Gary Allen wrote:Are there any all original working models of the 2,F,or J to be seen or heard? Of the existing meazzis that are modified to the model 2 spec, How come they dont sound exactly the same as Hanks ? Or are we back to talking about Abbey Rd ? Gary
I don't believe a drum Meazzi has been heard in public for many years, Gary.
I've spent much time listening to the records and various TV performances and I've had long conversations with, amongst others, Colin Pryce-Jones and Phil Kelly. I am now convinced that the sound in the studio was different to the sound we hear on the records and, yes, I do believe it's all to do with the studio desk and, for want of a better word, gadgetry.
Reverb was famously added,
compressors were used to enhance the sound (which I believe is the single biggest factor of the incredible echo sounds we hear on our favourite tunes), some of the
bass was taken off so that the grooves of the records were not adversely affected (or so I was told) and the
REDD.17 desk was valve driven, therefore colouring the sound. From
http://www.abbeyroad.com:
"Renowned for their silky smooth EQ curves, extraordinary warmth and lush stereo imagery [I assume stereo was a feature on later REDD desks than the one/s the Shadows used in the early days],
there’s something magical about the REDDs that sound like no other consoles."The defining factor of what makes a Meazzi sound so special is consistent, even between the drum/wheel units we hear on the Shadows' records and the tape machines such as Phil and I own. Every Meazzi sounds slightly different to the next but they all have the same undefinable quality that sets them apart from every other brand of echo; they add something truly magical.
The largest difference between the two types of Meazzi (drum and tape) is the frequency response due to the way the signal is recorded and read. The drum mechanism caused so many problems that it was dropped very early for the more reliable tape transport system, which gives a more solid, defined, and, dare I say it, better echo sound. When being miced up for TV (ie: when not being processed by Abbey Road), Hank's echo units sound crap, to be frank (though most surviving TV appearances that are in the public domain were made when he was using the Model F). Watch and listen to the Shads' appearances on the Cliff Richard Shows: there's usually hardly any echo evident at all. That the TV sound was never going to be as good as the record is a large factor, too, of course. It's a shame that little TV footage survives of Hank using the Model 2 apart from Crackerjack from 1961 (where, again, the echo is weak). I truly think, though, that if you were sat in the studio with your ear next to Hank's amp as the Shads were recording
Wonderful Land you won't have heard the same sound as we hear on the finished record.
Considering that Meazzi Echomatics never featured a tone control it's interesting to hear the difference of echo tone between different tunes. On many of the records that feature the Model 2 the echo is fairly toppy (giving a scratchy "rat-a-tat-tat" effect), whereas the echo on
Wonderful Land has a deep, less trebly timbre (I describe it as "ploppy"). The fullness of tone and prominence of the echo is surely down to the studio's compressor combined with the desk's tone settings. How else can the difference of echo tone between different tunes be explained? Those Abbey Road boffins certainly knew what they were doing - they likely designed the compressor itself!
Of course, most of us on the "Grail Quest" want to produce these sounds in live settings, meaning that we need to discover ways to colour our sounds before the amp, not after. Even if we had vintage compressors and REDD.17 consoles to take with us on gigs, they'd be no good whatsoever in a live setting unless the venue is so large that the audience is guaranteed to hear no bleed from the stage; let's face it, none of us are going to play a gig of that size. As long as it's in working order, though, a tape Meazzi guarantees a full-sounding, enhanced echo without the need to have a vintage recording compressor present at every gig. It's then down to the individual guitarist to work out how to achieve the "silky smooth EQ curves" of the REDD.17 that you can't gain from just the echo and the amp alone.
All IMO...
J
