vintage high end military equipment

[cgarges]

can you make a list of stuff that you bought that totally sucked. that way we can avoid those items. if you could use those items that you took a loss on then we won't be able to use them either. just curious to know which ones turned out to be really horrible.

I'd be willing to bet that your opinoins of stuff would be different than Joel's to some extent. I'd recommend not writing off something entirely just because someone on the internet told you they hated it. I'll give you a few examples: Joel really digs the Avalon stuff. I really don't. I know lots of good people who've made great-sounding recordings with it, but I just haven't really liked it when I've used it (except for the DI). I happen to really like the Alesis 3630 for certain things, although there are people on here (I don't know, maybe Joel included) who will tell you that it's not worth even listening to. I've never really gotten much use out of the Symetrix compressors, but Joel manages to have kept the resale value of those things alive.

It's all about your preferences and perspective. Check out as much stuff as you can. Take chances. Buy something weird at a pawn shop and see if you dig it. Who knows--maybe at some point, someone will be asking you what obscure gear they should get. Look at Mitch Easter's place. He's ALWAYS had a bunch of obscure gear around.

There's enough homogenization in music today. Don't be afraid to make SOMETHING your own.

Chris Garges
Charlotte, NC

[tonewoods]

Some of the military amps and compressors are some of the most stunningly beautiful stuff under the hood that I've ever laid eyes on...

The quality of the wiring and soldering, and the massive size of some of the transformers, is really cool visually...

[blixton]

it kinda sucks that a comment from the right person can send some gear into the unaffordable zone. I fully understand keeping things a secret. Why mess up a good thing. Hints. Now hints I don't mind.

[KennyLusk]

Oh yeah man. Some of the ugliest things in the world are just beautiful under the hood.

There's nothing quite as cool as point to point wiring, transformers, and those old resistors that remind you of a tootsie roll they're so big.

[coniferouspine]

To heck with secrets, this is the only "vintage high end military equipment" I'd ever want in my audio arsenal:




138 dBs @ 100 ft!

[cgarges]

Now THAT'S what I'm talking about!

By the way pine, you mind turning that thing down a bit? It's leaking into my drum tracks up here.

Chris Garges
Charlotte, NC

[X-ian]

Check out this site they have a ton of weird shit http://www.govliquidation.com/list/c7052/lna/1.html

[federal donut]

I got a Korean War era Army surplus movie projector at a hippie barter fair about 5 years ago because i saw that it had 6L6's in it. I was just going to part it out for the tube sockets, etc., but when i checked the schematics on it, it was the same basic circuit as all the classic Fender guitar amps. I remounted it into a different chassie, switched out a few caps and resistors and whammo. It blows the hell out of my 1967 Super Reverb WITH THE ORIGINAL ARMY TUBES IN IT. They don't make stuff like that any more. It was hell to try to take apart, but a great investment for $5.

[joel hamilton]

can you make a list of stuff that you bought that totally sucked. that way we can avoid those items. if you could use those items that you took a loss on then we won't be able to use them either. just curious to know which ones turned out to be really horrible.

I'd be willing to bet that your opinoins of stuff would be different than Joel's to some extent. I'd recommend not writing off something entirely just because someone on the internet told you they hated it. I'll give you a few examples: Joel really digs the Avalon stuff. I really don't. I know lots of good people who've made great-sounding recordings with it, but I just haven't really liked it when I've used it (except for the DI). I happen to really like the Alesis 3630 for certain things, although there are people on here (I don't know, maybe Joel included) who will tell you that it's not worth even listening to. I've never really gotten much use out of the Symetrix compressors, but Joel manages to have kept the resale value of those things alive.

It's all about your preferences and perspective. Check out as much stuff as you can. Take chances. Buy something weird at a pawn shop and see if you dig it. Who knows--maybe at some point, someone will be asking you what obscure gear they should get. Look at Mitch Easter's place. He's ALWAYS had a bunch of obscure gear around.

There's enough homogenization in music today. Don't be afraid to make SOMETHING your own.

Chris Garges
Charlotte, NC

To clarify: I do not own anything made by avalon except the U5 DI, which I absolutely think is the best sounding DI on the planet right now. I used a couple of those 737 boxes and thought they were cool, but I will probably never buy one ever. I dont like multi function boxes very much, and the compressor isnt very cool, kinda cool, but not like "i have to have one" cool....

Anyway, Chris is right. I could tell you that I love the "insert thingy here" and then you buy one and you are like "WTF? that guy must be out of his mind!"

A. I am

B. Who knows what I used with it or who was singing or playing tuba into the thing in question to make me go "wow! This thing is cool!"

The rendezvous: Place and time. Duchampian of me, right? But it is true. Place and time and performance and instrument and your mood and the weather and your ears and your brain and everything that ever happened on earth up until you put up a piece of gear has to do with it.

Unless I am you and you are me, we will have different opinions about what is "good" never mind what "a deal" means or "cheap" or "expensive."

Try something, then tell us about it. Try something totally weird like a mic pre made by ZIMTRON or FLANGOTRONICS or AUDIOFILM or KLANGENHUTT or MAGNEFUNKEN...

FInd something weird! have fun. This is all part of the fun the minute you stop relying on GC or Sam Ash or magazines to TELL you what sounds good or is cool or whatever.

That is just my opinion....

[Wild Bill]

Military or OLD gear just plain sucks ....and is old, save your money and buy all DIGIDESIGN and FOCUSRITE stuff....and if you need that vintage sound , just grab a behringer tube vintage ultra pro seargeant badass knob box.....they're like only $150,00

Thanks for the Laugh.....

[jmiller]

I had a buddy who had some military EQ from a submarine that went down to 2Hz.

I'm always looking for stuff like this but never seem to find anything :\

[JohnDavisNYC]

i will sell the secret of joel's mystery compressors for $35.

john

[Wild Bill]

I had a buddy who had some military EQ from a submarine that went down to 2Hz.

I'm always looking for stuff like this but never seem to find anything :\

I had a rack mount unit like that... Was it a battleship grey paint?
They used it for listening to mechanical signatures of ships for identification and location. Mine was from WWII and was about 2 ft in height (19 inch rack mount). Those things were really built tough.

[joel hamilton]

i will sell the secret of joel's mystery compressors for $35.

john

Here it is for free: Its on the studio G website. Duh.

Look at the stuff I have. I like almost all of it, but it is up to you to figure out which stuff is only a sneaky decoy, and I dont ever actually use...

Seriously though: The glensound stuff (i hipped linus to one of these) is really great. The BBC boxes they made have amazing 2254 type compressors in them. They are worth buying just for that, and they come with 6 channels of really good EQ as well! all direct in/out, but it looks like a mixer so people dont buy them on ebay, except me... HAHAHAHAHAHA!!!! [sobbing].... Those rock.

That is the one thing I will blab about that totally rocks for the money. Best kept secrest (until now I guess)....

Glensound!!!!!!!! The BBC boxes!!!!! [screaming while saluting with a tear in my eye] sunset, and fade......

[JohnDavisNYC]

my offer still stands at $35......



j