Grateful Dead array circa 1974
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Category: General
Forum Name: Show Off Your Sound System
Forum Description: Show of your gear. Post pictures of your Sound System here...
URL: https://forum.speakerplans.com/forum_posts.asp?TID=65540
Printed Date: 27 March 2026 at 8:25am
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Topic: Grateful Dead array circa 1974
Posted By: mikeb
Subject: Grateful Dead array circa 1974
Date Posted: 02 April 2012 at 9:34pm
Pairs of mics- sing into one, subtract the sound the other one picks up from the speakers to get clean vocals. Mixer on stage with big knobs for the band to operate- no sound engineer or mixing desk out front. |
Replies:
Posted By: MarjanM
Date Posted: 02 April 2012 at 9:36pm
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Yeah we know it as a combfiltering wall :-) ------------- Marjan Milosevic MM-Acoustics www.mm-acoustics.com https://www.facebook.com/pages/MM-Acoustics/608901282527713 |
Posted By: markie
Date Posted: 02 April 2012 at 10:02pm
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Does anyone remember a bose advertisement that used this pic. I seem to remember they claimed 16 pairs of 802s would be as loud????????
------------- If it's got wheels or tits it's gonna cost a fortune |
Posted By: technarchy4theuk
Date Posted: 02 April 2012 at 10:07pm
| I'm pretty sure this was the gig that got Bob McCarthy into live sound.. |
Posted By: djeddie
Date Posted: 02 April 2012 at 10:23pm
Vaguely. But also from the depths of my mind I remember the Dead's Wall Of Sound was powered by over 25Kw of amps. That would melt 16 pairs of 802's! ------------- Chas n Dave : it's like Drum and Bass but with beards. E=mc² ±3dB |
markie wrote:Posted By: jazomir
Date Posted: 02 April 2012 at 11:57pm
I think the ad was for the original Bose 800 speakers which were even less efficient than the follow-ups - and no subs! There used to be an advert showing a stack of six or so mounted on some sort of Genie tower stating they were louder than an equivalent number of horn loaded PA cabs and could fill any sized hall. Oh, really? I remember back in the good old days, when the mighty Bose 1800 (?) amp (designed to power the 800) was tested in Studio Sound, it couldn't even reproduce a radio broadcast at moderate levels without tripping (it was the seventies after all). Ad here for someone wanting to get rid of a pair of 800s here a few weeks ago, if anyone is interested  : http://forum.speakerplans.com/bose-800sale-or-swaps_topic64737.html" rel="nofollow - http://forum.speakerplans.com/bose-800sale-or-swaps_topic64737.html
And a manual for the 1800/1801 amp to see what you're all missing  : http://electronics-diy.com/pdf/Bose_1801_Power_Amplifier.pdf" rel="nofollow - http://electronics-diy.com/pdf/Bose_1801_Power_Amplifier.pdf
Also, a post from last year from a DJ 'who is sick of Bose bashing' and has converted to the Bose L1 system -bet this would be great fun at a house party!  http://www.radiohannibal.com/av_adviser/2011/07/tired-of-the-bose-bashing.html" rel="nofollow - http://www.radiohannibal.com/av_adviser/2011/07/tired-of-the-bose-bashing.html
------------- For sidefills, can we have two enormous things of a type that might be venerated as Gods by the inhabitants of Easter Island, capable of reaching volumes that would make Beelzebub soil his pants. |
Posted By: mikeb
Date Posted: 03 April 2012 at 8:01am
| I remember reading they used Crown amps- Bruel and Kjaer mics. Some of the guys who put it together must still be around. I can't find any video of it on youtube, which is a shame. Odd cabs from the rig come up on ebay us. |
Posted By: jazomir
Date Posted: 03 April 2012 at 9:02am
Dead Wall of Sound Specs
Here is the main photo page for the Dead's Wall Of Sound: http://www.rpechner.com/gallery/2383161#!i=125637035&k=yb958" rel="nofollow - http://www.rpechner.com/gallery/2383161#!i=125637035&k=yb958
Another nice photo of the system: http://www.photog.com/gdead/70s/Dillon/wallofsound.html" rel="nofollow - http://www.photog.com/gdead/70s/Dillon/wallofsound.html
Some of the Pechner photos are available on one of my photobucket albums: http://s159.photobucket.com/albums/t144/Jazomir/Speakers/#!cpZZ1QQtppZZ16" rel="nofollow - http://s159.photobucket.com/albums/t144/Jazomir/Speakers/#!cpZZ1QQtppZZ16
And another useful WOS site: http://obie1.homesite.net/deadcd/wall_of_sound.htm" rel="nofollow - http://obie1.homesite.net/deadcd/wall_of_sound.htm ------------- For sidefills, can we have two enormous things of a type that might be venerated as Gods by the inhabitants of Easter Island, capable of reaching volumes that would make Beelzebub soil his pants. |
Posted By: AJordan
Date Posted: 03 April 2012 at 10:36am
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Are there any reports of what it actually sounded like? It looks like a nightmare to play in front of. No sound engineer? Band mixing from the stage?? |
Posted By: burningbush
Date Posted: 03 April 2012 at 10:50am
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The central hang is a work of art, surely? Love the quote from the Bose lovin' DJ: "Are their products the best performing? No." that's all I need to know  .------------- music is the message |
Posted By: jbl_man
Date Posted: 03 April 2012 at 10:55am
They look like Phase Linear's to me. http://www.rpechner.com/gallery/2383161#%21i=499379987&k=YM9y3&lb=1&s=A" rel="nofollow - http://www.rpechner.com/gallery/2383161#!i=499379987&k=YM9y3&lb=1&s=A ------------- Be seeing you. |
Posted By: TONY.A.S.S.
Date Posted: 03 April 2012 at 11:05am
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Line array all those years ago. ------------- http://www.facebook.com/tony.rossell.3" rel="nofollow - http://www.facebook.com/tony.rossell.3 |
Posted By: hwntw
Date Posted: 03 April 2012 at 1:42pm
Wow, a bit different to Creedence Clearwater Revival playing the Albert Hall in the 70s with a couple of Fender twins
|
Posted By: Earplug
Date Posted: 03 April 2012 at 2:32pm
  ------------- Earplugs Are For Wimps! |
Posted By: taurusty
Date Posted: 03 April 2012 at 6:02pm
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Posted By: bass traffic
Date Posted: 06 April 2012 at 11:34pm
My parents were at Creedence's last ever gig at the Albert Hall, any idea what year it was? ------------- Always think bigger because your dreams might be the only thing holding you back. |
Posted By: B.P.Sound
Date Posted: 07 April 2012 at 8:39am
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I am sure there is a picture of ELVIS with my mun in front of the wall of sound. I will ask he when I see her next....... if she remembers.............That is.......... ------------- http://www.londoneventrentals.co.uk/ https://www.facebook.com/LondonEventRentals |
Posted By: madboffin
Date Posted: 24 April 2012 at 1:27pm
This was a "split" system, with a separate array for each instrument. Or to look at it another way, a giant backline. So comb filtering in the horizontal dimension wouldn't have been a problem. Which is more than can be said for the "one box" systems of the 1980's... |
Posted By: phildat
Date Posted: 24 April 2012 at 2:20pm
plus according to an engineer that used it at the time as seen on the Grateful dead movie, they did lots of interesting stuff like had a different speaker for different strings/frets on Jerry's guitar. i.e, top E string frets 3 would play from top left of stack, fret 5 from bottom right and fret 6 from the middle etc etc...same thing with other instruments in the band.... ------------- Its just a ride. |
Posted By: AJordan
Date Posted: 24 April 2012 at 10:12pm
I'd like to know how they achieved that  |
Posted By: Adam_Iron_Horse
Date Posted: 25 April 2012 at 11:11am
| Guitars with a pick up for each string and seperate jack outs for each string? |
Posted By: AJordan
Date Posted: 25 April 2012 at 4:05pm
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And each fret?
|
Posted By: Adam_Iron_Horse
Date Posted: 25 April 2012 at 8:43pm
| didnt see the bit about frets... maybe like a crossover device for eahc strings frequency? I dunno :P |
Posted By: phildat
Date Posted: 26 April 2012 at 7:40pm
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will try and find the clip to upload it...its de3finately on the movie though...could be an over enthusiastic dead head engineer being interviewed, dunno?
------------- Its just a ride. |
Posted By: noiseboy
Date Posted: 26 April 2012 at 9:24pm
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Hmm with backline like that, more like The Grateful Deaf! ------------- www.ctaudiovisual.co.uk www.cornucopiafestival.co.uk |
Posted By: mykey-
Date Posted: 27 April 2012 at 12:56pm
 ------------- BbbBBRAAAAPppBBBBbgushhhhhhhhssshhhhhGrAbRAAAAAAPPPPPp = Dubstep |
Posted By: mykey-
Date Posted: 27 April 2012 at 1:12pm
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Owsley_Stanley ------------- BbbBBRAAAAPppBBBBbgushhhhhhhhssshhhhhGrAbRAAAAAAPPPPPp = Dubstep |
Posted By: phildat
Date Posted: 27 April 2012 at 3:39pm
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The Punk Dub festie band AOS3 are named after him too... ------------- Its just a ride. |