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Thread: The Grand Wazoo – An Explanation

  1. #1
    Join Date: May 2008

    Location: Lancaster(-ish), UK

    Posts: 16,937
    I'm ChrisB.

    Default The Grand Wazoo – An Explanation

    THE GRAND WAZOO – AN EXPLANATION
    Hello to anyone who can be bothered, or is foolish enough to be interested in reading about me!

    I’ve been into hifi (i.e. spending money on it) since I was about 16 (Garrard SP25, Sony amp, Wharfedale speakers – don’t ask about model nos. I can’t remember, or be bothered to go up to my daughter’s bedroom to see what the amp was.

    I’m a forester by profession, having managed woodland for various characters who could loosely be described as ‘the idle rich’ (Baronets & a couple of Dukes). I’ve also spent a while consulting in the very narrow part of the spectrum where the disciplines of forestry and renewable energy meet.

    I use the name The Grand Wazoo rather reluctantly and here’s why.
    I have a thing about people using internet forums (‘fora’ I think is probably more correct, but anyway…?) and using assumed names. I think that this can give licence to people to say things that they would not normally feel able to say. This encourages rudeness, crudeness and in the worst cases, probably libel. I do not believe that in a normal situation people should be able to say anything without accountability. However, in the case of this forum, I feel I have to alter my stance somewhat. The reason for this is that I will probably be speaking about highly desirable, valuable and portable possessions, worth, in total, far more than the new value of my family car. I will not do anything to allow the guys with the stripey shirts and the bags marked ‘swag’ to find out where my prized possessions reside. Therefore, I will not, in this case, be using my real name.

    The name, by the way, if you don’t recognise it, is not a reference to my status as an egocentric git. Nor does it allude to my rank in some arcane secret society. It is a musical reference – if you value interesting and diverse music, with a very healthy dose of virtuosity, you should find out a little more about the The Grand Wazoo and other work like it!!

    Hifi gear currently in use is the following:

    Michell Gyrodek (bronze export version – bought new in ~1990 a little while before they really caught on).
    Michell QC power supply
    Zeta tonearm (one of the first 20 ever made, handbuilt by Phil Gray, the designer – gold coloured arm tube. It was £150 with a free Koetsu Black thrown in from classified ads in 1990 – a frantic drive south from Penrith to Liverpool on the same day as we moved house north to Scotland!!).
    Koetsu Black - my 3rd one

    Accuphase DP67 CD player

    Accuphase T101 tuner

    ARC SP8
    Bent Audio Mu Step up transformers

    Mark Levinson ML9 (100 watts) driving bass - 2nd hand 2005
    Mark Levinson ML11 (50 watts) driving mid / treble- 2nd hand 1999

    Mirage M3si speakers – (Ebay £280, retail when new - £3700!!)

    I also have a big Isol8 mains filter for everything but the power amps, HNE beech & granite racks.

    Other bits lying round the house are things like:

    Grado SR325 headphones
    HNN/RR Headcase headphone amp
    Troughline Mk II tuner – still has the brown card tag on it with the factory quality inspector’s signature & date Feb 1963.
    Radford STA15 power amp (Rebuilt for me by Len Gregory, the Cartridge Man with Audio Note capacitors etc) – tatty as hell but wonderful!
    SD Acoustics OBS speakers – new in 1991 still wonderful!
    Tannoy Mercury speakers (the original ones)
    Gennexa ProLX5 speakers (with the funny ribbon tweeters)
    Mission Cyrus 2 amp
    LFD MC1 phono stage
    Marantz 1515L receiver hooked up to the computer (Ebay £16)
    Sansui 350A receiver – wonderful but needs attention! (Ebay £0.99!!)
    Pioneer SX440 receiver (Ebay £0.99 pence with a pair of ratty old speakers thrown in for good measure!!!)

    ………………….Guess what?…………I’m playing around with receivers at the moment!!
    And finally… very understanding wife, who appreciates the benefit of a half decent hifi!

    Thanks for reading if you made it this far!!
    Cheers

  2. #2
    Join Date: Jan 2008

    Location: Norfolk, UK

    Posts: 6,209
    I'm BigBobJoylove.

    Default

    Hi and welcome!

    Well with that equipment list I'm not surprised you are cagey about releasing personal details - but don't worry, I've already lifted your details from the administration system and sold your them to every known crook in the UK (aka the energy companies).



    Nice to have you here, and nice to have someone who's a little interested in AV stuff too, Chris Frost will be pleased.

    Ben Duncan mains conditioner
    2022 MacBook Pro 14" M1 Pro 10/16/16/16
    Samsung QE75Q90T 75" QLED TV
    XMOS DSD Async USB to Coax converter
    RME Audio ADI-2 FS (AK4493) DAC
    Chord Clearway XLR interconnects
    Audioquest Crimson USB interconnect
    QED Quartz Reference optical interconnect
    Edifier S3000 Pro active speakers
    Atacama SE24 stands

  3. #3
    Join Date: May 2008

    Location: Lancaster(-ish), UK

    Posts: 16,937
    I'm ChrisB.

    Default Sorry to disappoint but....

    Sorry to disappoint but...........those are early seventies hifi receivers rather than AV receivers.

    Anyway, it's nice to be here.

    Incidentally, the quote I used as a signature doesn't necessarily reflect my opinion of classical music. I just happen to think it's a funny quote!

  4. #4
    Join Date: Mar 2008

    Location: Woking

    Posts: 90

    Thumbs up Love that Zappa album!

    It was the first Zappa album that I ever heard, which promptly began a long obsession (although quite subdued by now...) with the man and Beefheart! I'm still wondering who those dudes in the back of Calvin's car are...
    One is a sinner. One is a saint, but most of us worry about showing up late. Pete Townshend - Street in The City

  5. #5
    Join Date: May 2008

    Location: Lancaster(-ish), UK

    Posts: 16,937
    I'm ChrisB.

    Default Calvin & the Dudes

    Quote Originally Posted by aedagnino View Post
    I'm still wondering who those dudes in the back of Calvin's car are...
    For those who may not know what the hell is being discussed here..........
    The Grand Wazoo is a Frank Zappa album.
    For Calvin (& his next 2 hitchhikers) is one of the tracks.
    Calvin Shenkel is the artist who did many of the early Zappa/Mothers of Invention lp sleeves.

    "And who are those dudes in the
    Back seat of Calvin's car?

    Where did they go?
    When they got off the car?
    Did they go get sandwwich
    And eat in the dark?"



    Lifted from an interview with Cal Shenkel..................


    The True Story of Calvin & His Hitch-hikers by Cal Schenkel

    “My 39 Pontiac was in the shop & so I had borrowed a car from Frank. It was this 1959 white Mark VIIII Jaguar that used to belong to Captain Beefheart that Janet was using at the time. When it worked.

    I just left Frank's house & I'm stopped at the corner of Mulholland & Laurel Canyon Blvd waiting for a red light to change, when I notice these 2 hitch-hikers, a hippie couple standing there waiting for a ride. The next thing I know they are getting in the back of the car.

    I guess they must have thought I offered them a ride (I didn't tell them to come into my car or motion them or anything-- I wasn't even thinking of it), so I ask them where they are going & they didn't say ANYTHING! I drive down Laurel Canyon Blvd past the Log Cabin, past Harry Houdini's, past the country store & into Hollywood. (I'm with Sherri at the time, but I forgot that until she told me a couple of months ago-- & she remembers all this too!) I get to the bottom of the hill, I was going to turn right. I kind of asked them "look I'm turning right, do you want to get out here?" They didn't say anything. They were just blank.

    I figured they were on acid or something. I just couldn't communicate with them. I wasn't sure what to do, so I just continued on to my destination. When I get there I said, "OK, this is where I'm going. Good-bye!" They just stayed in the car & didn't get out. So I parked the car, got out & went up to my studio & started to work. I was working on the album cover for Uncle Meat. This is in my studio that was a dentist's office over a hotdog joint on Melrose.

    Every once in a while I'd look out of the window to see if they were gone but they were still sitting in the back seat of the car. An hour or two later, I looked out the window & I noticed they were gone. I thought, "finally!" Then shortly afterwards, I saw that they were back! They went to the supermarket for a loaf of bread & lunchmeat & started making sandwiches in the back of the car. They were eating their lunch! Then they left.”


    ...............Personally, my own favourite is 'Blessed Relief' - the Sal Marquez horn solo is brilliant.

  6. #6
    Join Date: Jan 2008

    Location: Ayrshire

    Posts: 1,359
    I'm OneOfTheSevenModsWhoToldMarcoNotToLiftHarry'sBan.

    Default

    Hi The Grand Wazoo,

    Bet yer real name's 'Bobby Brown'.

    ATB

    David

  7. #7
    Join Date: Jan 2008

    Location: Wrexham, North Wales, UK

    Posts: 110,012
    I'm AudioAl'sArbiterForPISHANTO.

    Default

    Welcome to the forum, TGW

    Can we call you "Bobby", then?

    You seem like an interesting character and I'm sure will become a valued member.

    Marco.

    P.S Hey Snaps, good job he didn't call himself 'The Grand Zoomer'
    Main System

    Turntable: Heavily-modified Technics SL-1210MK5G [Mike New bearing/ETP platter/Paul Hynes SR7 PSU & reg mods]. Funk Firm APM Achromat/Nagaoka GL-601 Crystal Record Weight/Isonoe feet & boots/Ortofon RS-212D/Denon DL-103GL in Denon PCL-300 headshell with Funk Firm Houdini/Kondo SL-115 pure-silver cartridge leads.

    Paul Hynes MC head amp/SR5 PSU. Also modded Lentek head amp/Denon AU-310 SUT.

    Other Cartridges: Nippon Columbia (NOS 1987) Denon DL-103. USA-made Shure SC35C with NOS stylus. Goldring G820 with NOS stylus. Shure M55E with NOS stylus.

    CD Player: Audiocom-modified Sony X-777ES/DAS-R1 DAC.

    Tape Deck: Tandberg TCD 310, fully restored and recalibrated as new, by RDE, plus upgraded with heads from the TCD-420a. Also with matching TM4 Norway microphones.

    Preamps: Heavily-modified Croft Charisma-X. LDR Stereo Coffee. Power Amps: Tube Distinctions Copper Amp fitted with Tungsol KT-150s. Quad 306.

    Cables & Sundries: Mark Grant HDX1 interconnects and digital coaxial cable, plus Mark Grant 6mm UP-LCOFC Van Damme speaker cable. MCRU 'Ultimate' mains leads. Lehmann clone headphone amp with vintage Koss PRO-4AAA headphones.

    Tube Distinctions digital noise filter. VPI HW16.5 record cleaning machine.

    Speakers: Tannoy 15MGs in Lockwood cabinets with modified crossovers. 1967 Celestion Ditton 15.


    Protect your HUMAN RIGHTS and REFUSE ANY *MANDATORY* VACCINE FOR COVID-19!

    Also **SAY NO** to unjust 'vaccine passports' or certificates, which are totally incompatible with a FREE society!!!


  8. #8
    Join Date: Mar 2008

    Location: Woking

    Posts: 90

    Talking So THOSE were the two guys!

    VEEEEEEERY funny story! It goes to show how weird and wonderful hippiedom could be....
    One is a sinner. One is a saint, but most of us worry about showing up late. Pete Townshend - Street in The City

  9. #9
    Join Date: May 2008

    Location: Lancaster(-ish), UK

    Posts: 16,937
    I'm ChrisB.

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by snapper View Post
    Hi The Grand Wazoo,

    Bet yer real name's 'Bobby Brown'.

    Please, please, please don't call me Bobby Brown!! - anyone who sees the lyrics would hopefully understand why a straight man might be a little miffed at being named after that particular song. I'd explain, but I've read the forum rules.

    A little look at http://www.lyricsfreak.com/f/frank+z..._20056812.html will make things clear!!

    And no, I don't ever smell even a little bit like vaseline!!

  10. #10
    Join Date: Mar 2008

    Location: Woking

    Posts: 90

    Exclamation hey, not only straight guys...

    ... but gay guys would be pretty offended at the lyrics! Bobby Brown is not the most sympathetic of characters I must say...
    One is a sinner. One is a saint, but most of us worry about showing up late. Pete Townshend - Street in The City

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