Rocco and his Prototype

By Lane Baldwin - Eden Special Projects Coordinator

As you may know, Rocco Prestia recently entered into an endorsement agreement with Eden. The focal point of the arrangement is to design a new amp and cabinet to specifically address Rocco's unique requirements. Last Thursday through Saturday (June 30- July 2) I was privileged to take part in testing of the first prototype rig. What follows is a synopsis of events.

Wednesday was spent on the road; it's a nine and a half hour drive up to Montrose. When I arrived, Barb (our Admin guru) and Dave Grout (our in-house Rocket Scientist) gave me the quick tour. Then it was off to a working dinner with Barb and Production Manager Connie. Finally, a soft bed in which to collapse.

Thursday morning, I met David N. for an early breakfast meeting to go over the day's schedule. Having consumed about a gallon of coffee between us, we headed to the factory to prepare for Rocco's arrival. We got all the necessary gear together and spruced up the new Custom Shop area just in time for me to head to the airport to meet Rocco.

Our first stop was the hotel, where Rocco dropped his bags. We lunched at a restaurant next door, which offered a casual atmosphere for beginning our process of testing. From there, it was back to the factory. The rest of the day was spent watching Rocco put the prototypes through their paces.

That evening, Rocco and I had dinner and had the conversation that is, in essence, the beginning of an interview for the Eden web site. I don't want to give anything away, so suffice to say that it was a lot of fun getting to know him.

Friday morning, David and Dave Grout made several tweaks to the prototype in preparation for Round Two. After lunch, Rocco came in for more testing. This involved making final choices on the Input and EQ sections for the amp, as well as cabinet fine-tuning. By the end of the day, everyone was satisfied that we'd dialed it in as close as we could for this stage of the process and we decided to let our ears rest until Saturday morning. Rocco plays pretty darn loud, and our ears were thoroughly pummeled by this point.

Rocco and David.

David, Rocco and I were joined by Bill Hulett for dinner. Along with his other duties, Bill will oversee the Custom Shop and is integral to the design team developing Rocco's amp. (The only reason I got to make this trip, by the way, is that Bill was called away at the last minute.) We reviewed our progress and made plans for construction of the Phase Two prototype. We also had a great time ribbing the waitress, who was happy to play along.

Saturday morning, we gave the prototype rig one final listen. Everyone was very satisfied with the design parameters and it is now up to the engineers to build the Phase Two rig. I hopped in my van shortly after noon, ready for my trip home. It was definitely a wonderful experience to be a part of the process. And even better to get to know Rocco. I look forward to seeing this project through to completion.

A short silent video of Rocco's 10s under pressure. (2.3 meg)

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