Earth Sound Research Corporation

 

Earth Sound Research Corporation was founded in 1971. This Farmingdale based manufacturer produced audio equipment and was originally branded the Instrument Systems Audio Corporation (ISC Audio), which was a division of the Benjamin Electronics Sound Company. The Benjamin Electronics Sound Company was owned by Joseph N. Benjamin, who was also president of that same company. Although the company was founded in 1971, the company was incorporated in New York on October 17, 1975.

ISC Audio’s first two employees were Mark Neuman and Tony Picciano, and Mark was the employee who convinced Benjamin to move forward with the new company. Eventually Mark Neuman, along with a gentleman named Dave Garrett, become owners of Earth Sound Research Corporation.

Earth Sound Research Corporation specialized in electric bass and guitar amplifiers. Besides their specialization, they also manufactured PA mixers, power amps, keyboards, stand-alone solid state reverb units, and ESR brand distortion pedals. Amplifiers from Earth Sound Research Corporation can be considered rare items and tend to be preserved by many collectors of amplifiers.

At the beginning of the company’s creation, amplifiers were produced using tube circuitry and were assembled in Benjamin Electric Sound’s Farmingdale plant, while subcontracting out for some components. The subcontracted components were rumored to be replications or copies of Peavey Electronics’ creations. Although the replications seemed to be obvious, there was no litigation or infringement suits. The company met its demise due to its own financial failures and closed in the early 1980s.

Sources:

"Earth Sound Research." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 30 July 2020. Web. 14 July 2021.

Pedalhaven. "An Untold History of Earth Sound Research Amplifiers." Pedal Haven. 11 June 2021. Web.

14 July 2021.