drohm Posted August 27, 2018 Share Posted August 27, 2018 I'm looking at a used Leslie 3300 on craigslist. It is one of the black cabinets. How do I tell if it is mdf or plywood cabinet. Are the newer ones plywood? Quote NS3C, Hammond XK5, Yamaha S7X, Sequential Prophet 6, Yamaha YC73, Roland Jupiter X Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HammondDave Posted August 27, 2018 Share Posted August 27, 2018 Take a hatchet or a buzzsaw.... Quote '55 and '59 B3's; Leslies 147, 122, 21H; MODX 7+; NUMA Piano X 88; Motif XS7; Mellotrons M300 and M400’s; Wurlitzer 206; Gibson G101; Vox Continental; Mojo 61; Launchkey 88 Mk III; Korg Module; B3X; Model D6; Moog Model D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
drohm Posted August 27, 2018 Author Share Posted August 27, 2018 Ha ha! I think the middle panel can be pulled and the edges examined. The seller is not nearby, so trying to verify before making the long drive. HammondDave - Where is the 3300 is your gealist? Quote NS3C, Hammond XK5, Yamaha S7X, Sequential Prophet 6, Yamaha YC73, Roland Jupiter X Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vonnor Posted August 27, 2018 Share Posted August 27, 2018 I was not able to find anything on the web, but I'm guessing MDF since plywood is a premium selling feature. The G37 says it's MDF and has a similar look and covering as the 3300. Also, the 3300W says birch ply. No reason to not say birch ply on the 3300 if it was. Don't quote me, it's just an educated observation. ~ vonnor Quote Gear: Hardware: Nord Stage3, Korg Kronos 2, Novation Summit Software: Cantabile 3, Halion Sonic 3 and assorted VST plug-ins. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vonnor Posted August 27, 2018 Share Posted August 27, 2018 Sweetwater FTW. https://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/3300--leslie-model-3300-300-watt-15-inch-combo-with-2-speed-rotary-horn-black Scroll down to Tech Specs. MDF it is. Quote Gear: Hardware: Nord Stage3, Korg Kronos 2, Novation Summit Software: Cantabile 3, Halion Sonic 3 and assorted VST plug-ins. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Delaware Dave Posted August 27, 2018 Share Posted August 27, 2018 Send a PM to Jim Alfredson. I could swear he actually had a comment several months ago that said something like the latest 3300's were made of plywood and had a better bass response. I wouldn't rely on anything Sweetwater puts out there; once it's out there (wrong or specs change and an update is needed) they are not bound to change it Quote 57 Hammond B3; 69 Hammond L100P; 68 Leslie 122; Kurzweil Forte7 & PC3; M-Audio Code 61; Voce V5+; Neo Vent; EV ELX112P; GSI Gemini & Burn Delaware Dave Exit93band Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
drohm Posted August 27, 2018 Author Share Posted August 27, 2018 Seller pulled the middle panel and looked at edges. It looks to be plywood. It is a newer one purchase about 1 yr ago. It also says 3300 P on the label, but not sure if that means anything. Some older ones on Reverb do not have the P after the 3300. Anyway, the covering is thick, but it looks to be plywood on the edges. I also read the post from Jim that stated his newer one is plywood and has bass for days! Anyway, going to buy it! My back will love me Quote NS3C, Hammond XK5, Yamaha S7X, Sequential Prophet 6, Yamaha YC73, Roland Jupiter X Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jim Alfredson Posted August 28, 2018 Share Posted August 28, 2018 Yes, the new ones are plywood. Pulling the middle panel is the way to check. Congrats! You're going to love it. Bass for days with the plywood cabinet. Quote Keep it greazy! B3tles - Soul Jazz THEO - Prog Rock Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Morrissey Posted November 26, 2020 Share Posted November 26, 2020 Public service announcement: The Leslie 3300 may not be a prime impulse buy but - fyi - the usual online retailers have wildly different prices right now. Several advertising for about $2500, which I think has been the price for a long time. Sweetwater now lists the price as $3200! I find SW often has reliable updated pricing -- e.g., it is usually one of the first to list newly released products on its website for pre-order. So if you've been on the fence about buying one of these, now may be the moment to act, in case Hammond-Suzuki is indeed upping the list price and other retailers just haven't caught up yet. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hookie Posted November 26, 2020 Share Posted November 26, 2020 I bet the huge increase in price is due to drastically increased price of lumber that I"ve heard about. Quote Yamaha C2, Yamaha MODX7, Hammond SK1, Hammond XK-5 Heritage Pro System, Korg Kronos 2 61, Yamaha CP4, Kurzweil PC4-7, Nord Stage 3 73, Nord Wave 2, QSC 8.2, Motion Sound KP 210S, Key Largo, etc…yeah I have too much… Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Outkaster Posted November 27, 2020 Share Posted November 27, 2020 Could be but all Leslie speakers went to MDF board after 1970 to cut costs. They don't sound as well as the 60's cabinets. A lot o guys tel me they don't hold up as well but I have some 70's in stock that are ok. I have a 3300 but haven't looked at the construction. It's still in the flight case. Quote "Danny, ci manchi a tutti. La E-Street Band non e' la stessa senza di te. Riposa in pace, fratello" noblevibes.com Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jim Alfredson Posted November 27, 2020 Share Posted November 27, 2020 The 3300 is now made of furniture grade plywood, not MDF. I would not be surprised if the price is going up. The price of lumber right now is insane. Quote Keep it greazy! B3tles - Soul Jazz THEO - Prog Rock Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stephen S Posted November 27, 2020 Share Posted November 27, 2020 Seems that the price has increased over the past few months. For whatever reason, some retailers were quoting the old price and some were quoting the new. Sweetwater had been honoring the approx. $2500 price until fairly recently. Quote DISCLAIMER - professionally affiliated with Fulcrum Acoustic www.fulcrum-acoustic.com Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CEB Posted November 28, 2020 Share Posted November 28, 2020 If it"s one of the first 3300s there was an issue with the horn driver. Hammond was very good about making to good. These were just a limited number a defective units I think. Quote "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 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Polkahero Posted November 28, 2020 Share Posted November 28, 2020 My 1970s Leslies that are probably MDF sound just fine, thank you. Quote '57 Hammond B-3, '60 Hammond A100, Leslie 251, Leslie 330, Leslie 770, Leslie 145, Hammond PR-40 Trek II UC-1A Alesis QSR Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jazzpiano88 Posted November 28, 2020 Share Posted November 28, 2020 Wonder if there is a discernible difference in impulse response between the two materials? E.g. Tap them with a hammer at the hardware store. Quote J a z z P i a n o 8 8 -- Yamaha C7D Montage M8x | CP300 | CP4 | SK1-73 | OB6 | Seven K8.2 | 3300 | CPSv.3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stephen S Posted November 28, 2020 Share Posted November 28, 2020 Plywood is a much better choice for a portable speaker as it is stronger and lighter than MDF. Acoustical differences would depend on the grade of plywood used, thickness, etc. Quote DISCLAIMER - professionally affiliated with Fulcrum Acoustic www.fulcrum-acoustic.com Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bill bosco Posted November 29, 2020 Share Posted November 29, 2020 wow ,how can that be ? it's listed at the same price as the walnut finished cabinet . maybe the walnut cab is still made with MDF under the veneer ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KuruPrionz Posted November 29, 2020 Share Posted November 29, 2020 Wonder if there is a discernible difference in impulse response between the two materials? E.g. Tap them with a hammer at the hardware store. Yes, there is a difference. MDF is basically small wood chips and sawdust saturated with glue and compressed into a board. In terms of resonance, it's nearly inert. Vibrations do not readily travel through it. Plywood is much more resonant although thicker pieces will be less so than thinner ones and larger unbraced pieces will be more resonant than smaller or braced pieces. Without resonance you won't get much of an impulse response. Quote It took a chunk of my life to get here and I am still not sure where "here" is. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WheelHead Posted November 29, 2020 Share Posted November 29, 2020 Yes, there is a difference. MDF is basically small wood chips and sawdust saturated with glue and compressed into a board. In terms of resonance, it's nearly inert. Vibrations do not readily travel through it. Plywood is much more resonant although thicker pieces will be less so than thinner ones and larger unbraced pieces will be more resonant than smaller or braced pieces. Without resonance you won't get much of an impulse response. How about an 'in-between' wood like OSB? (kidding) WH Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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