NewImprov Posted December 30, 2020 Share Posted December 30, 2020 I have a new Leslie project, and need some advice! I just got this Leslie 740 as part of a bunch of amp projects and parts from a local tinkerer, it was real cheap. Basically, the 740 has no amp, it's wired for a 1/4 input, and I'm powering it with the Peavey, which is a pretty decent 50W tube amp I already owned. The motors from the 740 were swapped with a 22h, so this has the 22h single-speed motors, and the 22H, which he is selling for significantly more, is now dual speed. He did service and lube the single speed motors. The 740 has the 4 6X9 coaxial stationary speakers, but they are not currently wired in. They have been tested and work. I am thinking about wiring in a 2nd amp input to drive them, if I should desire to use them. As it is, this combo sounds amazing! First thing I did was to run my Rhodes through it, it was instant No Quarter. My Mojo, after I remembered how to turn off the internal sim, sounds fantastic through it, even stopped. So, of course, the obvious next step is to make it dual speed. Would something like this work with this setup? mtclogic-leslie-2-speed-conversion And how to handle speed switching? Currently, it just uses a remote AC footswitch to turn the motors on and off. Quote Turn up the speaker Hop, flop, squawk It's a keeper -Captain Beefheart, Ice Cream for Crow Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EscapeRocks Posted December 30, 2020 Share Posted December 30, 2020 Nice Quote David Gig Rig:Roland Fantom 08 | Roland Jupiter 80 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mate stubb Posted December 30, 2020 Share Posted December 30, 2020 The MTCLogic will do the job, as will a Caribbean Controls if you can find one. Quote Moe --- Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Doerfler Posted December 30, 2020 Share Posted December 30, 2020 So, of course, the obvious next step is to make it dual speed. I dunno, Dave. That is a personal preference .As for me, I am a stop/tremolo guy. I don't dislike chorale, I just prefer stop, and I know I am not alone. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mate stubb Posted December 30, 2020 Share Posted December 30, 2020 It's the contrast between chorale and stop that is so awesome. Stop is stark, and sometimes that's what you want. Chorale is the pad monster. You want both! Quote Moe --- Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Doerfler Posted December 30, 2020 Share Posted December 30, 2020 You want both! fair enough. Once the dual speed motors are installed, you can unplug the slow speed for stop if you choose. That's what I do with my 142. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mate stubb Posted December 30, 2020 Share Posted December 30, 2020 You want both! fair enough. Once the dual speed motors are installed, you can unplug the slow speed for stop if you choose. That's what I do with my 142. I think he is talking about just leaving the stock single speed leslie motors in, and adding slow through one of the electronic controllers. Quote Moe --- Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fuzzy1 Posted December 30, 2020 Share Posted December 30, 2020 Damn I was doing this stuff in the 70's - - I Want a Leslie again ! They so Sooooooo good! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Threadslayer Posted December 30, 2020 Share Posted December 30, 2020 The MTCLogic will do the job, as will a Caribbean Controls if you can find one. That NCTLogic unit seems remarkably reasonably priced for a special purpose piece of custom electronics. I'm impressed. Quote Whenever you find yourself on the side of the majority, it is time to pause and reflect. -Mark Twain Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mate stubb Posted December 30, 2020 Share Posted December 30, 2020 FWIW - I have two Speakeasy leslies with Caribbean Control boards. Be aware that pulse width type speed controllers can cause the motor to run warm when on slow for a long time. Real leslie motors should handle it fine, but my Speakeasy leslies use a lighter duty motor. I was careful to turn slow off when going on break at gigs just to be cautious. Under normal playing conditions, I would be switching speeds often enough not to worry. Quote Moe --- Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NewImprov Posted December 30, 2020 Author Share Posted December 30, 2020 So, of course, the obvious next step is to make it dual speed. I dunno, Dave. That is a personal preference .As for me, I am a stop/tremolo guy. I don't dislike chorale, I just prefer stop, and I know I am not alone. I usually go between stop and tremolo using the sim on my Mojo, I might play with it for a bit before I commit to the upgrade. This cab does sound great on stop. Driving home from work last night, I had a somewhat ridiculous idea. The 740 has 4 stationary 6X9 coaxial speakers, 2 facing forward and 2 firing out the sides. I"m thinking about wiring them as a stereo pair, one side and one front speaker per channel, then getting a clean stereo amp and plugging the output of my Ventilator into those channels, along with the Mojo running into the bass and horn rotors, thus getting 2 Leslie"s in one cabinet. Quote Turn up the speaker Hop, flop, squawk It's a keeper -Captain Beefheart, Ice Cream for Crow Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mate stubb Posted December 30, 2020 Share Posted December 30, 2020 Coincidentally, I saw today that BB Organ has Hamptone speed controllers back in stock. Quote Moe --- Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Threadslayer Posted December 30, 2020 Share Posted December 30, 2020 Be aware that pulse width type speed controllers can cause the motor to run warm when on slow for a long time. Real leslie motors should handle it fine, but my Speakeasy leslies use a lighter duty motor. I was careful to turn slow off when going on break at gigs just to be cautious. Under normal playing conditions, I would be switching speeds often enough not to worry. Not sure how real it is, but the MCTLogic folks claim to handle this by reducing the voltage amplitude at low speed. Quote Whenever you find yourself on the side of the majority, it is time to pause and reflect. -Mark Twain Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Threadslayer Posted December 30, 2020 Share Posted December 30, 2020 Driving home from work last night, I had a somewhat ridiculous idea. The 740 has 4 stationary 6X9 coaxial speakers, 2 facing forward and 2 firing out the sides. I"m thinking about wiring them as a stereo pair, one side and one front speaker per channel, then getting a clean stereo amp and plugging the output of my Ventilator into those channels, along with the Mojo running into the bass and horn rotors, thus getting 2 Leslie"s in one cabinet. Awesome idea! I hope you end up doing it - and posting some sound clips. Quote Whenever you find yourself on the side of the majority, it is time to pause and reflect. -Mark Twain Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NewImprov Posted December 30, 2020 Author Share Posted December 30, 2020 Coincidentally, I saw today that BB Organ has Hamptone speed controllers back in stock. Would that be this? hamptone-mk2-motor-control-for-leslie-speakers Quote Turn up the speaker Hop, flop, squawk It's a keeper -Captain Beefheart, Ice Cream for Crow Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mate stubb Posted December 31, 2020 Share Posted December 31, 2020 Coincidentally, I saw today that BB Organ has Hamptone speed controllers back in stock. Would that be this? hamptone-mk2-motor-control-for-leslie-speakers I saw it on FB. Looks like a slightly different model (maybe cheaper?) Clickee Quote Moe --- Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pa Gherkin Posted December 31, 2020 Share Posted December 31, 2020 That 740 looks to be in beautiful shape. It must really scream with the Peavey head. Congrats on a really nice acquisition. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NewImprov Posted January 2, 2021 Author Share Posted January 2, 2021 That 740 looks to be in beautiful shape. It must really scream with the Peavey head. Congrats on a really nice acquisition. Yeah, even though the guy got it to scavenge parts for his 22, he totally refinished the 740, and serviced the motors. It sounds amazing with the Peavy, the Peavy has a really cool feature that allows you to adjust gain going into the preamp section, and gain after the preamp going into the amp section, so you can really fine tune the way it breaks up. I saw the guys 22/122 project, his cabinet is painted a horrible shade of yellow, looks a bathroom fixture. He"s going to refinish it, of course, it should be very nice when he"s done. Quote Turn up the speaker Hop, flop, squawk It's a keeper -Captain Beefheart, Ice Cream for Crow Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NewImprov Posted January 5, 2021 Author Share Posted January 5, 2021 After a couple of very informative emails exchanged with Bill Brown of BBOrgan, I've ordered the Hamptone MK2 2-speed kit. I'll let you know how it works! Quote Turn up the speaker Hop, flop, squawk It's a keeper -Captain Beefheart, Ice Cream for Crow Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stoken6 Posted January 5, 2021 Share Posted January 5, 2021 the Peavy has a really cool feature that allows you to adjust gain going into the preamp sectionWould that be a pre-preamp? Or is it simply a passive attenuator? Cheers, Mike. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bill bosco Posted January 5, 2021 Share Posted January 5, 2021 why doesn't anyone make a kit to upgrade the two motor set-up in the older leslies with the modern single motor top and bottom . would go a long way in " adding lightness " . does anyone make such a kit ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Markyboard Posted January 5, 2021 Share Posted January 5, 2021 why doesn't anyone make a kit to upgrade the two motor set-up in the older leslies with the modern single motor top and bottom . would go a long way in " adding lightness " . does anyone make such a kit ? The small motors weigh near nothing so I don"t believe weight is an advantage. Also the control boards cost a factor more than replacing the slow motors. Not sure about the Hamptone but the Caribbean Control made pulsing noise which was disturbing to me. (edit) Maybe I misunderstood - do you mean a single motor for controlling both the horn and rotor? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NewImprov Posted January 5, 2021 Author Share Posted January 5, 2021 the Peavy has a really cool feature that allows you to adjust gain going into the preamp sectionWould that be a pre-preamp? Or is it simply a passive attenuator? Cheers, Mike. Actually, I misspoke, the controls are for preamp gain, and post preamp gain, for the preamp signal going into the power section. This does allow you to fine tune the saturation, and where it happens. Quote Turn up the speaker Hop, flop, squawk It's a keeper -Captain Beefheart, Ice Cream for Crow Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NewImprov Posted January 9, 2021 Author Share Posted January 9, 2021 Installed the Hamptone MK2 2-speed kit today. The process could not have been easier, it is literally plug and play, plug in the AC to the 2 motors to the output, plug in the controller pedal, and plug the AC into the wall, and it works! The hardest part was finding the best place to mount it in the cabinet. Have to give props to Hamptone for the pedal they include, it is heavy duty and very solid. Fired it up and spent the next hour playing, this Leslie sounds great! Only quit playing because I had a session tracking a drummer coming in. One thing I am noticing in this speaker is that it has a really nice, deep, low end, stronger than my 44W. I am wondering if this has to do with the fact that the downfiring 15" is stationary. Of course, I am comparing the BC into the 44W against the Mojo into the 740, so it's not a direct comparison. One thing is for sure, this setup can scream when you crank the amp. I haven't hooked up the 6X9 speakers yet, but plan on doing it. I have access to a low-power stereo amp that should drive them nicely. Will record some audio/video when I do. Quote Turn up the speaker Hop, flop, squawk It's a keeper -Captain Beefheart, Ice Cream for Crow Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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