Christian Niedermayer (Miraphone boss) absolutely rocks.

[bloke]

He's always been EXTREMELY nice to me.

Today, I saw that he CALLED on the telephone (missed call on my cell phone with +49 XXXXXX XXXXXX).
I called him back.

We talked for probably ten minutes about my crappy little nuisance order.

There was a part that I needed (custom) which would be expensive for me and somewhat of a pain for him (though he was willing to make it), as well as a bit pricey.

Revealing to me how the particular assembly was set up internally (since I had not yet un-soldered it and taken it apart), he made it clear to me how I could (rather than replacing it) easily alter the o.e.m. part, have him make me a couple of ($6) parts, and end up with the same result that I was otherwise seeking.

He's absolutely Mr. Cool.

[bloke]

Fantastic Human being

He offered me a tour of the Miraphone factory when I was in Europe. We didn't have time this trip, but someday we'll make it back to the area and I'll take him up on it.

[the elephant]

I sent in an order for a custom rotary valve to Eva and she sent back a photograph of a valve that he had press-fit together with all the weirdness I needed, and a query from him of, "Like this, yes?" He set up the example himself and gave that to his tech to build out for me when my order came up in the production list. I received that valve not too much later, exactly as I needed it.

Christian and Eva did such a nice job that I will be ordering two more custom valves to make my Franken-work a bit more factree-lookin'.

I love that company and its willingness to do whatever stuff we might need, despite not being a parts maker/supplier like Voigt, Seibold, or Meinlschmidt. They want our money, and they want their products, even if it is just components, in our hands, or on our instruments. That sort of adaptability is a healthy way to do business — one that I hope will see them in the black for many more decades.

[Tuba1153]

Fantastic Human being

He offered me a tour of the Miraphone factory when I was in Europe. We didn't have time this trip, but someday we'll make it back to the area and I'll take him up on it.

I took him up on it! It was awesome!

[bisontuba]

Great company with great people...

[bloke]

Eva is not only super nice, super smart, and super knowledgeable about the products, but – as an added touch – she’s hot.

[Ricardo]

My repairman said, when converting my Norwegian Star to 6 valves, that Miraphone were great. The extra valve and lever assembly they supplied made it relatively easy for him to add.

[Doc]

Christian, Eva, and Miraphone are the best! My needs have not been as complex as some of Joe's or Wade's, but I have always been treated as a favorite customer.

[DonO.]

I’m certain Herr Neidermayer is an awesome dude, but reading these posts made me realize I can’t think of the name “Neidermayer” without thinking about National Lampoon’s “Animal House”!

[the elephant]

A true classic…

[DonO.]

Interesting fact: “Neidermayer” translated from German means “lowland farmer”.

[Tubeast]

Hm. QUITE off-topic, but here goes:

I don´t know what a lowland farmer would be, but I´m remotely interested in word origins.
There´s a whole bunch of VERY common names that fill whole pages in German phone books.
Most of these originate from medieval times and will have people´s occupations as a subject.
There´s a group of those that root in medieval ranks of local administration officials.

The exact job description may have varied depending on your location and the personal tastes of the local nobility who appointed you, but...
Meyer, Maier, Meier, Mair... the word is still used in English and French, where "Mayor" or "Maire" will be used for head of a settlement.
Was used to name free farmers as well, on occasion.

Other names are closely related with overlapping meaning:
Amann, Ammann
Schulze, Schulte, Schultheiss (until the early 1900s a village´s mayor would often be called "Dorfschulze")
Vogt, Voigt, Hofmann, Hoffmann (Tendency towards leader of rural economic centers organizing a farm or group of farms)

All of these may have varied in extent of responsibilities (political, economical, judicial, executional or a combination thereof...)

I know, nobody asked for this type of information here...

[bloke]

My ancestors (related to my last name) to this day dwell in the same part of Germany that they have since roughly the time of Charlemagne. (There seems to be evidence of him ordering them to move there from France… and no, they are not related to the Coneheads.)
They seem to be well-to-do… I’ve obviously not inherited that characteristic.
The name seems to have something to do with being a highland type of farmer.
(It would seem to me that a lowland farmer would have better soil with which to work.)

My mother’s mother’s family name is a name that can only possibly indicate Jewish ancestry. I feel more-than-certain that those people converted from Judaism to Lutheranism in Germany - prior to immigration to America. What is funny is that the older family members (mostly who have passed on) all deny(ied) any possibility of Jewish heritage, and what is even more funny is that they all exhibit(ed) what are thought to be stereotypical Jewish attributes in their mannerisms.