Leslies 351 and 45

[redoctoberff]

There's a decent condition 351 near me (Pacific Northwest) for $550. The price has been declining over the past few weeks but in increments of $50. I have a Hammond A100 and would like to find a good two-rotor Leslie for it but am willing to be patient. What does the market for these look like elsewhere? If I could find an empty 142/5/7 or 122 cabinet I'd be sold. I've heard negative things about the sound of the existing decorator cabinet though. What does that usually translate to in terms of price?

There's also a dead-mint 45 for $500, but again, because of the single speed I am hesitant to pull the trigger (it's a drive, too). I know these are good deals, and it is a good investment, but keeping in mind that I'm okay with waiting a while until I get a Leslie, how much variance in price should I expect?

Thanks in advance.

[jimmywilliams]

red,

The 351 would be a better fit for an A100 than the 45 ... IF you want to send the reverb channel to the Leslie as well as the drawbar channel. If you want the classic wood cabinet, then the 251 - if one comes up - would be your best bet. The sound is a matter of taste - those decorator cabinets have a shorter bass rotor and also have the horns near the bottom of the cabinet. But they use the same drivers. The tremolo/drawbar channel in the 351 amp I believe uses the same 40-watt amp configuration that the 45, etc. uses. If you don't care to have the reverb signal come out of a Leslie, then the 45 is the more "classic" cabinet - but if the chorale speed is important to you then plan on sinking a few hundred more bucks into it for an after market motor controller. Also, if you go for the 45, make sure it has the amp if you want an amped cabinet - some 45s came with an amp, others did not and only had the motor relay/speaker socket in a small box.
hope this helps,
jim

[Tim Rinkerman]

You could not come close to buying all the parts in the 351 for $550.00. I would buy it and use it till you find an upright cabinet at a reasonable price. It's an easy swap to transplant the pieces.
BTW, the beautiful mahogany 46W cabinet I used for mine came from the great northwest! I won the bid on it for $120.00, and he said I paid too much...there was a $20.00 bill tacked inside when the cabinet arrived!

[model T]

you could always upgrade a one speed cabinet to a two speed , you can find two speed motors on e bay for cheap , you would have to do a little wiring ie: you could just wire seperate ac switch instead of pulling the power from the organ , i have done this , my thoughts are most of the leslies you find are over priced , with parts avlb. you could build your own fairly cheap you just have to keep looking , I built a 147 with parts i found on e bay for about 450.00 give or take , and alot of tech help. but compared to the 1500.00 avg price it was worth it tp me.

[TheAdmiral]

You may want to try and get the 351 for less, use it for a while until you find a regular empty cabinet to transplant the parts into. Empty cabs usually run around $100.- 150. (depending on which model, preferably RV) plus shipping if necessary but I have bought 4 from the northwest so there are plenty out there. I think both prices are fair if the cabs are in good shape. When in doubt my rule is to buy them both!

[redoctoberff]

When in doubt my rule is to buy them both!

I wish that was possible! I'm now having trouble deciding.

The mint condition 45 is still at $500 and the owner of the 351 told me he also wants to get at least $500 out of it. This is difficult! They are the same distance away (about five hours) and the cabinets are both in good condition. The 45 is connected to a Wurlitzer organ so I could probably get the kit out of that. Still need to find out if the 351 comes with a kit (says a 6 pin cable is included).

Opinions??

[TheAdmiral]

If you want to run the reverb to the Leslie then you need the 351. I don't use reverb so I personally would ..............heck, that IS a hard decision! OK, lets try this...............the amps are the same power so that's equal. If you upgrade the 45 to 2 speed you either have to get a Carribean control (about $200, I think) or buy two motors ($120-150). If you don't use the internal speakers in the organ, you can disconnect them and then you can make a fairly simple hookup yourself. I'm leaning now to the 351 and get a tall empty cabinet later and transfer the parts to it. The only minus to the 351 is the horn is on the bottom (you could always build a box for it and put it on top!). I have a 245 that I really like the sound but the horn is on top. I had a 222 but took the parts out like I'm suggesting to you. The cable is worth $30-50 based on what I see on ebay. OK, I come down for the 351. Wow, tough decision.

[redoctoberff]

Thanks for the help. It really is a tough decision but your opinion is given a considerable amount of weight here! It helps that the owner of the 351 emailed me back and said he'd take my offer of $400. I'm going to ask for more pictures, but now I just need to convince my parents that the cabinet wouldn't look so bad in the living room... and to let me drive down to Oregon to pick it up. I'm hoping this works out... I do have a DIY Leslie that's almost finished; however that is probably a better candidate for gigging. Not sure how the decorator cab would look or project onstage...

Also, what's needed to put together a simple switching kit for the 351? I understand that it's a 6C pinout. I think the A100 has a five pin outlet. So I need a 6 pin female amphenol connector for the cable, yes? I'm going to go read about this now.

[bossbandbob]

I used my 130 Deco cab on stage. It sounded great but I do have the top rotor unit on it. If it sounds good who cares what it looks like on stage!
On the other hand tell your parents that it is a Deco cabinet and was designed for living room use! Tell them that "retro" is the big thing in interior design now!(is it?). I shipped the motor ,you have a PM.

[crossyinoz]

It really is a tough decision but your opinion is given a considerable amount of weight here! It helps that the owner of the 351 emailed me back and said he'd take my offer of $400.

G'day,

If I had an A100 and a Leslie 351 dropped into my lap @ $400 I wouldn't be sitting here wasting time typing this. Don't procrastinate, go get it! Then find or have made an 8253 Leslie hookup kit & you're in business.

Cheers,

Ian

[jimmywilliams]

G'day,

If I had an A100 and a Leslie 351 dropped into my lap @ $400 I wouldn't be sitting here wasting time typing this. Don't procrastinate, go get it! Then find or have made an 8253 Leslie hookup kit & you're in business.

Cheers,

Ian

I second that - a no brainer at that price - just go get it now and consider yourself very lucky to find one for $400! Details of the hookup, etc. can wait. Who knows - maybe the guy has some hookup parts too - it must have been with an organ at one time I would imagine. But please just go get that 351. There are enough people on this board who can help you hook it up to the A100 - not difficult at all.

- jimmy

[andyg]

You might even like the sound of a 351! There are relatively few decorator cabs over here, but I've used a few 247's in home situations and they've been fine, as long as they're given some space to 'breathe'.

At $400, I'd be at the front of the queue with Ian! Schematics for the 8253 are here: http://www.fishorgans.com/leslie_kits/008253_kit_for_Hammond.pdf and show that it's hardly rocket science to make one up if you can't find the real thing.

[redoctoberff]

Sold it out from under me. Profanities!!!

[bossbandbob]

Sold it out from under me. Profanities!!!
Be persistent and keep looking...just like the A100, you will find your leslie. Also keep an eye out for something you can add your own top rotor (like a 125) to as you know how to build/add one. If you want a primo Leslie 122/145/7 keep saving your pennies.

[TheAdmiral]

Thanks for the help. It really is a tough decision but your opinion is given a considerable amount of weight here! It helps that the owner of the 351 emailed me back and said he'd take my offer of $400. I'm going to ask for more pictures, but now I just need to convince my parents that the cabinet wouldn't look so bad in the living room... and to let me drive down to Oregon to pick it up. I'm hoping this works out... I do have a DIY Leslie that's almost finished; however that is probably a better candidate for gigging. Not sure how the decorator cab would look or project onstage...

Also, what's needed to put together a simple switching kit for the 351? I understand that it's a 6C pinout. I think the A100 has a five pin outlet. So I need a 6 pin female amphenol connector for the cable, yes? I'm going to go read about this now.
It'll look fine in a living room and will sound good there also. Better hurry to get it at that price. On stage, the lower horn will not project well unless you mic it.
6C is correct. You can make a simple connector without spending a lot on a kit. If you aren't going to use the internal speakers just pull out the 5U4 tube on the power amp and you won't need an MEE switch. You can plug into the 5 pin on the power amp and use that to run to a 6 pin connector and just add the wires you need for switching. If you can find a 53-1 box, it is perfect with a few wiring changes. They usually come with the 5 pin wired to it. I'm doing just that to one of my A100's now so it will work with a 147 type. The other is already hooked up for 122.

[TheAdmiral]

Whoops! I missed page 2 before I wrote the above. Hate to hear you missed it. Anyway, the connector advise still stands.

[TheAdmiral]

What about the 45? Is it still available? Very good 2nd choice. Don't hesitate again.