View EveAnna Manley
EveAnna Manley has been referred to by some as “The Manley Tube Queen” and even “America’s Goddess of Thermionic Emissions” although she more humbly prefers the title of “The Tube Chick”, as, at 39.74 years old, she is hardly old enough to see herself as a full-fledged Queen or Goddess… well, f@#k it. She’s da boss....
EveAnna was actually born in Las Vegas (!) but stumbled out of Vacuum Tube lineage as her father, Albert J. Dauray, owned the famous guitar amplifier company, AMPEG, in the late 1960’s. EveAnna grew up in Atlanta listening to vacuum tubes and tales of the tube. She and her sister Stacey graduated from the prestigious Westminster Schools. EveAnna was very active in both the music and art programs in high school and then wound up as a music major at Columbia University with a mid-fi system driving her parents leftover AR-2ax speakers. While she did have a blast stealing roadsigns with the Columbia Univeristy Marching Band, and getting to even more trouble as President of her co-ed fraternity, Iota Epsilon Pi, the combination of yucky depressing winters in New York City and all those sunny and cheerful tunes and flicks coming out of Southern California beckoned her westward in her VW bug for a semester’s sabbatical in 1989 to sort out exactly what she wanted to do in the music industry.
EveAnna got a lead from one of her father’s ol’ Ampeg employees about “two crazy South Africans running a small tube amp company out in Chino”. Although this did not seem too appealing to her at first, she went to meet David and Luke Manley at VTL.
EveAnna started on the bottom-most rung at VTL and soon worked her way through absolutely every phase and detail of construction, testing, prototyping, engineering, purchasing, sales, service, and production management in the company. She has worn many hats (and still does!) In 1993 Luke took over VTL while David and EveAnna founded Manley Laboratories, Inc. as a separate entity in their new 11,000 sq. ft. building. EveAnna donned a sales hat and got Manley Labs going. Things got rolling...........
However, in 1996, David Manley took off and moved to France leaving EveAnna in de-facto charge of Manley Labs. She, Hutch, and Baltazar took over the pressing R&D;duties. Some of the most important products at Manley were created and some of the most important “fix-ups” of the older products took place during this period. The ads took a new direction under EveAnna’s eye-catching yet sometime quirky direction-- but hey, they worked… Evident in company sales doubling during 1996-1999. In June 1999, the official company changes finally took place. And on we go.... stronger than ever. (Insert trite new millennium expression here...)
Hangin’ out in Barcelona May 2005. Incredibly I have had this pair of Varnets since 1997. Bought ‘em in Paris....
Just for kicks...
Attending to all the details of running this multi-million dollar company with its 50 employees, thousands of customers, and of course, authoring this massive website leaves little time for too much else in EveAnna’s life, although she does pretty much remember to feed her tropical fish and her dog, Max, on a regular basis, if she is home and not traveling around the world somewhere.
EveAnna took some photography classes at Chaffey College and completed a total restoration on a 1969 VW BUS in which you can sometimes see her delivering gear around Hollywood. Currently, she is restoring a rat-infested house and a 1969 VW Bug. Maybe she’ll do a whole barrio suburb next, who knows… She does eat lots of sushi. Occasionally EveAnna will pick up her saxophone but mainly likes to blast loud music through her Tannoy Westminsters or Churchills for her neighbors to enjoy while she takes that “midnight jacuzzi” or while she hunts possums in her backyard.....
EveAnna owns thousands of CD’s and LP’s. She listens to a lot of off-the-wall music but she has a particular passion for 60’s & 70’s pop tunes, especially the One Hit Wonders she grew up with. Click here to see what she typically carries around with her on her iPod.
EveAnna has a vacuum tube surround sound system in her bedroom. Everybody should.
Her recording studio is currently rented out as rehearsal space to some of the guys who work for her who have a band called Manteca.
EveAnna climbed Mt. Whitney in July, 2000. Other than that she sits and types all day. MAY 2006 NEWS ALERT: The Vanimal quit smoking and has been recently spotted working out at LA Fatness. Holey Mageral. FEBRUARY 2008 NEWS ALERT: The Vanimal is in rehab to get her broken leg working again.