an alternative to Mr Redfern's excellent post
Just reading Robert Redfern’s post about equipment going wrong and thought I’d start an alternative…….
What bits of equipment have you got which just keep going and going despite the abuse etc ?
I’m going to nominate my Vox AC30…..
Bought it I think early 80’s (could have been late 70’s but I think prob later)
Its been gigged constantly since …. And I mean gigged … the band I was in at the at the time once did 19 gigs in 18 days !! From Friday to a week the following Monday we finished with a Monday night at the Longlands Hotel in Burton-in Kendal (one of my all time fav gigs)… and the “extra” gig goes back to when the old Joiner’s Arms in Chorley used to have bands on a Sunday lunch.
Its lost the VOX badge and only has one complete handle left of the three but externally apart from a few scrapes it still looks pretty good…
Ok nothing special there but here’s why it gets my nomination
About five years ago playing in a club in Liverpool I heard an ominous humming noise and turned round to see the old AC30 doing a smoke machine impression !
I simply walked over and turned it off (I use two amps so just tweaked the other and carried on)….. it had scorched the curtain at the back of the stage so at the end of the night for fear of not being paid we left it where it was until the last minute then grabbed it and made a break for the van ha ha !!
I took it to the local music shop who basically said they didn’t think it was worth repairing so I took it home and stuck it in the shed.
A couple of times I thought about taking the speakers out and throwing the carcase on the tip but somehow I couldn’t do it…. Anyway one day having nothing better to do I get the amp out and decide to have a look myself……
Now I’m no electrician but a look at the amp chassis revealed a load of burnt out wiring but some still intact and it was obvious that it followed the same pattern along the valves……. So armed with wire cutters a soldering iron and some stripped domestic lighting cable left over from our house extension I set about replacing the damage….some hours, much cursing and swearing and burnt fingers later I’m looking at what I hope is a repair.
I put it back together plugged it in and literally switched it on with a long stick from the other side of the room….. after the usual AC 30 grumblings it settled down quietly,
As is the way with the AC 30 it was hot enough to keep yer pie warm for the first set but showed no inclination to catch fire… Sooooo despite fears of re-enacting a scene from the Commitments I plugged in a guitar and way hey it worked !!
And I’m still using it ....... ok I’m lucky now if I do 19 gigs in a couple of years never mind a couple of weeks but I’m a happy man to have it back.
Anyone else got a much loved item they’d like to share with us !!