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Weird Tools
I've been buying and selling guitars for 54 years. I've been building guitars for 2 years. The resulting guitar shaped objects are approaching mediocrity. I have no prior training with any kind of tools or woodworking. Like most beginners, I've been buying the occasional odd tool, mostly at garage sales and the like. There are a few of them that I use all the time that may not be in your usual luthier's toolbox. I hate to measure. I'm just not very good at it. One of...
Neve #A246: (ex-Pete Townsend) available exclusively from Dan Alexander Audio
In the pantheon of extraordinary songwriters, few have attained the creative heights of Pete Townsend and the Who. Similarly, early 70s Neve recording consoles represent the pinnacle of sonic performance. In this particular Neve recording console serial #A246, we encounter a singular convergence of these two legendary creators. This particular console was custom ordered for Pete Townsend and delivered in 1971 as a 16-input, 8 buss,16 monitor console. It was further...
Now available! “Dan Alexander Audio: A Vintage Odyssey”, Dan’s book about vintage recording equipment—
Dan Alexander Audio: A Vintage Odyssey is available at Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and many other fine booksellers worldwide. Equal parts history, autobiography, and reference guide, this book offers a unique perspective on the world of vintage recording equipment, by the man who coined the phrase. A treasure trove of informational resources for anyone interested in the art of recording! Included are 80 stories and invaluable information on the products of 22...
Dan Alexander has written a book about vintage recording equipment!
Available now for preorder. In stores the first week of December! Equal parts history, autobiography, and reference guide, this book offers a unique perspective on the world of vintage recording equipment, by the man who coined the phrase. A treasure trove for anyone interested in the art of recording! Included are 80 stories and invaluable information on the products of 22 manufacturers. Over 400 previously unpublished photographs and original equipment brochures. *A...
3,000 Tubes for Sale!
We have an extensive list of about 3,000 tubes for sale, most of which are NOS (New Old Stock) and NIB (New In Box). Here is a link to access the list. If you highlight the link and right click it, you can open it. If you're interested in any tubes, call or email Dan, (but do not text, please!) for more information. +1-510-527-1411 or [email protected] https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1u7DLIreDNMki1CLRyPUSaS18uy_zLmHr9ft15OX10Is/edit#gid=0
Check out our new YouTube video channel!
We have just uploaded the first three videos to our new YouTube channel. Just search Dan Alexander Audio on YouTube or click on the link below. I'll be adding numerous additional videos very soon. I'll also be doing interviews with many of my friends in the audio world. Fun! https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCmsD1QeIGcDK6oSSeXAp2Iw
Uncle Jack’s Guitar
My dad had two brothers: my wonderful Uncles Bill and Jack. The oldest brother Jack and his family lived in Hewlett, Long Island. My folks moved from NYC to Buffalo when I was 5. I started playing guitar when I was 14. At some point soon thereafter, we were visiting Jack's house, and I had my España guitar with me. Jack says, “I have a guitar too!” He brings down from the attic what I now know was an early ‘50s Gibson CF100 guitar. The CF100 is a small bodied acoustic...
When the better mic isn’t better
When The Better Mic Isn't Better....... I was trying to sell a microphone to a well known voice over studio in Los Angeles. They had numerous studios, all dedicated to recording voice talent. Their standard microphone was a Sennheiser long shotgun mic, maybe an Mkh805 (?) I went over with a Km53 system , thinking, “ this has Got to be better than that thing” ….and we set it up in their booth and did a comparison. I was shocked to discover that the Sennheiser was...
Anyone Want a Neve Part?
It never fails to impress me how much human labor went into building 80 Series Neve consoles. I am referring to desks built from about 1970 – 1978. Neve had 500 employees! They must have bought the tea in bales … Check this out: the wiring looms for the consoles went into the desk frame in ONE piece, already tie wrapped and ready to be soldered in … what? As hard as that is to picture, there you go … Just the complexity of a single auxiliary module is daunting. ...
Guest blog by Michael James, producer
The Hole Truth (from December 30, 2015) I recall the conversation as if it were yesterday: “You really need to produce this band. They’re going to be HUGE!” Bruce Pavitt, one of the two principals at SubPop Records, was calling me from Seattle, long-distance, back in the day when long-distance was enough of a big deal that folks jockeyed for position to be the recipient, not the originator, of the phone call. Long distance was expensive enough that I have a hazy...