Grateful Dead

This birch-plywood speaker cabinet prototype was built in June 1972 at the Alembic shop by Rick Turner and Ron Wickersham labeled “COSMIC 672” in red; similar to other Alembic PA cabinets built for the Dead in 1972 and 1973. Cabinet also contained a JBL K140 Speaker for the piano that was converted into a bass cabinet for Phil Lesh with handprinted “Parish Side.” Steve Parish was stage manager for the 1974 Grateful Dead and a member of the band’s road crew.  

This cabinet is one of Stanley “Bear’” Owsley’s first hifi creations that had individual Altec and JBL speakers for each instrument, driven by McIntosh power amps—and that debuted at the Cow Palace on March 23, 1974.  In practice, cabinets such as the “COSMIC 672” were the pieces the crew listened to, measured, and retuned as they worked out how to eliminate distortion, remove the need for stage monitors, and give each player a dedicated, full range PA of their own. 

With new custom road case decorated with stickers. 

Dimensions 

Speaker cabinet: 30 ¾ x 15 x 14 ¾ in. 

Road case: 34 ½ x 18 ½ x 16 ¼ in.