Mackie User Story - Jimmy James

Out of Control Semi Fails to Silence Jimmy James' trusty Mackie/EAW PA System


	The Mackie 1202 works like a charm despite the dents and scratches.

Loyal EAW and Mackie user Jimmy James didn't expect to be shaken before stirring up the crowd during one of his gigs at a Florida beach this summer. Neither did his gear. While stopped behind a line of cars at a stoplight, a semi truck slammed into the back of Jimmy's new minivan, sandwiching it between the semi and the cars in front of him. Fortunately, Jimmy was not seriously hurt. It appeared at first, however, that his Mackie mixer and two EAW loudspeakers were not so lucky.

"Ouch. There was nothing left of the van," Jimmy recalled. "Most of my gear was squashed. The EAW LA212's took a direct hit. One speaker even had a tear in the metal grill and a pushed in dust cover on the woofer. The other one was dented and the jack panel came loose. They both had parts rattling around inside. I thought for sure they were toast."

Upon returning home later that evening, Jimmy set the rig up in his house to assess the damages. "I couldn't believe my ears," he exclaimed. "The speakers sounded like new! At my next gig, I plugged in the LA212s (despite the dangling jack panel) and they sounded fine! They're looking a little rough now, but overall, I'm really impressed."

So what about the Mackie 1202 that was also in the back of that crumpled mini van? "Even my Mackie 1202 VLZ-Pro mixer got tossed around a bit, creating a few dents and scratches," commented Jimmy. "It still works as if nothing ever happened! The mixer was in an SKB case, which got crunched from the top. The SKB case is dust, but my mixer works like new!"

EAW LA212 works like new after the wreck.

Along with the EAW speakers, Jimmy put the traumatized 1202 to work at his very next gig. "My tuner had a cracked faceplate and my compressor died, but I was able to us all the rest of my gear without a problem. Wellexcept for the microphone stand which is now in the shape of an 'L'.

" During his career, Jimmy has worked with popular rock bands Bad Company and Tommy Tutone. He occasionally sets up themed rock shows and works with local Florida nightclubs as an entertainment manager. Jimmy also designs and installs sound reinforcement systems at nightclubs, churches and homes in Florida, using only EAW speakers.

"Like all musicians, I'm very opinionated about the equipment that I use and sound quality has always been issue No. 1," Jimmy affirmed. "But when something like this (the accident) happens, it just adds merit to the gear that it can stand up to severe situations."


		The van is demolished, but the Mackie 1202 Mixer and EAW LA212 Speakers still put out pro sound.