Monthly Archives: August 2011

Mono Pilot Hi-Fi Console System circa 1955

Posted on 08/30/2011 by chris

From PS Dot Com reader C. McColm come these images of his original circa 1955 Pilot mono hi-fi system.  I take C.M. at his word when he relates that there was a cult for Pilot in the 1950s; this website … Continue reading →

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Multi-use vacuum-tube audio mixer circa 1960

Posted on 08/28/2011 by chris

Download a three-page article from Electronics World “Hi Fi Annual & Audio Handbook 1960″ which details the construction of a 4-channel tube mixer: DOWNLOAD: Tube_Mix_It_Box_1960 “Electronics World” Magazine published these ‘hi-fi annuals’ in the late 50s/early 60s; from what i … Continue reading →

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Magnecord Tape Machine from Film Sound Studio circa 1955

Posted on 08/28/2011 by chris

Trolling eBay today in the wake of ‘tropical storm’ irene…   came across this very serious-looking gentleman at-work with a pretty serious film-sound (dubbing? editing) setup crica 1955.  Most of the equipment in this picture is on sale right now on … Continue reading →

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Not what a synthesizer can do, but what a man can do with a synthesizer.

Posted on 08/25/2011 by chris

There’s a chance that Gold Coast Recorders will soon have a Crumar DS-2 in our synth collection/pile;  researching this Italo-Moog turned up the absolute best instrument-demonstration video that I have ever seen on youtube.   As Polish creator WC Olo Garb … Continue reading →

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Out-of-Print-Book-Report: “The Guitars Friend” 1977

Posted on 08/23/2011 by chris

Download a thirteen-page excerpt from “The Guitars Friend” (no author credited), Quick Fox publishers, ISBN# 0-8256-3072-X: DOWNLOAD: GuitarsFriend_Elec   Billed alternately as a ‘Catalog’ and a ‘Guide,’ “The Guitars Friend” (h.f. “TGF”) is a charming artifact of the late-hippie-era.  From … Continue reading →

Posted in Guitar Equipment, Publications | 9 Comments

Takin’ em to Church (with Altec)

Posted on 08/18/2011 by chris

Download the eight-page 1966 brochure “Altec Sound Systems for Houses of Worship”: DOWNLOAD: Altec_Worship_1966 The text above is taken from page 2 of this royal-purple-colored document.  The logical inference would be “As You Are To God, Your PA System Can … Continue reading →

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Altec 438A – Modified for modern music production use

Posted on 08/16/2011 by chris

As we discussed in previous posts, the Altec 438A is an audio compressor designed in the late 1950s primarily for use in public-address sound systems.  It has a microphone pre-amp built in, and an absolute minimum of controls:  one knob … Continue reading →

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ARP Synthesizers Full-Line Catalog 1977

Posted on 08/11/2011 by chris

Download the twenty-page c.1977 ARP Instruments, Inc. catalog: DOWNLOAD: ARP_1977_Catalog Products covered, with text, specs, and photos, include: ARP Avatar Guitar Synth, ARP Axxe, Odyssey, and 2600 modular-style synth; ARP Sequencer; ARP Omni-2 and PRO/DGX preset synths. ARP can be … Continue reading →

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Every House Has A Mic

Posted on 08/08/2011 by chris

Any old house, on any street; any house where a family lived, where life happened; deep in the basement, perhaps; isolated: its partner the Tape Recorder long gone, a likely early-casualty of its own mechanical complexity; buried among the sawdust, … Continue reading →

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In The Studio

Posted on 08/06/2011 by chris

Another day of live tracking at Gold Coast Recorders.  Vocal chain working great:  Neumann U47 fet into Neve console pre into (gentle) distessor; vocalist needs to be pretty tight on the mic due to the drums, Hammond, and Super Reverb … Continue reading →

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