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"Here is something you won't see too often - a vintage SCOTTISH MADE POWERHOUSE DRUM MACHINE, made by a company called Bandmaster L.T.D./G.R. International, it looks to be from the 70's and is covered in what looks like Vox Vinhyde, as used on Vox AC-30 guitar amps, this is the only drum machine I know of that uses 8-track tapes!, it comes with 8 tapes, each of which have about 4 different beats on them, the tapes have labels showing a blond European babe boogieing with a guy playing drums behind her, there is a knob on the unit that controls tempo, i.e. it slows down or speeds up the tape, there are a couple pushbuttons for adjusting the sound and a couple that don't seem to do anything that I'm aware of, there is also a balance control since this is a stereo unit, on the back are a pair of RCA output jacks for left and right to hook-up to a stereo and a 1/4" phone output jack, there is s unmarked slide switch on the front panel that doesn't seem to do anything, on the back are a couple footswitch jacks, the machine comes with a dual pedal board that plugs in back, one pedal is a temporary pause/cut-off of sound and the other advances the tape program from one track to the next, I'm not sure if the footswitched are original equipment or not, I tried all the tapes and noticed some played better than others, might be the machine needs to be used some more, 8-track tapes have always been funky and these are no different, the program lights occasionally don't light, again, the machine may just need some "exercise", the tempo, balance and volume controls all are working, the machine is in nice shape cosmetically."
via Mike Ford
The Powerhouse is about as esoteric as drum machines get - got one lying around here somewhere. Fidelity is *slightly* better than an Optigan track, and each of the 4 loops is about 30 seconds or so long, if memory serves. Tracks are stereo, so pan 'em hard left/right for different rhythms/instruments on each track. I believe there were about 16 tapes made total.
ReplyDeleteAs with any 8-track machine, the heads will magnetize and goop up on you, especially since the tapes are now 30+ years old. So plan on being in maintenance mode, just like, well, most old gear I suppose.
Too bad he didn't show the front of the tapes themselves - 70's cheesecake goodness.
"If it isn't scottish, it's CRAP!!!" ---Mike Myers on SNL
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