the people behind tropical fish
Tropical Fish may have formally began in 2011, but it was been a long time in the making. Paulina and Jon both had an eye for great instruments. They were been collecting keyboards, guitars and amplifiers to make and record their own music for years before going by Tropical Fish. They even owned a Wurlitzer electronic piano for years, and loved how it made their music sound. But it wasn’t until it came time for them to repair and maintain their rare amplifiers, and keyboards, that they realized, they had the skills to do just that, and do it really well. Paulina made the tube circuits sound better than they had ever sounded, and Jon made the keyboards play smoother (and often vice versa).
Jon Borducci
Jon grew up learning to play piano on a Baldwin acoustic piano and a Wurlitzer electronic piano. When his middle school didn’t have a jazz band, he asked his teachers if they could start one. And when his high school didn’t have a Music Theory class, he convinced the school to start one. He went on to study at Berklee College of Music.
After graduating, in addition to interning at music venues and briefly a talent agency, Jon had a practice space that, with the help of Paulina, he turned into a recording studio. The studio was mostly used for recording audio books and voice-overs. Since there was a piano in the studio, Jon also gave piano lessons.
Being in a professional studio setting, it became increasingly important for all the gear (including the keyboards) to be as functional as possible. Because of Jon’s passion for inspirational instruments, his dedication to detail regarding Wurlitzer electronic piano restorations gained attention.
Paulina Salmas
Paulina grew up in California and moved to the east coast to attend Northeastern and Columbia University. She reads anywhere form 70-90 books a year, and there aren’t too many vintage electronic textbooks she hasn’t read.
Paulina helped make Jon’s recording studio significantly cooler by selecting most of the vintage keyboards (including their first Wurlitzer) and amplifiers (including the Music Man 410).
As a critical part of Tropical Fish, Paulina takes the lead in analyzing vintage circuits for repair and improvement. She also designs the original circuits for the Tropical Fish tube preamps and amplifiers.