More old stuff from Grampa's attic

Lee Brenkman

Lee Brenkman

Junior
Jan 13, 2011
307
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Oakland California USA
Set the WABAC machine machine for 1977

"Imagine...14 channels for $798."

"No matter what you do to the house mix, you'll never have to readjust the monitors. The 6100's monitor system is completely independent of all other control functions - even the input switching."

"Specs that compare with $80,000 studio consoles..."
 

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Re: More old stuff from Grampa's attic

That was actually my first mixing console (unless you count the Kustom 6 ch Hi Z head and column speakers). I had the set up in the ad with the 6100EB expander board. You have to love the rotary stove knob faders. Greg Mackie did it again.........I mean did it for the first time.
 
Re: More old stuff from Grampa's attic

The one I started out on frightened me. Some of the pots jumped when touched.

When I got my Biamp 1682 a few weeks later it was smoooth sailing.
 
Re: More old stuff from Grampa's attic

One band I worked for in the early 80's had one of those. If the console sat for more than a few days-you had to get a pair of vice grips and "break" the pots loose. They would turn fine for a couple of days after that.

I have a 6200 in my collection in my office.

I don't know about that particular console-but on some Tapcos-if one leg of the volume pot developed a cracked connection-the op amp would go into open loop gain-and INSTANT uncontrollable feedback. The volume control was in the feedback loop of the op amp.

It didn't happen very often-but when it did-WOW!
 
Re: More old stuff from Grampa's attic

Jack Arnott said:
The one I started out on frightened me. Some of the pots jumped when touched.

When I got my Biamp 1682 a few weeks later it was smoooth sailing.
Click to expand...

The Biamp was a good board at the time. So was the Kelsey. The real game changer to me was when the first Mackie's came out. Suddenly all the hiss was gone. Everybody followed suit and all the new boards were now clean. The current generation of mid line analog boards (A&H GL, Soundcraft GB, Midas Venice, Mackie Onyx, etc.) actually sound good and not thin. They have better EQ and are cleaner than the $30K plus boards I used in the recording studio in the 80's and 90's. Now we have affordable digital consoles that actually sound good. Life is good.
 
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Re: More old stuff from Grampa's attic

Ivan Beaver said:
I don't know about that particular console-but on some Tapcos-if one leg of the volume pot developed a cracked connection-the op amp would go into open loop gain-and INSTANT uncontrollable feedback. The volume control was in the feedback loop of the op amp.

It didn't happen very often-but when it did-WOW!
Click to expand...

That's why I was frightened. Yeah, WOW!
 
Re: More old stuff from Grampa's attic

Lee Brenkman said:
Set the WABAC machine machine for 1977

"Imagine...14 channels for $798."

"No matter what you do to the house mix, you'll never have to readjust the monitors. The 6100's monitor system is completely independent of all other control functions - even the input switching."

"Specs that compare with $80,000 studio consoles..."
Click to expand...


And there are a few still floating around if you missed out the first time around. I probably have the knobs to replace the ones this one is missing in my junk drawer.

Used In Store Used USED TAPCO 6100RB MIXER W/6 CHANNEL EXTENSION | GuitarCenter
 
Re: More old stuff from Grampa's attic

Ivan Beaver said:
One band I worked for in the early 80's had one of those. If the console sat for more than a few days-you had to get a pair of vice grips and "break" the pots loose. They would turn fine for a couple of days after that.

I have a 6200 in my collection in my office.

I don't know about that particular console-but on some Tapcos-if one leg of the volume pot developed a cracked connection-the op amp would go into open loop gain-and INSTANT uncontrollable feedback. The volume control was in the feedback loop of the op amp.

It didn't happen very often-but when it did-WOW!
Click to expand...

That was one of my first boards along with Trouper III and a Tangent which I still have. I was in a local consignment shop not long ago and there sat a Tapco and it's expander board. As I reached for I was thinking I wonder if... sure enough frozen solid, just like the one I used to have. So what was/is the deal with those pots? Why did they stick so badly? It always amazed me that you could take vice grips to those pots with out destroying it.
 
Re: More old stuff from Grampa's attic

Lee Douglas said:
That was one of my first boards along with Trouper III and a Tangent which I still have. I was in a local consignment shop not long ago and there sat a Tapco and it's expander board. As I reached for I was thinking I wonder if... sure enough frozen solid, just like the one I used to have. So what was/is the deal with those pots? Why did they stick so badly? It always amazed me that you could take vice grips to those pots with out destroying it.
Click to expand...

It was my understanding that Tapco used rather modest cost pots that presented very little resistance when turned so they filled them with some kind of conductive grease or lube that improved the "feel".

As these mixers "aged" the grease in the pots would thicken and sometimes harden to the point where tools were used.

In a used gear shop about a decade ago I saw, and recognized, the Trouper III that has been in residence at the Mabuhay Gardens, San Francisco's punk rock headquarters in the 1970s. NONE of the small faders (and there were many of them) moved at all. The channel faders moved but only with great difficulty.

It should be observed that that particular mixer probably consumed as much beer as the average frat boy in his entire college career :)
 
Re: More old stuff from Grampa's attic

Lee Douglas said:
That was one of my first boards along with Trouper III and a Tangent which I still have. I was in a local consignment shop not long ago and there sat a Tapco and it's expander board. As I reached for I was thinking I wonder if... sure enough frozen solid, just like the one I used to have. So what was/is the deal with those pots? Why did they stick so badly? It always amazed me that you could take vice grips to those pots with out destroying it.
Click to expand...

The Trouper http://www.ebay.com/itm/ws/eBayISAP...3037&item=251050023037&lgeo=1&vectorid=229466 was my second board after the Peavey "Stereo 12". Trouper was all faders - no pots. 3 band eq and 2 mons, an LED meter in an arc! Used it with the expansion 8 ch board that you connected with a naked ribbon cabel with CJ plugs.

Also used this Heil http://www.gearslutz.com/board/atta...912d1286592895-heil-sound-hm-101-hm1000-5.jpg as a drum submixer . Fun times.
 
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Re: More old stuff from Grampa's attic

I had a Tapco 6000R and a ever so slightly newer BiAmp 6702 six channel mixer mounted side by side in a "custom" case with the Tapco sub mixing into the BiAmp. I pieced that together right out of high school. The Tapco had been in a house fire and had gotten hot enough to soften and warp the plastic knobs, yea I bought it really cheap! Right now on Ebay someone has a but it now price of $695 for a BiAmp 6702!!!!!!!
 
Re: More old stuff from Grampa's attic

Oh wow! That thing looks similar to my first mixing console: Peavey 1200 Stereo Mixer http://www.peavey.com/assets/literature/manuals/80349157.pdf

Mine was in a custom case that incorporated a Tapco 12-15 band stereo EQ and a stereo tape deck for playback and recording. The EQ was patched into the main outputs. The case had a big D style multipin plug on it that went with the custom made snake on a roller. Amazing integration for a system that was put together in the early 1970's.
 
Re: More old stuff from Grampa's attic

HH and Peavey were very similar in many ways both started on guitar amps then went into PA stuff right down to making their own drivers, so i guess it's no suprise to see them produce a near identical piece of kit. The little mixer I had is STILL working in a church in Glasgow in the youth/sunday school space along with the Unit PA that went with it, I couldn't afford the speakers at the time, but a band I knew needed a bigger console so I got theirs and they kept the speakers and amps.HH Amplification - Speakers
 
Re: More old stuff from Grampa's attic

Lee Brenkman said:
It was my understanding that Tapco used rather modest cost pots that presented very little resistance when turned so they filled them with some kind of conductive grease or lube that improved the "feel".

As these mixers "aged" the grease in the pots would thicken and sometimes harden to the point where tools were used.
Click to expand...

Thanks, Lee. Thirty-some year old mystery solved!

Ivan Beaver said:
One band I worked for in the early 80's had one of those. If the console sat for more than a few days-you had to get a pair of vice grips and "break" the pots loose. They would turn fine for a couple of days after that. I don't know about that particular console-but on some Tapcos-if one leg of the volume pot developed a cracked connection-the op amp would go into open loop gain-and INSTANT uncontrollable feedback. The volume control was in the feedback loop of the op amp. It didn't happen very often-but when it did-WOW!
Click to expand...

And thanks, Ivan. I experienced that as well. I was totally afraid to touch the stupid thing when it did that! But it's no wonder it happened after torquing on the pot shaft with vice grips to loosen it.
 
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