PATRICK KAUFFMAN ELECTRONICS

About PAT

Repairing tube amplifiers has been my life for the last 23 years. I started my love affair with vacuum tubes when I was about 7 years old. I walked into a thrift store in Keyport, New Jersey and a deco Motorola clock radio caught my eye. The magic of vacuum tubes was instant. I started collecting vacuum tube equipment and by middle school, my room was overcrowded with broken gear. When high school came around, I got into guitar. The music bug hit me when I first heard WPRB from Princeton, NJ on a camping trip. From then on, it was never a question as to what I was going to do with my life.

During high school, I worked at a music store and a TV repair shop as an electronics technician. Then I went to a technical college and got a degree in electronics. As soon as I graduated in 2000, I started working at Main Drag Music at the age of 21. I worked there part time on nights and weekends, and worked as a copy machine tech by day. In August of 2004, I left the copier job and started full-time at Main Drag.

In February of 2022, after 22 years of being an employee at Main Drag, I began a co-op partnership with them instead. I now operate my independent business in the back room behind the retail section of Main Drag.

Some of my favorite repairs are bringing something back to life that has sentimental value. Whether it's a 1959 Ampeg brought in by the original owner who had purchased it on his last day of high school or a 40’s era table top radio that belonged to a friend's mom, I love that those items can still be used and enjoyed.  Keeping gear going is not only fun, it is sustainable.

My philosophy is that there needs to be a relationship between the customer and the technician. I am interested in long term camaraderie. Listening to the customer is as important to listening to the equipment and good work shouldn't be rushed. I believe a technician needs to be in the field for the right reason and that the work you do on a repair continues on. I like to give customers choices and have them be a part of the decision process to zero in on the tone. I am not a fan of client lists but after 20 years of working in Brooklyn, they're all there. Being a good repair technician is more about humility than a client list - closer to Scout Law than bragging rights.