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KP-301 new owner, but I need some advice


Jon B

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It's my Kalamazoo Oriole lap steel. I found it (I think) in a music store in Peoria, Illinois, where I did some of my growing up. It had an ugly wrinkle kind of paint job, which finally was stripped off (I know it ruined the resale value, but I'm not ever going to sell it!)

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And that explains it! You could fit everything I know about steel guitars in a very small thimble! LOL. Just not my thing. But it is cool none the less and you are right to hang on to it. Older and vintage gear definitely has personality that new gear doesn't. Dare I say the new stuff is more vanilla and a bit heartless. The old gear has a bit more soul that varies from instrument to instrument. Back in the day, the exact same model and year guitar would have subtle differences. Much of the new gear tends to be EXACTLY the same without exception which may be one of the reasons I'm disinterested in playing anymore.

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On 9/16/2020 at 3:56 AM, Jon B said:

Time for an update.

 

I reached out to Bob Crites last week and did not hear from him. So I gave him a call today and we talked for a good 20 minutes about my speakers and he looked up the details on my speakers, the drivers installed, and the schematic for the crossovers employed.

 

He then said the following:

Check your midrange drivers and verify the dome material. If they are phenolic, then I should leave them alone and he will build me a pair of new 3.0B replacements. If the domes were titanium then the Chorus would be the appropriate replacement crossover due to the characteristics of the titanium dome in the mid. I then asked about the titanium tweeter domes that I had already replaced. He told me that was a great choice and they would be fine with either crossover. He said, "titanium is excellent and what you want for a tweeter, but it makes the mids sound pretty harsh without the proper adjustments in the crossover." 

 

Bob is a great guy, and we have quite a few things in common from our past. It really was a great conversation for me - he even sounds like my dad on the phone! I lost my dad 4 years ago and it was great to talk with someone that was quite a bit like him - another wise southern gentleman.

 

I also found out that Bob is recovering from some health issues, so let's all be thinking about him and wishing him good health to come. There are far too few good people like him, and so many more that are nothing like him. So we should truly appreciate him while we can, instead of waiting until we can only miss him.

I scored some 301s not too long ago and will re-cap them soon. Bob is and will continue to be sorely missed. I had talked with him about what I thought that I needed and he talked with me as though he had all day for me, as he did with everyone. It's great that you were able to experience such a rich conversation with Bob.

Another person who was very intuitive was Dennis (djk). He too was very helpful, is missed and is referred to due to his real abilities.      

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