didn't hold that against me. He answered all the questions, but had one special message that he held in reserve for 'smart' folks. That message was printed on the button.

I may not have had the money to earn his signature that day, but I did witness the button in action, and to this day I smile about it when I think about Klipsch speakers. Rest In Pease, Mr. Klipsch.

[Daddy Dee]

Thanks for the post. Great story and welcome to the forum.

I can just imagine those Air Force guys lining up to have the man sign their speakers. That would be a genuine treasure.

Have never met the man, but enjoy greatly hearing stories from folks who have.

[biomedtech]

I apologize. The button hidden under Mr. Klipsch's collar, the one he flashed from time-to-time in response to detractors (or possibly, sales reps), had one descriptive term boldly emblazoned upon it. It said simply, "Bull****" .

[WMcD]

I met PWK during the February 2001 trip to Hope. He was doing well considering his long life. It was an honor. His wife, Ms. Valerie made it all possible.

Paul asked me whether I had any relatives in the oil industry. No, but it puzzled me. It turns out that TI started in petroleum seismology, an area in which he has at least one patent. The founder was a guy with my last name. Even if Paul's mind was wandering, he sure made the right connection.

The pins, I belive, are best applied to the reverse side of a jacket lapel, for flashing with a flip of the hand. My guess is that PWK did not otherwise engage in vulgarities and this was reserved for baseless technological claims.

BTW, Ms. Valerie gave us dress ties with little horns in the pattern and the PWK logo on the front. They may still be available. On the reverse of the big pointed end is the eight letter aprobation oriented so that it reads when flipped up.

So perhaps you could have two lapel pins and the tie. And flash them in accord with the baselessness of a claim.

I don't quite know how all three could be flashed at once. Experimentation continues.

Gil

[Audio Flynn]

Dr. Bill and maybe AARTO as I recall

[kevin57]

Was the year 1984?

[biomedtech]

The year that Mr. Klipsch came to Ramstein AB was either late 1984 or 85. I had arrived on station in July of 84, but it took some time for me to meet the wife of a co-worker who was an employee at the main BX. She worked in the stereo department, so she told her husband, he told me, etc. There were more than 100 customers lined up to see Mr. Klipsch, he never complained about being surrounded by a horde.

[TBrennan]

I met PWK in the early 70s when he gave a talk at the Hi-Fi Hutch in Villa Park. I still have my yella button.

[jorjen]

I met PWK at the "compound" in Hope in about the Summer of 1982 or so during a week long stay at(actually near)the facility. Myself and a couple other fellas were also honored by a lunch invitation with PWK and Ms. Valerie at their home.

[mandi]

As a student of Mrs Valarie I remember when we got married. I think I remember her giving the class and open invitation to her wedding. I met Mr Klipsch on a few occasions. Mrs. Valarie stopped teaching the year after she married.

[twotone55]

Iam new to the group, and have been lurking about for a few days. I have a pair of 1968 K-horns and have just bought a x-over from Dean. I couldn't resist this topic. In fact, I have been thinking about it for the last couple of days.

I grew up in Albuquerque, NM. Before I graduated from HS in 1970, I was afflicted with the stereo bug. There was an engineer from Sandia National Labs named Loren Bishop who started selling audio equipment out of his garage . I bought a dynaco amp and speakers from him. However, his big thing was Klipschorns and Audio Research amps. In the years I knew him he never waviered. I listened with awe but never dreamed of being able to afford them. Loren treated me with a respect no other retailer did. And when I got an invitation to his house to meet Paul Klipsch, I jumped at the chance. I was welcomed to the house and treated like any of the adults although I was the only "Kid" there. I was too nervous to say much to Mr Klipsch but he was courteous as well. I spent my time listening, to music and to opinions. I will never forget that day. And sure enough I have a vintage pair of Klipschorns and a Audio Research LS-7 pre-amp.

Larry

[colterphoto1]

Great stories all, alas I never met the man but when I bought my Cornwalls I contacted Hope for some info, brochures and logo plates. I also asked for Mr. Klipsh's autograph which he graciously applied to the front of a current Khorn advertising brochure. A treasured keepsake to say the least.

If anyone out there is in the 'button-making' business, it'd be a great tribute to Mr. K to distribute his trademark bull**** to members (for a donation, naturally) Great fun at parties!

[tubelover]

I did

[TommyC]

I met Mr. Klipsch in 1978 when he graciously accepted my High School Physics classes invitation to be a judge for Science Fair. Our teacher was a personal friend of his, which I am sure helped sway his decision! Unfortunately, my project was in Microbiology so he didn't judge my catagory. I did get to shake his hand when I got my award, though!

[Hardhead]

I toured the Hope plant in the summer of 1972 when I was a naive and foolish 23-year-old who was considering buying a pair of Klipschorns with a Belle center. I don't remember the name of my guide, but he was very polite and kind and introduced me to everyone we saw as we made the tour. We didn't go into the front offices to meet Mr. Klipsch, and I hadn't expected to. After we toured the plant, we walked across the street to the "listening room," now the museum, to hear some music.

When we walked in, I noticed that a janitor was messing with some patch cords connected to an Ampex tape recorder. He was a tall, scruffy looking older man with a scraggly Van Dyke-ish beard and dressed in what looked like a repairman's uniform of matching gray twill shirt and pants, none too clean and very wrinkled. I was anxious to hear some music because, even though I'd read about them I hadn't actually heard any Klipschorns, so I didn't pay much attention to the janitor until my guide said, "I'd like you to meet Paul Klipsch," indicating THE JANITOR! I was so shocked and awed that all I could say was, "Gosh, Mr. Klipsch, I really like your speakers," or something equally foolish. He was very gracious, even with an idiot like me.

It took me a year to save enough money to buy the Khorns and Belle--without a doubt the most, and perhaps only, intelligent thing I did in my youth. I still have them and have listened to them almost every day for over 31 years. It was the sound of the Klipsch speakers that sold me, but if I'd had a little more experience with engineers I'd have known that only really good ones like PWK are single-minded enough not to care about anything but their work.

[Parrot]

Super story, Hardhead.

[Tom Bartlett]

This essay should probably be entitled The Most Unforgettable Character Ive Ever Met since it seems straight out of the old Readers Digest mold. In the seventies my wife and I resided in Hope, Arkansas where she taught school and I was a purchasing manager for a manufacturing company. I immediately heard stories about a local eccentric genius that manufactured hi-fi speakers out in the Proving Ground. As an aside, during WWII the Army located a Research & Development facility just outside Hope. The Army enlarged the adjacent airport, strengthened the runways, and generally conducted experiments to improve artillery shells and bombs. They built many buildings and a housing area to house the scientists and workers. I understand (this may or may not be correct) that Mr. Klipsch was one of the researchers and this is how he came to be located in Hope. Anyway, his factory was located in the area that was once called the Proving Ground.

Like most residents, we were a little in awe of Mr. Klipsch for several reasons. One was his commanding physical appearance. He was tall and thin as a reed, with a shock of gray hair and goatee. He usually wore faded blue jeans, sports shirt with sometimes a bolo tie and a western hat. The western boots and hat made him appear even taller. At this time he must have been in his late sixties, but he could be seen virtually every day jogging near his home. I understand he ran three to five miles every day. Even though he stood out from the local crowd, I gathered he had many friends and was well regarded locally (His manufacturing plant was an important source of jobs).

I first met him at the local airport, where I had rented a portion of the shop area to restore a 1952 MG-TD. On most Saturdays he could be found there, hanger flying, puttering around his Beech Baron or chatting with the local airport rats. There was an active flying club and always some members hanging around wanting to talk flying. He always took an active part in the round table discussions. One of the early comments that I had heard about him was if you asked him the time, hed tell you how to make a watch. At first I just listened in to his dialogue and observed he possessed several unique qualities. He had a passion for precision that was apparent in all his conversations. One day we observed that he was wearing three wrist watches, all Bulova Accutrons. Someone asked him about the multiple watches, and he explained that he was calibrating one of them. He related that on one occasion he called the Bulova factory to report an inaccurate timepiece, reporting that the watch was losing two or three seconds a month. The factory representative wanted to know exactly how Mr. Klipsch was able to ascertain that the watch was losing so few seconds a month, implying, I suppose, that Mr. Klipsch could be mistaken. After listening to Mr. Klipschs calibration procedures, which I am sure took fifteen to twenty minutes, the factory rep agreed that the watch was probably inaccurate, and that Mr. Klipsch should mail it back to them for adjustment.

But his passion for precision made him difficult to chat with. Once I asked him a question about an aeronautical matter, and in his explanation, he had no sooner uttered the term about as twice as expensive when he suddenly stopped, whipped out his pocket calculator, entered a few digits, and corrected himself, saying, well, actually 2.133 times as expensive. Another time I innocently offered a favorite quotation from Mark Twain, when he stopped, pulled out a notepad and pen and wanted to know which of Twains novels the quote came from. When he found something that interested him, he wanted to research it immediately. Of course I could not remember the source (I looked it up later and told him) but I never again offered idle chitchat in his presence. He was often accompanied with a worn leather briefcase, and habitually when discussing some obscure subject, he would whip open the briefcase and search until he found a paper that clarified the matter. I remember he expressed the greatest respect for the experimental work at the Bell Laboratories.

But he was a fascinating speaker, full of precise technical details, with a dry sense of humor that sometimes went over the heads of listeners. Once at a reception, we were talking flying and a lady came up and said Mr. Klipsch, since you make those expensive speakers, I wanted to know what kind of music you listened to. Mr. Klipsch blandly replied Well, lately Ive been listening to a lot of Joe Green. The blank stare on the face of the questioner probably matched my own. Since I knew he enjoyed classical music, opera, and virtually anything that featured a pipe organ, I was completely clueless. He never offered an explanation, but went on talking about flying. His comment stayed with me for days, until one morning I was shaving and thought Verdi! Guiseppe Verdi.

The mention of the pipe organ reminds me of his work with local Episcopal Church. The building, which was over one hundred years old, was beautifully restored and featured a huge pipe organ that Mr. Klipsch lovingly kept in perfect condition and pitch. If during the service he detected a false note, he would bound up on the stage after the services to adjust it. I am sure that he made the rector nervous at times, for sometimes during the Sunday message he would whip out his ever- present notepad, scribble a few notes, and buttonhole the speaker afterward.

Although he later drove a Mercedes, he mostly drove a 1953 or 54 Ford Station Wagon, six cylinder with overdrive. He explained to me that he had calculated the ton-miles per gallon (a measure of hauling efficiency) of the vehicle, and that particular Ford was the most efficient vehicle he had found. In his office on the wall behind his desk were several elaborate models of steam-driven trains. He had created each one in mostly solid brass, making the parts himself on a modelers lathe. I remember him mentioning that since his eyesight had grown weaker, he was forced to purchase miniature brass screws from a jeweler, rather than turn them himself.

I only flew with him one time, but found him to be a careful, meticulous pilot. One sunny Saturday morning he mentioned that he was flying up to Little Rock to go glider flying, and asked if I wished to go along for the ride. Did I? Sorta like if Bob Dylan called up one day and casually asked if Id like to go on his next tour. When we arrived at the glider field, I found he was well known to the staff there. I used his camera to take several photos of him in the cockpit of the high performance glider, and off he went.

[anobium]

I live in SC. In the summer of 1981 I rode my motocycle to Dallas to visit my sister. On the way I stopped by Hope to visit the Klipsch factory. As I drove into the parking lot I noticed Mr. Klipsch getting out of his car. I walked over and said "Hello, I drove my motorcycle a thousand miles to met you." He replied "If you had long arms you could have saved yourself a trip." He instructed one of emplyoees to give me the full tour including the a new speaker test chamber. It was well worth the trip.

[ricktate]

I met Mr.Klipsch first when i was 16 my mom drove me to a stereo shop in KC i didnt know he was going to be there i walked in and he treated me like an adult not some stupid kid i got some buttons that i still have. Then i finally got a pair of LaScalas and my wife and i drove to Hope to see factory and met him again for brief moment. Another time was a demonstration at another KC stereo shop they had Heresys set up to provide sound for a slide show to a tree felling. When that tree hit the ground i bet everyone in there looked around for the tree,,lol...i just set back and smiled...Meeting Paul Klipsch is something i will never forget Rick Tate

[kenratboy]

I have 'the book' and that is as close as I will ever hope to get...