Hello from Micanopy,Fla

[Otis]

Hi all. I know just enough about amps to be dangerous. I'm a cabinetmaker by trade, guitar slinger by inclination. I currently have a seymour duncan convertable and a carvin v-16 that I modded and an old M10 Magnatone that I hope to get running one day. I like what I see on this site and am excited to learn more. My old man was an electrical engineer who worked on the Mercury thru Apollo space program. He tried to explain things but you know how it is with rocket scientists, mostly blew right in one ear and out the other with very little resistence  I know that's an electrical term,no? God bless his memory, he just could never wrap his mind around the idea that there is such a thing as good distortion. Anyway, I'll be searching the archives and asking all kinds of beginners questions and generally making myself a nuisance.
Cheers,
Otis

[Willabe]

Welcome Otis!

Your gonna like it here, great people, great ideas, no flame throwers!

So your a cabinetmaker? I'm a carpenter. Man I love wood! Amazing stuff! I've spent a little time working in a cab shop and loved it.

Sorry to hear about your dad. I lost mine too.       As too have many of the guys here.

What did your dad do? Could you explain a little more?

"My dad runs a bowling ally, where does your dad work?" A little boys dream, "My dads a rocket scientist".  And all the little guys say, "WHOOO, COOOL".        

We have a fellow member who just posted a question on building a speaker cab for a build of his. He, like all of use are having a harder and harder time finding good solid wood to make our cabs. Don't mean to throw you into the fire, but would you take a look at his post and maybe weigh in with some ideas?  

Here's the link,

http://www.el34world.com/Forum/index.php?topic=13019.0


          Thanks and welcome again Otis!      

                                      Brad    

[rafe]

You ever play at the kickin' devil? Been to the devil's millhopper? Hippodrome?
You ever speed in Waldo? I never speed in Waldo .....Welcome

[Otis]

Hi Willabe,
Thanks for the warm welcome. My dad was a radio guy in the navy in WW2, but he brought with him even then alot to the table as he already was building radios and fixing all the neighbors electronics. He never finished high school as he had to help support 8 other siblings during the great depression.After the war, he hired on as an electrical engineer with Bendix working on guided missle stuff, then in the mid 60's transfered to Kennedy Space Center where he worked on manned space flight. He had a team of guys under him. One day he told me his guys were shooting the s&it , one guy says I got my masters at MIT, another says Cal Tech and so on, so they get to my dad, he fesses up that he didn't have a HS diploma no less a college degree.They couldn't believe it, so they go to personal and sure enough it's true. He always said he was real lucky, that he was in the right place at the right time, but back then it was more about what you knew than what degree you had. I remember as a kid meeting some of those guys and they always had high praise for the old man.

P.S. I'll gladly post something on the speaker cabinet first chance I get.

[Otis]

Hi Rafe,
 To answer your questions,Yes, yes, yes, hell no! I'll be 'specially careful tommorrow as the wife and I have to go that way to Jacksonville to see Greg Allman .Should be a good show.

[Willabe]

He always said he was real lucky, that he was in the right place at the right time, but back then it was more about what you knew than what degree you had. I remember as a kid meeting some of those guys and they always had high praise for the old man.

Yeah, yeah, yeah, "I went to such and such" good for your dad!        

My dad and mom were depression era kids too, heard many a story from them both and dad served 4 years (army) in WWII, 3 years in New Guinea.  
 
FWIW, sounds like your dad was a good guy and humble too.        Which speaks wisdom to me.

Greg Allman, got an extra ticket? I'll be right there.         I Love his voice and playing! I grew up listening to the Brothers.


           Brad      

[Ritchie200]

Otis, man what a great story about your dad.  My past life in the manufacturing world was littered with self absorbed twits with all sorts of alphabet soup behind their names.  Nine times out of ten they could not manage their way out of a wet paper bag.  Even though I spent a lot of time in college myself, I had a thousand times more respect for the guys who went to the school of hard knocks.  It was a fortunate time for your dad back then when you were judged on your ability and accomplishments and not the diploma. 

Welcome to the Forum!
Jim

[rafe]

I'm up in Bradford Co. but work in Hogtown daily...welcome aboard neighbor...
   

[Duff]

I just signed up 10 minutes ago and found this !

Otis - Are we related ?

My old man worked for RCA, Philco, and then for GE Aerospace Re-enrty Systems. I'm one of eight. But then, my old man had a whole year of electronics in public school before he got started  He's long gone now. Had to laugh - He too would cringe saying "That sounds like $hit" when I cranked up the distortion. And stories - I remember in the late 60's he explained how we had small missiles with self contained maps in their guidance systems to allow them to fly low following the landscape out of radar and around objects. Sound familiar to anybody ?  That was 50 years ago !

[Otis]

Hi Duff,
Welcome aboard! My old man worked for Bendix in that phase of his career. Later, after appollo he went to work for Alabama Power who required him to pass a GED before they could hire him!