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Clapton’s Fool SG … Yeech!
I was 17 in 1967. My friend Dave Carpender, later guitarist for The Greg Kihn Band, turned me on to John Mayall's Beano album. Clapton was just ridiculous on that record. Cream was fantastic. I love their first album Fresh Cream. Clapton's Sunburst was stolen, and he got his iconic SG painted by “The Fool,” some Dutch hippie artists. Fast forward to the early ‘80s. I am at Todd Rundgren's home studio in upstate New York, delivering a Fairchild 670. I’m waiting by...
Multitrack Tape Recorders : Which ones are OK?
Multitrack Tape Recorders: Which ones are OK? Let's preface this with the understanding that we are discussing 2” multitrack machines. 16 or 24 tracks, it doesn't matter. OK ... The question is quite simple: Do you want a tape recorder that actually functions properly and consistently? Or do you want a refrigerator sized hobby that you can tinker with for days on end? Have you ever heard the sound of your 2” tape being folded in half and stretched? (I have ...) Or...
The Larson Brothers and www.larsonguitars.net
The Larson Brothers Invented The Steel String Flat Top Guitar ! Carl and August Larson immigrated to the United States from Sweden in the mid-1880s. They were skilled cabinet makers and went to work for Robert Maurer, who built Champion brand guitars and other instruments. In 1900, health issues forced Maurer to sell his company. The Larsons became the owners and began...
The Mother of Necessity
Today, if you need a stand mount for a vintage microphone, there are numerous makers who provide just about anything you might require. Back in the late 70s, the choice was much more limited. There were virtually no mounts that would work with an M49 or M50, and they rarely came with their original Neumann yoke mounts. In fact, for a while, we had no idea what it a stock mount looked like. After receiving several complaints from customers, I was forced into action. I...
Final Console Commissioning
SO … you have built a recording studio. You have nearly killed yourself and who knows how many others, building it. You have invested a ton of dough in a gorgeous classic recording console. The techs have charged you a zillion dollars installing it. It’s time to turn it ON … This is what you do.... Remove every module that you can from the frame and set them aside in an orderly fashion. Perhaps you might want to put a number on the side of each module so you can return...
Can I Testify?
I was speaking with my old friend John Nelson the other day. We both have been buying and selling vintage guitars since our teens. We each have had literally thousands of fine instruments pass through our hands. At the same time, we always had a guitar or two that was “our guitar," the one we played. We were talking about what an incredible collection it would be had we simply kept them all. They were always great, because we had access to so many incredible examples....
Self-Indulgence
I drink tea. I drink a lot of tea. So I have a dedicated electric water boiling pot. My old one broke, and I got a new one. The problem is the new one has 4 buttons on it, and a temperature gauge. Do I need water that is 177 degrees? My old boiling pot had a single lever switch: you push it down, and when the water is boiling, it turns off automatically. The new one requires that you push several buttons before the damn thing works. So, being self-indulgent, I went...
Clean Your Gear
I see a lot of gear. It gets sent to me, or I visit someone's studio, or whatever. It never fails to astound me how people mistreat their beautiful equipment. I just cannot understand it. When I get a piece of gear, the very first thing I do is wipe down the front panel with a damp cloth. You should see what comes off! Yecch … Now, not only do I object to this on a purely aesthetic level, because clean gear is often lovely, whereas gross dirty scummy gear is just butt...
Use A Damned Windscreen!
“I don’t like the way windscreens change the sound”....Seriously? Speaking strictly from technical jargon, exactly what frequencys does a typical nylon pop filter or windscreen affect? I gotta tell you, I think we are talking way way way up there...BUT in any case, you still need to use a wind screen, and here's why: because you actually like that expensive condenser microphone and you want it to continue to work up to snuff. That's why! Whats with screening the...
“Everything I Buy Is Mint Until It Arrives”
"It's all original" "it was all working when we took it out of service" "it doesn't need a neck reset" "The diaphram looks good" "The finish is original" "My tech just went through it" "My Dad (Grandfather, Uncle, Aunt, Cousin, etc) told my brother he bought it new in 1936 (1920, 1942, 1955, etc.)" "This Epiphone (Fender, Gibson, etc) was made in America" "I packed it really well" "The frets are in perfect condition" If a child age 8 years or younger has had one dose...