NHLD a dream come true

A year of looking and a mighty investment. 
An authentic Hammond B3 clone (hamichord) and Leslie speaker (Tornado T115). 

https://imgur.com/gallery/05CoXpK
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Comments

  • lukedlblukedlb Frets: 488
    The Hamichord is powered by the same software inside the mojo, updated in 2017. I'm not kidding when I state that I can sound exactly like Jimmy Smith/McGriff or Charles Hodges (al green), not to mention Brian Auger or Charles Earland. And that was plugged into PC speakers. 
    Now that I have a true Leslie, the Hamichord becomes a true instrument with solid bass tones and honey mellow tones. Since the volume is remarkable (and I have it set on 20 watts instead of the 80 watts setting) I am playing it at bare minimum volume. As such the drive pot is having no effect: I imagine that true power saturation only comes with actual volume.
    Interestingly, I tried it with guitar without an extra preamp (guitar into true leslies require an extra pre amp) and had the volume at full to get a decent volume. Saturated distortion came in a little then. In any case, the guitar sounded great, although a leslie 16 is the better choice (I prefer the ramping when switching from Fast to off: it takes forever, just like the woofer rotation on a leslie 122, and is therefore more audible).
    The Tornado was made by the GOTO man for hammond and leslies in Italy: a portable version of a 122/145.

    Highly recommend it, and what a difference to the GAS of a guitar: every sound I could ever need from a hammond is already intrinsic to the instrument.
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  • Awesome... you played the Tornado with your guitar rig yet?
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  • lukedlblukedlb Frets: 488
    Awesome... you played the Tornado with your guitar rig yet?
    Only direct. As I said, I needed a pre amp to get it going. And I'm not about to cart that leslie down 10 flights of stairs again, however portable it is.
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  • FunkfingersFunkfingers Frets: 14321
    All you need to complete the illusion is a Glade Plug-in air freshener loaded with warm machine oil. ;)
    Be seeing you.
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  • Nice.

    Maybe ten years ago I visited someone who lived in a small terrace house. His father was a TV repair man who used to earn his living as the resident organist at the local working men’s club. He’d kept the Hammond Organ and Leslie from the club and they were in ( and pretty much filled) the front room of this tiny house. It took a while ( 5 minutes?) for everything to work and warm up and you were enveloped in this amazing sound. 
    Tipton is a small fishing village in the borough of Sandwell. 
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  • lukedlblukedlb Frets: 488
    All you need to complete the illusion is a Glade Plug-in air freshener loaded with warm machine oil. ;)
    Thing is, this is something I do worry about ever since I discovered Charles Earland. Only he could pull off the wickedest take on the theme from Love Story (yes, that very one.... I'm shrinking from self disgust). I can't stop playing it on the organ.
    Have I lost sight of what is too cool for school and become a fan of Hammond does Pop classics? I believe so. I caught myself the other day considering tunes from the 21st century that could make it onto one of those Hammond Pop Tunes LPs of old.

    I'll get my scented candles out then.
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  • lukedlblukedlb Frets: 488

    Nice.

    Maybe ten years ago I visited someone who lived in a small terrace house. His father was a TV repair man who used to earn his living as the resident organist at the local working men’s club. He’d kept the Hammond Organ and Leslie from the club and they were in ( and pretty much filled) the front room of this tiny house. It took a while ( 5 minutes?) for everything to work and warm up and you were enveloped in this amazing sound. 
    and they are loud loud loud. But glorious.
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  • lukedlb said:
    Awesome... you played the Tornado with your guitar rig yet?
    Only direct. As I said, I needed a pre amp to get it going. And I'm not about to cart that leslie down 10 flights of stairs again, however portable it is.
    Erm, carry a pre up instead? :)
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  • lukedlblukedlb Frets: 488
    lukedlb said:
    Awesome... you played the Tornado with your guitar rig yet?
    Only direct. As I said, I needed a pre amp to get it going. And I'm not about to cart that leslie down 10 flights of stairs again, however portable it is.
    Erm, carry a pre up instead? :)
    I will, I will. The Coronavirus paranoia panic outbreak has had me somewhat distracted. 
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  • JayGeeJayGee Frets: 1254
    I find this stuff (Hammonds and Leslies) awesome enough that every now and again I start imagining that it would actually be worth the time and effort of actually learning to play one of the bloody things, then sanity kicks in in. 

    Maybe when I’m retired....
    Don't ask me, I just play the damned thing...
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  • lukedlblukedlb Frets: 488
    JayGee said:
    I find this stuff (Hammonds and Leslies) awesome enough that every now and again I start imagining that it would actually be worth the time and effort of actually learning to play one of the bloody things, then sanity kicks in in. 

    Maybe when I’m retired....
    I don't recommend buying a Leslie: it's a minefield, often necessitating an extra pre amp, an extra cable, or a shock when you understand how large and heavy they are. The Tornado Leslie is up there with the best with all the weight, size, connectivity issues sorted. My two amp set up has long been based on a leslie plus guitar amp, and still I recommend getting a leslie effect pedal like the Neo Ventilator. I'm still getting used to the MicroVent 122; the pedal is so small my that my brain refuses to accept its quality and is jumping on every slight issue to tear it to pieces.

    True Hammond B3/C3/A100 is again another minefield with its own set of significant problems. The hammond clone market is reaching the standard expected from a true vintage Hammond, making it finally reasonable to own and play one. 

    Most importantly, it's such a relief to have an instrument that doesn't require extras; guitars and keyboards are a never ending quest for new tones whether by changing instrument, pedals, amps, plug ins, software.

    When a hammond clone authentically copies a true hammond (I believe we're there), there will be no more need to buy extras nor improve on the instrument. One aspect that is financially prohibitive on Hammond clone production is that each key has nine connections, each one progressively releasing the different drawbars (from high to low). The new Hammond XK5 includes 3 contacts on each key as well as a valve to warm the tone. Expensive, though.
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