Pics of Melcor EQ-20 racked....and a few GME-20's too! PORN!

[JRE Productions]

I love Melcor EQ's! They just sound killer. Smooth as Butta, yet punchy like tangerines!

Top pic is a single Melcor EQ-20 two band Eq. Huge bottom end. These can make a 18" bass drum sound like a 28" circus drum! Top end is smooth and open. This runs on a single 24v supply and would make a great DIY project. It would be great if it could be made with an adjustable low freq. Top end has 3 and 5K selectable, as well as a HF. Even with the HF engauged the attenuator adds some juice.

This you may have seen before. The top EQs are the later big brother to the above. THese are Melcor GME-20's with dual 1731 opamps. To me there is not much better sounding. These are basically two band versions of API 550A's. You can run one eq into the other for four bands with out any added noise I can tell.

Just as an FYI, we have seem some modules racked over the last few months. These panels were all cut by hand with a drill, and a file only. No real power tools or cutters. I scribed the outline on the panel. Then drilled a bunch of holes all around the inside of the line, until the center fell out. Then took a file and smoothed it all out. The trick is simple. As you get closer to the line, you slow down. You start to check more and more often to make sure you don't over shoot it. Take a look.

 

[desol]

Cool...good info! Did you consider using a dremel?

 

[JRE Productions]

I did not consider the dremel. Not sure how I could use one on this. Aluminum is soft and clogs grinding wheels up fast. Is there some sort of a cutting wheel, or milling bit i could have used?

Joe

 

[ultrasonic]

I racked up a pair of GME-20s a few years ago and have been using them since then. I had a machine shop to cut out perfectly rectangular holes in the front panel. I could get a picture, but it just looks like two Melcors in a rack, not much to see. I like the sound very much, but I usually am sitting in front of an API Legacy with 48 channels, so I dont have to use the Melcors very often.

One issue that I have is that my units give me a good 6db of gain, even when both bands are set flat. The guy I got them from said there is some jumper or component that was changed to achieve this. I'd like to put them back to unity. Has anyone ever experienced this? Also, the highest freq. on the Hi band has been shifted to something like 10kHz. Sounds nice.

On the subject of Melcor, I also have an SSI (Suburban Sound) unit that is 8 channels of Melcor/API 312 style mic preamps. Melcor input and output transformers, and 1731 op amps. I love the Melcor stuff, except that forums like this educate too many people about the cool sleeper gear, and the prices go up!

 

[JRE Productions]

inside a GME-20

schematic:

Inside the EQ-20

No schematics yet....

Joe

 

[adamasd]

[quote author="JRE Productions"]I did not consider the dremel. Not sure how I could use one on this. Aluminum is soft and clogs grinding wheels up fast. Is there some sort of a cutting wheel, or milling bit i could have used?

Joe[/quote]

The dremal cutoff wheel generally will break, shatter or just wear down long before clogging, but they are cheap, 25 of them cost about $7 and you could probably cut those opening with 2 or 3 wheels. I find drilling the corner holes and useing a scroll saw with a metal cutting blade to be alot easier though.

Those look pretty nice, I might have to wire up one of those, I think I have all the parts at hand as well. Look forward to seeing the melcor schematic.


adam

 

[rafafredd]

Nice stuff. I would love to see a readable version of that GME schematic. Would this be possible?

 

[MikoKensington]

That's the same one I posted before. It's from Port. He has high res, but he wanted money.

 

[JRE Productions]

I do think I got this from Miko. If you save it to your computer, you can enhance it pretty good. Next time I have the units open, I can try and read some parts and update the unit. Port had a pair of the GME-20 for sale, and is good about send schemo's. I have no expeirence with him, if you did not buy the parts from him first.

Joe