A Dead Question

[Baron030]

This is one of those questions that I have been meaning to ask for sometime. But, with this being Halloween and tomorrow being “The Day of the Dead”, it seems like the right time to ask this question.

Which 5” JBL driver was used in the great “Wall of Sound”?

I recognize all the D130s and D120s in the photo below. But, I am not sure about the other drivers pictured.

Thanks,
Baron030 :)

[Hoerninger]

Which 5” JBL driver was used in the great “Wall of Sound”?
... I am not sure about the other drivers pictured.

http://dozin.com/wallofsound/index.html
This site will not tell, but may be the three coloured pics are helpful.
____________
Peter

[speakerdave]

I think in 1974-76 it would have had to be the LE5-2. The 2105 (part if the Professional Series) would not have been around until a few years later.

[BMWCCA]

This still doesn't answer the question above but it does give a lot of good information about the system: http://www.audiojunkies.com/blog/730/an-insiders-look-at-the-grateful-deads-wall-of-sound

Grateful Dead Wall of Sound Specs
26,400 watts of continuous power via 44 amplifiers
586 JBL loudspeakers (15", 12" and 5")
54 Electrovoice tweeters
75 tons in weight (approximately)

http://media.audiojunkies.com/pechner/grateful-dead-wall-of-sound-21.jpg

[scott fitlin]

Oh god! I heard that rig, MAN we thought it was JUST so gooood! And it was!

Your making me feel old, dayum, YES we were DEADHEADS! DEADHEAD was a cool thing to be, DRIVING THAT TRAIN High on................

I do remember DISTINCTLY, one show at the Nassau Coliseam, druumer stood up, turned around and hit this HUGE GONG they had hanging behind the drumset, and this SPEEDING pressure wave of LF that SHOOK the ENTIRE coliseaum!

I sat up And took notice on that one!

EVEN then, JBL RULED!

:bouncy:

[Mr. Widget]

I think in 1974-76 it would have had to be the LE5-2. The 2105 (part if the Professional Series) would not have been around until a few years later.The 2105 does appear in the 1974 Pro Series catalog.

The LE5-2 and the 2105 are identical aren't they? I have never bothered to keep all of the LE5 permutations straight.

Here's a question for you dead head stat chasers. What EV tweeter(s) did they use?


Widget

[scott fitlin]

Here's a question for you dead head stat chasers. What EV tweeter(s) did they use?


WidgetI don't know what kind of EV tweeters they had, BUT I can tell you what kind of WEED we had at that show!

:applaud:

[speakerdave]

The 2105 does appear in the 1974 Pro Series catalog.

The LE5-2 and the 2105 are identical aren't they? I have never bothered to keep all of the LE5 permutations straight.

Here's a question for you dead head stat chasers. What EV tweeter(s) did they use?


Widget

Right you are. For some reason I thought the pro series originated later.

The LE5-2 and 2105 have different voice coils. One (2105) is flatwire; one is round--LE5-2. Except that earlier LE5-2 were flat wire and later the flatwire LE-2 became the LE-3 (from Giskard's LE5 matrix).

They used the T350

David

[Allanvh5150]

This still doesn't answer the question above but it does give a lot of good information about the system: http://www.audiojunkies.com/blog/730/an-insiders-look-at-the-grateful-deads-wall-of-sound

Grateful Dead Wall of Sound Specs
26,400 watts of continuous power via 44 amplifiers
586 JBL loudspeakers (15", 12" and 5")
54 Electrovoice tweeters
75 tons in weight (approximately)

http://media.audiojunkies.com/pechner/grateful-dead-wall-of-sound-21.jpg

My info states the Wall of Sound consisted of 89 300-watt solid-state and three 350-watt vacuum-tube amplifiers.

[scott fitlin]

350 watt tube amps?

I dont know if tube amps were that powerful in 1974.

[Chas]

350 watt tube amps?

I dont know if tube amps were that powerful in 1974.

Yup, the mighty McIntosh MC-350 monoblock, for starters. :yes:

[scott fitlin]

I didnt know about that one, For Sure the Dead was into the MAC sound.

:D

[Mr. Widget]

They used the T350...Excellent choice... Basically a wall of the best of the day. :bouncy:


Widget

[Rusnzha]

I don't know what kind of EV tweeters they had, BUT I can tell you what kind of WEED we had at that show!

:applaud:

:wave:

[Allanvh5150]

All the amps were Macs and the 350's were used on the tweeters. Sound familiar?:)

The "Wall of sound" wasn't really a true sound system with one mix. It had separate speker and amp components for Guitar, bass, drums, keyboards and vocals.

[robertbartsch]

I can attest to their sound system which, after seeing them six times during that era, was impresssive; unfortunately the band was not.

I kept getting free concert tickets from friends ....

Anyway, after seeing a few live concerts recently, I can say the old BIG touring sound systems were great.

[BMWCCA]

I can attest to their sound system which, after seeing them six times during that era, was impresssive; unfortunately the band was not.
:dont-know :confused:

[Ducatista47]

The Dead had a lot of off nights, and they freely admitted it. Their great nights, and even their good nights (and days) were better than their studio recordings.

This is understandable given that they were heavily into improvising their playing, and not just the solos. They mostly stuck to Robert Hunter's carefully crafted lyrics. If you think they lacked talent, imagine 99.9% of their contemporary bands, now labeled "Classic Rock," heavily improvising their playing. There is a reason why good Jazz musicians are held is such high esteem. A good friend of mine who did not know how else to put it said the band was very tight in a very loose way.

The band and the Deadheads (their fans, for those of you from Mars) knew that there was a set of circumstances that needed to align for a show to be great. They called it "X Factor," and when it was present they were the best band around. When it was absent they could be just OK or really suck. I heard them both ways. Since the presence of X Factor was partially out of their control due to the complexity introduced by such heavy improvisation, it rarely if ever struck in the studio. (In fact live it was absent much more than present, but lots of LSD helps fill the gaps, apparently.) Thus their live recording without end. Knowing this and being in support of their fans perhaps more than any other band that ever laid down a note, they had a tapers' section at their gigs, an area where microphones high in the air on long stands and poles resembled a military or police field communications center. The areas designated for the tapers were chosen for their great sound. The Dead freely allowed their concerts to be taped as long as the tapes were traded and not sold.

Some fans were possessed by legendary zeal. At the time my sister was married to a hard core Deadhead. His brother was likewise, but not to quite his extent. Before my sister, his brother and I could convince him that some people did not like the Dead, we had to convince him that some people listened to bands other than the Dead!

By the way, the lyric that always got the biggest rise from the crowd was, "If I had a shotgun, I'd blow you straight to hell," from Candyman I think. It was really about the playing, not the words, for most live gig fans.

My favorite Dead number not from Workingman's Dead or America Beauty is St. Stephen. Now there is a lyric.

Clark

[JBLRaiser]

The Dead had a lot of off nights, and they freely admitted it. Their great nights, and even their good nights (and days) were better than their studio recordings.

This is understandable given that they were heavily into improvising their playing, and not just the solos. They mostly stuck to Robert Hunter's carefully crafted lyrics. If you think they lacked talent, imagine 99.9% of their contemporary bands, now labeled "Classic Rock," heavily improvising their playing. Their is a reason why good Jazz musicians are held is such high esteem. A good friend of mine who did not know how else to put it said the band was very tight in a very loose way.

The band and the Deadheads (their fans, for those of you from Mars) knew that there was a set of circumstances that needed to align for a show to be great. They called it "X Factor," and when it was present they were the best band around. When it was absent they could be just OK or really suck. I heard them both ways. Since the presence of X Factor was partially out of their control due to the complexity introduced by such heavy improvisation, it rarely if ever struck in the studio. (In fact live it was absent much more than present, but lots of LSD helps fill the gaps, apparently.) Thus their live recording without end. Knowing this and being in support of their fans perhaps more than any other band that ever laid down a note, they had a tapers' section at their gigs, an area where microphones high in the air on long stands and poles resembled a military or police field communications center. The areas designated for the tapers were chosen for their great sound. The Dead freely allowed their concerts to be taped as long as the tapes were traded and not sold.

Some fans were possessed by legendary zeal. At the time my sister was married to a hard core Deadhead. His brother was likewise, but not to quite his extent. Before my sister, his brother and I could convince him that some people did not like the Dead, we had to convince him that some people listened to bands other than the Dead!

By the way, the lyric that always got the biggest rise from the crowd was, "If I had a shotgun, I'd blow you straight to hell," from Candyman I think. It was really about the playing, not the words, for most live gig fans.

Clark


a bad night.:rotfl: