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Moving Leslie and Hammonds, assessing condition


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Oil it after you move it. Hope the wicks take oil. May take 4 days for the oil to do its thing. May have to direct oil parts. ..... and it may fire up perfectly.

 

You never know.

 

You know how to test the organ and generator once it"s running? I"m sure Google knows. Basically systemically playing every note both manuals one drawbar at a time both B and Bb sets. Test will tell you if the generator is dropping tones or whether there are any contact or connection issues. If it"s is dropping any tones let the tech Go through it.

 

Pay the tech get it done right and have cheap organ in good order. Scanner might need maintenance.

A description of the procedure from the Hammond-Leslie FAQ - 1.9 Caveat Emptor - Buying a Hammond
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Oil it after you move it.

 

Agree with Ed here if you are not going to try to turn it on until after it has been moved

Very helpful. So with all this info, here's what I'm looking for feedback on: should I see if it's in working order after oiling so I can consider the option of taking it straight to my place (after letting it sit with mothballs for a few days), or should I plan on taking it to my tech regardless, and make all the necessary arrangements?

 

When I go this weekend to inspect it, I am very tempted to oil and try to power the organ on before moving it (assuming it doesn't look like there are major animal problems), just to see what sounds come out and if I need to make taking it to a tech the first priority. But from what I'm hearing from a few of you, it makes more sense to be patient, move it, and perhaps take it to my tech before anything else (or at least take the time to do a thorough once-over before powering it up).

 

I'm pretty sure once I see the stairs I'll want to hire movers to handle them, but if I need to transport the organ and the Leslie out to my tech and back once it's on solid ground, I can probably call in some favors to help load it and drive it (I have a few musician friends with vans for precisely this purpose, and at least one of you fine forum folks has offered to lend me dollies). My tech is reasonable and the money is really not a major concern for me in this instance, given that I'm not paying anything for the rig. But in an ideal world, I oil it, it powers up at the house, we find a time to move it in in a week or two, and everything's hunky dory. We're not in an ideal world, and given the pandemic circumstances, if I can avoid finding two occasions to rent/borrow a van and a stout friend or two, I will.

 

Fortunately, the upshot of everything other than an absolute worst case scenario is that I get an A100 and a 122 for mad cheap, so if I have to deal with some extra logistics, it will be worth it. But if the organ can take one trip instead of three, I'd gladly accept that, of course.

Samuel B. Lupowitz

Musician. Songwriter. Food Enthusiast. Bad Pun Aficionado.

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since you are going to record with it eventually, might as well just take it to the tech first, then take it home ready for your next number 1 hit, knowing its as good as its going to get. Just my dos centavos
:nopity:
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You know .... if the generator is froze. That doesn"t change anything. You take the organ. They don"t make those anymore.

"It doesn't have to be difficult to be cool" - Mitch Towne

 

"A great musician can bring tears to your eyes!!!

So can a auto Mechanic." - Stokes Hunt

 

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You know .... if the generator is froze. That doesn"t change anything. You take the organ. They don"t make those anymore.

 

All the more reason NOT to try to start it there. A simple problem might become an expensive one. If you like to ride hard and put your mount to bed wet, go for it. If you respect the animal, treat it with care. I've taken both tacks, but in this case I'd lean to the latter.

 

The impulse to fire would be in the case I am buying one "as is" and I don't want to overpay. But that's not in play here.

RT-3/U-121/Leslie 21H and 760/Saltarelle Nuage/MOXF6/MIDIhub, 

SL-880/Nektar T4/Numa Cx2/Deepmind12/Virus TI 61/SL61 mk2

Stylophone R8/Behringer RD-8/Proteus 1/MP-7/Zynthian 4

MPC1k/JV1010/Unitor 8/Model D & 2600/WX-5&7/VL70m/DMP-18 Pedals

Natal drums/congas etc & misc bowed/plucked/blown instruments. 

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You know .... if the generator is froze. That doesn"t change anything. You take the organ. They don"t make those anymore.

 

All the more reason NOT to try to start it there. A simple problem might become an expensive one. . . .

The impulse to fire would be in the case I am buying one "as is" and I don't want to overpay. But that's not in play here.

That"s what I needed to hear. Thank you. I"ll take some pictures when I scope it out this weekend to share with y"all, and I"ll be patient and start figuring out how I"m going to get it serviced!

Samuel B. Lupowitz

Musician. Songwriter. Food Enthusiast. Bad Pun Aficionado.

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Sam just know that getting into this really isn't easy. Everyone console and Leslie needs work 98% of the time. I have resources to help though. There is a guy in Syracuse that is real good also.

"Danny, ci manchi a tutti. La E-Street Band non e' la stessa senza di te. Riposa in pace, fratello"

 

 

noblevibes.com

 

 

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Going over to check out the organ later this morning. Very excited. My guitarist"s father (the owner) will be there with us, which eases my mind a bit, since he carted the thing around to gigs in the 70s. Apparently it"s going to be quite a project to clean the space out enough to move it... ah well, doing the lord"s work. Again, this is just a fact-finding mission before any actual moving occurs.

 

Some tidbits I missed: apparently I misread the original message about the type of Leslie he has. It is not a 122, but a 147. Wowee.

 

Also, the A100 has the bass pedals.

 

Expect pictures soon.

Samuel B. Lupowitz

Musician. Songwriter. Food Enthusiast. Bad Pun Aficionado.

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All right friends, buckle your seat belts.

 

Short version: pending a diagnosis from my tech, this is happening. I'm so psyched.

 

Longer, more measured version:

 

Prepare yourself, because it looks disgusting. I've attached two photos, and included a few more at this link. There is a lot of accumulated filth to be seen, but it's not as bad as it looks.

 

The A100 and the 147 have been very literally collecting dust for maybe 20 years. I'm glad I wasn't planning on trying to start it up, because there are layers of dust and cobwebs coating the exterior and the electronics, since the cabinets have been wide open for the two decades it's been in this attic space. The bright side of that is it was easy to peek around inside, and since they haven't been particularly dark and secluded spaces, it doesn't look like anything other than the spider architects have been taking up residence; there were no droppings in sight. That said, I dropped a bunch of cedar mothballs in and around the interiors to sit while I figure out logistics for transport, just in case. My buddy was wishing he had brought his shop vac, but other than light cleaning and sweeping out, I want to be careful about getting into the electronics so that we don't mess anything up before the tech can see what's what.

 

So yeah, it looks gross, but a lot of it wiped right off with a brush; a little wood cleaner will do some wonders on the cabinet, and a light natural cleaner or even a damp cloth should get the stickier grime off the keys. I will probably do a little of that before moving it (my tech does charge by the hour, after all...). The tech will have a tougher time dealing with it on the wires and components. Two or three keys are drooping a bit, or a little sticky, and some of the drawbars squeak when moved, but everything still moves and plays, including the knobs, tabs, and preset keys (physically I mean; again, didn't power it up) so hopefully those components just need some TLC. One of the tubes had a bent connector and was hanging out of the socket slightly; I removed it since it seemed like an accident waiting to happen.

 

There's a speed-change switch mounted underneath the lower manual, around middle C, pointing towards the floor, which I guess makes sense since the thing was going in and out of clubs all the time and Neal didn't want to have to take a normal half-moon on and off. I'll either get used to it or figure something else out. The 147 was connected with a Leslie cable; I didn't think to check for a line in/out installed until I got back and saw Dave Doerfler's comment (the one photo I took of that with my phone is of course out of focus... there's a reason I stick to auditory art instead of visual). Neal wasn't the original owner of this rig, so there may have been some mods done before he got it. But if it's just the 6-pin cable for now, I will be perfectly happy just using the A100 through the Leslie for awhile. I can keep an eye out for a Leslie/Trek II/Speakeasy preamp down the line to plug other things in if I like, and use my Motion Sound for that stuff in the meantime. That's putting the cart before the horse at this point.

 

Also present: bass pedals and bench (with the original service manual inside!). The bass pedals lifted right up and out as intended for transport. Still need to check if the tone generator is locked... there was no cell service out there for me to double-check a diagram, and today was mostly about moving the piles of junk obstructing the gear, clearing a path, and making sure everything was accounted for.

 

Speaking of making a path: the stairs these need to go down are narrow, as you can see in one of the attached photos. I had envisioned one person on each of the four corners of the organ to move it, but I don't know if that will be physically possible. Neal said he moved it up there one step at a time with two people, and it wasn't too bad. He had moved the 147 up the stairs by himself. I'm hoping that going down will be similar... once it's down the stairs and around the corner, it's mostly a straight shot to the driveway. I measured just in case, but sadly, the A100 will not fit in my CRV. Fortunately, my friends with a trailer are very appreciative that I learned their tunes and sat in with them at their outdoor gig the other night, so they volunteered to help me cart the rig to and from the tech ("No gas money needed. How about you track a song in the studio with the Hammond someday though? Deal???"). How will I ever meet all these demands placed upon me? [wink]

 

But yeah, it's going to be quite a project for both me and (especially) my tech, but again, if he can get it running and clean up some of the internal detritus -- and there aren't too many issues with the components from sitting in the grime for so long -- it will be worth the time and money. I'm hoping he doesn't get in there and discover that a bunch of things are totally shot, but again, I'm trying to be optimistic that this baby will finally get the love and care it deserves under my watch.

 

I'll keep all y'all posted!

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Samuel B. Lupowitz

Musician. Songwriter. Food Enthusiast. Bad Pun Aficionado.

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So cool! A few hours cleaning and it will be visually transformed. I've re-capped a Leslie tube amp and replaced diodes and a burned resistor. It was a pretty easy project, and then all the noise was gone. I just bought a re-cap kit from one of the B-3 repair shops online and it went as planned.

 

The consoles are a whole different thing mechanically. But if you can borrow someone's air compressor and do the initial "blow out" outdoors, that would help.

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No speakers, so a bit lighter for the move. I wonder if they are still around? Often, both amps and speakers were removed to lighten the transport for gigged A100s, though not by much. It still took four of us to lift one sans amps/speakers into the side door of a van using ROKs.
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Wow.......I think this is what they call "ruin-porn". What you see when photographers document the abandoned parts of 21st century Detroit. Good for you. Wires appear intact, which may imply the critters have found enough to eat below, so far.

 

I would take them both myself for sure......

RT-3/U-121/Leslie 21H and 760/Saltarelle Nuage/MOXF6/MIDIhub, 

SL-880/Nektar T4/Numa Cx2/Deepmind12/Virus TI 61/SL61 mk2

Stylophone R8/Behringer RD-8/Proteus 1/MP-7/Zynthian 4

MPC1k/JV1010/Unitor 8/Model D & 2600/WX-5&7/VL70m/DMP-18 Pedals

Natal drums/congas etc & misc bowed/plucked/blown instruments. 

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No mention but next time all concerned need at least goggles and a t-shirt tied around their breathing apparatus.

 

I've seen worse but there's no way you are getting that down the stairs without stirring up some dust. The trick is not to breathe it or let it get in your eyes.

 

Magic itch/sneeze powder!!!!

 

Everything should clean up nicely, no signs of rot, water damage or rodent habitation. I don't play keys and I'd take it.

 

Bought a Hammond M1 once in working condition at a thrift store in Fresno. The flat spot to the left of the keyboard had a "cup holder" literally worn into it, gotta be a story there. Somebody did some drinkin'.

That one had the field coil speaker, which is also sort of a "limiter" since it sucked enough juice out of the power supply that the volume sort of leveled off and then it got a splendidly evil tone - natural tube overdrive.

 

I gave it to friends in Frenso when I moved up here, I hope they still have it.

It took a chunk of my life to get here and I am still not sure where "here" is.
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What a fantastic find! You sir are to be commended for such a great rescue.

 

I fell in love with A100"s a few years ago when a local church asked me to fix theirs. What I discovered was a single owner Hammond that was covered but hadn"t been touched in maybe 20 years. So, I whipped out my trusty Hammond oil, oiled it up, and told the church that they"d have to wait a few weeks for the oil to settle in. Well, the board didn"t want to wait so they put it up for sale and I immediately bought it ($1000 tax deductible donation=free). Not expecting it to fire up right away I nonetheless started it as soon as I got it home and voila...it came right up. Not perfect but close enough.

And then there"s A100 number two which I discovered on Craigslist for $100 (kids in a band that found it at a thrift store and never even plugged it up).

A rescue for sure but also an unmolested great piece that the same church wanted to buy from me...pre-Covid 19. Now everything is at a standstill at the church so A100 number two might be available soon.

I"ve also been told of another church that has a B3 and A PAIR of Leslies that they might want to get rid of.

 

Murder she wrote. My wife is going to kill me dead,dead,dead. (When I"m dead she"ll find the free cherry M3 that I stashed in the garage.).

 

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Ok, a few scratches so not perfect. Dunno why the attachment manager rotated the pic 180 degrees. Sorry.

 

Anyways, congratulations on a great find and rescue!

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Hi Samuel, nice find as you know. I would follow advice already given, and looking at the overall picture of getting the pair out, I would definitely use a good shop vac with a HEPA filter as well as a filter on the exhaust end of the vac even if you have to fashion a sock or cheese type cloth around the port with some heavy duty rubber bands. The less air blowing around up there the better of you'll be.

 

As far as the actual move, maybe you can get a couple of 2" x 12" x 16' boards and secure them together side by side with cleats on the bottom side, and even secure this "ramp" to the staircase, who knows what shape those steps are really in? This is risky but if you guys can slowly slide the organ down to the landing,it might be easier or safer than carrying it? Maybe even secure a good soft rope around the organ under the lower manual for a couple of guys to hold it back from up top, while a couple of guys on the bottom support the load coming down? Like I say, Maybe. I did this with a spinet L-100 going down a very steep and shaky set of stairs, and it worked well, albeit it doesn't have the heft of a console. I'm sure you and the guys will kick around some ideas before the move, wishing you well with the move and project. Good luck and be careful! Joe

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Twining is going to LOVE that project LOL
I sent him an e-mail with some pictures and I am anxiously wondering what the tone of his response will be...
Geez, we are a bunch of armchair engineers, aren't we? :D
Well, if we didn't like to come up with interesting solutions to problems we have no direct access to or responsibility for, we wouldn't hang out on this form. :roll:

Samuel B. Lupowitz

Musician. Songwriter. Food Enthusiast. Bad Pun Aficionado.

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Jason (Outkaster) drove out to my neck of the woods yesterday to help me get the rig cleaned up a bit, see if he could suss out any additional information about what I'm working with, and bestow upon me some Leslie back panels and his extra set of dollies. Who'd have thought I'd meet forum folks in person for the first time mid-pandemic? As expected, a little cleaner and elbow grease (and a vacuum) made a big difference aesthetically right away. Looks like there might be a few broken drawbar wires and some other odds and ends that need work or replacement, but we'll see what the tech says when I get it there. I think the consensus was it's a 60s Leslie with a replacement '73 slow motor, not sure on the date on the A100. There's been some tinkering with them over the years, which makes sense, since they were gigged pretty heavily. Jason took some more photos; I've attached two here.

 

Now I'm just trying to coordinate some movers or three strong, confident friends (since I have the ROKs now) and my friend with the trailer to get it out of there.

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Samuel B. Lupowitz

Musician. Songwriter. Food Enthusiast. Bad Pun Aficionado.

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