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EX MoS Rig Restoration Project

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jbl_man View Drop Down
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote jbl_man Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 05 January 2013 at 2:13pm
Originally posted by Irie Lion Irie Lion wrote:



I don't think I will sell the Martin tops after replacing them with the horns (I only have 2 Martin tops loaded anyway) as Even after restoring the stacks back to look same as '92 it would be good to also be able to offer the rig in its 1997-2009 incarnation too. As this is a historical project I want to make it as complete as possible.




Completely agree with that...with something of almost historic importance as this system try to keep it as authenitic as possible,dont let anyone tell you that "this lightweight amp will be better" or "this driver is better"...even if the original spec drivers have now been improved on,its important to keep it genuine.

You are lucky in that most of the components are still available,something which i wasnt able to do restoring Froggy's system,due to the demise of Gauss,and the long gone RCF L12p24's etc etc.
Be seeing you.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Timebomb Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 05 January 2013 at 2:30pm
Inspiring stuff! 

How are you stripping the cabs back?  Belt sander?  Grinder and a flap disc?  Might be worth taking the other ones to a furniture stripper and dunking them in a big tank?  Just an idea like, it looks like an awful lot of work but i can see why your doing it!
James Secker          facebook.com/soundgearuk
James@soundgear.co.uk               www.soundgear.co.uk
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Laurin Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 05 January 2013 at 2:32pm
AWESOME! Clap 

My heart starts beating faster as I was reading through the tread.
I dont know where to start, ok I am the biggest RLA gearhead in Germany. Embarrassed


I bought two EAW Berthas from the UK a few years back and a RLA Emerald from the states.
Richard did two clubs here in Germany, the Dorian Gray (Frankfurt) and the Trinity (Hamburg).
The system from the Trinity has someone in his shed and he did not want to sell it but maybe one day...

I have build my own versions of the Bertha and the Waldorf and would love to hear your stacks. 

btw
I had a very nice contact to Gary Stewart.
Very helpful and a nice guy to talk to.  

Are you on facebook?
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Irie Lion Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 05 January 2013 at 2:37pm
Originally posted by jbl_man jbl_man wrote:

Originally posted by Irie Lion Irie Lion wrote:



I don't think I will sell the Martin tops after replacing them with the horns (I only have 2 Martin tops loaded anyway) as Even after restoring the stacks back to look same as '92 it would be good to also be able to offer the rig in its 1997-2009 incarnation too. As this is a historical project I want to make it as complete as possible.




Completely agree with that...with something of almost historic importance as this system try to keep it as authenitic as possible,dont let anyone tell you that "this lightweight amp will be better" or "this driver is better"...even if the original spec drivers have now been improved on,its important to keep it genuine.

You are lucky in that most of the components are still available,something which i wasnt able to do restoring Froggy's system,due to the demise of Gauss,and the long gone RCF L12p24's etc etc.


Oh don't worry there, I want to keep it as genuine as possible. The drivers were changed many many times during its 17/18 years in the club, so there's no point trying to put the original drivers in there. I'm just sticking with the same drivers that were in there at the end, with the exception of changing the tops.
I absolutely love Crest P series amps, I have used them for years on my little sound and I just can't fault them. I'm not a convert to switchblade amps. I'd rather wheel my 180kg amp racks around than have the same power in a 2U unit that weighs as much as a chocolate bar. So I fully intend to keep the amplification the same, if i loose an amp I'll source another one to replace it.
Digi amps (same as linearray speakers) can put out massive power from small things, but I don't like the sound. Volume but not depth in my (probably contenscious) opinion.
The processing will be different, but I will keep the visual look of the system the same always (new horns on top excepted.)
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Laurin Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 05 January 2013 at 2:40pm
What did you use for the Levans?

In my EAW Berthas where RCF L18P200N and in the RLA Emerald was a Eminence OEM driver without any markings. 
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Irie Lion Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 05 January 2013 at 2:54pm
Originally posted by Timebomb Timebomb wrote:

Inspiring stuff! 

How are you stripping the cabs back?  Belt sander?  Grinder and a flap disc?  Might be worth taking the other ones to a furniture stripper and dunking them in a big tank?  Just an idea like, it looks like an awful lot of work but i can see why your doing it!


Ah now stripping the paint was a learning curve indeed. Tried the trade version of nitromors (chemical paint stripper) first. bear in mind that the paint at thickest at the bottom where it had run was about half an inch thick, it just took ages, and when you got down to the original paint it just laughed at the chemical stripper, so we ditched that idea.
Belt sanders were next, this also took forever, and by the time we'd melted the fourth belt sander (we would just run them for hours on end) we ditched that one too.

Next I bought electric heat guns, worked ok, still took ages. I melted two heat guns before seeing this was going the same way as the belt sander idea.

Considered getting the cabs dipped at a furniture restorers, looked into it and found out you can't dip ply only solid wood, as it does something to the formaldehyde that bonds the layers of ply together.

Looked into getting them sand blasted, the blaster was 30 miles from my workshop, didn't go that route due to cost, logistics, and had a reservation that sand blasting the cabs might damage them a bit.

Next we moved on to blow torches and scrapers (gave up on electric tools, they just didn't like being run all day) As long as you're dilligent with the flame this worked the best out of all the methods I tried. So We stuck with that, blowtorching most of the paint off, then belt sanding the last bit.

Oh yes it is very time consuming. To strip a complete Levan (the bertha and horn) took one person 8 days! (getting about 6 hours work done a day)  When I was only getting one day a week at it on my own that 8 days translated to 2 months just to strip one cab, and that's before repairing/filling and painting it.

The work required has been phenominal, but that's why I've been given this project, I'm one stubborn character who just has to see anything I start through to the end.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Irie Lion Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 05 January 2013 at 2:56pm
Originally posted by Laurin Laurin wrote:

What did you use for the Levans?

In my EAW Berthas where RCF L18P200N and in the RLA Emerald was a Eminence OEM driver without any markings. 


read back on the thread when it started on the show off your sound sytem part 2 thread, all explained there.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Earplug Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 05 January 2013 at 3:07pm
Labour of love. Fantastic.

When you´ve done the lot, you really need to find a big festival to fire them up. That should be some party.

Smile  Clap  Smile


Earplugs Are For Wimps!
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote jbl_man Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 05 January 2013 at 3:07pm
By the way Irie,there was a RLA 4-way crossover on ebay US a few weeks back,im guessing this would have been the original one for your system? I will keep my eye out if another comes along for you.

Be seeing you.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Tedski Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 05 January 2013 at 3:15pm
Wow man, amazing rig and hats off for restoring her.

I was just going to ask what kind of crossovers you are going to use, the RLA ones I guess?
Or maybe the nice BSS FDS analogue ones?

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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Irie Lion Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 05 January 2013 at 3:25pm
Originally posted by jbl_man jbl_man wrote:

By the way Irie,there was a RLA 4-way crossover on ebay US a few weeks back,im guessing this would have been the original one for your system? I will keep my eye out if another comes along for you.


Yes! that was the same as the original xover (well this rig had the GSA version when it was first installed) they are sought after bits of kit. I know a guy in Belgium who has the original RLA xover from studio 54!  I am only just managing to find the money to actually restore the cabs, buy missing amps, and build all the cabling and distro etc etc, so I havn't let my mind wander into the realms of trying to get kit like the original xover. I bet as soon as i finish the resto work my mind will quickly move onto adding kit like this. If you do spy one going please do let me know, it would be great for authenticity. Although the Richard Long designed xover was actually controlled by the DJ, not the engineer, and these days there's not that many DJs I'd trust to use it properly!

I enquired round the club to see if the original xover was lurking in a cupboard, but alas that vanished years ago, who knows where that went?


Edited by Irie Lion - 05 January 2013 at 3:29pm
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote b grade Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 05 January 2013 at 3:38pm
Oh dear god, I would not let a DJ touch my pa settings.  That happened once, and the DJ blew my subs by fixing the channel 2 level, which was turned all the way down because it was in bridge.

burning plastic smell...

no more bass....

Frantic attempts to resuscitate...

said DJ coming over and asking why the bass turned off, and if both channels should be turned up....

listen to all of the other djs complain about my sh**ty sound for the rest of the night...

recone.


Edited by b grade - 05 January 2013 at 3:38pm
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