Mission Maybe Possible... OT

[JonMarsh]

This is about a restoration project that I will now have to undertake- to what degree I'm not certain. Most folks will have no idea what we're looking at here... points to anyone that does.




In the late 70's for my day job, I designed one of the first Instrument preamplifiers that incorporated parametric EQ, a balanced line send output to send to a mixing board while playing live, and single ended and balanced outputs to drive a conventional head or power amplifiers.

It also incorporated a discrete differential FET amplifier stage with transformer that could be switched in and out with a clean by pass stage, both with their own gain controls, and could be activated on the front panel or by a basic foot switch.

This is not that... it's more like that grown up and with Star Wars technology infused...


I've been looking for one of these in good shape for some time... this one came from Europe.

Like I said, points to anyone who knows what it is and who developed it. I do, of course.

[chrisn]

The original "direct injection?" It looks to be in excellent condition for being 35 years old!

[wkhanna]

lol, i cheat and use google.

but i did make a WAG (Wild Ass Guess) that it was in fact some sophisticated evolution of the old analog 'Fuzz Box' i used with my original cry baby wah pedal in the mid 70's on my fender mustang when i was in a R&R garage band.

interesting history here: Rockman

[JonMarsh]

You get an extra big “E” for effort, Bill!

But it’s really quite a bit more than that... you can run this direct into a board, or into a head or power amp, or just some headphones. What it effectively does is pretty much everything that Scholz’s touring rig in the 70’s does, which required a Marshall head, a power soak load, a secondary “clean” head (usually a big Ampeg) and a variety of input compressors and noise gates, plus a graphic EQ between the output of the Power Soak and the cabinet head.

I have a setup that can do the same thing, the same hard way- with a Marshall Vintage Modern, feeding a Rock Crusher load, with an EQ and Line 6 100W tube head following it, with a VM modern stack using Greedbacks on the top, and Vintage 30’s on the bottom. But this little guy can create much of the same sound, just driving a VOX Pathfinder in the bedroom.


And as a demo of that...

https://youtu.be/2vsge_MZJoY?list=RD4wlvVXpszmM

All done with the Rockman Sustainor. There's a lot of stuff going on in one of these, if you go through the front panel and draw out a block diagram...

[JonMarsh]

The original "direct injection?" It looks to be in excellent condition for being 35 years old!

Yeah, I can't complain about the shape at all! I wish I was in similar condition from 35 years ago! (the funny coincidence is that is when I started working for my current employer, from whom I will retire this December. )

Mostly I'm figuring to replace all the electrolytic capacitors, then just "play it by ear" so to speak!

[dar47]

Wow this December congrats!

Now remember it takes at least a year to learn how to retire, no consulting, no Wallmart welcoming, lol. It going to take time to learn how to sleep in to 10 AM and have afternoon naps.

[JonMarsh]

Wow this December congrats!

Now remember it takes at least a year to learn how to retire, no consulting, no Wallmart welcoming, lol. It going to take time to learn how to sleep in to 10 AM and have afternoon naps.

I have even bigger handicaps than you might imagine... this last week I haven’t been able to sleep in past 3:30 AM, because of all the stuff going on... much to do. At work, and especially outside of it!

FORTUNATELY for me, and sort of not so fortunate for my management, Finance wants everyone to take 80 hours of PTO before the end of the fiscal year (September) and my LOA for surgery and recovery doesn’t count. And I’m still owed six days for working through the Christmas holiday break last year, getting presentation material ready for APEC conference that had to be sent off in early January. So I’m going to be off from Labor Day through September 29. What a shame!

:banana:

It will give me a chance to work on a lot of move related stuff, and do a number of cargo runs to Idaho to my climate controlled storage there. Might even get a rental setup, so that the beachhead is more firmly established- I expect to be house hunting to buy around July next year.

Now, If I’m doing side work in audio, it doesn’t count as retirement busting consulting, does it? I mean, it’s for fun, after all! But I agree side work for my previous employer should be a romper room no-no.

:nono:

And they’ve already asked... and asked me again to stay on longer... don’t they understand I’m well past the expiry date? Years past it? Well, at least I’ll be collecting SS at the maximum rate. They just got a replacement hire approved, but don’t have any prospects. And in the few months remaining, even if they got someone in 2 months, which would be a record, there’s not much wit and wisdom that can be imparted in just a couple of months, with one of those months being December (yeah, gaming the system, termination date is at the end of December, so there’s a week of holiday pay I’m eligible to collect).

[dar47]

Labour’s of love doesn’t count, audio, car, bikes and etc all on your time is your reward! Ya companies never prep for experience loss, with years of time you will be replaced but you can be proud of what you left behind and I bet remembered.

[JonMarsh]

Labour’s of love doesn’t count, audio, car, bikes and etc all on your time is your reward! Ya companies never prep for experience loss, with years of time you will be replaced but you can be proud of what you left behind and I bet remembered.

Thanks for the kind thoughts... key relationships continue anyway. I'm still good friends with my original hiring manager from 1985, who was pushed into retirement 14 years ago. There are those here that I collaborate with frequently and communicate a lot of off topics stuff, so to speak- they're all asking when they can visit in Idaho!

There are products still in production for 20 years that bear my imprimatur and critical contributions, and that they're finding difficult to replace, so all is good, as far as I'm concerned.

[Zvu]

...........

They just got a replacement hire approved, but don’t have any prospects. And in the few months remaining, even if they got someone in 2 months, which would be a record, there’s not much wit and wisdom that can be imparted in just a couple of months, with one of those months being December (yeah, gaming the system, termination date is at the end of December, so there’s a week of holiday pay I’m eligible to collect)....

It'll be something like this

[1Michael]

Congratulations Jon! Ever since I began on these forums, it seemed like you were getting trashed by your work. I for one look forward to seeing what new projects you and James Earl Jones, I mean ET come up with.:P;x(:righton:

[JonMarsh]

Congratulations Jon! Ever since I began on these forums, it seemed like you were getting trashed by your work. I for one look forward to seeing what new projects you and James Earl Jones, I mean ET come up with.:P;x(:righton:

Thanks for the wishes!

we have a surprisingly long list of things to try out and work on... back log of "interesting" ideas... if half work, it will be a lot of fun!

And Steve Manning will do his best to keep me on the straight and narrow and assist with construction technology from time to time...

[JonMarsh]

It'll be something like this

This is all too familiar- my new manager since late 2018 still doesn't seem to have a mastery of basic arithmetic as applied to GANT charts and resource hours versus project hours... and he has a PhD. Of course, we all know most of the classic jokes about PhD's, but we have some reasonably sharp ones in our European headquarters.

Ah well...


:huh: