For all you old farts (born before 1967)

[eyeslikefire]

1965.......
Come on tell us what gear were you weaned on?
Mine..
Arp Oddessy, Yamaha 4 track (1983), An original LINN drum.Carvin DC-200 Koa (still have it) Rockman.

Inspired by the "how do you know so much post"

[overseas]

Yamaha gear: MR10 drum machine (1982; gave away), MH10 headphone amp (1982; still have), MM10 mixer (1982; still have), and CS01 mini synth (1983; sold)
Fostex X-15 4-track (1985; gave away)
Yamaha R??? drum machine (1986; gave away)
Roland JX3P (1986; sold)
Gibson "The Paul" (1979; sold = biggest mistake I ever made!)
Fender F-5512 12-string acoustic (1979; still have)
ROCKMAN headphone amp (1985; still have)

I was born in 1960.

BTW, the "gave away" items all went to my older brother, who still has them... so don't think for one minute I'm more charitable than I really am!

Bruce

[Track Rat]

Born in 57. Started recording on a Sony reel to reel. You could do two track recording, one track at a time (first the rhythm, then the lead). Then the almighty Teac 3340 with a Tapco mixer (Mackies made before Christ). Four tracks. I felt like a god.

[alba359]

Kalamazo or Kustom bass amp, Ryder Sound colums, Farfisa compact organ, Ampeg fretless bass, Vox ( looked like a toilet seat) or Gibson SG guitar, Kustom pleat and roll guitar amp and Kustom PA head w/ 1/4" inputs, Premier drums Mikes I think were Unisphere or Unidyne. For recording I think it was a GE mono recorder, 7" reels, Scotch or Olesen tape, Cheap recording mike. This was late 60's early 70's. I heard the tapes acouple of years ago and they sounded good! Everything was clear and well balanced. I don't know how they came out so good as we were completly ignorant about recording. Sometimes ignorance is bliss.

[Son of Mixerman]

Though I was born in the early 60's I left recording to the pro's when I was a drummer up until I started guitar playing. I met a guy who owned a studio who heard me play live. I walked into the studio and was hooked. I started as an intern doing drums setups, tuning, mic'ing and worked up to only mixing a few tunes before he went bankrupt (divorce with evil woman) So I started on Fostex E-16, G-16's and Ramsa WR-T820 type consoles. A tiny bit on an API legacy with Otari 2" 24trk. Then back to 4 track portastudios for writing for several bands I migrated through. Now I have a Md8 8 trk for writing. I plan of upgrading..someday I will be able to afford to.

SoMm

[Wil Davis]

My first tape-recorder was a Roebuck 4-track, mono - I don't have any pics, but here's my second tape-recorder. It is a Vortexion it is half-track, mono, and uses a Ferrograph deck/transport. I still have it in storage back in the UK. I bought it used in the late 1960s.


"Of course, we didn't have electricity back then, but were were happy just to sit in our hole in t' ground, an' pretend we were George Martin..."

"Hole in t' ground! We used to dream of livin' in a hole in t' ground! We used to live in a bloody cardboard box, in the middle of t' bloody road!!!..."

[eyeslikefire]

Originally posted by Wil Davis
My first tape-recorder was a Roebuck 4-track, mono - I don't have any pics, but here's my second tape-recorder. It is a Vortexion, it is half-track, mono, and uses a Ferrograph deck/transport. I still have it in storage back in the UK. I bought it used in the late 1960s.



"Of course, we didn't have electricity back then, but were were happy just to sit in our hole in t' ground, an' pretend we were George Martin..."

"Hole in t' ground! We used to dream of livin' in a hole in t' ground! We used to live in a bloody cardboard box, in the middle of t' bloody road!!!..."

LOL! Cool pict Wil.

[alba359]

I to am a drummer. Born nineteen hundred fifty four. My first set was a Norma. Before electricity we used kerosene to power our amps. Before kerosene was invented we were acoustic. I played snare, bass drum (before pedals I used to kick the drum with my foot, hence the term kick drum). We had a guy who played whistle. He only had 3 whistles so we played all of our songs with 3 notes until he broke the pea in the bass whistle then we had to play songs with only 2 notes.

[eyeslikefire]

Damn! I should've named the post "for all you old farts (between 1960 & 1967)

Seriously though...
There was electricity in 1954 right?

[Sennheiser]

Ross 4-track

Roland JX-3P

Ibanez analog delay

Alesis reverb (the first unit made. 8-bit shelf unit and noisy as hell)

Roland TR-505

Yamaha reverb/delay box (model unknown)

DBX 163 compressor

Sennheiser MD 441U


I still use those brands, but thank God most of the stuff has improved.

[alba359]

Originally posted by eyeslikefire
Damn! I should've named the post "for all you old farts (between 1960 & 1967)

Seriously though...
There was electricity in 1954 right?

Not in some parts of Louisiana. I'm having a hard time using this Computer machine. It's like one of them 5 string bass guitars. You only use four fingers dammit! Sorry for rambling this is my last word on this contraption!

[eyeslikefire]

Man I was just thinking.... Remember the Synclavier, Fairlight
The first DAWS! Man how times change!!!

[dachay2tnr]

Not in some parts of Louisiana.

50 years later they still don't have electricity in some parts of Louisiana.

[Sennheiser]

How about the OBX-A and DMX drum machines?

[Blue Bear Sound]

born '65........

Sound-on-sound using 2 akai tape decks (top-loading!) with then-new Dolby B!

Used the mics that came with the decks!

Sears SG-copy guitar - unplayable (but I didn't know that back then.......)

Eventually "upgraded" to a cassette-based 4-tracker.......... I couldn't afford the Rockman, so I'd bought the Nobels Rockman-rip-off!
Looking back now - yikes........!

[Richard Monroe]

Revox 4-track open reel, Jensen triaxials, Macintosh power amps, Fender Twin reverb, Gibson SJ, Les Paul Junior, Kustom 200, Shure SM57, and a Fender Rhodes- Those were the days my friends.-Richie

[eyeslikefire]

Shit! Macintosh power amps! those were supposed to be all hand made right?

[Badger]

Originally posted by eyeslikefire
Man I was just thinking.... Remember the Synclavier, Fairlight
The first DAWS! Man how times change!!!

I actually saw a synclavier in a pawn shop a few years back...

[Badger]

Born in 1965, almost 1964...
Started out playing violin, bought a micro mooq synth when I was 17 and learned to play keys...mind you, I had a stienway in my living room the whole time I was growing up, but never touched it.

Ran the mooq, and my electric violin through a Voice of Music real2real that had sort of a built in PA(i used it mainly as an amp), and I believe it had a tube amp...I seem to remember it having to warm up. My dad still has it.

then I got a Mongomery wards tube amp of some sort, it was a big ugly head that weighed a ton, and I ran it through two radio shack 15 inch musical instrument speakers in homemade cabinets. later, I went polyphonic and got a vox jaguar, then a siel DK-70 with the add on neck and strap, and a dw6000. then I picked a juno 60, , traded the siel for a drum set when my drummer in my band got his stolen, and sold the juno and got a prophet T8. I traded the DW6000 for a helpinstill stage piano, and picked a rhodes and a clavinet, and a DX7 which I traded for a mirage sampler, and there were a few others in there....it kinda gets hazy after all the years. I would up with an ampeg powered mixer that had a tank reverb, and a couple of aims vocal columns...I think I better go lie down.....

[SPINSTERWUN]

I was born in 1968. So, I guess this thread doesn't applt to me.

[eyeslikefire]

Originally posted by SPINSTERWUN
I was born in 1968. So, I guess this thread doesn't applt to me.

SPINSTER! MY MAN!
I would be my honor to read about your first gear encounters.
Post it brutha! Post it!

[SPINSTERWUN]

Originally posted by eyeslikefire


SPINSTER! MY MAN!
I would be my honor to read about your first gear encounters.
Post it brutha! Post it!

The first 2 pieces of recording gear I purchased was a used Tascam 414 (?) 4-track and generic Radio Shack mic (model # unknown).

[Krakit]

Another one born in 1965 here

My first real instruments (I don't think that the recorder I was given in 4th grade was a real instrument, but I still have it.)

My first tape recorder was a Panasonic monophonic cassette.

1975
Harmony Acoustic Guitar
Still have for sentiment
Sears (Dan Electro) bass with lipstick pickup
Still have.

1979
UNIVOX Crumar with three voices (Piano, Honkey Tonk and Clav).
No longer have.
Hohner Melodica
Still have
Hohner Harmonica (key of C)
Still have

1982
I eventually picked up a Nomad 237 electric organ (bet you've never heard of it).

My first multitrack was an 8 track tape recorder (and I mean 8 track cartridge recorder, not a reel to reel). I was able to record two tracks at a time without erasing the other six tracks, course there wasn't any rewind, so it was a painstaking process.

Purchased a Korg K-1 monophonic synth
Still have

Mattel Synsonic electric drums
Still have

1983
Picked up a Rhodes and Moog Rogue (the same day). Still have the Rhodes, just sold the Moog.

Roland JX-8P
Still have

1985
Got myself a Fostex 250AV four track
Still have.
Tascam reel to reel two track


At this point I got very serious about music and recording. I went to the Center for the Media Arts in NYC. Got myself some work engineering at some studios. Opened my own tape duplication house (Gemini Tape Duplication) Became a professional musician and toured all over the continent until 1993.

Carl

[eyeslikefire]

Mattel Synsonic electric drums

Holy shit man, I remember those!

Carl, was that 8 track recorder a Realistic?
My dad bought me a Realistic reel to reel back in '78 that I still have and sounds great by the way, And I remember them having an 8 track recorder.........
Man, my brother still has some old 8 tracks lying around filled with live recordings of various Discos here in Miami.

[Krakit]

I do believe that the 8 track was a Realistic (from good ol' Radio Whack).

A real pain in the butt to use (but when you're just a kid, what can you do?).

You would record something on the first stereo pair. Then you would arm the next pair while your first recording would loop back and record the next pair (I would use headphones to minimize bleed).

Every track had to be done in a complete take. Not punch ins or rewind. You had to listen for the lead in clicks (that you were smart enough to put on the first two tracks) and do the whole thing from beginning to end again.

Then, I'd mix down the finished product to a stereo cassette recorder. Spent whole weekends doing this sort of thing.

Carl