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Tyler “Ty” Lashbrook has been a lifelong resident of
Owensboro, Kentucky. It would be inaccurate to
immediately stereotype him as a Horse Baron or a
Moonshiner before knowing that his town is right
across the river from Evansville, Indiana. So it’s
likely there is a little Hoosier in this Kentucky boy
as well. Whatever stereotype might be assigned to
Ty, it wouldn’t much matter to him. Before this
interview began he made it clear that he wasn’t
interested in bringing attention to himself, but
rather if the interview would help more people
discover his speakers, then he was all for it.
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Tyler began his working career after high school by
selling cars for eleven years. Ty quickly pointed out
that he tried to do it honestly. Before I broke into
a laugh I could see the dead serious countenace on his
face and realized that personal integrity is something
he would not reference with a joke. The car business
paid the bills but it didn’t offer any pats on the
back for a job well done. In search of diversion and
some psychic rewards, Ty began building speakers for
himself. In 1996 he started by using his garage as a
cabinet and electronics shop and began tinkering away.
(One’s mind can easily wander off at this point to
the stories of Wozniak and Jobs , and Hewlett and
Packard taking this same path when starting their
companies. The garage start has almost become the
metaphor for American entrepreneurship)
One day soon after starting this new endeavor it
struck him that he could build speakers for his
living. He announced this discovery to his wife Linda
and she advised that he should do this to make a
living. It is interesting that Ty used the words to
make a living rather than to make money. Tyler
Acoustics follows the philosophy of using the best
components such as Scan-Speak, Seas, Hovland, Goertz,
Alpha-Core and others at the lowest possible selling
price. Ty is proudest of the fact that his top line
Windmeres utilize Seas magnesium millenium tweeter and
woofers in a one inch MDF cabinet skinned in exotic
woods that match the best of his competitors $120,000
speakers at a tenth the price. Design goals are kept
simple for the purpose of achieving a tried and true
basis for all Tyler speakers. The design approach
begins on the computer and is finished by hours of
listening and tweaking sessions conducted by Ty
personally.
While the design is kept simple the end product can
and will be customized to the buyers whim. Any
speaker can be built with any finish, wire, and
binding posts. Standard wire is DHLabs and custom
upgrades use Cardas wire internally. Specialty
finishes such as Zebrawood, Kewazinga, and Tiger Maple
are often specified by customers. All components
other than drivers are built and assembled in house.
Tyler Acoustics involves all the Lashbrooks with Linda
doing cross-overs and grills while Ty and his brother
Jeff do the cabinet work and finishing.
Beginning in 1998 Ty averaged seven units of sale per
month which included stands, speakers and custom
cabinets. In 2004 with the addition of a $35,000 CNC
machine Tyler Acoustics is averaging twenty-seven
units per month. When asked what is the reason or
reasons for your success Ty says that he is constantly
looking at the value equation of his product. If you
can deliver a speaker with similar performance as
compared to a speaker costing four to five times more
money people will take notice. Furthermore, if you
make the effort to give customers a good buying
experience they will tell others and the business will
grow.
Ty points out that on average three new customers per
month visit his factory for a tour. One can be
confident that if they choose to visit they will
receive some of that good old “down home treatment.”
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