Book Report - The E.M.G. Story
Posted: Fri Oct 08, 2010 7:23 pm
Just finishing Francis James' The EMG Story (Old Bakehouse Publications). I couldn't put it down: entertainingly written, and a intriguing insight into high-end machines in the acoustic era (although Expert made their last acoustic machine as late as 1947!). It all makes me want to do just about anything to hear an EMG or an Expert. The photos and old diagrams (of which there are only a very few) are fascinating, and whet my appetite both to learn more, to tinker myself up a hybrid, just to see what can be done. How do you go about making a 7-foot exponential papier-mâché horn?
I enjoyed James, too. To From his bio on the rear cover: “"Francis James is perhaps a latter day Luddite - completely out of step and out of sympathy with the headlong rush of technology towards the cliff edge. He has spent the better part of his life trying to save odd bits of the past from wanton destruction. Solace, in a very busy and hard-working life is provided by his EMG gramophone and a large collection of shellac records. He neither needs nor wants anything more." My kinda guy!
The book was a bit short on technical idea, however. I wish there had been some up-to-date photos of some of the machines, so you could see arm length, offset, etc. in more detail than was possible from the vintage photos; and it would have been fascinating to learn more about the reproducers, and what made them so good - and what individual tuning actually entailed.
Great book, though. If you haven't read it, do: it's one of those books that make you want to learn more, listen more, and tinker more, which should appeal to everyone on this board!
I enjoyed James, too. To From his bio on the rear cover: “"Francis James is perhaps a latter day Luddite - completely out of step and out of sympathy with the headlong rush of technology towards the cliff edge. He has spent the better part of his life trying to save odd bits of the past from wanton destruction. Solace, in a very busy and hard-working life is provided by his EMG gramophone and a large collection of shellac records. He neither needs nor wants anything more." My kinda guy!
The book was a bit short on technical idea, however. I wish there had been some up-to-date photos of some of the machines, so you could see arm length, offset, etc. in more detail than was possible from the vintage photos; and it would have been fascinating to learn more about the reproducers, and what made them so good - and what individual tuning actually entailed.
Great book, though. If you haven't read it, do: it's one of those books that make you want to learn more, listen more, and tinker more, which should appeal to everyone on this board!
