Funny Speaker Story

Two hands31 · #1 06-23-2002, 09:35 PM

My friend told me this story about a situation he experienced, I'll try to get all the details in:

Basically, they were setting up a sound system, with subs, etc, and they weren't getting any sound out of it. They had all the levels cranked, and nothing was coming out. Suddenly they noticed the track was muted (genious, I know

) and un-muted it. The first CD track they played had a loud bass note as the first beat of the song...the levels were still cranked. They managed to shoot the magnets out of the subs, and through (yes, THROUGH) a wall.

Anyone have any funny gear disaster stories?

Kremlin · #2 06-23-2002, 10:58 PM

When I was much younger and didn't know you needed a DI box to directly record out of an amp.. I took the head off my Marshall VS 8100 halfstack and plugged the speaker output into my computer's sound card. *snap crackle fizzle fizzle*

ScottB · #3 06-24-2002, 01:36 AM

About a dozen or so years ago, I was playing an outdoor gig. The other guitar player and I both had 100w half stacks running through Marshall 280w cabinets. The bass player had a Peavey 300w bass head running through a single 200w 15" JBL.

Our last tune for the day was a 20 minute long Zeppelin medley. The other guitar player and myself decided to have some fun and kept cranking the volume a few notches at a time until we were insanely loud. The bass player decided he would try to play over us for the last minute or so of the song, so he pegged the volume knob on his Peavey. Before long, I looked over at his rig and his cabinet was on fire. The voice coil of the JBL got so hot, it ignited the paper cone. "Whole Lotta Love" never sounded so good.

That was the first fire I put out using a pitcher of beer!

RSVampire · #4 06-24-2002, 05:32 AM

I have my Line 6 setup next to my window...and there are sprinklers outside....guess my dad turned them on 1 morning when I had my window open...filled up the back of my Flextone II amp with water. I turned it on and it kinda went "crackle crackle fuzz fuzz POP!" and stopped working . I waited and dried it out completely for like 2 days before testing it out again. It works perfectly fine now!

Two hands31 · #5 06-24-2002, 10:17 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ScreamJem7

That was the first fire I put out using a pitcher of beer!

Why does something about this statement tell me it's not the last.

bammbamm · #6 06-24-2002, 10:35 AM

I toasted my kewlest rack delay unit one night while setting up.
It was dark on stage, and I had no flash light. I inadvertently hooked up my speaker out from my Boogie to the delay's input and then out back to my fx return.

I thought I knew my back panel layout pretty well, but I was in front of the amp working over the top of it so I guess my memory wan't as good as I thought. All I knew was I wasn't getting the sound I wanted. Fortunately It was the only effect in the chain that got cooked, IT SACRIFICED ITSELF FOR THE GREATER GOOD ! ! !
Anyway, I still played the show, but I didn't have the wicked modulated delay effect I was planning on for one of the originals. Such is life.
Bamm

Reaper · #7 06-24-2002, 12:51 PM

Quote:

That was the first fire I put out using a pitcher of beer!

OK, so it's not gear-related, but that one just kind of inspired me to post this: I work in a restaurant, maintaining a breakfast/brunch buffet. To keep to food hot, we use these little "sterno's" which are basically half the size of a soda can, and are filled with fuel. You light them, they go for about 3 hours. Anyway, at one point, a while ago, apparently one of my friends managed to get some of the fuel on the wall of the restaurant while the fuel was still one fire. He then proceeded to run behind the bar, grab some form of alcohol, and attempt to put the fire out. Needless to say, it didn't work.

ScottB · #8 06-25-2002, 12:10 AM

He should have grabbed a can of beer.

Here's my quick tutorial on the beer can fire extinguisher:

1.) Grab the cheapest can of beer you can find in the fridge. Shake beer can vigorously for a few seconds. (Don't over do it - there's something on fire that shouldn't be!)

2.) Puncture bottom edge of can with a sharp object such as a knife or icepick.

3.) Direct the stream of beer at the base of the flame and sweep in a back and forth motion until the fire is extinguished.

4.) If the desired result has not been achieved after step #3, dial 911, grab another beer and repeat steps 1 through 3.

5.) If the fire is still burning or is spreading after beer #2, you are an amateur firefighter. Get the hell out of the house and stop wasting beer. The real firefighters will need it after they put your fire out.

Darin W · #9 07-03-2002, 10:37 PM

Well, since this is somewhat of a mishap thread, and I don't have a speaker mishap, but one of a more......"personal" nature. waaahhhhh

While working as a carpenter, I cut the end of my ring finger off with a "skil"-saw. Now I have to play with 3 fingers.

It was 11 years ago, I've made the adjustment. But it's funny when showing my playing buddy a riff with my hand all screwy, and he has to tranlate it. Oh I also cut off a good part of the end of my middle finger, but with the magic of surgery, they took a chunk out of my hand and sewed it in it's place. It actually worked! But those Rusty Cooley 4 notes per string runs are too much.

Darin

I saw this on a bumper sticker the other day, I think it's funny.
[Visualize Whirrled Peas]

oooo · #10 07-03-2002, 11:13 PM

Got one...
A few months back we were playing this little hole in the wall. During the show our drummer lost his monitor. He uses an ancient JBL 15 with a horn on a flight case as a monitor, on his own mix. It sits about 2 or 3 feet from his right ear. He does a lot of backup vox, so w/o a monitor he's basically screwed.
Anyway, he starts doing the universal "point at the Monitor and then point up" thing to get the sound guy to push it up. Mr. sound guy does, but still nothing coming out. This went on for a while until our sound guy runs out of monitor knob. About this time I walked back and took my foot and touched the speaker cord... to see, we'll I have no idea what I was thinking. Instantly the most God aweful feedback you've ever heard at a piercing level slams him. I'm talking no build up... from dead quiet to EEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!!!
we'll we get a bad case of the laughs. You know the kind you used to get in church as a kid. The rest of the night was just shot. We'd get going, look at each other and just loose it. I blew practically every lead, and when I'd screw up it'd make it even funnier. The funny thing is the crowd was cracking up also.