Dean Markley and Bradshaw Switching System

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The Dean Markley and Bradshaw Switching System ( English for "Dean Markley and Bradshaw circuit system") was a guitar amplifier - and effects device system , which between 1984 and 1985 by Robert C. Bradshaw in cooperation with the American amplifier and music accessories manufacturer Dean Markley USA was developed for the British rock musician Eric Clapton . It was the only work between Clapton and the electrical engineer Bradshaw and served as a prototype for the Soldano / Cornish Guitar routing system , which by the British engineer Cornish Pete and the amplifier Bauer Michael J. Soldano, Jr. was made. In 2011, Clapton sold the guitar system for his drug and rehabilitation center, the Crossroads Center .

history

When Clapton was working on his studio album Behind the Sun in 1984 and 1985 , he invited guitarist Steve Lukather ( Toto ) to a recording session. Clapton was enthusiastic about the sound coming out of Lukather's amplifier and was interested in a similar system. Lukather was using Bradshaw effect systems at the time and was the contact between Clapton and Bradshaw. In the mid-1980s, Clapton also tested the "Signatue Series 120" guitar amplifier from the manufacturer Dean Markley USA and decided to use two of the tops with an output of 120 watts . At the end of 1984 to 1985 Bradshaw worked on the system, which Clapton was supposed to offer a series of old sounds for songs like Badge and White Room , but could also be used for the new songs Forever Man or Tearing Us Apart . Bradshaw ultimately designed a rack system for the amplifiers and effects with a foot switch for channel selection and effects.

Equipment

The system included a Roland SDE-3000 Digital Delay , an Ibanez HD-1000 Harmonics / Delay , a Boss CE-1 Chorus Ensemble , a Boss HM-2 Heavy Metal Distortion Pedal, a Dyno-My-Piano Tri Stereo Chorus, a DBX 160A compressor, as well as a Yamaha WXY-05UR diversity receiver as a wireless receiver for the guitar signal . To connect the effects devices to the amplifiers, Bradshaw made a switch specifically for the system, which let the guitar signal from the transmitter flow one after the other into the effects, and then fed it into the front of the amplifier. This is why the system is also known as the “Front Amp System” (looped into the front of the amplifier). However, it is unknown whether Clapton used two amplifiers at the same time ( stereo ) or only one ( mono ).

So that Clapton could choose which effect or which combination of effects to use at any time, Bradshaw produced a foot switch with a total of 12 switches, which enabled signals to be switched easily and silently. The abbreviations “RATE” stood for the CE-1 chorus, “TSC” for the tri-stereo chorus, “HARM” for the Ibanez harmonizer, “COMP” for the DBX compressor, “HM-2” for the heavy Metal effect and "3000" for the SDE-3000 delay from Roland. If some of the switches should fail, Bradshow installed two unoccupied switches “SPR-1” and “SPR-2” (“Spare” for “replacement”) as a precaution. It was also possible to save presets of effect combinations, which Bradshaw named "PS-1" to "PS-4" ("Preset" for "preset").

As an amplifier box, Clapton used two "JCM 800 1960 - Lead" from the British manufacturer Marshall Amplification .

use

The successor: Soldano amplifiers.

Clapton used the original system in 1985 during the Behind the Sun World Tour . The system was also used during the Live Aid performance. Clapton's guitar technician at the time, Lee Dickson , commented that Clapton mostly only used the compressor and the Boss CE-1 chorus, rarely the other effects in the system. In the years 1986 to 1989, Clapton still used the effects devices, but now varied with his choice of amplifiers. Clapton used the system with amplifiers from the manufacturer Fender , for example with a Tweed Twin or a Princeton Chorus. In 1988, Clapton used the switch system in combination with a Soldano SLO-100 , which later led to the Soldano / Cornish Guitar Routing System.

After Clapton decided to have a new system built by Soldano and Cornish in 1988, some effects such as the tri-stereo chorus or the SDE-3000 delay were taken from the Bradshaw system and incorporated into the Soldano / Cornish Guitar Routing System installed.

The Cornish Soldano system was completed in 1988 and accompanied Clapton until 1996.

auction

On March 9, 2011 from 1 p.m., the system was auctioned at the British auction house Bonhams . The parts used in the Soldano / Cornish system were missing and the loudspeakers in the Marshall boxes that Clapton used in the 1980s were also defective. Only the other effects, the rack, Bradshaw's effects loop and foot switch were functional and advertised as such. The Dean-Markley amplifiers were also technically fine. Guitar cable and flight cases of the British manufacturer Pack Horse, Limited were also part of the auction. The incomplete system of 4,880 was sold US dollars . The entire proceeds went to the Crossroads Center in Antigua .

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Dan Forte: Eric Clapton - The Interview. Guitar Player Magazine, July 1985, accessed May 24, 2017 .
  2. ^ The Music Man Rig That Eric Clapton Auctioned for Charity. EB Music Man Amp News, accessed May 24, 2017 .
  3. ↑ Roland SDE-3000 Digital Delay. Equipboard, Inc., accessed May 24, 2017 .
  4. ↑ Ibanez HD-1000 Harmonics / Delay. Equipboard, Inc., accessed May 24, 2017 .
  5. ^ Boss CE-1 Chorus Ensemble. Equipboard, Inc., accessed May 24, 2017 .
  6. ↑ Boss HM-2 Heavy Metal Distortion Effects Pedal. Equipboard, Inc., accessed May 24, 2017 .
  7. ^ Dyno-My-Piano Tri Stereo Chorus. Equipboard, Inc., accessed May 24, 2017 .
  8. ↑ DBX 160A Compressor. Equipboard, Inc., accessed May 24, 2017 .
  9. ↑ Yamaha WXY-05UR Diversity Receiver. Equipboard, Inc., accessed May 24, 2017 .
  10. ↑ 1980 Dean Markley 120, Bradshaw System, 80s Marshall JCM800 1960AB Cabs. Equipboard, Inc., accessed May 24, 2017 .
  11. ↑ Bradshaw Clapton Foot Switch. Custom Audio Electronics, accessed May 24, 2017 .
  12. ^ Marshall JCM 800 Lead Cabinets. Custom Audio Electronics, accessed May 24, 2017 .
  13. ↑ Rack Systems. Get Your Tone, accessed May 24, 2017 .
  14. ^ A pair of 1988 Soldano SLO-100 and a 1989 Pete Cornish Guitar Routing System. Bonhams, accessed May 24, 2017 .
  15. ↑ A pair of 1980s Dean Markley Signature Series 120 and 1980s Bradshaw Switching System. Bonhams, accessed May 24, 2017 .

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