McIntosh Rocks Hall of Fame’s Grateful Dead Exhibit

Renowned audio manufacturer McIntosh Laboratory took a long, strange trip to get to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum.

No, it's not because loyal audio enthusiasts have been using McIntosh gear to blare music from rock's finest artists over the last half century, but because McIntosh was used by one of those bands to blare its music.

Almost 40 years ago McIntosh was chief among the components that comprised the Grateful Dead's famed "Wall of Sound," which Jerry Garcia, Bob Weir and Co. unleashed on their fans in 1974.

Now the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum in Cleveland opened a Grateful Dead: The Long, Strange Trip exhibition this week, sponsored by McIntosh, as part of its 2012 Induction Week (the Dead were inducted back in 1994).

McIntosh had worked with the band since close to their founding, and guitarist Weir to this day remains a diehard McIntosh guy (Weir and bassist Phil Lesh have continued their long, strange trip with the band's latest incarnation, Furthur, currently touring).

The Wall of Sound built upon earlier McIntosh sound systems for the Dead, and featured a whopping 48 MC2300 amplifiers to dole out 28,800 watts - only to be upped eventually with two McIntosh MC350 mono tube amps to increase the total McIntosh-supplied power to 29,500 watts.

For the Long, Strange Trip exhibit, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame is showcasing three McIntosh MC2300 amps from the band's personal collection, finished and working manuscripts of their songs, tons of original album cover artwork, and many of the Dead's instruments. McIntosh also provided its SOHO Collection for an additional look at the audio brand.

“McIntosh is deeply rooted in American music history, and a huge part of that history is the Grateful Dead. Like the members of the band, our brand has always recognized the importance of sound quality," says McIntosh president Charlie Randall. "We're proud not only to sponsor this exhibition, but also to have played a part in the band’s history. It’s an even bigger honor to have McIntosh artifacts included in the exhibit. From the sound system at Woodstock to the ‘Wall of Sound’ created especially for the Grateful Dead, McIntosh was at the very heart of an audio revolution that literally changed the way musicians played live concerts - and the way audiences enjoy them.”


McIntosh's handiwork stands out with its famed glowing faceplates on the MC2300s next to Garcia.