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Sunday, April 8, 2012

Jim Marshall, maker of world famous amplifiers, died a few days ago in London at age 88. He was in hospice care and succumbed to cancer. Roy Orbison was the first buyer in the U.S., then Deep Purple, Elton John, Jimi Hendrix, The Who, Led Zeppelin, Eric Clapton, and a host of others. While known for the incredible volume they could produce (and subsequent hearing loss) they had a certain quality of sound that was fairly distinct.
 I personally own a JCM2000 TSL122 that looks like this.

I can rarely turn it up past 2 even in the garage, which is where I usually play it in the warmer months. I do not use or need all the power it has, but if I ever feel the need to annoy my neighbors it's good to know that I can.

Jim's daughter run's the company, last I heard. Her father's story was one of rags to riches and he gave  millions of pounds to charity. Rest in peace, Jim. You will be missed.

On a lighter note, Spring is still slowly making its way here, but taking its sweet time. I can hear ducks in the pond and the evening grosbeaks have returned. The wind is coming off the big lake which keeps us air conditioned.
Even the chickens get to go out in the yard and do what chickens do, which is mostly scratch and peck. As long as there aren't any bare spots to dig up, they tend to aerate the soil and get rid of the thatch. They won't head to their summer yard for another month yet, when overnight temperatures are usually above freezing.

10 comments:

  1. I don't have a fancy sound system which is ok 'cause my upstairs neighbor wood get upset! As it is, she plays really awful music so if she cranks up her music, I fight back with Clapton and B.B. loud enough to drown her out. LOL

    Some of my best memories are of chasing chickens around my grandparents' farm in Wisconsin with my cousins!!!

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  2. I didn't know he had died - amazingly this didn't seem to make the news in England!

    I've thought of getting chickens a few times. They seem to fun to watch. Then I talk myself out of having something else to look after! Maybe some day if I was at home more.

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  3. Kay, I still have vinyl and a turntable in my seasonal "man cave", but only use them in summer. It's just a garage after all. Nothing like fresh eggs!

    IRBII, I would think there should be some kind of shrine in Bletchly. The thing with chickens, or anything passing as livestock, needs to be tended daily by someone. It definitely ties one down.

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  4. Those look like some very healthy chickens!

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  5. Always, They like being fat and happy, but their best egg-laying years are behind them.

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  6. I couldn't afford an amp as a kid so I hacked my parent's old Hi-Fi (pre-stereo days). I removed the vacuum tube amplifier from the turn table part, drilled holes in the back of the speaker for the knobs and put the amplifier inside the speaker box and added a jack.

    The amplified instrument I played: The Electric Banjo!

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  7. Robert, that is awesome, but did you ever use a wahwah or fuzztone with that?

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  8. My most vivid childhood chicken memories are those of chickens who used to eat my spit when I spat on the ground. Well, that and some evil roosters who would attack us kis or anyone else who'd enter the yard.

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  9. It looks like you get some lovely varieties of wild birds. We get lots of sparrows and finches. Occasionally we'll spot a downy woodpecker or something else a tad more exotic than the usual fare.

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  10. You have some good-looking chickens there, and the grosbeak is lovely. Love your weathervane too.

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