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 Post subject: Re: Introduction
PostPosted: April 19th, 2018, 2:23 pm 
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Location: Parkville, Maryland
hurdy_gurdyman wrote:
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You're friend sounds like an interesting guy. I built all my instruments from scratch. All were intended as folk instruments. They sound good but have a less sophisticated look than one that is designed for the symphony. Besides the hurdy-gurdies, I've built 5-string banjos, mountain dulcimers, Irish bouzoukis, Scottish smallpipes and Irish bodhrans. I play them all, too. I guess music is just a big part of me. I started building speaker enclosures when I was around 16 years old. I couldn't afford the ones I wanted, so I built similar ones. It was hit and miss for a while, but ole' Thiel and Small came to the rescue. Now days I'm back to the beginning, having been an open baffle fanatic since 2002. Still experimenting with those.
I also repair and modify tube amps. Also love old idler wheel turntables, of which I have several. Here's a couple I have pictures of.

Dave



He was. He was a mechanical engineer and served as Navy fighter pilot that was carrier based. I wish I had some photos of his work. His daughter was an artist and when he needed a carved head for a cello she did that art and it was awesome. His stringed instruments were dialed in to the point where they were very sweet yet produced a BIG sound. NICE!

I see you have a Yaqin phono stage. I have one that I hot-rodded but do not use it any longer. No reason other than I replaced it with a remarkable low-noise differential JFET phono stage with an inductor-based RIAA network that is amazing.

There are also things you can do with it in terms of different tubes that gives it more headroom and a much relaxed presentation. At full gain (12AX7s) it can sound strained when things get busy. Besides, you are not doing yourself any favors with either the Shure or ADC cartridges.


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 Post subject: Re: Introduction
PostPosted: April 19th, 2018, 8:41 pm 
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Posts: 4
SoundMods wrote:
At full gain (12AX7s) it can sound strained when things get busy. Besides, you are not doing yourself any favors with either the Shure or ADC cartridges.[/color]
I have a Grado in the wood tone arm on the R.O.K. Budget needs catching up before doing any more purchases. I live on a small fixed disability pension plus what I make playing music. We all have compromises to make.

Dave :mrgreen:


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 Post subject: Re: Introduction
PostPosted: April 20th, 2018, 9:04 am 
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Joined: July 24th, 2015, 4:17 pm
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Location: Parkville, Maryland
hurdy_gurdyman wrote:
SoundMods wrote:
At full gain (12AX7s) it can sound strained when things get busy. Besides, you are not doing yourself any favors with either the Shure or ADC cartridges.[/color]
I have a Grado in the wood tone arm on the R.O.K. Budget needs catching up before doing any more purchases. I live on a small fixed disability pension plus what I make playing music. We all have compromises to make.

Dave :mrgreen:



I don't think anyone on this BLOG has deep pockets. The wood arms are awsome. A lot of these so-called high-tech arms create issues with reflected sound (aka. distortion) that your wood arms will not.

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 Post subject: Re: Introduction
PostPosted: April 20th, 2018, 9:24 am 
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Joined: March 12th, 2013, 11:12 am
Posts: 738
Cool looking tables. I have a couple TD124s and they sound better than my WT or pure belt driven Thorens. I have fairly recently started using the Denon 301 MKII (not the 103 which I had been using for ~20 years or so). They can be had new on ebay for about $350 (one of the sellers from Japan says “ MC type cartridge, brilliant reproduction of beaty sound! “. If you are in the metro DC area, try to stop by one of our informal meet-ups. They occur every couple months or so at someones home.



hurdy_gurdyman wrote:
Attachment:
IMGP6615-First-Lab80-1+1EV,5000K-sc.jpg
Attachment:
ROK-crop-1-sc.jpg
You're friend sounds like an interesting guy. I built all my instruments from scratch. All were intended as folk instruments. They sound good but have a less sophisticated look than one that is designed for the symphony. Besides the hurdy-gurdies, I've built 5-string banjos, mountain dulcimers, Irish bouzoukis, Scottish smallpipes and Irish bodhrans. I play them all, too. I guess music is just a big part of me. I started building speaker enclosures when I was around 16 years old. I couldn't afford the ones I wanted, so I built similar ones. It was hit and miss for a while, but ole' Thiel and Small came to the rescue. Now days I'm back to the beginning, having been an open baffle fanatic since 2002. Still experimenting with those.
I also repair and modify tube amps. Also love old idler wheel turntables, of which I have several. Here's a couple I have pictures of.

Dave


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 Post subject: Re: Introduction
PostPosted: April 20th, 2018, 3:40 pm 
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Joined: April 17th, 2018, 8:13 pm
Posts: 4
I don't think anyone on this BLOG has deep pockets. The wood arms are awsome. A lot of these so-called high-tech arms create issues with reflected sound (aka. distortion) that your wood arms will not.[/quote]

First time I heard the Grado wood arm I knew I was hearing something special. The Garrard arm has metal along the bottom, but is a casting and not very resonant. The wood dampens it. Sounds similar, but not identical that the Grado. However, it has less mass and can use a wide range of cartridges. The Grado can leave the record on badly warped records (That's why the Black Widow is on that table. It doesn't mind bad warps). So far, the Garrard arm, with a new-tipped Shure M95ED, tracks everything I've thrown at it.

Dave :mrgreen:


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 Post subject: Re: Introduction
PostPosted: April 27th, 2018, 11:49 pm 
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Joined: October 21st, 2013, 6:53 pm
Posts: 270
SoundMods wrote:
hurdy_gurdyman wrote:
Attachment:
The hurdy_gurdy man, Tallships 2013.jpg


NICE! I had a late audio buddy whose claim to fame was designing from scratch (no kits) reproductions of vintage instruments. He did a Harpsichord, two Viola De Gambas, two Cellos, a couple of Hurdy Gurdies, and a bunch of bows that found their way into the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra.

I helped him with a Viola to learn how its done. WOW! A lot of work -- a lot of detail! I miss the guy. I met him when I did recordings for the Baltimore Symphonet. He played Clarinet, Oboe, and Bassoon as an extension of his hobby activities.


Hey Walt,

I couldn't help but think about your post.
I had a late buddy in my community band that played the trumpet and sat right next to me for about six years. He was there a long time before me and was very welcoming when I showed up. We weren't really all that close, although we did share a little buit more than courtesies with each other, but when he died, I lost the whole thing he connected me to...The band itself. Theoretically I could, and I did carry on some time without him, but it just wasn't the same. When you lose the friend I'm afraid you lose the whole experience with them. Was yours in any way a similar situation?

Thanks,

Chris


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 Post subject: Re: Introduction
PostPosted: April 28th, 2018, 12:06 am 
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Joined: October 21st, 2013, 6:53 pm
Posts: 270
chris1973 wrote:
SoundMods wrote:
hurdy_gurdyman wrote:
Attachment:
The hurdy_gurdy man, Tallships 2013.jpg


NICE! I had a late audio buddy whose claim to fame was designing from scratch (no kits) reproductions of vintage instruments. He did a Harpsichord, two Viola De Gambas, two Cellos, a couple of Hurdy Gurdies, and a bunch of bows that found their way into the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra.

I helped him with a Viola to learn how its done. WOW! A lot of work -- a lot of detail! I miss the guy. I met him when I did recordings for the Baltimore Symphonet. He played Clarinet, Oboe, and Bassoon as an extension of his hobby activities.


Hey Walt,

I couldn't help but think about your post.
I had a late buddy in my community band that played the trumpet and sat right next to me for about six years. He was there a long time before me and was very welcoming when I showed up. We weren't really all that close, although we did share a little buit more than courtesies with each other, but when he died, I lost the whole thing he connected me to...The band itself. Theoretically I could, and I did carry on some time without him, but it just wasn't the same. When you lose the friend I'm afraid you lose the whole experience with them. Was yours in any way a similar situation?

Thanks,

Chris


Sorry for distracting away from the introduction!

I won't persist for very long!

Chris


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 Post subject: Re: Introduction
PostPosted: April 28th, 2018, 12:31 am 
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Joined: October 21st, 2013, 6:53 pm
Posts: 270
Chris[/quote]

I don't want to hijack the thread.

Hey Walt, just say yes or no, and I will dissapear!


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 Post subject: Re: Introduction
PostPosted: April 28th, 2018, 9:54 am 
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Joined: July 24th, 2015, 4:17 pm
Posts: 1701
Location: Parkville, Maryland
chris1973 wrote:
SoundMods wrote:
hurdy_gurdyman wrote:
Attachment:
The hurdy_gurdy man, Tallships 2013.jpg


NICE! I had a late audio buddy whose claim to fame was designing from scratch (no kits) reproductions of vintage instruments. He did a Harpsichord, two Viola De Gambas, two Cellos, a couple of Hurdy Gurdies, and a bunch of bows that found their way into the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra.

I helped him with a Viola to learn how its done. WOW! A lot of work -- a lot of detail! I miss the guy. I met him when I did recordings for the Baltimore Symphonet. He played Clarinet, Oboe, and Bassoon as an extension of his hobby activities.


Hey Walt,

I couldn't help but think about your post.
I had a late buddy in my community band that played the trumpet and sat right next to me for about six years. He was there a long time before me and was very welcoming when I showed up. We weren't really all that close, although we did share a little buit more than courtesies with each other, but when he died, I lost the whole thing he connected me to...The band itself. Theoretically I could, and I did carry on some time without him, but it just wasn't the same. When you lose the friend I'm afraid you lose the whole experience with them. Was yours in any way a similar situation?

Thanks,

Chris



In my case George (George Cassis) lived nearby. We had several things in common. He was a mechanical engineer that represented Korfund Dynamics, a vibration isolation company. I am a mechanical engineer that specified vibration isolation. He was an audiophile. I am an audiophile. He played music (that's how we met) and I enjoyed the experience. He reproduced antique instruments -- that was not my thing but I was fascinated with the results and even served as a second pair of hands helping him with a Viola-DeGamba. He was a Korean war veteran that flew dive bombers off a carrier deck. I was an Air Force veteran although my claim to fame was fighting the battle of the beer keg in Merced, California. His wife Vicky did some serious Greek cooking (they were both Greek) and his daughter was an artist in many mediums and actually did an oil for me for my home and George and I fabricated the frame. They're all gone. His daughter Joan died when a mere 42 years of age from a brain aneurysm that took her out like gun shot.

He was a cherished friend and I still think about him.

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 Post subject: Re: Introduction
PostPosted: April 28th, 2018, 10:29 am 
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Joined: July 8th, 2016, 4:34 pm
Posts: 570
Here is another local, Arthur Harrison, that would be of interest for making instruments -

http://www.theremin.us/

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ov83g35B-K0


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