What PA did Cliff (and Shadows) use in old days?

[neil2726]

Sadly Noel those "sound meters" are still in use! We to had a long mains lead where we would by pass the designated sockets!
The worst ones are where the sound is picked up by a mic at the back of the room but these also pick up background/audience noise too - so the more noise the audience makes the more the band has to to turn down!
One recent gig we took a couple of gagets with us that are used by PC companies that run their pcs even if the mains goes down. They do work and we still played on when the sound meter unit tripped out!

[dave robinson]

Anyone remember the special sockets we were supposed to plug into which cut the power if volume peaked over a certain level? We got around that with very long extension cables that plugged into the normal sockets in our dressing room.

There's no 'remember' about it - they still exist . . . . and we do the same to avoid using them

[Paul Childs]

Anyone remember the special sockets we were supposed to plug into which cut the power if volume peaked over a certain level? We got around that with very long extension cables that plugged into the normal sockets in our dressing room.

There's no 'remember' about it - they still exist . . . . and we do the same to avoid using them

You mean the yellow light that stays on for more than 30 seconds and then cuts the power. It doesn't do the amp valves any good but these miserable venues don't give a toss about valve expense.
I used to know of a place that had another socked on a different circut but you had to crawl right under the pool table and stacked chairs to plug in the extension lead but it was worth it to save playing while treading on eggshells.
Volume doesn't always cause cutout but long notes of a certain frequency do even turned down.

[ecca]

We got round it by, of all things, sticking a pin through the mike cable.
It shorted out the mike rendering it inoperative.
The head scratching that went on amongst the committee members was priceless.
Remove pin at end of gig.
No-one any the wiser.

[neil2726]

Vey true regarding the frequencies - you can play a bass guitar really loud and they dont respond, strike a high trble and they cut out! I was talking to the sound engineer at Shadowmania last year about the problem and he said most of the things were incorrectly calibrated anyway! I know one Council venue set theirs by some guy playing a portable radio in front of the mic!

[Uncleboko]

Miking amps simply didn't exist for most of the 60s. My band used a 50 watt linear amp for vocals - we all shared one mike!

I always remember borrowing a microphone preamp around 1967, and after trying my guitar through it before my Selmer Selectortone amp I realised that it's volume could be boosted considerably - much to the annoyance of our neighbours! Then our vocalist wanted one as well!

Sound balance???