Keybass Posted October 16, 2003 Share Posted October 16, 2003 I want to hook up my Vk8 to a 122 Leslie. What is the best way to do this? Can I hook it up directly or do I need a pre-amp pedal? Also this Leslie is pretty clean so I would want to keep it in my studio as a in house only unit. For gigs should I get a speakeasy road Leslie or a pro motion set up? Thanks for your input Peace Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Superbobus Posted October 16, 2003 Share Posted October 16, 2003 Before you do anything else, first get the OS update by clicking this link. The Leslie sim is greatly improved. Funny that now there's a PC and a Mac version for the update. When I updated it, it only said PC, but it worked great with Logic in OS 9... http://www.bobwijnen.nl Hipness is not a state of mind, it's a fact of life. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eric Posted October 16, 2003 Share Posted October 16, 2003 You need to get a preamp pedal or rackmount in order to send a 1/4" signal into the 122 amp. There are several options in varying price ranges. The basic, no frills solution is the Trek II UC1A pedal, which supports 122, 147 and many other Leslies. It is basic, but good. Sells new in the $300 range and can be found used in the $200 range. I recommend checking with Speakeasy Vintage Music first. They sell a number of different custom Leslie preamps and build them per order. They have a less expensive model that is solid state and then they have tube preamps, which is what I use. Prices range from $400 on up, depending on how many mods you want. I have the stereo rack version. Here is their website: Speakeasy I would not take a pristine Leslie on the road. Get a beat up cabinet or use Motion Sound. Hope that helps. Regards, Eric Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Byrdman Posted October 16, 2003 Share Posted October 16, 2003 Originally posted by eric: You need to get a preamp pedal or rackmount in order to send a 1/4" signal into the 122 amp. Have you had problems with the Leslie connector on the VK8 that cause you to recommend connecting via the 1/4" sockets? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eric Posted October 16, 2003 Share Posted October 16, 2003 That's right...I forgot that the VK organs have an 11-pin output jack. I know that the VK7 has one and presume the same holds true for the VK8. If this is true, then you need an accessory called the 1122 kit made by Hammond Suzuki. It is a box with connections to jump the 11-pin from a VK, XB or XK organ into the 6-pin Leslie amp. There is an 1122 for 122 amps and an 1147 for 147 amps. This would be a good way to go, and less expensive (around $179 last time I checked). I used an 1122 with my XK2 and it was great. The tone is not as warm as a tube preamp, like the Speakeasy, but the benefit is that the clone's fast slow also controls the Leslie, rather than having to use an external speed switch. Running the XK2 demo would automatically speed up and slow down the 122 as if on auto-pilot. Pretty surreal to watch a 1963 Leslie 122 spinning up and down by itself via the 1122 kit. Regards, Eric Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kennyex Posted October 26, 2003 Share Posted October 26, 2003 Originally posted by eric: I recommend checking with Speakeasy Vintage Music first. They sell a number of different custom Leslie preamps and build them per order. Prices range from $400 on up, depending on how many mods you want. Regards, EricSpeakeasy now offers a stripped down mono pedal, the "Shotglass" for $250. 1/4" only though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
steinwaym Posted October 26, 2003 Share Posted October 26, 2003 I think the choice of Motion sound vs. Road Leslie should be defined by the type of gigs that you play. If you play in a band where you always work with the same sound guy and the people in your group don't mind always helping you lug the leslie up and down stairs, as well as dealing with some of the problems that micing a leslie entail, I would definitely buy the Leslie. But if you "freelance" and play with different groups, and work with different sound guys, I would look into either the Pro3tm/lowpro Motion sound, or even better the new Pro 145. The units are small enough that you can manage them yourself to any gig and also have built in microphones, so that you can simply send a couple of cords to the sound guy and then you are spending your energy playing as opposed to worrying if the sound guy is getting the sound of your leslie correct to the audience. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Keybass Posted October 26, 2003 Author Share Posted October 26, 2003 Those are great points Steinwaym. I have decided to go with the pro3-t and low pro combo with a speakeasy tube pre-amp pedal that will allow me to go to both leslie and motion sound while controlling the speed of both. How old is your Steinway? Peace Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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