Paramounts in the Show-Me State

[randy@matrixq.com]

I've been working on these for some time now.  I would get a little bit done now and then but would get busy with everything else in-between.  Now they are done and I'm really enjoying them.  Nothing has been broken in yet, but they still sound "spooky good".

 

[tsingle999]

Wow really nice build! Base looks great, i love the green and the feet are a nice touch! The build under the hood looks very solid too - i always drool over the mq iron! What caps did you use?

 

[randy@matrixq.com]

Thanks, the caps are Mundorf Supremes.  I've been very happy with the Mundorfs in other builds and think they are a great bang for the buck.

 

[4krow]

You know what would go good with green? brass screws

 

[Brillo]

Book-matched!  You don't see that often.  Very Nice. 

 

[Paul Birkeland]

Man, these remind me of my original B-glows that I got when I was 16, green chassis plates with cherry stained bases, beauties!

 

[randy@matrixq.com]

Greg, I like the brass screw idea.  I've built every kit so far with the green anodized plate and Boiled Linseed Oil base (except for the Paramours).  I'm going to need a lot of screws but it would certainly be worth it for the aesthetics.

The book-match build was really much easier than the one I did with the Paramours.  The circuit boards really help in this case.  I think there was only one or two wires that had to be lengthened to make it happen.  I'm a little OC with the book-match.  I gotta have symmetry.

Still have less than 10 hours on them but I'm enjoying the break-in as much as anything.  I will rave about them even if they don't ever sound any better but I know they will.

As always, the instructions were just incredible.  I had two terminals that needed soldering on check out and another pair that were flipped in their orientation.  Neither was the fault of the instructions.  I caught everything during the visual inspection.  Highly recommended.  Other than that, everything else was good to go. 

 

[4krow]

Man, Your right on about instructions. I have built kits before that had me scratching my head like a drivers test. These kits are unparalleled as far as I know.
  Yah, I saw the green, and it is REALLY a great color. And bankers green likes brass man. I do a lot of brass hardware myself, and yes, it is outrageously expensive for what it is...and worth it. I can not think of anything else that I would do for the beauty of this project. If they sound like they look, you have hit a grand slam. Winner in every category.


      Greg

 

[Bill Chase]

Those are absolutely stunning!  Nicely done!

 

[earwaxxer]

I also like the cat!

 

[randy@matrixq.com]

The cat gets locked in the bedroom when I do voltage checks.  He wants to get his nose in places that would be bad for his health.  Otherwise quite the little helper.

I put a couple of coats of paste wax on the bases and attached the badges.  After I clean up the cables I will post another picture.

 

[randy@matrixq.com]

OK, so I haven't done much with the cables yet.  I'm going to have to take my fake walls apart to do that and that needs another weekend with nothing else to do (few and far between).

 

[SoundBytes]

Beautiful! 

 

[4krow]

  Still love that green.

 

[docbob52]

How did you finish the bases.  Nice!

 

[randy@matrixq.com]

The wood bases are finished with Boiled Linseed Oil.  I hand-sand the wood with 220 grit paper until the wood has a uniform feel and the sharp edges are taken off the outside.  I then rub in a thin coat of the BLO and let it dry for 24 hours.  Then I hit it with "0000" steel wool. 

I repeat this process 7 times (sometimes more).  I then give it two coats of wood wax which takes very little time at all.  Buffing it down takes a little elbow grease but the end result is worth it.

Keep the coats of BLO super thin.  Otherwise you risk it not drying well and having to sand it back and starting over.  As with most finishes, the first coat will take a little more BLO than the later coats.

The first time I ever tried it was with my Foreplay III, then I did my Seduction, Crack, SEX, and Paramounts in the same style.  I like the way it looks but it would be a very serious task to use it on a larger piece of furniture.  I'm planning to build some Heresy's this summer and might talk myself into it.  Who knows.

 

[docbob52]

Wow that's a lot of work, but they are drop dead gorgeous
!!!!

 

[2wo]

There was an old adage about finishing a gun stock with BLO.

Rub in a coat, once a day for a week, once a week for a month, once a month for a year.

Once a year for for the rest of your life...John 

 

[randy@matrixq.com]

I have heard that old adage as well.  I would imagine that with a gunstock that would be very true.  Especially if it was handled quite a bit. 

With the bases rarely being "handled", and a good coat of wax on top, I think they will look good for years to come.

I can't imagine putting that much work into something much larger than a gunstock or a Bottle-head base.  It takes a lot of elbow grease as my Dad used to say.

 

[Grainger49]

There was an old adage about finishing a gun stock with BLO.

Rub in a coat, once a day for a week, once a week for a month, once a month for a year.

Once a year for for the rest of your life...John 

George Grotz said that your grandchildren will finish the process.  One of the reasons I have never tried this finish.