COPPER

A PS Audio Publication

Issue 104 • Free Online Magazine

Issue 104 Opening Salvo

Issue 104

Issue 104

Copper has been moving to increase its audio-related articles. We intend to bring you more about audio tech, interviews and company profiles, show reports and other audio subjects.

That said, our music and other coverage of "the good stuff," as the masthead proclaims, will continue to flourish. We have an exceptional group of writers, not just IMHO but others have noticed – John Seetoo got a Facebook shout out from master guitarist Steve Hunter himself, for John’s Lou Reed article in Issue 103. And how could Copper not write about Beethoven’s 250th birthday?

In memoriam: The rock music world recently lost musician-composer-filmmaker Ivan Král (71), Patti Smith’s long-time bassist, guitarist and vocalist, and Andy Gill (64), guitarist for seminally influential post-punk band Gang of Four. Král played on many of Smith’s albums including the landmark Horses and wrote songs for Smith, U2, Simple Minds, Iggy Pop, David Bowie and others. Andy Gill’s sparse, cutting guitar style was a defining element of Gang of Four’s angular yet danceable sound and influenced uncountable guitarists to follow. I saw Gang of Four play The Ritz in New York in the early 1980s and they rocked the house so hard the roadies had to hold onto the PA stacks to keep them from falling over during the show. RIP.

In this issue: Professor Larry Schenbeck and Anne E. Johnson celebrate a monumental musical milestone: the 250th birthday of Ludwig van Beethoven. Anne also traces the career of the Kings of Leon. WL Woodward contributes Part Two of his major piece on Grateful Dead sonic wizard Owsley “Bear” Stanley. Tom Gibbs finds more crates to dig through, from comedy to the Cramps. J.I. Agnew gives us the first installment of “Secrets of the Phono Cartridge.” Wayne Robins examines the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.

Bob Wood finds that radio station hijinks know no borders. Roy Hall has a run-in with the cops and Don Kaplan with school delinquents. I initiate a new series, “Confessions of a Setup Man.” Dan Schwartz tells us how he almost hit it big in a project with AT&T Labs. John Seetoo adds Part Two of his story on John Strohbeen and Ohm Acoustics. The issue concludes with cartoonist James Whitworth recommending a sound pension plan, an A1 speaker system and a Parting Shot celebrating a special bond.

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#234 A Life in High-End Audio: The Roy Hall Interview, Part One by Frank Doris Sep 07, 2026 #234 Jason Greenlaw Offers His Personal Perspective on Jazz Guitar in Vantage Point by Frank Doris Sep 07, 2026 #234 Transcendent Phoenix: Lucina Yue Brings the Ancient Konghou Into Modern Times by Frank Doris Sep 07, 2026 #234 We Must All Follow Our Bliss by B. Jan Montana Sep 07, 2026 #234 How to Play in a Rock Band, 27: Leveling Up by Frank Doris Sep 07, 2026 #234 Ross Valory: Traveling Into New Musical Territory With All of the Above by Ray Chelstowski Sep 07, 2026 #234 Singer/Songwriter John David Schrader: On the Need to Create by Joe Caplan Sep 07, 2026 #234 The People Who Make Audio Happen: More From T.H.E. Show SoCal 2026 by Harris Fogel Sep 07, 2026 #234 The Vinyl Beat Digs Into the Gadget Box by Rudy Radelic Sep 07, 2026 #234 The Rolling Stones: Foreign Tongues Spoken Loud by Wayne Robins Sep 07, 2026 #234 Musical Moments by Rich Isaacs Sep 07, 2026 #234 Rags for Solo Piano and a Dog: David Chesky's Ragtime Music for the Modern Age by Frankly Speaking Sep 07, 2026 #234 HIGH END 2026, Vienna: Here to Stay by Carsten Barnbeck Sep 07, 2026 #234 From The Audiophile’s Guide: The Two Main Types of Loudpeakers – Box and Panel by Paul McGowan Sep 07, 2026 #234 Letting it Slide by Frank Doris Sep 07, 2026 #234 PS Audio in the News by PS Audio Staff Sep 07, 2026 #234 Long Playing by Peter Xeni Sep 07, 2026 #234 La Mer by B. Jan Montana Sep 07, 2026 #233 A Report From The Total Hi-Fi Experience Show SoCal 2026 by B. Jan Montana Aug 03, 2026 #233 Bluegrass Meets Country, Folk, Jazz and More in All That We Carried by The Squid City Slingers by Frank Doris Aug 03, 2026 #233 Corey Glover and One Tribe Nation: A Variegated Musical Collective by Ray Chelstowski Aug 03, 2026 #233 Excursions with Clive: The Late Clive Davis, A Personal History by Wayne Robins Aug 03, 2026 #233 AI, Art, and Music: A Conversation With Synthography Art by Joe Caplan Aug 03, 2026 #233 New American Symphonies: A Rediscovered Gem and a Vital Contemporary Work by Frank Doris Aug 03, 2026 #233 The Vinyl Beat: Genesis, the Dave Clark Five, Antonio Carlos Jobim and More by Rudy Radelic Aug 03, 2026 #233 How to Play in a Rock Band, 26: When It's Time to Record Your Music by Frank Doris Aug 03, 2026 #233 More From T.H.E. Show 2026, and the People Who Made it Happen by Harris Fogel Aug 03, 2026 #233 Underappreciated Artists, Part Three: Icehouse by Rich Isaacs Aug 03, 2026 #233 The Surprisingly Rich and Varied Music of Somalia by Steve Kindig Aug 03, 2026 #233 A Remarkable Discographic Legacy: The LP Recordings of the Basel Symphony Orchestra by Stephan Haberthür Aug 03, 2026 #233 From The Audiophile’s Guide: The Importance of Loudspeakers by Paul McGowan Aug 03, 2026 #233 From Swimming Pool to New Listening Room: A Conversation with Norman Varney of AV RoomService by Gilles Laferrière Aug 03, 2026 #233 PS Audio in the News by PS Audio Staff Aug 03, 2026 #233 Audio Jewelry by Peter Xeni Aug 03, 2026 #233 Enrich Your Life by Frank Doris Aug 03, 2026 #233 The Searcher by James Schrimpf Aug 03, 2026 #232 What came first: Art or Music? A Conversation With Artist Jose Acosta by Joe Caplan Jul 06, 2026 #232 Blow By Blow: The Jeff Beck Story: An Insightful Book About a Guitar Icon by Ray Chelstowski Jul 06, 2026 #232 Creed Over Camaraderie? by B. Jan Montana Jul 06, 2026 #232 Chronicles of a Sound Pilgrim at the 2026 Montreal Audiofest by Hugues Morin Jul 06, 2026 #232 The Vinyl Beat: Summer Grooves by Rudy Radelic Jul 06, 2026 #232 Hibbing Hillbilly Dylan's Acoustic Rock by Wayne Robins Jul 06, 2026 #232 Quad Quads and Plasmatronics Tweeters: An Extraordinary System Comes to Life by Frank Doris Jul 06, 2026 #232 In Praise of Live Music, Once Again by Ted Shafran Jul 06, 2026 #232 Allnic Audio’s L-9000 Preamplifier: Design and Engineering Innovation by Howard Kneller Jul 06, 2026 #232 “Best Of” Lists and Rage Bait: Enough Already by Frank Doris Jul 06, 2026 #232 Quick Takes: Bud Shank, Paulo Almeida, Jakob Dreyer, Tim Eriksen and Peter Irvine by Frank Doris Jul 06, 2026

Issue 104

Issue 104

Copper has been moving to increase its audio-related articles. We intend to bring you more about audio tech, interviews and company profiles, show reports and other audio subjects.

That said, our music and other coverage of "the good stuff," as the masthead proclaims, will continue to flourish. We have an exceptional group of writers, not just IMHO but others have noticed – John Seetoo got a Facebook shout out from master guitarist Steve Hunter himself, for John’s Lou Reed article in Issue 103. And how could Copper not write about Beethoven’s 250th birthday?

In memoriam: The rock music world recently lost musician-composer-filmmaker Ivan Král (71), Patti Smith’s long-time bassist, guitarist and vocalist, and Andy Gill (64), guitarist for seminally influential post-punk band Gang of Four. Král played on many of Smith’s albums including the landmark Horses and wrote songs for Smith, U2, Simple Minds, Iggy Pop, David Bowie and others. Andy Gill’s sparse, cutting guitar style was a defining element of Gang of Four’s angular yet danceable sound and influenced uncountable guitarists to follow. I saw Gang of Four play The Ritz in New York in the early 1980s and they rocked the house so hard the roadies had to hold onto the PA stacks to keep them from falling over during the show. RIP.

In this issue: Professor Larry Schenbeck and Anne E. Johnson celebrate a monumental musical milestone: the 250th birthday of Ludwig van Beethoven. Anne also traces the career of the Kings of Leon. WL Woodward contributes Part Two of his major piece on Grateful Dead sonic wizard Owsley “Bear” Stanley. Tom Gibbs finds more crates to dig through, from comedy to the Cramps. J.I. Agnew gives us the first installment of “Secrets of the Phono Cartridge.” Wayne Robins examines the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.

Bob Wood finds that radio station hijinks know no borders. Roy Hall has a run-in with the cops and Don Kaplan with school delinquents. I initiate a new series, “Confessions of a Setup Man.” Dan Schwartz tells us how he almost hit it big in a project with AT&T Labs. John Seetoo adds Part Two of his story on John Strohbeen and Ohm Acoustics. The issue concludes with cartoonist James Whitworth recommending a sound pension plan, an A1 speaker system and a Parting Shot celebrating a special bond.

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