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HammondRhodes...


Steve LeBlanc

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My brother's crazy, but in a good way.

 

His latest custom...

 

http://www.jamfree.com/hammondrhodes/rhodeshammondside.jpg

 

http://www.jamfree.com/hammondrhodes/

 

The Hammond was Sawed in half when we got it...someone had cut it so that they could transport the organ to gigs in a stationwagon. But reconnecting all the wires every time you move it and the fact that Tommy has a Van, well, it just didn't make sense to keep that design. So, Tommy bolted it back together, permanent like, he did some restoration of the electronics and general fix-up stuff and it's been working great.

 

We're getting ready to do some live shows and the wheels in Tom's head started turning, the result is the HammondRhodes stack. :D

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hmm, some odd misconceptions here ;)

 

OK, first off...the Rhodes comes off of the Hammond easily...it's only held in place by a thumb screw, gravity and the legs do the rest of the job of keeping it steady. So transportation isn't a big deal...the Hammond is the most difficult but it's easily lifted into the van by two people who know how to lift.

 

Second, my brother doesn't play keys, he just likes my boards a lot and likes to customize stuff. Though, he can jam on them a bit, it's not his strong point.

 

Third, the height of the Rhodes. Yeah, it's a bit high and requires a bit of adjustment in my technique but I was jamming on it last night and really didn't feel hindered at all. I have a high seat that I sit on which puts my arms at the right height, for some quicker runs I have to stand up and lean into it a bit but it felt really comfortable and natural to me.

 

Yeah, it might annoy some but personally I like it.

 

The sustain pedal:

 

http://www.jamfree.com/hammondrhodes/pedal.jpg

 

As you can see it sits about 4 inches above the floor, it feels more comfortable than you might think...it also makes sense because I have so many other pedals I use it keeps it out of the way of my Wah, A/B box, Volume pedal, etc.

 

Tommy extended the Pedal Rod and grinded down his extension so that it makes really good contact with the dampener...the action on the Pedal is really good actually and I like that it's bolted in place.

 

Yeah it's a nutty way to set-up but I don't see it hindering my playing at all...takes up a hell of a lot less space on stage.

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Originally posted by Cereal:

maybe your bro can sit on your shoulders while you play the hammond!

 

how'd that hammond that you picked up from me ever turn out?

That Hammond is great...we've done a few repairs at a time on it...some of the keys needed to be fixed, all the contacts needed cleaning as well as some other minor stuff. The Hammond is in good shape and sounds great...the Leslie still has a really bad Hum...I'm pretty sure it's either the Output tube or the Caps...we'll get to it...I've been busy with other stuff so it's been slow going. In a lot of ways I like the Hammond you gave me better than the one I've been playing...in time it might be the main studio organ.
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Was there ever a modification for the sustain pedal of the Rhodes? I one I played (and all the others I ever saw) had a collapsible rod. The pedal was always essentially under the opening in the bottom of the case. Did anyone ever modify that to use a wire cable in place of the rod?

No guitarists were harmed during the making of this message.

 

In general, harmonic complexity is inversely proportional to the ratio between chording and non-chording instruments.

 

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Originally posted by Dave Horne:

Was there ever a modification for the sustain pedal of the Rhodes? I one I played (and all the others I ever saw) had a collapsible rod. The pedal was always essentially under the opening in the bottom of the case. Did anyone ever modify that to use a wire cable in place of the rod?

hmm, I don't know...I've never seen it but it sounds like it might work.
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