Leslie 25, only works when volume is past 9. HELP

[iamkellen]

Well here is the story, i just got new tubes and a new fuse for my free Leslie 25, and it will only make sound if it's on past volume 9, and you can't really adjust the volume. The sound is overdriven, but I am quite sure that's only because of the level of sound the speaker is getting thrown at it from the high volume, as when my A-122 is on it's lowest volume with the soft tab, it sounds pretty clean. Can anyone help me make my leslie volume work at least down to 5?! PLEASE?!?!?!

P.S. i am using a 26-1 Leslie connector (that shouldn't matter though right?)

[toasterDude]

The 26-1 connector is fine, that's the right type for a 25; if your halfmoon says "Chorale - Tremolo" on it, it'll just call up Off and Tremolo on the 25 ('cause it's a single-speed Leslie). Unfortunately the only guess I have for the low volume is that you've got faulty components in the amp. Maybe that's why it was free? (needs an amp rebuild?) The "Orpheus" being single-speed will go back what, about 50 years minimum, so no surprise if you've got some bad caps etc. in there. Others can help more with the specifics. Good luck with it and congrats - it's still awesome if it was FREE!

TD

[tonewheel1966]

Before you get into pulling the amp apart, have you used another Leslie previously with the organ (for comparison) and have you adjusted the swell on the organ with this Leslie connected? See Hammondwiki for instructions.

Cheers

Dave

[iamkellen]

This is the organ's first Leslie. When the amp is not past about 9, the sound goes to the organ rather than the Leslie. I won't be pulling apart the amp till I really have to. The Leslie sounds fine now with the volume tab on soft, but starts getting distorted at about half way up on normal. Could it just be a bad volume pot in the amp?

[bremar]

That would be my first guess--try some DeOxit on that pot. Make sure you get it inside the pot, though, then turn it back and forth. I'm assuming the organ doesn't misbehave like that with the switch to Main...

Can you explain why you would want the volume below 9? hehe

[bremar]

Oh--getting deoxit inside the pot means taking out the amp and working on the inside--squirting it from the top is a waste of time. There can be high voltages in there, even unplugged. You should be fine if you just get the straw on the spray can in the pot, and work the pot from the outside. Stay away from the the caps or the power tube sockets under there. And keep one hand in your pocket. Or figure out how to discharge caps.

[iamkellen]

I'll get some contact cleaner on the pot, but, i figured i should explain this problem a little more.


when the switch is on....

MAIN: The organ makes sound like usual, but the Leslie has some crazy hum ( i think this is a problem in the switch).

ECHO: There is an unbelievable amount of sound going to the Leslie (well believable, but very distorted because the Leslie has to be on 9.)

ENSEMBLE: Sound only comes from the Leslie, and is clean up until the volume is almost full. This is what i have been playing it on.



I will get some contact cleaner on that pot in a couple minutes.

[jimmywilliams]

Schematics for the Leslie 25 connector kits, and the stock booster amp (which I assume is what you have in your cabinet):

http://www.captain-foldback.com/Lesl...ematics/25.GIF

Try to apply AC power directly to the Leslie amp with nothing else going to it (no organ signal, etc.). This is to rule out any problems with the switch - or anything else at the organ console. AC comes in on pins 3 and 4 according to this schematic - you may want to double-check! If you still get the "crazy hum" with an AC line going directly to the amp, then most likely you need to at least replace the filter capacitors in the amp, and it wouldn't hurt to also replace anyother electrolytic and/or wax and paper caps as well.In a cabinet this age it would not be unusual to have bad filter capacitors in the amp/power supply, and if that is the case you should not use it until the problem is taken care of to prevent further damage to the amp. Looks like the filter cap can is the common 30/30/30/10 475V plug-in can; you can still buy these for about 35 bucksretail, oryou can contact DH Distributors and they can custom-make a new can forroughly half that amount.

Yes the 10K volume pot could be bad (you could measure the resistance with a VOM if you know how to do that). It could also be possible that you have a bad 12AU7 pre-amp tube- try swapping it out??

The hum still leaves me thinking bad filter caps...

- jim