I have been using Electro Harmonix products for a very long time. Many I own were bought new when the models were first released to the marketplace. Sometime in the early 1980’s I began to want one of everything ever made by Electro Harmonix. Electro Harmonix became part of my collecting hobby along with some other audio, pro audio and other musical instrument products. I would try to use all the various EH boxes however I bought some I had no real use for or ones that were only variations of similar ones I already owned. I even collected several of the same EH product or traded up at great sacrifice to get cleaner versions of what I owned. Collecting is fun.

For most of my life money has been tight. Even when I started appearing in leading roles in movies money was tight as the films I was in were not the kind that paid well. Even Buffalo 66 did not change my financial position since the pay was low and all the profits went to Lions Gate Films. Sometime in the 2000’s some of my properties, artworks and automobiles drastically increased in value and I was finally able to become comfortable financially.

Collecting is about sacrifice–giving up something to get something else you find more special. Since I had little capital I sacrificed food, heat, new clothes, free time, holidays, days off, time with chicks, etc. etc. to have tiny bits of extra money in case I found rare items within my price range. The worst feeling was having to sell off things I loved to pay for others I loved a little bit more.

Now that I have more money things have changed a bit for me personally and things have certainly changed in the way people treat me as a collector. Most likely EH Man is not a rich person, however I do not think he would have enjoyed living in New York City during the period and under the conditions I did for so many years. We have both collected Electro Harmonix items for many years and that is our connection.

I reached out to EH Man because I was missing an EH Solid State Reverb unit, an EH Dual Analog Delay, an EH Guitar Synthesizer, an EH model guitar and a 4×10″ Freedom Amplifier from my collection. I really wanted to finish off my collection so I offered EH Man super high prices for his units. Instead of selling only those particular units, EH Man offered to sell his entire collection at a high retail price.

I agreed to his offer for several reasons. EH Man’s collection together with mine would become a complete collection of pretty much everything the company made. I could do a very extensive book and display that would be fun for everyone interested in Electro Harmonix products and history. I could also document and preserve the amazing and unique life’s work of the great Mike Matthews. By purchasing EH Man’s entire collection I could offer him a chance to move on and also give him enough money to change some real conditions in his life or to do something else with the money he otherwise might not be able to do or would not do. Selfishly I could also move on from searching and enjoy the fun of completing a collection.

I thought EH Man and I had a deal worked out already, however there is clearly still a bidding war, which EH Man wishes me to engage in. There may also be some folks who will be very disappointed and some who will feel I had an unfair advantage.

I do not wish to engage in any bidding wars. I do not wish to receive negative vibes from those who feel they are in competition with me. I do not wish to overwhelm the marketplace with my supposed excessive cash. Instead I will gracefully drop out of the offer process and no longer move to buy EH Man’s collection. I will leave all of you the chance to try to convince EH Man to sell you what you think you need. I will instead hope to one day find an EH Solid State Reverb unit, an EH Dual Analog Delay, an EH Guitar Synthesizer, an EH model guitar and a 4×10″ Freedom Amplifier somewhere else.

vincentgallo@vincentgallo.com always paying top dollar for Electro Harmonix items