MEAZZI Emulation

[Amanda]

Hi Steve,

Basically - Simples!

Take a Watkins IC400 Varispeed, chuck everything away except the tape drive and
tape path components, new Valve type heads to meazzi spacing specs.

New case with room for the extra valve electronics.

The hard part for me is the mechanics, that's why converting a Varispeed copicat
would be my idea.

echotapper.nl is a good source of tape echo specs.

Amanda

[Amanda]

Hi,

I believe that Patrice Bastien who modded a Binson changed the head spacings and possibly
the motor speed, and converted the circuitry to the Meazzi circuit, which is a large part
apart from the head spacings of the difference between the sound of the Binson and Meazzi.

I'd also heard although I'm not certain if it's true, that the unit was converted from transistor to
valve.

Didier is the person who knows about the Patrice Bastien mods.

Amanda

[Didier]

Hi,

I believe that Patrice Bastien who modded a Binson changed the head spacings and possibly
the motor speed, and converted the circuitry to the Meazzi circuit, which is a large part
apart from the head spacings of the difference between the sound of the Binson and Meazzi.

I'd also heard although I'm not certain if it's true, that the unit was converted from transistor to
valve.

Didier is the person who knows about the Patrice Bastien mods.

Amanda

Hi,

Patrice's Meazzi clone unit was made from a heavily modified valve Binson unit. Here it is :



The only external difference is an added knob (just under the ECHOREC label), but inside a lot of modifications have been made. The unit was totally rewired according to Meazzi schematics, and the head spacing was modified to match the Meazzi's one.
As far as I know, no modifications about motor speed were required and made.

Last night I attended a gig with Guitar Express, and Patrice was of course using his Meazzi clone which still works and sounds great !

Patrice's Meazzi clone has been nicknamed here "la machine à coudre" (the sewing machine), not because of its sound, but because of the look of the carrying case !...

You can watch here Guitar Express with Patrice using it at another gig last month : http://www.4shared.com/file/135582011/b ... 09-09.html

Unfortunatly, the recording equipement was low-fi, the live sound was much better.

Didier

[padmat78]

Hi Didier

Note it's no reply since your last message... What a silence!

Maybe that's the perplexity of our friends as soon as they downloaded and listened this wonderful original Shadows sound of Guitar Express with this equipment!

[dave robinson]

. . . . or perhaps just lack of interest.

[David Martin]

To be honest, I hadn't noticed this thread recently...

It's a good sound...

[MeBHank]

In this video Patrice seems to have a good sound, but you'll never be able to tell its true quality from a video camera microphone. As Patrice has a Meazzi circuit in his backline, considering it academically (for want of a better word) you can be sure that his sound will naturally have the magic that only a Meazzi can provide. If he is using an all-valve Vox with an EF86 preamp then he will have a good sound. IMO, only by using it in conjunction with a Meazzi and the right playing style will he belong to the small group of players that can achieve "That Sound".

J

[Amanda]

Hi Padmat, and others,

I've not posted any more on this topic because I got in touch with Patrice about his
unit and am in the process of modifying and Echorec 2 to the correct spacings
and circuitry.

I've also got a Schaller Drum echo from it's owner with a view to adjusting the spacings and
circuitry to emulate The Vox / SEP disc echo! This is a long term project as my time and the
owner's cash permits!

I'vealso got an HH multiecho which sounds great after re- spacing the heads, but needs more work
to finish it off!

Amanda

[Didier]

In this video Patrice seems to have a good sound, but you'll never be able to tell its true quality from a video camera microphone. As Patrice has a Meazzi circuit in his backline, considering it academically (for want of a better word) you can be sure that his sound will naturally have the magic that only a Meazzi can provide. If he is using an all-valve Vox with an EF86 preamp then he will have a good sound. IMO, only by using it in conjunction with a Meazzi and the right playing style will he belong to the small group of players that can achieve "That Sound".

J

The sound of my video clip doesn't come from camcorder microphones but from a Zoom H2 recorder (I replaced the sound from the camcorder mics by the one from he H2. It's not an easy process to do so, but it works).
But it was a large venue, and guitar amps were miked, which of course change a little their sound.

What Patrice uses is not only a Meazzi circuit, but a full Meazzi drum echo unit clone. Remember that Hank didn't use Meazzi tape units in the early years.
Patrice doesn't use an amp with an EF86. He has tested this solution with no results. I was among those who attended comparative tests of an AC30 with of without EF86, and the use of the EF86 didn't brought any of the expected results. Keep in mind that it was comparative tests with quick shifting from a solution to the other, so that subjectivity would play little part.
I have heard live Patrice playing several times with his Meazzi clone, and it's certainly the best early Shadows' sound emulation that I have heard so far (I have also heard live Colin Price-Jones and Phil Kelly).

Didier

[Didier]

. . . . or perhaps just lack of interest.

Of course !
One of the best sound available can't raise any interest, if it doesn't come from the right place and by the right people...

Didier