Quote:
Originally Posted by chris661
I'm 16 and still living with parents. Having them pass the SWMBO test means they can enter the house. Must be said, I had a hard time getting a 1x12" black vinyl wrapped guitar cabinet past her.
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Hey Chris,
When I was 15, in 1969, I had no money. My father a very stern & very strict Sicilian man, didn't believe in allowance. Instead he sat me down and said "
If you want something either find a way to get it or go get a job and buy it. The choice is yours." I was quite lucky when I was 15 because back in the mid 60's people still had & used these all-in-one music consoles that had a TT, tuner and tube amp in them. Once every 3 or 4 months you could bring virtually anything out to the sidewalk for trash removal.
When those special trash days arrived I would tie a wagon to my bicycle and I'd ride around looking for these music consoles. Within 3-4 times of going out during these special trash days I had a nice integrated tube amp, a tuner and amazingly enough an Empire TT that worked perfectly well. Like Cal my parents, actually just my mom around this time as my dad moved out, was just happy I wasn't doing crazy things. That said my mom did freak-out when she came upstairs one day and saw I painted my entire bedroom black ---{
yes including the ceiling}--- put my mattress on the floor and moved all my other furniture, except my stereo, into attic!
The one thing that was fairly difficult to locate were decent speakers. However I eventually ended up with a pair of EV horns that were similar to these
CDP848AT Duplex Horns that sat on top of a pair of of square shaped metal outdoor enclosures that held either a 10" or 12" drivers. These were all originally were located at a local high schools football field. I ended up with them when the high school pulled them down to install better speakers. I don't know what they were going to do with them, but after 2 days of them just sitting outside on the ground near the maintenance area, they ended up in my room ---{
NO I didn't take them}--- when one of my friends gave them to me for an integrated amp, TT and tuner I had lying around that I wasn't using. Back then at our age you were lucky just to have a decent little radio, no one I knew had a stereo like mine.
I think the part that kills me the most is as I grew older, at least 18 or over, started working and was finally able to buy what I thought were better, more modern, solid-state components. It took awhile to truly realise how mistaken I was and how the old tube stuff I pulled from unwanted consoles as a kid blew these solid state components out of the water! Here it is 41 years later and I'm back right where I started with a 40W/ch, integrated, SET amp and a pair of double-back-loaded horn speakers! Thanks for allowing me to reminisce. You brought back great memories...
Thetubeguy1954 (Tom Scata)
How much do you take the look of the driver into account when building something?
2,500 WATTS! written on the dust cap etc. turn me off. Stamped steel frames, plastic frames, foam surrounds, cheezy construction is also and indicator. 
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