Hans van Andel (Vafam Sound, Rack Panels)

Cooper Carter

Fractal Fanatic
Vendor
All,

It is with a heavy heart that I share the news that Hans van Andel, owner of Vafam Sound and maker of so many Axe-Fx rack panels used by members of this forum, succumbed to cancer last Thursday, March 12.

I first found Hans in 2011 at www.vafamsound.com through a Google search. I was looking for someone to fabricate a custom panel that would route all the Axe-Fx II's jacks from the back of the unit to the front of my rack. When I came across photos of his work, I was thrilled. The quality was incredible. You could tell the work was done by someone who took time, who cared. I e-mailed Hans, and we began corresponding. To say that Hans was an example of the best of what our industry has to offer would be an understatement: he was the best example. His dedication to quality and customer service was Fractal-level. And you all know what that means. Between chatting about music and sharing photos of our guitar collections, we concepted my ideal Fractal panel, which then arrived to me in the mail only two days after I'd made a final design decision. I remember laughing out loud in pleasant surprise at the genius of Hans's method of zip-tying the ends of cables to the rack hole screws, just beyond the solder, to keep the solder points from getting pulled off. Over the last four years, Hans fabricated many panels, cables, and other rig parts for me. The only other person whose gear I more rely on in my career is Cliff Chase.

I was the first Fractal user to order a panel from Vafam Sound, but in clear testament to the greatness of Hans's personality and to his dedicated craftsmanship, I was far from the last. This link illustrates just how many members of our community now rely on Hans's work every time they take the stage, or sit down to track, or enter the woodshed: Vafam Sound - Connector Adapters

For those of you who didn't know of Hans, or of his part in this community, a quick forum search will reveal the many threads that speak to what a wonderful person and how deeply invested and genuine in his work he was. One is even entitled "Good Guy Alert - Hans @ Vafam Sound."

When I received the news from his son-in-law, who, along with Hans's daughter, has taken over the business at Vafam, I read back over my first forum post about Hans. I started it off, "I know this reads like an advertisement. It's not. I am just that impressed. Chalk another one up to a small company doing it right in every way."

I know there are so many of you who were "just that impressed" by Hans and that will be reminded every time you go to power up your rig and start doing what we all love, what it means to do it right in every way.
 
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Very sad news.

He made 3 panels for me.
More importantly, he was a very nice man.
I remember that he lived in the States fo so long that he was better speaking and writing in English than in Dutch. :)

I wish his family and friends strength.
 
Godspeed Hans, and thank you for the awesome racks and cables you made for me & my fractal family.

Cooper, it was your referral that directed me to Hans.
I am grateful to have been his customer and to have shared many great phone conversations and emails with him.


My 1st VAFAM panel:
Custom Panel Assembly - VS-20120920
Vafam Sound - Custom Audio Panels
 
I ordered one of his panels online and he called me just to make sure everything was how i wanted. I have told many people how great his panels are. I wish his family peace and comfort during this hard time.
 
Very sad to hear this. I placed a couple of orders with Hans and he was great to work with and provided such fast and complete customer service. Prayers to his family - I hope they will see that his spirit reached others across the world.
 
Sorry to hear this news. Hans built two panels for my touring system, and he was a great pleasure to work with. Godspeed, friend.
 
Sad news, I hope he can find peace now after his long fight.
My prayers are for him and his family.
Rest in Peace good man...
 
Thanks for sharing, Cooper...

Even though I knew it was coming this makes me sad :(

He will be missed by the community - especially those of us who worked with him in getting gear made to our needs.

Class act!

Here's to you, Hans... Rest In Peace


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
Thanks Cooper for introducing us to Hans! My panel has been a time saver! When I needed something he was quick to reply and deliver! One of a kind and will be sorely missed!
 
Oh man, I just saw this and became very sad. Hans was great. After the first order, I wouldn't use any other service. Other vendors looked good on paper but always had issues. He was just really good at it. It's been awhile since I've needed a panel so this came as a surprise. I wish the best for his family.
 
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