Equipment Additions thru the years:
New Life Guys & Gals era
1975 Q3 – Acoustic Guitars, Harmonica, Bongo Drums, Tambourine.
1976 Q3 – Peavey PA system, Peavey Base Amp, Fender Electric Beetle Base Guitar, Drums, Fender Rhodes. (Mic stands from Living Sound, mics ?)
1976 Q4 – Foldback System, Roland Strings, first phono plug “snake”
New Life- All Guys
1977 Q2 – New Rickenbacker Electric Bass Guitar, Roto-Toms added to drums.
1978 Q1 – Fender Les Paul Electric Guitar, Amp
7th Avenue
1979 Q2 – Left Handed Electric Guitar, Amp added (Lindsay)
? – XLR Snake
? – Dominator Speakers
? – Quad Amp
? – Hot Spot Fold Back
? Sure SM57/58 EV PL95 (Previous mics?) (Beyer Dynamic?) (Electret Condensor mics?)
Homemade:
Foldback speakers, Coffin for stands, Canvas bags for stands, drums, (original snake), case /stand for Roland Strings.
MSC-Musician Sound Center
Seph remembers: Our go-to place for equipment was in Hillbrow Johannesburg – Musicians Sound Center. We bought quite a bit of equipment from MSC. The main guy, was a short cheerful balding chap, who always had a cigarette in his hand, named Peter Feldman. He ran the sales side of the MSC. A few years before I had bought my Roland Strings RS-101 keyboard from him, and the group had bought most of our equipment from them. They had two other “divisions”, the recording studio, and a sound department run by Terry Acres. They did really well in that department. And I think we ended up buying speakers from them too. The big EV eliminators. They also supplied the snake and probably the soundboard, and the Hotspot foldback monitors. I think our original soundboard was a D&L which also came from them. Mac had contact with them in the ensuing years.
Other Items:
Roland Bass
Roland Electric Amp
Dominators & Quad 405
Sure SM57, EV PL95 (via Terry)
The first PA system: Peavey Speakers + 6 Channel mixer (+ Homemade Foldback system)
We were very proud to finally get our own sound system in 1976. Up to then we had mostly performed without any sound reinforcement, i.e. acoustically, unplugged, or alternatively, if we were at a larger venue, they would provide their own system and all we needed was couple of mics.
Upgrading to mixing at the back
The audio mixer unit normally sat on the stage with us, which was not ideal, as Mac was trying to sing and tweak the volumes. Mostly it was a “set and forget” kind of system, which was not ideal. So realising that most “professional” people had their Soundman somewhere out in the audience so that the mix and the sound and the balance would be what the audience heard, we set out to do the same
Enter a Snake
Basically, a snake is the thick or many-stranded cable that connects the sound desk and PA to the speakers, the monitors and the mics on stage. Our first “snake”was a bundle of wires that we taped together. Cecil was conscripted to be our soundman. He was now out there in the audience, hearing what was coming out of the speakers, and able to give us a much better sound. Our Snake wasn’t very long at first so, if the venue was large, Cecil would off at the side of the stage doing his best.
But six channels weren’t enough. So Mac a small mixer at his work for additional channels. On the stage side Mac had built a phono input jack box at one end of the “snake” into which the mics were plugged. The other end terminated in a bunch of phono jacks which were plugged into the mixer out in the audience. Alternatively, the mixer could be in the wings of a large stage.
The first use of this set up was in Dec 1976 on the Natal tour. (We had worked like crazy to get the “snake” ready for the tour, hence we were dog tired the first night and Cecil had his “oil light” event on stage. (See Natal 76 under Tours)
How many bands had a phone?
Yup…. a phone! We found a battery-operated phone, which allowed us to link the stage to the mixing desk so we did not have to shout or gesticulate wildly! Just pick up the phone.
Upgrading to a larger mixer
Soon the realisation came that more inputs were needed, and that the hybrid mixing system we were using was just not good enough. As always we went to MSC in Hillbrow to see what they had. They did have some new larger 8 or 10 or 12 input Peavey mixing consoles. It was, as Cecil remembers, “a pretty looking wedge shape”. So everything would be Peavey. I think we even bowed it for a while to try out. But Terry Acres of MSC convinced us to get a more professional unit, a Dutch built D&R mixing console. It had XLR and phono inputs, and possibly foldback controls.
Larger Mixer means larger snake, larger power amp
(The Quad more to come…)
THE BLACK BOX! & The Nissan E-20 BandWagon
Lindsay remembers: I’m the least technical guy in the universe, but for me the unforgettable memory of the technology in 7th Avenue centres around the dreaded “Black Box”! (cue dramatic horror music.) The black box was wooden, about 70 cms square and about 110 cms high, with 4 coaster wheels at the bottom. In the bottom compartment was the main amplifier that powered the entire PA system. The amp contained, let’s just say heavy stuff. Above the amp was a hollow container which was stuffed full of cables, mics, various electronic paraphernalia and (cue dramatic music again!) the Snake! Pythonic, long, thick and HEAVY! The rigmarole was to lift the Black Box out of the van and wheel it into every venue we played at. It was like trying to move an uncooperative elephant. Of course, after the gig, we would have to pack it and wheel it back. There was an art to packing it also.
The van was jam-packed floor to ceiling with other equipment – a lot of the following: mic stands, monitor speakers, two BIG Eliminator bins, the Roland Strings Keyboard case, about ten guitars…I won’t go on. That van worked and 7th Avenue, apart from being devastatingly good-looking and superb musically, also had the strongest, fittest guys of any band on the planet! Mainly due to the Black Box and the vast amount of equipment.
I often drove the van and one of the funniest events of my life was late one Saturday night. We had just played a very successful Superally in Orange Grove and we were headed for Pretoria. I was at the wheel, Steve next to me and Theo on the other side. The van was packed to capacity and heavy. Somewhere in Houghton I slowed down for a traffic light and as I did so, the Roland Strings Keyboard case at the top of all the equipment at the back of the van, slid forward slowly and unstoppably and gently pushed Steve’s head against the windowscreen. You couldn’t have scripted that one, we howled with laughter.
There was another classic event later also (I think) with Steve and Theo. For some reason the van was parked at my house in Brooklyn and we had to take it somewhere to play. As usual, it was loaded. We reversed out of the driveway and the motor stopped and wouldn’t start. The only thing to do was to push-start it – not easy when the van weighs a tonne. I think either Theo (Les?) was driving, but I’m not at all sure. I do know that Steve and I were pushing and sweating(!) to get the beast up to speed so that whoever was at the wheel could slip it into 2nd gear and turn the engine to start it. It was under these testing conditions that I said the phrase “The things I do for God.” that caused Steve to lose it completely and end up helpless with laughter lying on the road.