POLL: How Many Forum Members Think Craig Should Change His User Name To Crusty?

[Gilbert]

I'll have to thank our man Kevin in Chicago for giving me this Brilliant idea [] [].

[LarryC]

"NO, Craig will do just fine" -- he's very Craigy.

[Audio Flynn]

He certainly is not an instructor at the local charm school. []

[dp1954]

Walk a mile in his shoes... Craig works just fine....

[Gilbert]

Walk a mile in his shoes... Craig works just fine....

Oooooh, I don't know about that.... Our Statiscal Poll is showing otherwise, however, there is 3% a margin of error [:|]

[sheltie dave]

How 'bout BOHICA?

[dp1954]

Maybe you should have made 'cuddles' one of the choices...........

[kaiser SET say]

Right dp, Craig has always given me that warm and cuddly feeling in every post[] Of course Craig really does not have to say anything because his work speaks volumes for him[]

If your going to change it why not make it something like NOS-ty Valves[^o)]

[seti]

NO, Craig will do just fine.

I've learned the hard way by dealing with techs so full of hot air that they float off and work that looks like it was done by a third grader. From now on I will deal with someone I can trust. The next time I have to send gear off to be repaired or modified I'll send it to Craig as his work has been seen here time and time again nice work.

[Groomlakearea51]

SETI You have a PM

[NOSValves]

Why thanks folks I needed that! But in all honesty Custy would be a fitting name for me................but I ain't changing it []

[Gilbert]

Hey Crusty, how are those VRD's coming along [:$]

[Audible Nectar]

Craig's user name is fine. So his his avatar.

I USED to think Craig was crazy and off his rocker, too. Mostly, I considered him a borderline blowhard who thought he knew it all, and made life rough on anyone who disagreed. Gruff, combative, argumentative, opinionated.

I watched the wars with Ryan, and as Craig grew into the business of audio refurbishing. In time, I began to see a steady flow of happy customers in here. Being the leading "NO BS" audio forum on the web, I figured he was doing something right.....but TO ME, there was no "frame of reference". That frame of reference came on the day I finally emailed him and asked him to see the VRDs. Admittedly I was a bit nervous, but that nervosa disappeared the day I picked up the phone and called him. By the time I laid down the phone, I had about a 75% reversal of my prior impressions.

When I stepped into his basement (and thereafter finished picking my bottom jaw off of the floor), the other 25% reversed, too. In my world, it's ALL about results. This guy brings RESULTS. And during that subsequent conversation, I realized that there was a REASON he gets combative and gruff on here:

TO ELIMINATE BS.

Craig will be the first to tell you - he's not a wordsmith. He just wants to get to the point. He does so in the only way he knows how - by telling you the straight dope as he knows it. Uncut and unfiltered. But it's only because he wants to steer you right. Is he 100% correct and unassailable in every instance? Well, it IS the subjective hobby of audio, so no, there are always going to be differences in opinion - and personalities. HOWEVER, I will place my bet behind Craig's reasoning and be pretty safe that the end results of his recommendations will bear fruit. RESULTS, people - results.

But then you find out something about Craig once you work with him on a personal level as a customer: He's a teddy bear, too. And he gives a damn about you being happy with his work, and he gives a damn that HE DID that work. If someone else hears that piece of gear, he wants them to be impressed with it too. It's like he signs his name to every job. It matters to him if someone hears gear he has done, and is impressed with it. It's like it's HIS NAME on that piece of gear. Sometimes it is, sometimes it isn't - but it's all the same to him.

He has helped me IMMENSELY on gears/rebuilds he didn't even work on originally. I have a pair of MC-30s that were excellent rebuilds.....but had a slight symptom he identified from a forum post of mine - and fixed it. He had NO REASON to talk to me on this at ALL - he didn't do the original build, he has more than enough to do with his own work - but he knew what to do and WANTED to be of help. This saved me the risk of shipping my pretty looking 30s to the original builder cross country for a 20 minute fix. That 20 minute fix made a world of difference.

Craig has another fault: He doesn't charge enough for his work. Dude should be sitting pretty with the house of his dreams paid off in 10 years. If I know Craig, it'll take him 15 or 20: Why? Because he's TOO good of a guy when it comes to his rates vs. his performance and results. I know MANY who charge more than Craig does who DO NOT bring the results Craig does. Craig obviously knows what it's like to work for a living, because his philosophy on pricing reflects it: THAT kind of performance is RARE - and therefore could command higher prices, if he wanted to do so. In terms of "the free market", Craig's prices are LOW. But he wants to be fair and reasonable. Imagine this: someone who gives you MORE than you paid for, and treats you like his customer, even on a piece of gear that isn't his to do with in ANY fashion. THAT's someone I want to do business with.

Now sure, it would be nice if Craig's on forum prose was as smooth as his builds sound. But then Craig would have another problem - he would need to hire hands to help him with all of the work. For those who would overlook Craig for your next job or power amps due to his on forum demeanor, it's your ears' loss - and probably a break for him, because he always seems to have more work than he can get to anyway. Knowing Craig, he still would want you for a customer.

So I say he keeps the user name - AND the avatar. As I told my friend Ian, who has a pair of his VRD's on my recommendation:

"Sure Craig's gruff, combative, argumentative, and opinionated. Once you get to know him, he's gruff, combative, argumentative, and opinionated[]. But he's a teddy bear, too, and a good guy, so I wouldn't change him in a New York minute. Dude gets RESULTS."

[lwhaples]

I've delt with Craig many times and have yet to be unhappy. Well maybe that's not true! The first time he walked me through my first tube amp with the bottom off made me jump alittle. He's always there to help. And no he doesn't charge what others would,but that works for me.[] Trust? Yes,I would trust what he says.Blowhard? Haven't been on the Forum long enough to have seen the early years. But to know him now is what counts for. Da Man! That's my vote.

Larry

[Arky]

A Nectar: You ought to make an eloquent condensed version of that post so he can use it as a mission statement on his website.

[33klfan]

He sure made me happy with my scott 233. It's still playing fine BTW. I've been enjoying it. Now i'm spending money in getting factory cd's to hear the best recordings instead of burning music. I've been listening to it often since it's been fixed.

[Audio Flynn]

Craig's user name is fine. So his his avatar.

I USED to think Craig was crazy and off his rocker, too. Mostly, I

considered him a borderline blowhard who thought he knew it all, and

made life rough on anyone who disagreed. Gruff, combative,

argumentative, opinionated.

I watched the wars with Ryan, and as Craig grew into the business of

audio refurbishing. In time, I began to see a steady flow of happy

customers in here. Being the leading "NO BS" audio forum on the web, I

figured he was doing something right.....but TO ME, there was no "frame

of reference". That frame of reference came on the day I finally

emailed him and asked him to see the VRDs. Admittedly I was a bit

nervous, but that nervosa disappeared the day I picked up the phone and

called him. By the time I laid down the phone, I had about a 75%

reversal of my prior impressions.

When I stepped into his basement (and thereafter finished picking my

bottom jaw off of the floor), the other 25% reversed, too. In my world,

it's ALL about results. This guy brings RESULTS. And during that

subsequent conversation, I realized that there was a REASON he gets

combative and gruff on here:

TO ELIMINATE BS.

Craig will be the first to tell you - he's not a wordsmith. He just

wants to get to the point. He does so in the only way he knows how - by

telling you the straight dope as he knows it. Uncut and unfiltered. But

it's only because he wants to steer you right. Is he 100% correct and

unassailable in every instance? Well, it IS the subjective hobby of

audio, so no, there are always going to be differences in opinion - and

personalities. HOWEVER, I will place my bet behind Craig's

reasoning and be pretty safe that the end results of his

recommendations will bear fruit. RESULTS, people - results.

But then you find out something about Craig once you work with him

on a personal level as a customer: He's a teddy bear, too. And he gives

a damn about you being happy with his work, and he gives a damn that HE

DID that work. If someone else hears that piece of gear, he wants them

to be impressed with it too. It's like he signs his name to every job.

It matters to him if someone hears gear he has done, and is impressed

with it. It's like it's HIS NAME on that piece of gear. Sometimes it

is, sometimes it isn't - but it's all the same to him.

He has helped me IMMENSELY on gears/rebuilds he didn't even work on

originally. I have a pair of MC-30s that were excellent

rebuilds.....but had a slight symptom he identified from a forum post

of mine - and fixed it. He had NO REASON to talk to me on this at ALL -

he didn't do the original build, he has more than enough to do with his

own work - but he knew what to do and WANTED to be of help. This saved

me the risk of shipping my pretty looking 30s to the original

builder cross country for a 20 minute fix. That 20 minute fix made

a world of difference.

Craig has another fault: He doesn't charge enough for his work. Dude

should be sitting pretty with the house of his dreams paid off in 10

years. If I know Craig, it'll take him 15 or 20: Why? Because he's TOO

good of a guy when it comes to his rates vs. his performance and

results. I know MANY who charge more than Craig does who DO NOT bring

the results Craig does. Craig obviously knows what it's like to work

for a living, because his philosophy on pricing reflects it: THAT kind

of performance is RARE - and therefore could command higher prices, if

he wanted to do so. In terms of "the free market", Craig's prices are

LOW. But he wants to be fair and reasonable. Imagine this: someone who

gives you MORE than you paid for, and treats you like his customer,

even on a piece of gear that isn't his to do with in ANY fashion.

THAT's someone I want to do business with.

Now sure, it would be nice if Craig's on forum prose was as smooth

as his builds sound. But then Craig would have another problem - he

would need to hire hands to help him with all of the work. For those

who would overlook Craig for your next job or power amps due

to his on forum demeanor, it's your ears' loss - and probably a

break for him, because he always seems to have more work than he

can get to anyway. Knowing Craig, he still would want you for a

customer.

So I say he keeps the user name - AND the avatar. As I told my friend Ian, who has a pair of his VRD's on my recommendation:

"Sure Craig's gruff, combative, argumentative, and opinionated. Once

you get to know him, he's gruff, combative, argumentative, and

opinionated[]. But he's a teddy bear, too, and a good guy, so I

wouldn't change him in a New York minute. Dude gets RESULTS."

A classic post!

Most

of the time I take his advice the letter, up until the rare instance

when I decide to do something impulsive. Before my Blueberry I made

Craig work on this goofy ugly Ampex stereo preamp. I always wanted an

Ampex R to R deck when younger and since I knew I would not want to

pursue that direction in audio in the present day I decided to get this

stock preamp. It was a cool little 12 AX7 preamp from an early 60s very

high end console. An ugly kind of one off with few around anymore.

Craig worked on it at least 2 major times, learning the design

for myself being the only customer he would likely ever have for this

Ampex model. He could have told me not interested.

It was not an

awesome pre like a Blueberry or properly rebuilt Scott 130, but it made

nice music for the 2 years I had it. And it was nearly DEAD QUIET!

It is a blessing to be a patron at the NOS Valves lab. [*-)]

[Mike Lindsey]

Great post, Nectar! And all of it true! Craig's been a tremendous asset on this board, and I wouldn't hesitate to send him anything audio. Enough said!

Mike

[joshnich]

Craig's user name is fine. So his his avatar.

I USED to think Craig was crazy and off his rocker, too. Mostly, I considered him a borderline blowhard who thought he knew it all, and made life rough on anyone who disagreed. Gruff, combative, argumentative, opinionated.

I watched the wars with Ryan, and as Craig grew into the business of audio refurbishing. In time, I began to see a steady flow of happy customers in here. Being the leading "NO BS" audio forum on the web, I figured he was doing something right.....but TO ME, there was no "frame of reference". That frame of reference came on the day I finally emailed him and asked him to see the VRDs. Admittedly I was a bit nervous, but that nervosa disappeared the day I picked up the phone and called him. By the time I laid down the phone, I had about a 75% reversal of my prior impressions.

When I stepped into his basement (and thereafter finished picking my bottom jaw off of the floor), the other 25% reversed, too. In my world, it's ALL about results. This guy brings RESULTS. And during that subsequent conversation, I realized that there was a REASON he gets combative and gruff on here:

TO ELIMINATE BS.

Craig will be the first to tell you - he's not a wordsmith. He just wants to get to the point. He does so in the only way he knows how - by telling you the straight dope as he knows it. Uncut and unfiltered. But it's only because he wants to steer you right. Is he 100% correct and unassailable in every instance? Well, it IS the subjective hobby of audio, so no, there are always going to be differences in opinion - and personalities. HOWEVER, I will place my bet behind Craig's reasoning and be pretty safe that the end results of his recommendations will bear fruit. RESULTS, people - results.

But then you find out something about Craig once you work with him on a personal level as a customer: He's a teddy bear, too. And he gives a damn about you being happy with his work, and he gives a damn that HE DID that work. If someone else hears that piece of gear, he wants them to be impressed with it too. It's like he signs his name to every job. It matters to him if someone hears gear he has done, and is impressed with it. It's like it's HIS NAME on that piece of gear. Sometimes it is, sometimes it isn't - but it's all the same to him.

He has helped me IMMENSELY on gears/rebuilds he didn't even work on originally. I have a pair of MC-30s that were excellent rebuilds.....but had a slight symptom he identified from a forum post of mine - and fixed it. He had NO REASON to talk to me on this at ALL - he didn't do the original build, he has more than enough to do with his own work - but he knew what to do and WANTED to be of help. This saved me the risk of shipping my pretty looking 30s to the original builder cross country for a 20 minute fix. That 20 minute fix made a world of difference.

Craig has another fault: He doesn't charge enough for his work. Dude should be sitting pretty with the house of his dreams paid off in 10 years. If I know Craig, it'll take him 15 or 20: Why? Because he's TOO good of a guy when it comes to his rates vs. his performance and results. I know MANY who charge more than Craig does who DO NOT bring the results Craig does. Craig obviously knows what it's like to work for a living, because his philosophy on pricing reflects it: THAT kind of performance is RARE - and therefore could command higher prices, if he wanted to do so. In terms of "the free market", Craig's prices are LOW. But he wants to be fair and reasonable. Imagine this: someone who gives you MORE than you paid for, and treats you like his customer, even on a piece of gear that isn't his to do with in ANY fashion. THAT's someone I want to do business with.

Now sure, it would be nice if Craig's on forum prose was as smooth as his builds sound. But then Craig would have another problem - he would need to hire hands to help him with all of the work. For those who would overlook Craig for your next job or power amps due to his on forum demeanor, it's your ears' loss - and probably a break for him, because he always seems to have more work than he can get to anyway. Knowing Craig, he still would want you for a customer.

So I say he keeps the user name - AND the avatar. As I told my friend Ian, who has a pair of his VRD's on my recommendation:

"Sure Craig's gruff, combative, argumentative, and opinionated. Once you get to know him, he's gruff, combative, argumentative, and opinionated[]. But he's a teddy bear, too, and a good guy, so I wouldn't change him in a New York minute. Dude gets RESULTS."

Well said David!

Craig is a tremendous asset to to this forum. He does incredible work and you are right he doesnt charge enough! And yes he is opinionated and if you are like me I always appreciate someone who has an informed point of view!

Josh

[oldenough]

WOW! maybe he should'nt change his name, just add Saint to the front of it.