LS Electronics began its existence in August of 1995. The owner, Carlos (aka
Dave) Bedoya, formerly worked as an Electronic Technician at McMurray Music
in St. Louis for 2-1/2 years. His main ambition in becoming a technician -
aside from his interest in electronics, playing guitar and physics - was due
to his own personal experiences in dealing with technicians in the St. Louis
Music scene. Most technicians were rude and condescending when he tried
talking to them, perhaps difficult for them to imagine a "kid" knowing as
much about electronics (if not more) as they did.
He found out time and time again that he himself knew more about his gear
and how to actually play it (especially vacuum tube gear) than the people
who were supposed to be the experts. He thought to himself, "How can you
understand what I'm talking about if you can't even play the instrument?
Isn't there any place that does repairs 'for Musicians by Musicians'? I'd
gladly pay double to know it was going to be done right the first time!"
Carlos decided to leave McMurray Music and pursue a Bachelor of Science
Degree in Electronic Engineering. While waiting for classes to begin, he
found himself being sought after by numerous St. Louis musicians and
customers for whom he had performed repairs for at McMurray Music.
Overwhelmed by the number of requests and compliments, he decided to start
performing repairs and developing custom modifications for customers out of
his house while attending school in the SIUE Engineering Department. A lot
of work for one person in a small basement of a house!
Upon graduating from SIUE with a BSEE in 1999, Carlos started looking for
somewhere to move his shop that provided more convenience for his customers.
He finally decided on an old "Historic House" located in Old Town Florissant
and opened it up for business on January 1, 2000. In 2002, Carlos expanded
his experience and realized a dream when he was offered a position as a Tube
Design Engineer with St. Louis Music, designing amplifiers for their Crate,
Ampeg, and V-Series brands.
In 2005, LOUD Technologies Purchased SLM Electronics. By 2007, LOUD
technologies dissolved the SLME Service and R&D departments. Shortly there
after, Carlos was back at the shop helping to ensure that musicians and all
music lovers in St. Louis are able to get the same type of service and
friendly conversation that he had always provided. By May of 2008, Carlos
moved the shop to a new location in St. Louis, expanding the work areas from
1000 sq ft to 3800 sq ft. This new space would prove to allow LS Electronics
to do more custom work and designs for both Artists and semi-professional
musicians as Carlos was able to obtain all of the R&D equipment he used at
SLME for audio design work.
In September of 2009, Carlos was able to secure another 2,200 sq ft next
door to the shop. This space will allow for expansion of the new music
lesson program and will soon be the home of the new R&D facility. Both are
set for a future date.
To this day, Carlos requires that ALL his employees be able to play an
instrument in order to work for him, no matter what position they hold. His
demand for friendly, courteous, reliable, speedy, and quality work is still
a driving force for his employees. With factory trained technicians, and
degreed electrical engineer and a guitar Luthier on staff, their promise of
service "For Musicians, By Musicians" is stronger than ever!
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