Little IZZY

Carl McLaughlin · Post by **Carl McLaughlin** » 2 Jul 2013 11:47 am

Any members out there using the little izzy,does it really do anything?if so what.Thanks for your imput.Carl

Lane Gray · Post by **Lane Gray** » 2 Jul 2013 2:03 pm

It sits there buffing and polishing the sound. It increases clarity and string separation and tends to brighten the sound. I've said elsewhere that I won't run solid state without mine.

chris ivey · Post by **chris ivey** » 2 Jul 2013 3:16 pm

makes your signal/sound truer and cleaner and tighter. you would notice the effect most if you have been going through a few effects boxes , chords and volume pedal without one. my goodrich 10k pedal has a similar circuit and i wouldn't record without it.

i did find my old izzy with the missing screws and bent jack.....warning to craig (izzy builder)...i 'will' be sending it to you eventually to take you up on your generous offer.

there was an era when every steel had a little blue box sticking out of it.

Carl McLaughlin · Post by **Carl McLaughlin** » 2 Jul 2013 5:17 pm

Thanks for the info,maybe i'll get one later.

Jack Ritter · Post by **Jack Ritter** » 2 Jul 2013 6:18 pm

I would hate being without mine. one of the best units I ever got. Jack

Craig Baker · Post by **Craig Baker** » 2 Jul 2013 9:01 pm

Lane, Chris and Jack,
Thanks to all of you for publicly praising Li'l Izzy here on the Forum. Carl, you can't go by my opinion, I am obviously prejudiced, but if you'd like complete information on the product, send me an email and I'll get it right out to you, and thank you for your interest.

Best regards,
Craig Baker 706-485-8792

cmbakerelectronics@gmail.com

C.M. Baker Electronics
P.O. Box 3965
Eatonton, GA 31024

Jim Bates · Post by **Jim Bates** » 3 Jul 2013 5:44 am

I totally agree with Lane, and will add that I got my first Lil Izzy when I was using a Fender Twin with my Sho-Bud pickups - the sound became clean and clear immediately. Izzy gave me the 'sound' I got from the recording sessions where I plugged directly in to the board.

Thanx,
Jim

Carol Teston · Post by **Carol Teston** » 3 Jul 2013 3:33 pm

Hey Carl

Cant get an email to go to you for some reason want to get one of your units. cmbakerelectronics@gmail.com

I used one several years ago dont know why I stopped using it was great

Thanks Carol

Mike Cass · Post by **Mike Cass** » 3 Jul 2013 8:12 pm

I love mine!

Paul King · Post by **Paul King** » 6 Jul 2013 2:26 pm

In the 1980's I bought an Izzy Plus while at the ISGC in St. Louis. I used the product for years and it went bad on me and I sounded like a rock steel guitarist with distortion. No one is more pleased than I am to see Mr. Baker back in business. I am ordering me one next week and I can hardly wait to get it and play my steel with it. I remember too well how much a difference it made for my sound.

Scott Duckworth · Post by **Scott Duckworth** » 6 Jul 2013 6:57 pm

I have one of the older ones, and L O V E it...

Larry Lenhart · Post by **Larry Lenhart** » 18 Jul 2013 4:57 pm

I just got mine this week, and was amazed at the difference it made...i dont want to be without it...it does all they say it will do...great service and guy to do business with.

Terry Sneed · Post by **Terry Sneed** » 18 Jul 2013 6:25 pm

Craig, you didn't forget to ship my Little Izzy did ya? Still waitin on mine.

I should get it tomorrow, if you shipped it the 16th. Gettin impatient here!

terry

Paul King · Post by **Paul King** » 19 Jul 2013 1:53 am

I am waiting on one too but I am positive the wait will be worth it. Lil Izzy is just a great product for any steel player.

Al Midkiff · Post by **Al Midkiff** » 19 Jul 2013 4:11 am

I am hoping mine comes today.. been waiting patiently..

David Nugent · Post by **David Nugent** » 19 Jul 2013 4:24 am

Having used my unit for a few days now, must say that all the accolades are well deserved. Any amplifier should benefit from having this little blue box in front, but as Lane stated, it is especially beneficial if playing through a solid state amp.

George Kimery · Post by **George Kimery** » 19 Jul 2013 6:41 am

I also bought my first one from Craig at Scotty's convention back in the 80's. It still works fine. I liked it so much, I bought a 2nd one for backup. It makes all the difference in the world to my ears. It just makes my sound alive and as clear and clean as it gets. Craig does offer to buy them back if you are not pleased. He told me that since 1971, he has only had one returned. Now that says something for the product. Order one, you have nothing to loose and everything to gain. Give it a fair workout. Use it for a couple of weeks and on a few gigs, then take it away and see if you notice a difference.. Don't just plug it in, say I don't like it, then unplug it.

James Marlowe · Post by **James Marlowe** » 19 Jul 2013 9:03 am

I got one a couple of weeks ago and love it! Great li'l piece of equipment. First thing I noticed was how my N400 suddenly sounds a lot like my Session500...at least in my ears. YMMV.

Paul King · Post by **Paul King** » 19 Jul 2013 4:30 pm

Mr. Baker sent me an email today wanting to talk with me personally via Ma Bell. He just wanted me to know mine was going out today and explained why he thought he was late in getting it shipped. Now that is the kind of individual I want to do business with. Thank you Mr. Baker and I know firsthand how great a product Lil Izzy is. I bought my first one in 1981 and was highly impressed.

Craig Baker · Post by **Craig Baker** » 19 Jul 2013 5:08 pm

Thank you Paul. . . and all the rest of you. Can't fit all of your names here, but you know who you are.

I've been operating radio stations for years now, and my clients would tell you, one of my gifts is creating ads that get results.

I wish I could compare with all of you. Your testimonials translate to excellent copy for a Li'l Izzy ad.. Thank you all so very much for the praise you've given Li'l Izzy here on the forum. Wish I could come meet you all, and hear you play and thank you personally. All of you are individually appreciated.

Sincerely,
Craig Baker 706-485-8792

cmbakerelectronics@gmail.com

C.M. Baker Electronics
P.O. Box 3965
Eatonton, GA 31024

Al Midkiff · Post by **Al Midkiff** » 19 Jul 2013 6:40 pm

Accolades to Craig. I got my Izzy in the mail today, plugged it in and couldn't stop playing for two and a half hours.. I got the sound I have been searching for. Its been there all along but that little blue box just let it out...

Well worth wait and the money...
Thanks Craig.

Craig Baker · Post by **Craig Baker** » 19 Jul 2013 8:25 pm

What a nice compliment. Thank you so much Al, glad you're enjoying it. Play well.

Sincerely,
Craig Baker 706-485-8792

cmbakerelectronics@gmail.com

C.M. Baker Electronics
P.O. Box 3965
Eatonton, GA 31024

Chris Grotewohl · Post by **Chris Grotewohl** » 20 Jul 2013 10:36 am

Got mine also. It's like night and day. Had to re adjust the amp settings a bit. Very special piece of equipment. Really hard to believe the sound on my Fessy and 112.

Makes me want to play more,,,thanks Craig.
The candy was good also. Any stickers?

Chris Grotewohl

Chris Grotewohl · Post by **Chris Grotewohl** » 20 Jul 2013 6:42 pm

Every one should try it,,,, works

Craig Baker · Post by **Craig Baker** » 20 Jul 2013 8:23 pm

Several people have asked me how I came up with the idea for Liâ€™l Izzy. Back in the early 70s, I was working for a manufacturer of broadcast consoles, fancy audio mixers for radio station control rooms. We would build and test them, then put RCAâ€™s name on them. One of the engineers was Dave Spiegel. We quickly hit it off as I observed Dave being an excellent engineer with a certain quality Iâ€™ve always appreciated, a great sense of humor. Dave has a brilliant mind, especially with electronics, and had been a design engineer with the great Dynaco Corporation, while in his early 20s. Before long, Dave left to start his own company, Audio General Inc., to produce very high quality Hi-Fi equipment. One evening, while I visited his new business, Dave demonstrated his products. Using a turntable / preamp combination with, of all songs, Judy Collins recording of Someday Soon. A wonderful song and a well-appreciated sample of Buddy Emmons at his best. Then Dave said â€œwatch thisâ€ and switched out the interconnecting cable with a different cable. It was like somebody took a blanket from in front of the speaker. I said â€œwhatâ€™s going on?â€ Dave reminded me of the effect capacity has on a high impedance circuit. In this case, it was the greater capacity of the low- cost consumer grade cable, compared to the much lower capacity of the audiophile cable. Totally different sound! It wasnâ€™t long before I had a two-transistor circuit board hanging out of the end of my 1966 metalic blue Fender 800 steel. I was hooked. I never played using a high impedance system again.

Ironing out the wrinkles here and there and packaging Liâ€™l Izzy, took a little time before we could take it to the marketplace. While a freshman in high school, I had met George Altemus in the ham radio club. We spoke the same language; dots and dashes, and have remained friends over the years. George has great talent as a draftsman and helped me get the case for Liâ€™l Izzy the right shape and size. Then he laid out the silk screens for the actual printing on the face of the unit. I thought â€œthis is easyâ€! Of course it was easy, George was doing all the work. I took on designing the actual printed circuit board. I canâ€™t count the hours George spent correcting this and that. I had laid out and designed an exact mirror image of what I needed. George caught the mistake and stopped me before I ordered hundreds of backward printed circuit boards. It seems my best gift is simply knowing when something sounds good. I am reminded of what my late friend and favorite motivational speaker, Jim Rohn once said: â€œI never met a successful hermitâ€. Write that down. Nobody can do it all by themselves. Liâ€™l Izzy wouldnâ€™t be here if it were not for Dave Spiegel and George Altemus. Thank you gentlemen.

Most gratefully,

Craig Baker

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