But Payne also preserves things that weren’t meant for rock ‘n’ roll, co-opted for rock ‘n’ roll purposes.
Take the near-bygone era phone handset, for instance. He pries the plastic apart, at the expense of a potential break or a scuffed edge, and reveals the simple innards: a transmitter, a receiver and some wires linking the two.
He knew from his interest in wires and tubes and electronics that any speaker wired backwards is a microphone. So he reversed the circuitry of the telephone, added a quarter-inch jack to the mix and sealed the plastic back together.
From a cosmetic standpoint, the only difference appears to be the addition of an input jack one would find on a guitar or a mixing console. Though, internally, the purpose of the device has been completely altered. What was once used for taking calls has been morphed into a lofi microphone that Payne calls the HS1: the first in his new line of LoFio Electronics.
He got the idea from hearing his father-in-law play harmonica through a similarly converted device. Except instead of maintaining the integrity of that particular handset, whoever crafted it cut away the handle and left just an earpiece. The remaining hole was filled in and painted.
Payne decided to try his hand at it. He ran to a thrift store, picked up an old office phone with a receiver (which he’d later have the idea to build a preamp in) and wired up the first HS1.
“I didn’t come up with this idea myself. I don’t want to pretend that it’s anything that it’s not,” Payne said. “If you have a soldering iron and an old phone, you can do it. But if you don’t want to do it and you want a cool phone, I’ve got some for sale.”
Sitting in a glass display case in the foyer of Encore is the first batch of HS1s, upcycled from a bulk lot of handsets Payne acquired. Once those are sold, that model will be retired and it’ll be onto the HS2. He also makes a fuzz mic out of intercoms that he calls the LF1.
The tone of the microphones mimic that of what vintage landline telephones would sound like, considering he is recycling the innards already housed in them. They’re mid-range forward with the low and high frequencies pretty much nonexistent. These are mics for lovers of low fidelity.
Of course, different eras of telephones cause different side effects, not to mention what heavy use can do to wiring, making every one slightly different, sonically and characteristically. But keeping to used, recycled materials keeps Payne’s overhead low, which in turn keeps the microphones affordable. Currently, the HS1 model runs around $40. Other companies’ models sell into the hundreds.
“I’m making them with the home recordist in mind,” Payne said. “A lot of people make music in their bedroom with a little recording interface. Your average home recorder can’t afford to spend thousands of dollars on cool mic pres and cool tube microphones. This is just a cheap way to add some harmonic interest to recordings that might otherwise sound a little sterile.”
He’s used the HS1 and the LF1 in his own sessions at Reel Love Recording Company in Belmont. So far, the mics’ usage has been supplemental, like effect mics, blending a bit of harmonics into drums, vocals and guitar tracks.
Payne worked in coffee for 12 years. When he was laid off from his last coffee shop, he was ready to move on. Payne knew Jeff Newell was swamped at Encore, so he offered his apprenticeship. Having a prior interest in electronics through his grandfather, a retired Air Force tech — as well as Payne’s playing in several rock ‘n’ roll bands, like the New Old-Fashioned — pursuing a viable career in music made sense.
“This is my favorite job I’ve ever had,” he said. “I love this job. I’m excited to come in every morning. The only reason I thought I could do [LoFio] is because of working with Jeff. He helped me figure out all of this. He’s been a resource for me the whole time.”
As he walked around Encore, perusing boxes of seemingly retired materials, Payne would note “I’m gonna turn this into a microphone,” referring to film canisters, tin cans and a bevy of other unidentifiable scrap metals.
David Payne, it seems, can make a mic out of anything. He’s going to put a preamp in this and fabricate a theremin out of that. He warms up the solder and swaps the wires in the name of preserving rock ‘n’ roll.
Brandon Berry covers the music and arts scene in Dayton and Southwest Ohio. Reach him at branberry100@gmail.com.
HOW TO GO
What: Handmade Holiday 2025
When: 5-10 p.m. Dec. 5, 11 a.m.-4 p.m. Dec. 6
Where: Yellow Cab Tavern, 700 E. 4th St., Dayton
Cost: Free
More info: LoFio Electronics can be purchased at Encore Instrument Repair at 34 W. Foraker Ave. in Dayton, or ordered online at Reverb.com.
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