As you listen to these "live" recordings it is obvious that Plain Brown Wrapper

existed in the early days of sound technology. It was not a digital world.

Jim Hosley "Hoz" (the person pictured) did the best he could

with just an analog 6-channel Shure vocal mixer,

an Echoplex for tape-looped effects, and a very basic mix down panel

for recording on their portable, 2-track, Roberts, reel-to-reel deck.  

Four-track recording machines had just been introduced in recording studios,..

not really affordable by the average musician, and in no way were they portable.  

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This was in the days before digital synthesizers,

however the Wrapper did use the popular keyboards of the day.

First they used a Hohner piano stacked on a Farfisa organ (with extended bass).

But the band soon changed over to a portable version of a Hammond B3 organ

with 2 Leslie speaker cabinets.  And, on the songs with 2 horns

(Scott on trumpet, and Dave on trumpet or trombone), Van would switch 

from the guitar to play the B3 and a Fender Rhodes keyboard bass.

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Remember that guitarists were rather limited

in terms of tones and effects available during this time.  

The Fuzz Tone had been around a while, as heard in The Stones' song

"Satisfaction".  And, the WaWA Pedal had just become a new effect

that guitarist could explore. But only a few pedal effects were available.

Unfortunately, phase shifting, chorusing, echo, looping and all of today's

digital effects were not available to starving musicians in the 1960s & 70s.

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Today, when the Wrapper members get together,

they often talk about all of the technology that's now available.

They imagine what they might have achieved

if they'd have had any of the these technologies way back then:

sophisticated "live" Mixing Boards,

Computers,

Digital Multi-Track Recording,

Videos Cameras,

Wireless Electronics,

Cell Phones,  etc.

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PLAIN BROWN WRAPPER PA SYSTEM (circa Summer 1967)

Custom Built (by Chuck) 6-channel Vocal Mixing Board

2 - Stadium Horns (on telescoping stands, with 50W amp)

2 - Monitor Columns (custom built by Chuck, with 50W amp)

A mix of EV and Shure microphones 

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PLAIN BROWN WRAPPER PA SYSTEM (circa mid-1968)

6-Channel Shure VA-300C Vocal Master Mixer/amp (100W)

2 - Shure VA-300S Columns

2 - Stadium Horns (on telescoping stands, with 50W amp)

2 - Monitor Columns (with 50W amp)

All Shure 565 microphones

Echoplex 'Tape-Loop' Echo Machine

(4-channel volume mixer and Roberts reel-to-reel deck, for recording "live")

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PLAIN BROWN WRAPPER AMPLIFIERS (circa late-1968)

2 - Fender Twin Amplifiers (2 -12")

2 - Fender (2 -15") Cabinets

Sunn Bass Amplifier (2 -15")

Fender Bassman Amp with 2, stacked - Leslie Speaker Cabinets

 

 

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