[Vintage-Audio] Karlson Speaker

Sat Apr 16 19:35:52 EDT 2005

I am here to let you know, that if anyone on this third rock from that gas
belching, flame hurling, very huge microwave that keeps us from becoming
celestial ice cubes, can find a one or two of a kind, nearly never heard of or
incredible prototype item, it is Robert, W9RAN. He is really something else!
Even better is the little known fact, or used to be until I let the vacuum out
of the old tube, it is probably lurking somewhere in his personal warehouse, AKA
basement. 	

Over the years I have learned much from Bob. He is a walking information vault
and almost always knows what he is talking about. I still do not believe that
anybody can 'sing' lower than the late J.D. Sumner, Robert! (chuckle) Maybe
growl or make those armpit sounds, but sing at 9 Hz? If anyone can hit a note
like that, a human could not hear it anyhow, as it is well below the hearing
range of the very young, let alone us who are on the high side of fifty!  	

I heard J.D. Sumner sing with the Blackwood Brothers quartet and later his own
group, the Stamps Quartet, southern gospel, on many occasions over the decades.
Because I am an entertainer, but a professional Magician/Illusionist and not a
musician or vocalist, our paths crossed every few years somewhere. If you never
heard him hit one of those patented bass notes, you missed something that is
beyond comprehension. You had to be there to even begin to comprehend what this
sounds, or feels, like. 	

I know that he was accused many times of electronic fakery, but then these
people making the claims were just jealous bass singers who sounded like a first
tenor compared to J.D.! They were still in diapers when J.D. was belting out
those 32 Hz notes fifty years ago when the technology did not exist to fake it!	

he was 100% for real. I got to know him fairly well over the decades and had the
opportunity to talk with the other guys who sang with him. Such as Richard S.,
the bass singer for the Oakridge Boys (who were originally Ssouthern Gospel but
crossed over to Country around 1970). In fact, in 1972, I think, J.D. was told
by doctors that he had to retire as they could not surgically repair his vocal
cords if he tore one again. He hired young Richard to be his replacement in the
Stamps. Now the last seven years of Elvis Presley's life, J.D. and the Stamps
sang back up for him, along with other groups. You may have heard them when
Elvis did the famous Aloha broadcast from hawaii in 1972. I have the original
recording from the night before program that was not broadcast around the globe.
it is available on Cd and is called the Alternate Aloha. J.D. hit one of his
patented dropping right off the piano keyboard range notes at the end of one
song Elvis did and about shook the building down! You can hear the place
resonate, literally.	

Elvis was really upset about J.D. retiring. Elvis was a great Southern Gospel
fan, actually quite religious in his heart, even if he did not show it outwardly
some of the time. He often sneaked into Southern Gospel concerts to try and hear
a group without being bothered by fans or stage hands or somebody. he just
wanted to listen, but when you are somebody like Elvis, that is almost not
possible. As some of you know, Elvis recorded a number of religious albums over
the years, some with the Jordanaires and some with the Stamps in the seventies.	

Elvis managed to talk J.D. Sumner into not retiring. This left Richard without a
job, of course. J.D., being a first class guy, along with vocalist - song writer
- showman, got Richard the job with the Oakridge Boys. richard has done well and
the rest is history.	

I have one album where Richard and J.D. sing together as Richard was learning
his slot with the Stamps. I can make you a copy if you would like one. Really
wild hearing a young Richard with J.D. who was in his late forties. 	

I laughed when i was in Pontiac, MI in 1992 at a concert where the Stamps and
the Heartland Boys, a group my stage manager, Deo Young, sang bass for, when
J.D. was telling how people kept asking him where ever he went, year after year
after year, if Elvis was really dead? I am sure you have all heard the various
rumors which will never stop. Elvis presley is, and shall always be, a legend!
J.D. said "I know he is dead. Trust me! I was there when they had the funeral
and helped carry that coffin that weighed as much as his gold Cadillac! All
those people who thought they saw beads of sweat on his forehead as they passed
by his coffin, well it was hot and his makeup started to melt! It wasn't sweat!"

Now Robert, you need to find a pair of those thirty inch woofers they used to
make in the sixties and add them to the bottom end of your audio system. The
reason those juke boxes we used to hear thumped was that big old eighteen inch
woofer some of them ran. I have been told, and I do 'not' know this to be a
fact, that those juke boxes ran a considerable amount of power, some as much as,
maybe more than 100 watts RMS. Any truth to this?	

Imagine J.D. Sumner hitting some of those notes through a pair of those thirty
inch woofers, along with the rest of the speaker system, and rattling the
fillings right out of your teeth! 	

Sorry Robert, you just triggered some memories for me and I had to share a few.
i really miss old J.D. Sumner. By the way, he died as I think he wanted to, on
tour in Florida, during the night while asleep. 	

DBF	

 ---------
From: Robert Nickels <w9ran at oneradio.net>
To: vintage-audio at mailman.qth.net
Subject: [Vintage-Audio] Karlson Speaker
Date: Saturday, April 16, 2005 2:26 PM

A photo from a fellow radio nut's workshop included a homebrew speaker 
with a unique feature - an exponential-curved front piece that was 
distinctive, but the name of the design eluded me.  After a half hour 
spent thumbing through enough old hi-fi magazines I finally found it:  
Karlson.  (Actually the article I first found mis-named it "Karlton" but 
my memory-like-an-elephant buddy Fred Olsen correctly caught the 
error).    The Karlson Company sold assembled speakers, and also plans 
for do-it-yourself builders as the design is simple and easily 
replicated.  The Karlson speaker uses a single 12 or 15" driver and 
claims full-range reproduction, although some of the speakers shown on 
the Gallery page have added mids and tweeters.

Ever since finding the ads for Karlson plans in old radio magazines I've 
been intrigued by them and one day I want to make one and give it a 
listen.   Information and an active forum of Karlson fans can be found 
at   http://home.planet.nl/~ulfman/   With it's patetended "jet age" 
design, the Karlson says "1950s" like no other speaker I know of!

But what really surprised me was to learn that a certain outspoken ham 
radio editor from that era was Vice President (and chief huckster) for 
the Karlson Company:
http://home.planet.nl/~ulfman/images/wayne.gif    Regardless of how good 
the speaker was or wasn't, after reading Wayne Green's ad copy who could 
resist?   If his claim of shipping 1400 per month is right there ought 
to be a few of the factory-built jobs still around.  Has anyone seen, 
owned, or built a Karlson?  And what can you tell us about it?

73, Bob W9RAN

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