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Ziggy Stardust 1973

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Robbo View Drop Down
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Robbo Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 15 May 2015 at 8:29pm
We had a load of it in the shop at one time Chris--It used to belong to Pete Winkelman(now owner of Milton Keynes Dons) and was used with a band that he used to manage.
The design was a total joke as they kept the same footprint for bass, mid and horn cabinets and if I remember right it was about 4ft wide by 2ft 6" deep and it was only the height of each cabinet that used to vary.
Bass bins were 15" flared with bottom port and about 2 ft 6" high--mids were 10" flared same as bass bins but only about 1ft high and the HF horn cabinets were about the same size as the mids with a 1" horn driver and a couple of tweeters.
Bass bins were loaded with JBL K130--very strange choice for a large bass cabinet---mids were JBL 10" guitar speakers and I think that the HF cabinets were all EV loaded.
The aluminium wrap around protection trim was an absolute nightmare as it used to get snagged up with lots of rough and sharp edges and would rip any roadies hands to bits the first time it was unloaded.
The only good thing that I can say about it was that it looked really great when lots of the boxes were stacked up as due to the common footprint of all cabinets it did look very impressive---lets just say that the sound that used to come out of it left a lot to be desired---Cheers--John.
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Nachural View Drop Down
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Nachural Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 15 May 2015 at 10:10pm
Thanks John, interesting to hear about it. Brilliant info as usual!
I agree, the K130 was an unusual choice (I believe the TFA Eletrosound also used them) but I wonder why the K140 wasn't used.  Certainly readily available at the time and better suited to the application I suspect.
It's been a long time since you sold me my first four K140's loaded into 4560's! Smile
it's all just cardboard and magnets really
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Robbo View Drop Down
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Robbo Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 15 May 2015 at 11:10pm
Yes Chris--K140s have always been a little favourite driver of mine as we used them in lots of different cabinets from Martin bins to wedge monitors and they have always performed.
In the late seventies we put a number 2 rig together to avoid tying up our main concert touring rig on university and club gigs and it had to fit inside a LWB 407D Mercedes panel van--rig comprised of eight K140 loaded 4560s, four ATC flared 12" horn loaded mids and six JBL 1" and 2" HF horns--obviously we used to stack the 4560s two high by two wide each side with the rest of the stuff on top--all driven by Yamaha P series amps.
The first tour came in and it was with Aswad with the first gig at Lanchester Poly in Coventry(big room)--We got there early as it was the first time we had used the rig and I had a play with it for a couple of hours fine tuning things and it even surprised me how nice and sweet and punchy it sounded---band turned up late afternoon along with the legendary Mikey Dread who they had employed to do their FOH sound for the whole tour and I must admit that Mikey pulled his face a bit when he walked in and saw the system and complained about the lack of bass bins.
Now I had worked with Mikey a few times previously using our big concert touring system and he always had a smile on his face when stood behind our FOH desk so he gave me the benefit of the doubt when I said to him to have a play about with the rig before dismissing it as I had been pleasantly surprised when I had first heard it.
After about five minutes he had got a smile on his face and agreed with me and soundchecked the band.
On the night time, I did the FOH sound for the support band and the PA did sound really good even though I held it back a little volume wise--Aswad went on stage and tore the place apart with a big full sound that certainly was not lacking in the bass dept and Mikey shook my hand at the end of the night saying that he was perfectly happy to use the rig for the 20 or so gigs that were on the tour---Now that room at Coventry held about 1200 people and the four 4560s a side with the coupling effect gave everything that was needed from it without it even being pushed in the volume stakes--never write off the old 4560 design with a nice driver inside as it can still do some damage even in todays era when used in multiples--Cheers--John.
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Nachural View Drop Down
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Nachural Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 16 May 2015 at 12:11am
I have to agree. We had two 4560's in the warehouse a couple of years loaded with Celestion powercells. They had literally been thrown out by a customer due to their size.
Running them up just for nostalgic reasons - more than anything else - I was pleasantly surprised by their performance. - All from an old but solid 250w driver!
it's all just cardboard and magnets really
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Robbo View Drop Down
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Robbo Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 16 May 2015 at 8:04am
Maybe a couple of cabinets that we sold Chris---We used to offer a cheaper version of the 4560 that was loaded with 250w Powercells and we probably sold in excess of a couple of hundred of them over the years so their will still be a few knocking about the midlands area--Powercell was not a bad driver actually but nowhere near the JBLs or Gauss drivers for real bottom end in the 4560 design.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote 4D Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 16 May 2015 at 10:24am
Nice thread boys..
DMZ. "The bass was intense. Girls were literally running up to stand next to the subs"
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Robbo View Drop Down
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Robbo Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 16 May 2015 at 10:47am
Yeah it is nice to reminisce occasionally about the good old days in the music and live sound industries especially with old customers and contacts from some forty years ago---In those days, I was involved in everything to do with live show production and also two big retail outlets and TV work as well so consequently built a massive contact portfolio.
In the seventies and eighties it was a pleasure to work in this business with large sums of money changing hands and a very laid back approach and friendly attitude from everyone that was involved and we rapidly built up a reputation as the company to go to outside of the London area.
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