Jim Alfredson

No kidding? No kidding. It'll be a good follow-up to our DC hit on the 11th.

Using a guitar tuner on an instrument with as many octaves as a Rhodes will lead to more frustration than good tuning. That's because as you go down, away from middle C, due to equal temperment (and the way our ears work), the notes need to be progressively a bit sharp. Likewise, as you go up, the notes need to be a bit flat. I'm not sure a guitar tuner takes such things into account.

I don't know anything about vibes, sorry! As far as tuning the Rhodes, it's pretty easy as well. The service manual outlines the strategies. If you don't want to tackle it yourself, call up some piano tuners in your area and see if they would be willing to try or have experience tuning them. Another thing to do is adjust the space of the tine in relation to the pickup. You can drastically alter the tone of the instrument that way. This is outlined in the service manual as well as is very easy to do.

Because it's now a "category" containing sub-forums instead of a forum in and of itself, so it's using a different graphic that has not been used before and obviously needs to be changed. I will do that later today.

I didn't hear the Parkinson's rumor. That very well could be the case... I do not know for sure. McDuff had a stroke and he was never the same. I saw him play about a year before he passed and his left hand / left foot were as strong as ever, playing those incredibly groovin', funky McDuff basslines, but his right hand was very erractic. He would start a line, an idea, and then just stop awkwardly. It's always a drag to see our heroes like that, but I'm glad I had the pleasure of seeing, meeting, and talking to both McDuff and McGriff.

BTW, out of curiousity, who was the first to place an order with them for this sale and what was his/her order number? My latest, which I just placed, had an order number of 6122. My last one, which I have already received, was order 5643, placed on July 13th. If the order numbers are sequential (and there's no reason to believe they are not) that is a shitload of orders in a short amount of time!!!

Just placed order number 2!!!

Look at the ones that are in it. They have model numbers on the sides. The model number is also usually punched into the metal chasis right next (or under) the tube socket. I'm assuming the L has 12AX7, 12AU7, 68Q5 tubes, etc. As far as availability, Hammond organs all use common amplifier tubes that are still easily found. If you're gigging with the organ, it's a good idea to have a spare set with you at all times, although I've never had a tube go out on my Hammond B3 that I hauled around for almost 10 years. The tubes in the organ are really not under too much load, in other words they are not being run at full power, so they don't usually fail often. The tubes in my 1958 B3 look original and like I said, I've never had to replace one. Now, tubes in Leslie amps go all the time, because they are running at high power.

Again, it depends on what you want to get out of it. It does not have decent bass capabilities. But it does have the same sound generation as a B3 (no Leslie, but it has an internal speaker). Call up some music stores in the area and see if they have one (they are fairly common) and go play it. Know what you're getting before you buy.

Everything you ever wanted to know about the Rhodes, including a downloadable copy of the service manual: http://www.fenderrhodes.com Most likely you're going to have to replace the hammer tips, which is not terribly expensive nor terribly hard. Another thing you can do with a Mark I (which I also have) is modify the action to Mark II standards. http://www.fenderrhodes.com/service/action.php http://www.fenderrhodes.org/rhodes/manual/ch6.html#6-4 I have not done these mods yet, but I've bought a nice can of silicon spray in preparation. The key pedastle felt mod is supposed to really speed up the action of the keyboard. I'm looking forward to doing that one, since my Mark I is very hard to play.

I've been having lots of weird dreams lately as well. Dreams about living in NYC, dreams about Joe taking over an organissimo gig by playing and singing classic rock tunes (YEAAAAAHHH!), dreams about alien invasions, dreams about ridiculous keyboard rigs, dreams about my brother moving in with Alison and I and having a HUGE dog and a bear (not cool). All sorts of crazy stuff.

McGriff suffered a stroke a few years back. It's a shame.

Back in those nutty 1970s, they used to put all sorts of things thorugh Leslies, including vocals. Can't think of any examples off the top of my head, but I know they did it with Genesis (probably Fountain of Salmacis, if my memory serves me correctly). It makes the voice sound like it's under water (if the Leslie is spinning fast). On Pink Floyd's "Meddle" they put a piano through a Leslie. Basically, the Leslie is just a speaker cabinet, so like Red said, if you get the connections right, you can put anything through it and then mic the cabinet. Certain things sound better than others. I put a Rhodes sound through my Leslie the other week and while it sounded cool on the slow speed, it sounded kinda crappy on the fast speed. What does it mean to get the connections right? Well, the standard Leslie is the 122. It connects to the organ via a 6 pin cable. That cable carries the audio signal, the switching signal (to switch the speeds of the motors) and the actual power for the speaker. It's just a matter of connecting the Leslie without the organ.

If it was supposed to be the second week of August, chaces are they've either already established the line-up or it's not happening.

Between AAJ, JC, and here, jazz fans are lucky to have three sites to get a wealth of information from that simply was not available just 10 years ago. It's pretty amazing when you stop and think about it. I figured out long ago in this role as the owner of a discussion forum that you can't please everyone all the time. I'm sure there are people on AAJ and JC that think I'm an ass. So be it. All three sites have value and Mike has done a lot of work to make AAJ very very musician friendly, providing free services that help musicians get their name, schedule, and music out there to people who otherwise might not know about them. For that he deserves many accolades.

This is the first I've heard of it. Any info would be appreciated.

Looks like a nice joint. You could really put some Leslies and Hammond organs up in that. Not to mention strippers stripers.

What Aric is really upset about is that this disc isn't common enough to be on the usenet yet so he can download it for free. C'MON BN, RELEASE THIS DOMESTICALLY SO I DON'T HAVE TO PAY FOR IT!!!

Hammond is not defunct. In the early 1990s the name was acquired by Suzuki Instruments, Inc. of Japan and it is now Hammond-Suzuki. They have made several full-size reproductions of the B3 using digital technology. The latest one, called the New B3, is the closest they've come yet to replicating the B3, including an analog 9-contact keying system (the original B3 has nine busbars underneath the keys that, as the key is pressed, make contact with the 9 drawbars) to give it that real key-contact clicking sound. The New B3 is nice, but is mainly marketed towards churches, due do it's price tag (around $20,000). Frankly, with few exceptions, many companies, including Hammond, have been able to re-create the sound of a Hammond tonewheel organ with good results using modern technology. Native Instruments' B4 software plug-in sounds great, as does the EVB3 in Apple's Logic recording software. The Korg CX-3 (the new one) is pretty darn good as is the new Roland VK-8. The big sticking points for me, as a jazz organist that uses both manuals and the pedals, include the Leslie (you can't really replicate physically moving air) and the interface itself. If you're used to playing piano, you need something that not only sounds like a piano, but something that feels like a piano. Ditto for the organ... you need something with two manuals, full pedals, with all the traditional B3 controls in the right place, something that feels substantial, has some weight to it, and can take some abuse. You need something that you can sit down and play without having to watch a tutorial. That's why I'm really digging my new Hammond XK System. I've talked about it in this thread (click here) and I know I'm probably sounding like a broken record to people, but after hauling a real B3 around for 10 years and suffering from intense back pain because of it, this thing is a god-send. Not only does it sound great going through a real, tube Leslie 122, but it has all the controls of a B3 in the right place, everything functions as it should, it weighs 300lbs. less than a B3, it's easier to move, and the most inspiring part of it for me is the MIDI capabilities and the opportunity to take the organ-led trio to a different place sonically. It's also much cheaper than the New B3. I do have an endorsement deal with Hammond-Suzuki, but I still paid a pretty penny for the XK System. It was not free. But it is worth every cent to me. It is the first digital organ that I've played where I do not miss my 1958 Hammond B3 at all. So, I hope that answers your question.

As I said in the other thread, the problem with M3s is the lack of bass. If you're planning on playing with a bassist, then no problem (although $400 for an M3 is too much. I've seen them as low as $150). If you want to play left-hand and/or bass pedals, the M3 isn't going to cut it. The keyboards don't go down low enough and the pedals are only one octave and sound like poopy. However, as I also said in that other thread, I learned how to play organ on an M3 (I still have on in my garage) by using a synth with an organ-like bass patch on top of the M3. I used that to play basslines with my left hand. I had to learn pedals later, once I got my console. Funny story: I used to have a trio with my dad on guitar and my high-school buddy's girlfriend's dad on drums. That's basically how I learned to play. Anyway, we played my older sister's graduation party (college graduation) and one of my mom's relatives didn't believe I was playing the bass lines with my left hand. He saw the synth and thought that the bass was sequenced. Even after I assured him I was playing the synth, he didn't believe me. Finally, I had to stop playing the bass at various times in the song and say "SEE, NO BASS!" for him to believe it. Dork.

For instance, this would probably be a good organ: http://cgi.ebay.com/HAMMOND-C2-ORGAN-w-LES...1QQcmdZViewItem It has a Leslie 147 (same as a 122 except it's unbalanced... nothing to worry about...) and TrekII percussion added so it is basically a C3 (which is the same as a B3, just a different style case). C2s are usually very inexpensive, but it's best to try and get one from the end of production (1953, 1954), right before Hammond switched to the C3 model. Those have the most in common with C3s except for the percussion feature (which again, can be added via the TrekII kit).

That's a very old tonewheel Hammond. One of the first. I have a similar one, although mine is a "BCV". That one doesn't even have the chorus generator (hence no "C" in the name). You would not be happy with that organ. They are really very different from a B3. Plus, you'd still need a speaker/Leslie of some kind. Look for an A100 or a C3 or a C2.

Where are her nipples?!

My advice before buying any old Hammond (or any old instrument for that matter) is have someone knowledgeable about the instrument (in this case, a Hammond Tech) look at it first. Hammonds are tough instruments, but when they develop problems, they can be very costly to repair. You want to make sure what you're buying is worth the money. Read this for more info: http://theatreorgans.com/hammond/faq/hammond-faq.html#SEC12

Any time you hear a big, deep fundamental come in, that's usually the organist holding down the pedal(s). The left-hand bass sound is "lighter".