Modification Questions

[teezythakidd]

1. The bass rotor works completely fine, spins at the normal 40rpm on chorale and 400rpm on tremolo. The tremolo rotor, however, spins normally at 400rpm on tremolo, but STOPS on chorale while the bass rotor spins at 40rpm. How can I fix this?

2. How can I increase the bass output of the pedals? Obviously besides putting the leslie in a corner to have the soundwaves aggregate and bounce back two times the amplitude as they currently do. The leslie (122) sits in front of the organ (b3), and neither are against a wall. So.. any tips?

[geoelectro]

Sounds like your upper motor stack needs some servicing.

http://www.bentonelectronics.com/blog/?p=76

Everyone wants more bass. Is your bass normal? That's the question. There are some electronics parts that can contribute to weaker bass. Those would need to be checked or replaced. You can measure the output of the organ at different frequencies to see if any are weaker than others. Play in the middle of the manual for example and compare that output with the low part of the manual. If there is lower output at lower frequencies you may have a weak or bad bypass capacitor on the output tube.

http://www.bentonelectronics.com/blog/?p=143

If not, the Leslie may have amplifier problems. Voltages should be checked to see if it is running correctly. Coupling and filter caps may need to be replaced.

http://www.bentonelectronics.com/blog/?p=81

Geo

[torea]

Easiest way to get more bass? Two ways! 1) Push the manual's drawbars in a bit 2) Get a 31H



The first one might help until you can figure out if your Leslie is putting out normal amounts of bass.

[Hamman]

There are devices that you can purchase to get a bigger bass end out the organ. However I would first try Geo's suggestions.....then you will know that the organ/leslie are up to par electronically and component wise. That being said, I have owned many Hammond/Leslie combos over the last 35+ years and it is quite normal to have 2 perfect side by side B3's (same year) that have entirely 2 different characteristics. Bass pedals on one might be heavy on the bass where as on the other its there but without the punch. Also the higher end of the keyboard tones could be brighter on one then the other. Yes, some of it could be electronic components (capacitors,tubes etc...) that are effecting the differences but I've have had old waxed capped twg that are as bright as the newer non waxed capped twg and vica versa. For the style I play I had to have good deep bass. Though my current Hammond(s) do have adequate bass I wanted more. Not to be giving any one company a plug, I bought a 3 band EQ for one of my Hammonds and a "Mo'Bass" (I believe no longer offered) circuit for bass pedals for the other Hammond from Vintage Speakeasy. Both do the job I want and for the effect I get out of them worth every cent! There are plenty other companies out there(BB organ, Goff, Tonewheel hospital, etc.) that offer products as well. And if you just have to have that crazy hard bass there are some who carry subwoofers that can be inter connected with your leslie. Speaker component changeout is another avenue you can try. This will be a must if you do decide on some outboard gear to push the bass. For me I have changed out all my 15" Jensens for Emminence Delta B speakers. Others here on the form have good luck with other products.

[TheAdmiral]

All of the above suggestions are very good. You can also add a Hammond Tone Cabinet for more bass.

[Juan]

All of the above suggestions are very good. You can also add a Hammond Tone Cabinet for more bass.

My first tone cabinet was a PR-20. I was shocked by the amount of rich bass it put out. I currently use a PR-40. Same as the PR-20 but with more power. Both have two 15" speakers for bass and two 12" speakers for treble.
I have both a Leslie 145 and the PR-40 set up with my A-102. Even at fairly low volume this rig shakes everything in my studio.
I have included a link that lists the tone cabinet variations. The organs are listed first. Scroll down to see the tone cabinets
http://theatreorgans.com/hammond/faq/all_hammonds.html

[Juan]

Everyone wants more bass. Is your bass normal? That's the question. There are some electronics parts that can contribute to weaker bass. Those would need to be checked or replaced. You can measure the output of the organ at different frequencies to see if any are weaker than others. Play in the middle of the manual for example and compare that output with the low part of the manual. If there is lower output at lower frequencies you may have a weak or bad bypass capacitor on the output tube.
If not, the Leslie may have amplifier problems. Voltages should be checked to see if it is running correctly. Coupling and filter caps may need to be replaced.l]

Geo

This is an interesting bit of information. My A-102 has an odd condition but I was not sure what to make of it. - With only the 1st draw bar out, the bass notes are soft until I play up to the C where the foldback occurs. At this point the C is much louder than the other notes before it. If I continue up to the next C, there is again a substantial volume jump. To the point of no longer being musical. This happens on both upper and lower manuals with both the A and B setting.
This happens with the organ speakers, the Pr-40, and the Leslie or any combination of them. Which leads me to believe this is an organ issue.

[geoelectro]

The first octave of the 1st drawbar is normally lower in volume. (fold back octave).

Geo