Hi Kent...
Glad to see that the list is still active. Glad I tried another google search for Cizek today and found the thread. Looking back through other Cizek posts, it looks like I relied as a guest awhile back. Oh well, official now.
I always pronounced it “see-ZAK”. My Dad did as well. But of course we had the occasional “see-ZICK”.
I have some pretty happy memories helping out. At the different locations. I only really remember California St in Newton, MA and then Stevens St in Andover, MA.
One of my first jobs was to help wind the coils in the crossover circuit. Not being an engineer, and totally acting as a smart teenager, I never understood why the coils had to be wound an exact number of times. I remember that some of my coils didn’t pass QA and I had to re-do them.
I was looking at the KA-1 cabinets you restored. My Dad would be so proud. He loved the Koa wood cabinets. I still remember how he proudly showed off the finishing station in the factory and told everyone about the multi-step process to get the cabinet to look and feel just right. They were awesome.
My family still has a few pairs around.
For my 17th birthday, my Dad gave me a Sound Window speaker system. The two speakers plus the subwoofer. I used those in college and beyond. Loved them.
Unfortunately, the paper on the subwoofer deteriorated and I finally had to let them go about 2 years ago. Almost 40 years later!
i will search through boxes of memories and talk with my brother and see if we can find anything else to share.
there is the story of the employee who was the last guy on the assembly line; packing up the speakers and taping up the boxes. He was a huge Zappa fan. I remember that he would place a piece of paper on top of the speaker cabinet before closing up the box. So when the customer opened the box, the first thing they would see is a proclamation, “Zappa Lives!!”
*smiles*
Good memories indeed.