The Mellotron Group

One other pre amp consideration is to wire a phone jack/plug after the pre amp 
and before the signal goes to t eh Leslie. Then take your favorite effects box 
and run the Hammond through it sending the output to the Leslie via the phone 
plug/jack insert point. The sound of a long dense reverb tail with a Leslie on 
slow is quite a sound. Lets you play the precussion with all drawbars off like a 
conga.

Bill




________________________________
From: Mark Wallis <markstuartwallis@hotmail.com>
To: new trongroup <newmellotrongroup@yahoogroups.com>
Sent: Fri, July 8, 2011 4:59:12 PM
Subject: RE: [newmellotrongroup] Somewhat off topic.... Hammond C3 
story....question or two....

  
Well done there on the C3! Hopefully the following may be helpful:

Most Leslies can be used with this providing a suitable connector box is 
supplied with the Leslie you go for. All rotary speakers are in their own way 
cool yet the old favourites still tend to be the 122/147 series. The 147 is also 
the least hassle to connect, and you don't necessarily need any kind of 
connector box as signal and power can be tapped straight from the organ, a six 
pin Amphenol socket can be substituted for an existing 5-pin in the 
brown-painted output box that lives in the bottom of the case, connect up the 
switch of your choice and wail..

 Do you already have a half-moon switch fitted, or even two? If so, then chances 
are that you'll a six pin socket lurking on the output box and if you have a 
switch marked MAIN ENSEMBLE ECHO then you should have an output for at least 1 
Leslie and either one of Hammonds tone cabs (5 pin, mains supply + balanced 
pre-amped signal) or another Leslie. Even if switches have been removed most of 
the wiring might still remain and hopefully the Leslie sockets. Feel for screw 
holes along the underside of the front lip of the organ.

There's a bit more involved in connecting a 122  owing to different switching 
arrangements. 122s respond slightly differently when speeds are switched and the 
balanced signal makes for less susceptibility to interference from stage lights. 
The C3 is designed to output a balanced signal, fairly heftily pre-amped, which 
needs to be attenuated (simple job) if you want to wire in a jack socket for use 
with your favourite amp. This is always a handy way of getting around the lack 
of reverb on most Leslies, simply have a small guitar amp there just for reverb 
or any other effects you fancy. Reverb model valve Leslies have stationary 
reverb speakers anyway. You'll have fun playing STUPIDLY loud Hammond through 
the Big Rock Guitar Wall Of Doom for a while but Leslies are more fun. They 
breathe.

Mechanically, 147 and 122 are identical. 145 ! and 142 are, respectively, 147 
and 122 in shorter cabinets. A 145's amp will be marked '147'. 


Important: If you're wired for a 122 NEVER plug a 147 in and vice-versa, even 
though they both use the 6-pin connection. Just don't. Always check when you get 
the opportunity to try other Leslies, or are borrowing or lending Hammond/Leslie 
stuff. 



 If the Leslie's lost it's labels there's an easy way to tell- A 122 amp has 2 
identical small valves (12AU7) at the front end and 1 volume pot, a 147/145 has 
just 1 12AU7, a volume control and a rotary switch for impedance matching (these 
amps were designed to be used with unbalanced signals, making them easier to use 
with non-Hammond organs.) 


Valve vs solid state...

solid state Leslies are cool. They're Leslies, and all Leslies are cool. 

Valve ones sound nicer. Transistor ones are handy for the motor stacks so don't 
be afraid of tatty cheap 760s once you get your 122/147/145.

You don't need a pre-amp pedal. You have a perfectly splendid valve preamp in 
the C3. Use the RCA jack on the 'conning tower' of the preamp (the AO-28) and 
you also have a valve Leslie preamp that you can run guitars into. ..that 
happens to be C3 shaped.

Also, benefiting as you do in the USA from lower mains voltage you get to switch 
at 110v instead of 240, so straight away your connection issues are simplified. 


  now, if you can get TWO 147s, or 122s... that's a sound to die for.

Best whooshes,

MSW






________________________________
To: newmellotrongroup@yahoogroups.com
From: unobtainiumkeys@gmail.com
Date: Wed, 6 Jul 2011 09:59:46 +0900
Subject: Re: [newmellotrongroup] Somewhat off topic.... Hammond C3 
story....question or two....

  
The closest I ever got to this was buying an M3 (no tubes in it) for $5.00 at a 
Goodwill. They had it alongside other junky organs at the time.






On Tue, Jul 5, 2011 at 10:02 PM, Jack Younger <e4103s@yahoo.com> wrote:

  
>
>
>Hello, All! 
>
>
>So, I tend to frequent a particular flea market in Northern Massachusetts every 
>Sunday and have found quite a few music-oriented things for short dough over the 
>years.  But this takes the cake.  Allow me to set the scene: 
>
>
>
>A producer friend of mine and I park the car and just as we are leaving the 
>field to where the vendors are (it's outdoors), I notice a bench to a C3.  I 
>make a joke about where the organ is and think nothing further on it.  We browse 
>around, pick up some small things, see some friends and its time to go so we 
>head back to the car.  My friend decides he likes the bench (he recently got a 
>CP70b and needs something to use with it) and the vendor gives it to him for 
>$25, a sweet deal in and of itself.  I quip "The organ is included in that 
>price, right?"  The guy says, "Well there IS an organ that goes with that, but 
>you'd have to talk to the woman who owns it."  They have no idea what model it 
>could be, "...but it's a Hammond".  We get her number and leave, excited by the 
>mystery.
>
>
>Later in the day, I call her out of curiosity.  Turns out, it was an estate item 
>that didn't sell and she says, "We were going to smash it up and toss it in the 
>dumpster. You can have it for the moving." !!!!  I ask for pictures and model 
>numbers. She sends them to my phone. Lo and behold...indeed, it's a C3! 
> Purchased in 1959, it has sat in their living room, lightly used since then. 
> Unfortunately, the tone cab was sold in the sale, but the organ remains. 
> Apparently, it needs only one tube to function, but its mint, so even if 
>there's more to be done, it's most certainly worth it.
>
>
>Long and short, I have movers grabbing it this week.  So psyched!  This will be 
>an amazing addition to the studio and a nice friend for my Mellotron and 
>recently purchased Rhodes 73 Suitcase.
>
>
>Now the questions for the B3/C3 folks out there....
>
>
>Obviously, I need a Leslie (which is why I'm not crying over the tone cab).  I'm 
>looking for a 122, 147, etc. and have a few local leads.  My query is this:
>
>
>Do any of you prefer a Trek pedal to the half-moon switch?  Tube or solid state? 
> Pros and cons?  There's a great tech here in MA that I'll have go through it, 
>but I'd like to avoid any expensive experimentation.  Any insight would be 
>helpful.
>
>
>Thanks, and Cheers!
>-Jack
>
>
>
>