WHAT'S ALL THIS THEN?

Hello! I’m Ross McGinnes from Hebden Bridge in West Yorkshire. I draw vintage audio equipment, which has been a constantly evolving part of my life for forty years - more of which below. My work will be available to buy as fine art prints from spring 2027.

Each piece is extensively researched to uncover the finer details, before a 1:2-scale pencil drawing is drafted. This is then inked in using pigment fineliner pens, which is then scanned.

Up to 300 layers of detail and colour are added digitally - the tiny lettering, numbers around dials, LEDs and radio displays (which are all tuned to 95.8 FM because BBC Radio Merseyside was the soundtrack of my childhood on the Wirral). This stage takes between 15 and 20 hours.

The final version will then be professionally printed using archival ink on satin-finish photopaper.

FROM CLASSIC '80S DESIGN TO SHOUTING AT A ROBOT

My first hifi was a Philips F-1463, opened on Christmas Day in 1984. Also under the tree were The Shadows Silver Album, and the debut LP by The Smiths, one of which was on repeat play for months as I gazed in wonder at the '3 Dimensional Output Power Level Display' - as illustrated here.

Fast forward six years and I had a mate called Mark who was very cool - he listened to the Velvet Underground and owned a separates system. My eyes, and ears, were opened and I soon added a Sony CD player (CDP-790) to my ageing Philips.

In 1993, during my first year at university I discovered Richer Sounds - a UK electronics chain which stacked ‘em high and sold ‘em cheap. They also had free lollies on the counter! Out went the faithful Philips and in came a Marantz CD player (CD-63), Sony twin tape deck (TC-WR645S), Arcam Alpha 6 amp and some Tannoy 607 II speakers (bought from the aforementioned Mark), with JBL mini monitors for good measure.

Many purchases followed over the next 20 years, including some beautiful Monitor Audio Bronze BX5 speakers, which, on one fine day in 2017, my two-year-old son destroyed the drivers of with his Bob the Builder hammer. One week later he put a jam sandwich in the CD player, and I realised I could no longer have nice things.

The lot was sold - for peanuts, because of the damage - and replaced with a cheap Sony mini hifi. And then, in 2024, a bloody Sonos. I no longer sit down to enjoy being immersed in music - it's just something in the background, while I shout: “ALEXA, I SAID RADIOHEAD, NOT PORTISHEAD.”

One day, I’ll invest in another hifi. Maybe even get into vinyl again [winces].  For now, I’m left to wistfully remember the '70s, '80s and '90s - three decades of great systems and great sounds - and draw them.

Thanks for reading - I hope you enjoy my work.

Ross