The Reference Lenco MKIIs and Classic Lenco MKIIs, once created, deserved a workshop reflective of both my approach (hand-made and hand-tuned by myself, and based on aspects of musicality dismissed as Flat Earth by objectivists) and of the product itself, which is intended to capture all the musical content and excitement intended by the musicians, recording engineers, producers and so forth. I also needed greater space for the much-larger tools needed to fabricate the Reference Lenco plinths, the great collection of various hardwoods I have been accumulating over the years (not all pieces of lumber are created equal, and when I see a particularly fine specimen I add it to my collection against a future project), and to deal with demand.
I chose a 19th-century schoolhouse, 800 square feet and spacious, built in 1863, which operated as a school for more than 100 years (decommissioned in 1967), which fits in well with my activities bringing the Lencos to light, and teaching the world about the history of record player manufacture, potential and superiority of idler-wheel drives (ongoing). As an aside, right up to 1967, students of the school were required to bring some wood every day for the wood stove in winters.
The setting: a small historic village which once boasted a wood mill, a grain mill and a cast iron parts manufacturer (and which had its own telephone company, only bought out by Bell in 1967),and which was also the scene of the famous in Canadian history log drivers, who rode and shepherded the logs down the rivers and rapids of Canada’s rivers when lumber and furs were Canada’s main products.
The Schoolhouse borders on a lake and river and a wilderness preserve. Thus, all the elements are there: history, wood, metal, natural beauty and the communication of knowledge. The space, the place, the history all fit in with what I do, and why I do it.