Best gear score of MY life

[shredd]

I couldn't post a photo...am too stewpyd and/or lazy to put it on a hosting site and link it...so - use your imagination..
EDIT - HERE is a link to a nice Tube of it...

I live in this tiny rural town, about 10 miles west of The Middle Of Nowhere.
But - it does feature a world-class thrift store that supports the local animal shelter, and it's pretty amazing. I walk through there at least a couple times a week just to see what turns up.

Last weekend, I'm poking through the shelf of electronics - old speakers and internet routers and DVD players, etc...and I spotted a Roland GP-16 rack-mount multi-effects unit. Dusty; old tape marks on the case...but in apparently excellent condition.
AND IT WAS PRICED AT FOUR DOLLARS.
I just picked it up and bought it - without even wondering why it was there or what might be wrong with it.

So...I got it home, cleaned it up a bit, plugged it into a small amp, plugged a git'r in...no big surprise: when the thing powered up, the display was just a blank default screen, no patches/settings, nothing...and of course no sound via any input/output config'n.

SO - I downloaded the Service Manual from Roland, and took a quick gawk at the schematic: sure enough, there was a 'button battery' inside (CR2032, like you put in your tuner) that stores all settings when the unit is turned off/unplugged.
I decided to open it up, pop a new one in ($0.75!!!), and then go through the factory-reset/reload factory settings procedure...
The thing lit up like a Christmas tree, complete with ALL presets and settings in place. And it sounds amazing, digital FX and all. 12 FX, run in any combination/any order, all completely configurable.

Seems that someone let this thing sit on their basement shelf for a few (?) years, and that little settings-preserving battery died. SO - when you'd plug it in/turn it on, it "boots" to NO settings - EVERYTHING set to "0", including volumes.
SO they probably plugged it in, tried to use it, got no output of any kind, punched a few buttons, and decided it was "dead" - didn't wanna investigate, or pay someone else to...so they just handed it over to the thrift store.

It has one teeny (insignificant) dent on one corner of a rack ear…& someone once taped cables to it w duct tape, the remnants of which won’t clean off.
Other than that, it’s PERFECT. Every button works like new, no noise…
And it’s an amazingly capable/versatile unit, fully programmable to suit your needs, and sounds great.

It's now on an AUX send/return of my mixer, doing fabulous duty as an external processor for my various uses...I've set up about a dozen patches for acoustic git'r treatment; another bunch for various vocal treatment...and still have about 100 spaces to use.

How's THAT for a little score??? FOUR BUCKS!!!

 

[-mjk-]

I love it.

Try one of those alcohol wipes on the duct tape residue and see what happens.

 

[mixerizer]

great score! enjoy that unit, it was a unique little critter!

 

[shredd]

I love it.

Try one of those alcohol wipes on the duct tape residue and see what happens.

Since the thing is old-ish and the case not so pretty, I'm not tooooo worried about marring the paint/finish on the case...so I'm trying various solvents, etc...even tried "Goo Gone" - which is supposed to dissolve stuff like the Alien's blood in "Aliens"!!!

 

[-mjk-]

I tried all that stuff and those alcohol wipes remove stuff that doesn't come off. I have a stainless stove hood and there was like 5 years of grease on it when we bought the house. Its shiny like new because of those. I tried the orange goo stuff too - no dice. I did something once that was so stupid I don't really want to tell you, but I almost ruined a guitar. Alcohol wipes saved it. Who knew?

 

[shredd]

I tried all that stuff and those alcohol wipes remove stuff that doesn't come off. I have a stainless stove hood and there was like 5 years of grease on it when we bought the house. Its shiny like new because of those. I tried the orange goo stuff too - no dice. I did something once that was so stupid I don't really want to tell you, but I almost ruined a guitar. Alcohol wipes saved it. Who knew?

Unbelievable. Yew iz a jeenyuss.

Been fussing over this for days - I know "form follows function", but I like my gear clean, well-cared for, etc...
But I thought this stuff would NEVER come off. It was very old - I mean like fossilized - and nothing I put on it worked.

UNTIL: I used paper towel strips, soaked in 91% drugstore rubbing alcohol...and it disappeared like a politician's integrity the day after Election Day.

THANKS!!!

 

[-mjk-]

@shredd Back in the day I worked at a company and we often had to deal with cleaning up equipment. I often used to use trichloroethane 111 and other exotic and dangerous chemicals (this was the early 80s). Once, I was trying to remove a sharpie mark on a Formica panel and nothing worked. My boss walked over with a bottle of Windex and that did it. lol Another time, a friend of mine has his van spray-painted with graffiti. He wanted it off but naturally didn't want to remove the underlying paint. By that time I had acquired more of those "Windex" type lessons so I took a rag and some WD-40 and 5 mins later it was as if nothing had happened. Today, my go-to are alcohol wipes. Totally off topic but useful into.

Glad you got that tape residue off!

 

[Arjan P]

Congrats on the great score! Roland used to make so many useful instruments, mixers and effectors in the 80's and 90's. Always functional, easy to work with, well designed and quality built!

 

[shredd]

Roland used to make so many useful instruments, mixers and effectors in the 80's and 90's. Always functional, easy to work with, well designed and quality built!

Agreed. It's been one of my favorite brands for as long as I've been doing mewzik (I even owned the incomparable JUNO-60!). First one was a real-live digital delay (SDE-1000) that was several levels above everything else available at the time

Everything I've ever had by them kyk'd butt. Even now, in my old age, I have close to a dozen pieces of Roland gear, including newer synths.

 

[-mjk-]

The 80s would never have existed without Roland. Those vintage drum sounds are making a huge comeback (for some time now). The first single I produced as an independant producer and engineer featured a Juno. Sounded amazing. https://www.discogs.com/release/3197139-Onyx-Jet-Set

I also engineered the other record on that page "Call Of The Wild" and Roland Juno and Saturn 09 are all over that one too. I have a DR-880 drum machine.

 

[Lyrikal Israel]

Shredd,

What types of effects does your new toy have?


Best of success to you all in your musical production endeavors.

 

[shredd]

What types of effects does your new toy have?

It's a pretty impressive array, actually.
2 separate "blocks" of 6 FX each, ALL of which are fully configurable and can be used in any combination and any order.
So it's like having a FULL pedalboard, only fully programmable with over 100 recallable "scenes".
Block A is the "dynamic effects": includes Compressor, OD/Distor'n choice, Picking Filter, Step Phaser, Parametric EQ, Noise Suppressor; Block B is the "time-based" effects, including delay, chorus/flanger/pitch-shifting, auto-panning, reverb...

Pretty freekin' kewl.
These originally cost about $400 (in the 80's!!!); nowadays they can be had for US$150-200.
So I was pretty happy to find one in a thrift store for FOUR BUCKS!!!

 

[shredd]

It's a pretty impressive array, actually.

I have it in place on a send/return of my mixer; I can send any channel through it, and apply multiple FX to it; the mixer's own FX section only allows use of ONE FX at a time, and the same one for all channels...

 

[shredd]

Wellll...it happened again. On a slightly less spectacular scale...but still...
For those disinterested in reviewing the thread: I haunt a great thrift store near me that supports animal rescue/care. I try to spend money there whenever possible, if for no other reason than to support their doings...but I've gotten some great stuff there (read OP).

ANYway. I walk through the place coupla times a week...and today there was clearly a musician-type whose wife got him to clean out the closet...the place was full of very decent gear (most of which I overlooked, 'cuz I didn't need/don't want/can't use it).

BUT: in a bin full of electrical outlets and old flashlights was a handful of cables, wadded up - a coupla XLR's, which I passed on 'cuz a I have a zillion - but there was also a couple very nice 1/4" TS-TS (instrument) cables...and since we all know how easily these things go bad (especially when using them in live situations) - I grabbed 'em, 'cuz ya can neva have too many quality cables.

Got them home and put 'em on the cable tester. One was practically brand-new and tested fine.
The second one was intermittent at one tip...oh well...SO: I looked at the plugs and they seemed pretty ratty - not rusty, but definitely corroded/dirty. So I took a little Brasso and rubbed them clean, and voila - PERFECT conduction.

The punch line: the "dirty" one is a Monster ProLink, which even my pal at S/Water gets close to 100 bux for. I picked it up at the thrift for FIFTY CENTS!!!

 

[mixerizer]

Niiiiiice

 

[shredd]

Have ‘scored’ AGAIN - at that same thrift store/treasure trove:
Poking through the electronics shelf: nice pair of Sennheiser on-ear/closed-back ‘phones.
Turns out they’re HD-25-1 II’s; apparently very popular w DJ’s for their comfort, sound, durability, and everything’s-replaceable repairability.
They’ve been a huge favorite since the 90’s and are still being produced. The too-end version is about US$189; this particular model goes for about US$129.

Paid SIX BUX.
Love that place!!!

 

[mixerizer]

SNAG! Nice! I have used AKG 230’s literally forever for 99% of my headcan needs but those sennheisers were the ones we would listen to the cassette or hifiVHS videotape masters on for clarity. enjoy them!

 

[shredd]

Thnx @mixerizer - I'd agree that they're not necessary studio-quality/mixing-worthy...but perhaps suitable for simple tracking, to avoid through-the-air-sound latency. And they sure's hail plenny good for general listening of quality sources!
Main main 'cans are also Senn's - the good ol' HD280 Pro's - and I've got a pair of HD455's I just love (thought they're open-air, so no good for recording if a mic is involved)...

 

[mixerizer]

Hay Shredd - well those days were mostly pre-DAT… mastering 2 tracks to hifiVHS decks gave us a nice warm analog sound that was better than cassette when that was the best garage bands could get! It’s amazing how important these partner pieces of gear become in the studio, and how awesome it is when u see your music move forward when u get / rescue a pro piece of gear at a steal.

 

[wkrbee]

Korg MS-20 $75, ARP 2600 traded a Tascam Porta 1