That's "Raymond Loewy" Ben - a truly great designer.  =)

On Sat, Dec 19, 2009 at 10:13 AM, BenT Syncro <syncro@gmail.com> wrote:

> Dear Fellow "Ex-phonies",
>
> Y'all be talking about the famous 500 sets reputedly designed by
> DeLoewy of Studebaker Avanti fame back in '51.
>
> Let's get back to basics. Vanagon plastics and rubbers and anything in
> between.
>
>
> Cheers,
>
> BenT
> Sent from my mobile device
>
> On Dec 19, 2009, at 7:13 AM, george jannini <georgejoann@GMAIL.COM>
> wrote:
>
>
>  Scott said<
>>
>>  ... if anyone remembers old land line dial phones.....ever notice
>>>> how indestructible that plastic was ?  You could slam one of those
>>>> to the floor as hard as you want , or use the handset to hammer in
>>>> nails ...................they used completely indestructible ( or
>>>> nearly ) plastic on those old phones.  <<
>>>>
>>>
>>
>>  You've got a bit of an apples and oranges comparison going on
>> there, Scott.
>>
>>
>>  I expect that the main reason phones were so well built was that the
>> local phone companies owned the sets and leased them to their
>> customers.
>>
>>  Maintenance was taken care of by the company, and servicing the
>> equipment was the job of the company and provided without extra
>> charge, so the service provider had a stake in keeping costs down.
>>
>>  I might also add that the phone companies designed and built nearly
>> all of their own equipment.  Western Electric was a wholly owned
>> subsidiary of AT&T, and other manufacturers of built to WECO
>> standards- wasn't military spec, but damn close! <G>
>>
>>  I worked with old fashioned dial equipment that had been in place
>> nearly 50 years before being replaced in 1978 with switch that was
>> already obsolete. It's was with a digital switch after maybe 30 years
>> online, tops.
>>
>> Not many automobile companies out there that offer a product that has
>> a 20+ year design life.
>>
>> George Bellhead/ATL, ex- phonie
>>
>

--
Jake

1984 Vanagon GL
1986 Westy Weekender "Dixie"

Crescent Beach, BC

www.thebassspa.com
www.crescentbeachguitar.com
http://subyjake.googlepages.com/mydixiedarlin%27