Hammond Tone Cabinets

[Steve Nathan]

I'm about to drag an old tone cabinet to the street and thought I might get confirmation that it is little more than a conversation piece (too big to be a boat anchor). It's an ER 20, and as far as I can remember, it's old (late 40s to early 50s), but has no significant value, dollar-wise. It's in the way in my basement so it's out of here.

Any of you Hammond Heads out there know of any reason to keep any or all of it's parts? Are the 15s the same as the one's in my 122s? Are there parts in the amp I might wish I'd kept?

Thanks,

Steve

[Jim Alfredson]

The only Hammond tone cabinet worth keeping is the PR40. They sound awesome.

 

The tubes in the ER20 might be worth a bit but not much.

[Steve Nathan]

Since posting, I've decided to give the tubes to a friend and neighbor. He's a guitar player, and tube collector who tells me the 6V6s are great for old Fender Deluxes.

 

I had a PR40 long ago, but I gave that to another friend, a great B player in NW Florida. He has it set up in his home along side his Leslies, with just the pedals going to it.

[ksoper]

Steve, how do you split the output to just run pedals to the PR40? Kinda like to try that at the house.

[BillWelcome Home Studios]

Iusually fool around recording something before I decide to keep it or not. So often, just because something is not popular, doesn't mean that it has no appeal or use.

 

And in terms of the tubes, I bet that putting in new ones would iprove the sound. So much old gear sounds muddled and lifeless because the tubes are basically dead.

[Steve Nathan]

Steve, how do you split the output to just run pedals to the PR40? Kinda like to try that at the house.

 

You'll have to ask someone smarter than me. My tech here in Nashville has done it for other customers, and I'm sure one of our resident Hammond geniuses will know too. I know it can be done (and my friend Woody confirms it), I just don't know how they do it.

[Steve Nathan]

And in terms of the tubes, I bet that putting in new ones would iprove the sound. So much old gear sounds muddled and lifeless because the tubes are basically dead.

 

Not sure if you're trying to tell me something here Bill, but perhaps you've misunderstood my post. I'm not unhappy with a piece of old gear. I've had this thing in my basement for 18 years and I've never used it. I've never actually wanted to use it either. It came with the C2 when I bought it, and taking it was part of the deal to get the organ. I've had the organ happily hooked up to a 122 ever since, and this old (albeit interesting looking ) piece of furniture is just taking up space I now want. I only posted on the off chance that I was missing anything of value inside the cabinet. As it turns out, my friend would like the tubes, and giving my friend something he'll enjoy is value enough for me.

 

just because something is not popular, doesn't mean that it has no appeal or use.

 

I couldn't agree more, but in this case, this piece has had something like 60 years of unpopularity.

[Steve Nathan]

One last question. It's now been suggested to me that for "Vintage" gear freaks, there may be some value in the pair of 12" field coil speakers. I've been poking around the web,and it looks like these are probably (un-labeled) Jensen's from the late 40s.

Anyone know anything about this?

[B3Nut]

They're Jensen A-12's. You might get some change for them on eBay, especially if you're willing to ship to Asia. Tube audiophiles do interesting/strange things with field-coil speakers. They also destroy perfectly-good field-coil Leslies to use the Jensen F15LL's for their stereos... But ER-20 with A-12's? Part away, not much love for those. A B40 or F40 with four of those A12's can sound pretty good, if the amps are in good shape. The huge box helps.

[BillWelcome Home Studios]

Not sure if you're trying to tell me something here Bill, but perhaps you've misunderstood my post. I'm not unhappy with a piece of old gear. I've had this thing in my basement for 18 years and I've never used it. I've never actually wanted to use it either. It came with the C2 when I bought it, and taking it was part of the deal to get the organ. I've had the organ happily hooked up to a 122 ever since, and this old (albeit interesting looking ) piece of furniture is just taking up space I now want. I only posted on the off chance that I was missing anything of value inside the cabinet. As it turns out, my friend would like the tubes, and giving my friend something he'll enjoy is value enough for me.

I couldn't agree more, but in this case, this piece has had something like 60 years of unpopularity.

 

I guess that I'm saying a few things.

 

Number one: I've never seen a piece of gear that was 'improved' be worth anything like what the untouched original was worth once it came back in style, or came into style for the first time.

 

Number Two: Replacing worn out components (like strings or pads or hammers in a piano) is a normal part of keeping an instrument in good working order. This applies to amplifiers. too. I've bought many vintage amplifiers over the years for my studio, and the first things that I do are:replace the power cord, reheat the old solder joints, and replace the tubes. Old tube are like old piano strings, and do about the same thing to the tone.

 

Number Three: If, when brought back to good working order, you don't like what it sounds like, no harm done. Sell it. Whatever. Or sell it before you fix it. That is your choice. Yeah, you could maybe make some money by tearing it apart and selling off the pieces of the carcass. But it seems to me that a lot of people are saying that this piece sucks... now I know nothing about it, but those seem to be just the things that come back into popularity later, and everybody wants and pays stupid money to get. Is it worth destroying for a few bucks, given that it really cost you nothing to start with?

[mate stubb]

Actually no, it really just sucks.

 

B3-er is right. When you can have PR-40s for free, other Hammond tone cabinets are not worth even retubing.

[Steve Nathan]

a lot of people are saying that this piece sucks... now I know nothing about it,

 

While I agree that what you're saying about old gear is generally true, Bill, I can't help but think you're just not familiar enough with this particular item to see that it wouldn't apply in this case.

[BillWelcome Home Studios]

a lot of people are saying that this piece sucks... now I know nothing about it,

 

While I agree that what you're saying about old gear is generally true, Bill, I can't help but think you're just not familiar enough with this particular item to see that it wouldn't apply in this case.

 

Fair enough, I just think of all those Teisco and danelectro guitars, Wurlitzer particleboard electric pianos, Fender Rhodes pianos, Vox Continentals, etc that were deemed worthless for so many years. (shrug...)

[yorgatron]

my family's M-3 was hooked up to a DXR-20

 

http://www.hammond-organ.com/Museum/DXR-20.htm

 

yes,it looks impressive,but it does not sound as good as it looks.

I liked the rotating speaker effect,and the reverb,but on the whole it wasn't very inspirational back in the day when I was trying to figure out why it didn't sound like Greg Rolie;

 

[video:youtube]

[mate stubb]

back in the day when I was trying to figure out why it didn't sound like Greg Rolie;

 

Most of us are still trying to sound like Gregg!

[ITGITC]

back in the day when I was trying to figure out why it didn't sound like Greg Rolie;

 

Most of us are still trying to sound like Gregg!

 

http://writeonandmore.files.wordpress.com/2008/03/rolos.jpg

 

Don't know why, but everytime I hear that name I think of candy.

 

Strange.

 

[Mark Zeger]

back in the day when I was trying to figure out why it didn't sound like Greg Rolie;

 

Most of us are still trying to sound like Gregg!

 

http://writeonandmore.files.wordpress.com/2008/03/rolos.jpg

 

Don't know why, but everytime I hear that name I think of candy.

 

Strange.

 

 

Rollo?

 

http://7.media.tumblr.com/mYYiSLXDLnezo36dGF7eOJA5o1_250.jpg

[Joe Muscara]

Don't know why, but everytime I hear that name I think of candy.

It's always either candy, beer, or Mariah with you Tommy. Here's one.

 

 

 

 

http://img2.timeinc.net/people/i/2008/quiz/mariah_carey/mariah_carey02q.jpg That's pretty much how I remember her.

[ITGITC]

That's pretty much how I remember her.

 

Nice.