Elmas Xantia V6 and Musical Stuff

[CitroJim]

Mike, great to hear you're back into the guitar too I really must now and then we can form the FCF Band!

James, I built my spring reverb from my own design but loosely based on the original Fender reverb. It is valved (as I can only design using valves) and uses a proper long 5-spring tank...

Next time you visit, have a play through it... It knocks spots off all the modern electronic effects units...

I have a feeling this guitar talk may go on for some little while now

[elma]

As it should, guitars are beautiful and well worthy of a portion of my blog.

I'll keep my eye out for one of those amps now. If I see one ending for under £10 I'll have it.

I sneaked out if work for half an hour this morning to look through the local boot sale. Not too much of interest but I did buy 8 records for £3.50 including the shadows, Simon and Garfunkel, rod Stewart, billy Joel, Phillip bailey with Phil Collins, don McLean and a kids one that has the magic roundabout theme. I really struggle buying music as I know it by the rhythm and words rather than track and artist. Thankfully so cheap that it can go to the charity shop if I dislike it.

This beauty was also in attendance.

Own work

Own work

The owners were an elderly couple that both loved cars and we had a nice chat as we both left at the same time. They made my day because they said my car was also lovely and they used to have one. The 4.2 Jaguar engine sounded absolutely amazing and I'm so pleased I saw and heard it.

[CitroJim]

As it should, guitars are beautiful and well worthy of a portion of my blog.

Absolutely No argument there at all!

Good result on the vinyl James

I love my vinyl... It's got character...

[elma]

What's the best way to clean vinyl?

Most of what I bought is in good condition but very dusty.

I must find a proper record player. I bought this in a charity shop for £20 and it's great to have music but ultimately crap.

Own work

It's doing the job well though until I get a chance to visit mk and grab a proper valve radio from Zel.

I can see this being a big part of my life now. Always been a music lover and I'm overjoyed to fill my caravan with it.

[CitroJim]

I wash mine carefully with lukewarm water with just a spot of washing up liquid added James... using this I scrub the surface with a fine-bristled brush - a shaving brush is good but I use a fine artists paintbrush.

Then wipe dry with clean, new microfibre cloths and allow to air-dry for several hours before playing...

I've recovered some that were unplayable like that, including mouldy ones!

You need a better turntable James... Those as fitted to the sort of system you have there are not good...

EDIT: Avoid getting water on the label!!!

[elma]

You need a better turntable James... Those as fitted to the sort of system you have there are not good...

Absolutely, it's a piece of junk. Serves a purpose for now though and is far better than laptop speakers. I bought it for peanuts intending to give it away when I get something better. It has got a CDR built in though so may be worth keeping for transferring vinyl so I can listen to it in the car.

Thanks for cleaning advice, they shall get a good wash this evening.

[CitroJim]

Good vintage turntables are getting pricey now James but eBay may turn up something...

I have a Pioneer PL110 very kindly donated by Zel and it's excellent indeed. Look for something like that and you'll be good...

A vintage 70s deck of good quality with a decent magnetic cartridge is now getting very heftily priced and out of my league. Even the good old Garrard SP25 is commanding silly money now...

As I will see next month when I make my annual pilgrimage to NVCF... I do hope to pick up some vinyl there though...

Thanks for cleaning advice, they shall get a good wash this evening.

Just be very careful to keep the labels dry James

[myglaren]

Pro-ject do some decent inexpensive turntables.

Also some quite pricey ones.

[CitroJim]

Steve, those pricey ones are eyewateringly so!!!!

Even the cheaper ones are well out of my league!

They do look the business though

[myglaren]

They have a good reputation.
Planning on buying one for my youngest once she gets herself moved (again).

[CitroJim]

Planning on buying one for my youngest once she gets herself moved (again).

That'll be a very lovely housewarming gift for her Steve

[myglaren]

She has heaps of vinyl and nothing to play it on now.
She's currently living with a friend who lives close to her work and works shifts so she babysits for her too.
They have no audio equipment beyond a mobile phone and a laptop, all her stuff is stored here.

A Pro-ject deck is probably a superior one to my own Sonab (actually made by Yamaha) but I have no plans to replace as it is an element in a complete Sonab separates rig.
Bought the deck in about 1971

I was more expensive than a Pro-ject, despite a hefty discount.

[elma]

It'll be bootsales and charity shops for me for now. Budget would be about £20. I have a decent amp and speakers in my container so at least that's a chunk of it taken care of. The amps missing a channel at the moment but hopefully it's a simple repair.

Had a little look on eBay and while on a lucky day a b and o turntable can be had for a hundred they are all well out of my league. Maybe when the Xantias finished it will go on the to buy list.

[RichardW]

This Linn Hi-Fi is Reasonably priced




Not!! I 'hear' they are v good, but more than a house worth????

[elma]

Linn sound amazing, another brand I looked up on ebay. Only one for £100 or less was sans tone arm.

I shall add turntable to my charity shop requests, they are already going to hold any steel strung acoustics so I can have first refusal, I'm sure they will do the same with turntables.

May get lucky at the boot sale too, I passed on a stunning barometer for £4 today as the thermometer said it was 45 deg c regretting that now and hoping it's there next week. There was also a bass guitar for £20 in a case that if they'd taken £10 I would have had just for the case. Not much else worth mentioning but you have to be persistent with these things to get the gems.