Oil can interest?

Thought this may be of interest to certain Tel Ray fans

Edit: Lo and behold, it's raining oil cans.

Hi JP: I had/have one of those GA4REs like this one. Closeup of the oil can unit below. These were designed by a gentleman named Ray Lebow who was something of a cross between a Leo Fender and Steve Jobs/Wozniak. The drum / 'oil can' on the right houses an aluminum disc with write, read, and erase heads on it and is filled with a conductive oil.



As the disc spins, it gets coated with the oil; one head writes the musical signal on the spinning disc, the next head reads the signal, and the last head erases and the cycle starts over again. Working correctly at one end of the dial, the unit produces a deep 'echo' effect similar to reverb and, at the other, a drier signal more like slap-back delay. Both Gibson and Fender licensed the device from Tel Ray; Gibson's mid-'60s GA77RET essentially has a GA4RE built into it.

Articles:
http://www.geocities.com/tel_ray/
http://www.geofex.com/Article_Folders/o ... delays.htm

Bulletin Board organized by 'oilcandelay', an off-and-on member here:
http://telrayoilcanaddicts.yuku.com/

Mr. Lebow and his brother went to develop most of the original Morley footpedals; http://www.wingspreadrecords.com/morley_page.html

I had trouble with my unit and this winter, I shipped it to an LTG BBer who was going to convert it to a tube preamp/outboard reverb unit ... except he forgot to mention that he was going to participate in the American Idol competition and travel to space with the astronauts to do Hubble repairs ... <sigh> .... :wink: John

Howdy capn,

I've mucked about on some of those web resources before. It's a pretty interesting design, and it's impressive how many companies licensed this technology for their products. Sure don't see the standalone Gibson Reverb-Echo so often!

capnjuan said:

I had trouble with my unit and this winter, I shipped it to an LTG BBer who was going to convert it to a tube preamp/outboard reverb unit ... except he forgot to mention that he was going to participate in the American Idol competition and travel to space with the astronauts to do Hubble repairs ... <sigh> .... :wink: John

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Hmm. . .? That sounds pretty exciting. Since Kris Allen won over starpower and the Hubble can now successfully microwave Spam, I hope you get it back soon.

jp said:

Hmm. . .? That sounds pretty exciting. Since Kris Allen won over starpower and the Hubble can now successfully microwave Spam, I hope you get it back soon.

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Yes .... I'm pumped ... but not holding my breath. :wink: Pretty impressive when you consider that versions the mainstays of pedaldom; chorus, flanger, delay, distortion ... all were produced at one time or another by Tel Ray / Morley. Given a choice between a working vintage, Morley 110V model and the disposable, 9V stuff with their cheesy QA/QC and parts on the racks at Guitar Center ..... J

Ooh, I used to have one of those, though I forget the brand. Awesome sound when it was adjusted right. I read an interview where Ry Cooder said that was part of his trademark sound.

Yes, I suck.

"We will sell no wine before it's time to sell the wine ...." H.G. "Orson" Welles

That's okay, Steve. You're not the only one afflicted. My wife actually has gifts packed away in boxes that were supposed to be sent to friends almost ten years ago. . . really. There's a lot less effort involved in shipping than in building a preamp.

Mark Twain said:

"Never put off until tomorrow what you can do the day after tomorrow."

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Lucky for you that the recipient is a true gentleman. :wink:

MandoSquirrel said:

Ooh, I used to have one of those, though I forget the brand. Awesome sound when it was adjusted right. I read an interview where Ry Cooder said that was part of his trademark sound.

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Hi Elrod; you probably read the interview with Ry Cooder from Vintage Guitar / November 1992 reproduced on this webpage also linked above. Not sure how to know which recordings/concerts he did with an oil can. There are a couple of samples from a band called The Mesmers but it's hard to tell exactly what's going on. When my GA4RE worked correctly - for all of about 15 minutes - it produced a warbly, wailing, thing ... pretty exotic. Like I said, mine wasn't in top condition but what it did for reverb ... well ... it didn't really sound like reverb but I admit I was looking for spring reverb, not an electronic variant but it did do a slap-back ... and then it didn't do anything ... :? John

jp said:

That's okay, Steve. You're not the only one afflicted. My wife actually has gifts packed away in boxes that were supposed to be sent to friends almost ten years ago. . . really. There's a lot less effort involved in shipping than in building a preamp.

Mark Twain said:

"Never put off until tomorrow what you can do the day after tomorrow."

Click to expand...

Lucky for you that the recipient is a true gentleman. :wink:

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Sometimes you'd rather get hot than go home. I'm not happy about my performance with this (and other things :roll: ).

capnjuan said:

MandoSquirrel said:

Ooh, I used to have one of those, though I forget the brand. Awesome sound when it was adjusted right. I read an interview where Ry Cooder said that was part of his trademark sound.

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Hi Elrod; you probably read the interview with Ry Cooder from Vintage Guitar / November 1992 reproduced on this webpage also linked above. Not sure how to know which recordings/concerts he did with an oil can. There are a couple of samples from a band called The Mesmers but it's hard to tell exactly what's going on. When my GA4RE worked correctly - for all of about 15 minutes - it produced a warbly, wailing, thing ... pretty exotic. Like I said, mine wasn't in top condition but what it did for reverb ... well ... it didn't really sound like reverb but I admit I was looking for spring reverb, not an electronic variant but it did do a slap-back ... and then it didn't do anything ... :? John

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It could have been VG; I was a subscriber around that time, & swapping instruments around, but I was thinking some other guitar mag; Like I said, it may have been VG.
When I got the unit I had, it had a noise, maybe feedback like(this was over 15 years ago, forgive the lack of memory, please), but there was an adjustment wheel that I turned, which I think may have dialed back the effect; anyway, I rolled it back & adjusted it just short of the noise, then the sound was sort of a blend of organ, leslie, tremolo, & reverb, real deep & dark, kind of like Ry's tone on something like "Dark End Of The Street". I liked it, I just could never adapt to comfort playing plugged in. I also had an Alamo solid state spring reverb that was cool. All that stuff's way long gone, now, except a few tubes & a volume pedal.

Default, that's some cool rockabilly there

Default said:

Yes, I suck.

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Cheese ... if it was finished, I'd wouldn't have any fun ragging you about it ... :wink:

MandoSquirrel said:

.... then the sound was sort of a blend of organ, leslie, tremolo, & reverb, real deep & dark, kind of like Ry's tone on something like "Dark End Of The Street". I liked it, I just could never adapt to comfort playing plugged in ...

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The literature is pretty sketchy but yours must have been one of the organ tone models; I guess there were a number of variants. There is software out there that mimics the reverb-echo effect:

http://www.digidesign.com/index.cfm?navid=115&itemid=1500

Image below believed to be a replica of the faceplate of the last versions ... not sure if it included the organ tone or not.

Now that you mention it, I think the name did have something like "organ tone" in it.
I don't think that was the article I read, Ry went in to more detail, incorrect or not, in this one than I remembered. But thanks for the fun read & memories!

.... ... yet another Gibson Oil Can Delay ... thing ... gadget .... effect ... whatever

Seller sez (my ephasis): "UNTESTED appears to work but could require service due to age tubes are basic GE Sylvania tubes nothing special. Appears in original condition unit power up and the revolving can rotates. Amp operates with a revolving drum containing conductive oil (not sure level or what to add if needed) handle is in good condition, approximately 20" x 7" x 11.".

FYI: it takes three 6EU7s that are not 'nothing special'; good ones are a little tough to find.

What is it about honesty that bugs eBay people? Why doesn't he just say 'I don't if it works properly or not'. Instead of just saying it, he insists on holding out the pretty unlikely chance that it does work ok ... what does he think we're doing out here ... playing Bingo? It does have a nice handle ... if it works.... :evil: :wink:

... and here's another one ... Seller says this one works.

... and another Gibson GA4RE but with an excellent description of the tone functions. Seller says "...along the lines of the Tel-ray units of the 60's ...". He just garbled his prose; it isn't 'along the lines of' ... it is a Tel Ray unit sold under license to Gibson.