The Nehra Brothers Love Of Gear And Music Turned Into A Business

My brother Andrew and I started Vintage King back in the early 1990s for one simple reason: Our obsession with gear. We were over the top and would rather save to buy our next piece, rather than put food on the table, or pay for other necessities in life. We lived and breathed trying to create the sounds we imagining. Our goal was to constantly learn about the techniques and tones behind the magical performances that inspired us over the years. We wanted to know how we could mirror that same integrity in our own recordings. The first ingredient was getting the right equipment to help us build the bridge between what was in our heads and would eventually be in our ears. In order to fund our passion, we started buying and selling vintage gear, and dealing with many of our friends in the business. Before we knew it, Vintage King became its own entity that we never even really planned on creating. Between our burgeoning business, traveling on the road touring and recording, life was a constant juggling act. There were moments on tour when Andrew would have to make excuses to the band (who were waiting for us to hit the road), while I was on the phone or faxing to coordinate sales from the hotel room and payphones. We did this over and over, and instead of being up late hanging out after shows, we were running Vintage King out of hotels and staying in touch with our home base in Detroit. Why? So we could have the gear we wanted to create the music we loved. When that passion turned into a business, our own poor experiences with pro audio dealers helped us understand that taking care of every customer was something to strive for every time. On one of our first vintage gear purchases, we spent what little money we had and quickly learned that the vintage API 550As we bought were dead on arrival and the Neve 2254’s were too noisy for use. According to the dealer, this was our problem and not theirs. Every dealer or broker at the time just sold you a piece of metal, whether it worked or didn't work was your gamble to take. They took little or no accountability which meant no returns, no repairs, nothing. We would hear things all kinds of excuses like, "They worked before they shipped." Andrew and I turned this experience into an opportunity to develop what would become the driving spirit behind Vintage King, regardless if we were providing the new latest technology or restored vintage gear with a warranty. We want to serve our clients and show that we genuinely caring for them, give them honest advice and quickly right any issues they might have. This is something we strive to accomplish every single day at Vintage King.