Giving up

[John_H]

Thanks Enzo. I hope even though You're shutting down the shop that you won't abandon us completely. Good luck with your move.

[Enzo]

Reality show? Oh lord in heaven. I started to imagine a bunch of ignorant New Jerseys kids hanging with me, but then I realized, wherever the wife and I go we wind up doing bits from the Bickersons, and we are fairly amusing if I do say so myself.

[Jazz P Bass]

I'll watch it.

I can't wait for the first 'shocking' episode.

[TomCarlos]

Ok... No reality show. But how about a paid subscription Web site that offers modules for learning. For examples, Power Supply Design. You could compare and contrast half way vs full wave rectifiers. How about upgrades to old design power supplies? I have seen some of the Webber videos and they are just ok.

I would compare this idea to someone who offers online guitar instruction. You make a video then it becomes part of your library of Knowledge.

Where do I sign up???

[Mark Black]

Wow Enzo - what a daunting task!

Many years ago I attended an auction after a local electronics repair place closed, saw a Fluke meter I thought I would like to have, and ended up winning the meter. Trouble was due to the way things were organized I was actually bidding on the entire shelf of things including the meter. So I ended up with about 9 or 10 fire extinguishers, 5 or 6 belly-band lifting braces, manuals for some Sencore test gear, and all kinds of other assorted goodies (and not so goodies). Oh - and the meter ended up needing a replacement LCD.

So, at some point maybe a local auction company could help. You just need to carefully seed each shelf with one or two things people might really want and then let them haul off the rest along with those items.

In any case I wish you all the best in this new life chapter!

[jbltwin1]

Sorry to hear you're hanging it up but when it's time, I guess you know. I know the frustration when you have to get rid of stuff. I'm TRYING to do that a little myself but of course, I just ordered an extra 1000 resistors snicker). I wish I was close enough to pick through your dumpster! Mike.

[km6xz]

Good luck with the life changes. You are a tech and techs by nature are hoarders, always seeing value in old things others toss out, because some day, someone will need that parts most people don't even know what it is. I was a test gear hoarder, not amps. When I decided to have more fun than running a large shop and getting a life again, I set an unrealistic time goal of 2 weeks to get rid of everything but it took 3. Everything except one car, one house, and a bunch of record industry awards, a small cache of test gear. Everything else was given away. Deciding to do it is the hardest part but suddenly not having all the stuff, and other people hopefully valuing it and using it was a great sense of freedom. Suddenly other things that took a back burner could be moved up to the front like socializing, starting a new smaller business(that did not last long....went from 4 to 150 people in a few years), dancing till dawn, chasing beautiful young women, museums, concerts, ballet, opera, giving talks at young business clubs....Make the best of not being responsible for everyone all the time like I always was, spend the new found time doing things that always got pushed off to another day...now IS another day.
I doubt you will ever retire, I know I won't, even thinking about starting another family with my new GF..its her idea and she is that age where her bio-maternal clock is ringing bells in her head to have a baby. It is amazing what interesting things you can do when you have no excuse not to. The pangs of loss over all that hoarded stuff last about 10 minutes and you only occasionally will have any thought about them.
Don't spend too much time on the internet, there is too many real activities to do to bother with virtual life. Check in once in a while, solve a few problems and return to your new expanded activity list of things put off while you had the shop. There is a whole 'nether life out there to enjoy, a lot of books put away for someday when you had time, places to see you never had time for and and a world of people to meet who are not musicians with broken gear and want your time.

Good Luck and "actively" relax. On to phase 2....

[Bill Moore]

Good luck to you Enzo! I doubt you will ever quit completely, I'll expect to see your comments, and advice on this, and other forums for years!
As for the stash of plunder accumulated over the years, I have been contemplating the same thing. I'm working by myself again, and not doing the heavy work I used to, so I've been getting rid of some of the things I no longer use. I made a guy a great deal on an extensive set of Diesel tools I haven't used in years, and my niece married a mechanic, so I've been unloading excess stuff on him. (When the fellow I apprenticed to shut down his shop, he unloaded a lot of parts and tools on me, I gave his wife some money, and he didn't find out for a couple of months, no I wouldn't take it back!)

[Diablo]

First, I have to thank you Enzo for all the wisdom you shared. I wish you the best of luck in whatever direction you and your wife decide to go. I'm also very sad if this is the end of your participation on MEF. Hopefully not, and you'll keep an internet connection just to keep everyone here honest by cutting through the bullshit.

[rf7]

Enzo, Best of luck!

Thanks for having been a part of this forum!

Hoping you will still bless us with your presence from time to time.

Cheers!

[nsubulysses]

Long before I joined this board I knew of some guy named ENZO who had a picture of a sumo wrestler doing a ski long jump (or whatever it's called) for his avatar. It was interesting I knew him since I was not an active member of any message boards. Somehow I kept coming across little tidbits of knowledge he had left all over the net. You could google almost any amp-related problem and probably 80% of the time you would find an answer on some board or another from him, and about 90% of the time he was probably the most correct poster in the thread.

Need info on Acoustic 370 output transistors? Enzo's favorite is MJ15024

Gotta do an adjustable bias mod on peavey butcher? Oh cool Enzo answered that in 2009

Having some weird ticking tremolo problem? After checking what Enzo suggested, the OP found the problem. I did too.


SO, he really helped a lot of people, a lot! What an incredibly kind and knowledgable techie, not too busy or snobby to help an enthusiastic up and comer, or some guy who just found an amp in the trash and wished it would work right.

Thank you and good luck to you and your wife in the next era of your life is the least I could say.

[earache]

Enzo

You have helped me countless times in the years I have been coming here. Your insight has helped me solve a bunch of (what were to me) big mysteries and took the mystery away with your explanations. Thanks for taking the time and having the interest to do it.

Hope you find things to keep your heart and mind busy. If you were interested in writing a book on electronics repair, based on your experiences, that included your philosophy on troubleshooting and dealing with customers, betcha you would make a lotta dough. OR - better yet, take a big salary writing an amp repair column for a guitar mag like Vintage Guitar Magazine. Your resume is like 21,500 posts long!

Thanks again for everything and - enjoy!

[Justin Thomas]

Probably the best thing we can all learn from Enzo is that it's not voodoo, it's not black magic, it's not secret techniques passed down to a select few. So often we stumble around in the dark, replacing everything but the cabinet. Then Enzo would point out the obvious. Shooting in the dark is the LAST resort.

But I also hope we all remember that behind his formidable knowledge and experience at fixing things, is a man. Not only his answers to our cries of "HELP!!!" will be missed, but his humour and way of seeing things. Hoping he will continue to grace us with those, even if not with tech help...

Maybe I should start cutting and pasting his posts for my own library and print them off... somebody's gorltta write The Enzo Guide to Fixing Damn Near Anything...

Justin

[Steve A.]

I really hate to see you go but all good things come to an end. We do have your ~20,000 posts in our archives here so your advice will live on.

As for all of your equipment and parts is there an electronics nut in your old home town who you trust and has the room for it? Someone who has plenty of spare time to sell your stuff for you? I'd offer him 1/2 of your net on eBay and 1/3rd of the price for amps or equipment sold locally.

Good luck with your new life!

Steve Ahola

[DrGonz78]

Long before I joined this board I knew of some guy named ENZO who had a picture of a sumo wrestler doing a ski long jump (or whatever it's called) for his avatar.

Yeah I remember first coming to this site 3 years ago and looking at his avatar. I thought at first his avatar was that of a highly professional skier doing a death-defying jump off a slope. In fact, I thought maybe that is Enzo in the picture and he was just this intensely gifted man! You know the type adventurous, witty and damn smart!! Well I continued on this forum for an entire year seeing that avatar and reading all his advice. Late one night I took a closer look at the avatar pic and realized it was a sumo wrestler taking a ski jump! So funny I always saw this yellowish ski outfit and not the sumo guy, for an entire year!!

Thank you Enzo for all the help you have lent on all the forums you attend. Good luck with your downsizing and future endeavours. You have earned it indeed! Hope you keep on checking in on the sites, but either way you have contributed so much!