Modified Epiphone Valve JR/Silvertone 1484; Misc Projects

Narco Martenot · Post by **Narco Martenot** » Tue Jun 14, 2011 7:38 pm

Hello,

I just finished a few projects and thought I would share them with all of you.

I decided to give my Epiphone Valve Junior head and 1965 Silvertone 1484 cabinet a makeover. First, I started with the cabinet by replacing the old grille cloth white cotton and painting the cabinet satin black. On the cotton I painted Kazimir Malevich's "Design for Suprematist Fabric 3" , a textile pattern from 1919.

The second part involved making a new enclosure for the Epiphone head. I had a bunch of large, thick copper sheets laying around, and bent them into shape, which was very difficult because the copper is so thick. It's a bit sloppy, but it serves its purpose. Oh, if anyone can explain to me how to discharge the caps in that specific amp, please do! (I wasn't injured, just wondering)

A video to go with it:

[youtube][/youtube]

The next few projects involved repainting some of my metal working tools. I've been working on developing specific shades of red and green to use for all of my tools in my shop. The hammers are antique hammers that someone recently gave to me. They were really rusty and the handles were just raw wood. I painted the heads the special greens and stained the handles.

Next were anvils and a neat stamping die to make curved circular pieces.

Also, recently a few of my guitars were featured at a Science Fair at Cosi -- a science centre Columbus, OH. I entered my prehistoric and petrified wood/copper/ostrich Jaguar along with my girlfriend's Colour Organ that I helped her with.

Some fun with a TV studio that they had set up where you can control effects and whatnot:

Hopefully I will have a new guitar project to share soon! It should go well with the amplifier.

SGJarrod · Post by **SGJarrod** » Tue Jun 14, 2011 7:43 pm

Awesome... I have been contimplating a similar project but also gutting a Epi VJ and making it a Plexi with THIS....

I really dig the copper...lets hope someone does not snag it for scrap metal....lol...copper is hella expensive these days

George · Post by **George** » Tue Jun 14, 2011 7:46 pm

Amazing work. The special effects stuff made me lol:

Narco Martenot wrote:

stewart · Post by **stewart** » Tue Jun 14, 2011 7:47 pm

cool stuff as always. what's the color organ thingy?

Narco Martenot · Post by **Narco Martenot** » Tue Jun 14, 2011 7:54 pm

I forgot to explain that.

Here is the description my girlfriend wrote for it:

"A whimsical handmade keyboard designed to synchronise colour and sound. Each of the seventeen keys activates a light bulb, colour and sound when pressed. Equipped with thirty-second voice recorders, each key can be re-recorded with new sound at any time."

Basically, it's a child-like toy. It has built-in speakers. She used greeting card samplers for each key, so you can record anything to any key at any time.

More information on Color Organs: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Color_organ

James · Post by **James** » Tue Jun 14, 2011 7:58 pm

The cloth on the cab is fantastic. Excellent choice.

NickS · Post by **NickS** » Tue Jun 14, 2011 8:01 pm

Tres cool.

Pacafeliz · Post by **Pacafeliz** » Tue Jun 14, 2011 9:21 pm

SO cool!!!

Post by **Doog** » Tue Jun 14, 2011 10:38 pm

Narco Martenot wrote:"A whimsical handmade keyboard designed to synchronise colour and sound. Each of the seventeen keys activates a light bulb, colour and sound when pressed. Equipped with thirty-second voice recorders, each key can be re-recorded with new sound at any time."

Basically, it's a child-like toy. It has built-in speakers. She used greeting card samplers for each key, so you can record anything to any key at any time.

It's like a Fisher Price Lo-Fi Mellotron, love it! Love all of your other work too, great stuff.

cobascis · Post by **cobascis** » Wed Jun 15, 2011 12:49 am

Never ceases to amaze

lorez · Post by **lorez** » Wed Jun 15, 2011 9:11 am

so sweet it reminds me of the 70s version of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.

Fran · Post by **Fran** » Wed Jun 15, 2011 11:48 am

Well cool. Almost belongs in the Art forum

avj · Post by **avj** » Wed Jun 15, 2011 5:19 pm

Excellent stuff as always. I love the music in the video as well.

Catching up a bunch on your other videos, I found I really dig the production techniquesâ€”especially in the OBCA clip. Have you been recording directly to VHS, or sending them out to a VCR and back in again for editing? I love using VHS transport as an analog "filter" much in the same way I've done in the past with sending digitally-recorded audio through a shitty tape deck and back.

Narco Martenot · Post by **Narco Martenot** » Sun Jun 19, 2011 12:46 pm

Thanks all.

As for the video production -- the OBCA video was not actually sourced from VHS. Although the actual racing footage looks exactly how it did when I recorded it with a special toy camera, the rest was edited to appear as if it came from a VHS tape. I wanted to recapture the feeling of the many VHS tapes that I have from when I was a child, when I used to recorded various things on tapes, with segments ending abruptly or fading into each other; all while showing footage of the toy race track that I had built.

seb_ennis · Post by **seb_ennis** » Mon Jun 20, 2011 12:30 am

720p VHS FTW.

benecol · Post by **benecol** » Mon Jun 20, 2011 8:32 am

I'm in awe of your skills as ever.

toez10 · Post by **toez10** » Mon Jul 25, 2011 9:51 pm

that looks terrific. If I didn't draw/paint/write/smell/playguitar like a second grader, I would copy the shit out of your idea...

Modified Epiphone Valve JR/Silvertone 1484; Misc Projects

Modified Epiphone Valve JR/Silvertone 1484; Misc Projects

Re: Modified Epiphone Valve JR/Silvertone 1484; Misc Project