Turtlerock Forum

Things have been a bit quiet lately so I started this thread to let y'all show off your historically significant pieces of Oz gear.

I don't have such fancy stuff as you folk, but here are a couple to get the thread rolling (and use up Rick's picture tally for the forum):

Broadcast amp ex-Radio Launceston (decomissioned when they went digital):


Allison GainBrains / Kepex gates ex-Trafalgar Studios (apparently used on Cold Chisel and Midnight Oil's first albums):

can somebody else post something so i can post my abbey road tape machine ...?

Ok, so how do you want to define "historically significant".
Came from a famous studio? Used by a famous artist?
Design breakthrough? Iconic era defining gear?
All of the above and more?
Cheers,
Paul

Ok, Rick..here you go....I'll show you one of mine if you show me one of yours......


1935 saw the introduction of what is often considered the first solidbody electric guitar (though it was not completely solid) called the Bakelite Spanish Guitar. Bakelite is an early form of plastic. It was developed by the Electro String Company, now known as Rickenbacker.
Two other interesting facts: it had a detachable Spanish guitar neck and a follow-up instrument, the Vibrola Spanish Guitar, featuring a motorized vibrato tailpiece, was invented by an Electro String employee named Doc Kauffman, who would later become Leo Fender's first partner.

....as heard on quite a few obscure recordings around the traps
Mine is badged as a Premiervox:
Mid 1930's PremierVox Electro (Model B) Spanish Neck. The rare 'export' model of the Rickenbacher Electro Model B Spanish, available prior to the war in England and her colonies. Assembled in England from Rickenbacher supplied bakelite body, neck and chromed body parts.

Hi Chris, I think that qualifies under any definition!

Paul Maybury wrote:Hi Chris, I think that qualifies under any definition!

......forgot to mention, the person I bought it from told me it belonged to a member of Slim Dusty's band early in his career. I would love to hear from someone who could verify this info from old stage pics of Slim in action or someone familiar with the band way back then. I saw them in concert in Narracorte in the mid 60's....or maybe it was Mount Gambier, that My parents took me to the first live show I ever saw, but I dont remember this sort of detail! I found out years later thad Dad played Hawian guitar and my Mum sang with her sisters at the little country hall dances around the Western Districts of Victoria and the South East of South Oz in the years after WW2. ( ok I'm a Baby Boomer)

Ok well ex abbey road btr 2 ( ex emi homebush )
Personally vetted to me by richard lush and geoff
Emerick as one of "the ones"

When i said abbey road dont think its theirs
They both said on different days
Well how the f@#$ would they know
I was there none of them were ..!!

Let It Be.
Rick you just hit the home run!

That's one of the ones I was waiting for

.........I suppose Norm could post a few pics if he wished...?

Nice one Rick. Do you use it?
Those BTR have always fascinated me. Not much about them on the webatron.
Cheers,
Paul

Pultec MEQ 5 - owned by R O'Neil..... ;-)

Chris H wrote:1935 saw the introduction of what is often considered the first solidbody electric guitar (though it was not completely solid) called the Bakelite Spanish Guitar. Bakelite is an early form of plastic. It was developed by the Electro String Company, now known as Rickenbacker.

It's a widely held opinion that Electro String/Rickenbacker developed the first electric guitar...........among other "electric" instruments. The history of the company, including the pre-Rick years makes for some interesting reading and throws some interesting doubts on the history/beliefs regarding the start of the big "F".

Re significant gear...........I've still got my budget model mid/late '50s Maton archtop and my '69 CW80/12 #257.........traded a Fi-Sonic amp to buy that one new

The btr doesnt get used in any other way cept a look what ive got
Piece , the heads are shot , its mono its 1/4 " its old and everything inside smells like
Leaking tar and stuff that was banned from use before the end of the cold war

There were a bunch of them of various generations going to the tip
I grabbed the homebush/ abbey road one .. some others btr 3/4 went to the tip
And a collector in adelaide grabbed the remainder emi wrecks

Emi made these things for emi studios
But i believe both the ABC and channel nine had some btrs mostly
Newer ones there are some down south in victoria rusting away from channel 9

Btr stands for british tape recorder .

I also have the festival records ampex 351

Which is kind of like the two opposing studios machines of the day stuck a couple of
Feet apart in my foyer like war veterans at pearl harbour

Occasionally studio 301 run an stupid add that somehow makes a tenious link to being 7o years
Old because emi australia had a studio in homebush

I always chuckle that the tape machine they show in the homebush studio that they never
Had anything to do with EVER is in my foyer
Still... tom is a billionare and has helicopters and shit .

I just have a worn out green heavy relic of days gone by .
Id probably prefer a helicopter .

To keep the ball rolling - I have 5 of these baffles ex-Paradise studios - purchased them from Billy:







Since then I've stained the timber / added some more acoustic treatment to the dead side so they look much nicer - they're 7' tall and form a nice "soundproof" wall when butted up against the ceiling support beam

Here is a pic of the BTR in Victoria.

We've got a few interesting items:

EMT140 Plate and a number of baffles/vocal booth etc - ex: Metropolis Studios
Neumann U87 - ex: Mayfair Studios UK (John Hudson tells us Tina Turner recorded vocals for Private Dancer on it)
Chord SPA1032 and SPA1232 Amplifiers from Mayfair Studios UK
And a few Guitar Amps etc that have belonged to "famous" bands or people.

Cheers

OzDrum wrote:We've got a few interesting items:

EMT140 Plate and a number of baffles/vocal booth etc - ex: Metropolis Studios
Neumann U87 - ex: Mayfair Studios UK (John Hudson tells us Tina Turner recorded vocals for Private Dancer on it)
Chord SPA1032 and SPA1232 Amplifiers from Mayfair Studios UK
And a few Guitar Amps etc that have belonged to "famous" bands or people.

Cheers

….and not to forget this from TCS Studios, it did loads of Billy Thorpe, Skyhooks releases.

I've got Ricks old triplet set of Star Wars Quad Eights. Not sure how historically significant they are except they did win a grammy for recording "The Empire Strikes Back" on this console.



Oh, and they still sound great.

I recently acquired this guy when I made a client an offer even I didn't understand.



I'd played it in the studio a couple of times, but it wasn't until I borrowed it for a project that I fell in love with it, and decided it wasn't going back!

The guitar is a 1966 Guild Starfire V, and it originally belonged to a guy named Steve Mann, who was an LA session player of some note. You won't find much info on the web about him though… shortly after buying this guitar he went kinda nuts (he played with Frank Zappa briefly but apparently was doing a lot of LSD and couldn't keep up! He does get a mention on the cover of "Freak Out!" though).

He also played with Dr John, Janis Joplin, and Van Dyke Parks, amongst others. The bit of his bio that I like best though - and which pertains directly to this guitar - is that he played the 12-string part on Sonny & Cher's "I Got You Babe", and with the money from that session he supposedly bought the Guild and some other guitars.

Sadly though he spent most of the rest of his life until his death in 2009 recovering from mental illness. Of course there's a lot more to Steve's story, especially during those missing years, in which he obviously played this guitar a lot. My client/friend actually bought two identical 1966 Starfires, but kept this one because of the mojo. It is an incredible player - there's no paint left on the back, and the neck is worn like water over a rock - it's as if it's been 40 years in the wearing in, and is just ready now. I like to think that somehow his pain, and his genius (and he was regarded by many of his peers as one of the greatest guitarists of his time) are worn into the guitar.

But provenance aside, it is the nicest guitar I've ever played. It feels, looks and sounds amazing, and it's story is just the icing on the cake.

Hey Wez what's that extra knob under the pick guard for???

I've always loved the Guild headstock... classy.

Make sure you treat it right... that's code for play it lots.

Have fun.

I've got a Quad Eight console from the ABC Sydney. It was used to record & mix all the station ID's for Double Jay with Marsha Hines & Doug Parkinson. Was used for many Double Jay live sessions & saw just about every local band in Sydney. Was reputedly Ricky Mays fav desk.

Hookemeister wrote:Hey Wez what's that extra knob under the pick guard for???

Hey Greg... it's a master volume control. The 'V' was the deluxe model, it had all the extras... and yep, they are a classy looking unit, as were pretty much all of the old Guild's I reckon.

And thanks, I'll make sure it gets plenty of play... it deserves a better guitarist than me, but it makes me want to be a better player.

While i am getting over the best neve the country has
ever had not being viable in my world any longer
And looking at the the amazing transformation of linear ( right next door to turtlerock so its a win win )
On the other thread

I just thought i would add the most signicant neve to this
Thread .. Here is the first neve .. All tube hand made by rupert
Himself in his garden shed
This neve is no longer with me either
Neither is alex my cat

Cheers Rick - gracious and pragmatic as always.

Rick's the reason the console remained here in Sydney, rather than being shipped off to the US so we all can thank him for that (even though I had exactly 6 hours to make a decision ;-)

As for the thread - I have a Focusrite ISA 215 from Rhinoceros - so probably did BV's or Toms on most INXS albums recorded there. I would like to think vocals but I doubt it...

Chris

Neves and Cold Chisel are all very well, but I have two Optro 203 eq's that came from Hadley Studios in Tamworth. Famous for "The Redback on the Toilet Seat" by Slim Newton.
Cheers!
Paul

Stop everything!
My C2 was across this mix before I bought it - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZzQ3eBerHfM
In fact most of the songs from that deeply historically significant film.

Maverick out

I think we have a winner.
Congratulations Ben!

Paul Maybury wrote:I think we have a winner.
Congratulations Ben!

Tower, this is Ghost rider requesting a flyby.

negative, the pattern is full...