From ynottnaro@yahoo.com Sun Apr 27 22:59:32 2003
Subject:Re: Should i buy an old bx3/A100 chops

Couple of things Brian, even though you're not asking
ME per se....

The Hammondstore chop has its preamp internally
mounted: the only external device is the expression
pedal, which is self contained (about the size of an
old Morley Leslie Pedal).

There is a huge difference in an 60 lb BX3 and a 250lb
hammond chop, handle placement be damned. And of
course, as a former BX3 owner, I can tell you there is
no comparison in SIZE either; the Bx3 is a lightweight
mini version of a Hammond, period. And as far as
handtruck or dollies, I built a tray on wheels for my
hammondstore chop, and a ramp for my van as well,
which takes about 2 mins to assemble and hook into my
van. But the first time you lift that thing up 5
stairs or more, you'll be singing a different tune
about "I'm used to it."

Shipment of the Hammondstore chop is handled by John
through Keyboard Carriage LTD (I believe). He took
care of me on shipping cuz I purchased a 122 as well
and the chop took a bit longer than expected. The
organ and leslie arrived in tip top shape, shipped by
someone who moves nothing BUT organs and pianos, so it
was baby-ed.

John does impeccable work, and it's laid out and
securely strapped in so well that ANY tech can open up
and do what needs to be done in the event of a repair.
I actually had my own tech go through it on its
arrival and he was very impressed with John's work. I
did add an option to the organ, which was to put a
Trek Cycle Regulator inside to maintain its tuning:
outdoor shows run on generators (no matter how
professional) tend to give less or more than 60 cycles
of AC, which might not affect your other equipment,
but definitely plays games with the tuning of your
hammond.

Anyway...hope this helps
Tony

--- brian fores wrote:
>
> barry , thanks for the insight. i gave bob a call
> and i haven't heard back
> yet, though i'm interested to hear his prices. I
> like his case much better
> plus the positioning of the handles as opposed to
> that of hammondstore. Just
> in terms of space, i'm not crazy about the preamps
> beneath. You're right
> about moving it, BUT, if that was a huge issue, i
> wouldn't even consider a
> bx3, which is still pretty big. I was thinking, if i
> can get my act together
> with dollies, a handtruck or something, it wouldn't
> be so bad. I have a huge
> keyboard, and when i fist started giggin' in
> manattan, it seemed so
> overwhelming, but now, it's become a routine.
> Distance is an issue, even if
> i were to get a beautiful chop from him, i'd have to
> worry about it
> surviving the trip. Btw, did he do work on your
> hammond when he did the
> chop, or just put it into the new case? The guy from
> hammondstore, says he
> really cleans 'em up to make like new. Thanks for
> the input. bri
>
> >From: barry reynolds
> >Reply-To: CloneWheel@yahoogroups.com
> >To: CloneWheel@yahoogroups.com
> >Subject: Re: [CWSG] Should i buy an old bx3/A100
> chops
> >Date: Fri, 25 Apr 2003 22:00:28 -0700
> >
> >O.K., time for me to chime in.
> >
> >I have Tonewheel.com (Bob Schleicher) "Oakland"
> chop. At the time I got
> >it, I also had a living room quality B3. Bob's
> chops are not heavier in
> >spite of the wood because...he uses the Trek II
> preamp, with reverb, and
> >EQ. He does a modification of the Trek II preamp
> that is warranty approved
> >by Trek "to add warmth."
> >
> >Lots of very respected people will scoff at this (I
> know who you are), but
> >Bob has challenged top players for years to tell
> the difference between his
> >Trek II and a refurbished stock b3 preamp--I
> believe he reports that nobody
> >can tell which is which. Mine sounded just like my
> great sounding B3 in a
> >same room a/b test through the same Leslie, except
> that I now had more tone
> >options with the reverb, the EQ, the continuously
> variable percussion
> >volume, the continusly variable chorus/vibrator,
> the effects loop, the
> >direct out, etc.
> >
> >I gotta admit, though, if I had a big time show,
> I'd use my Speakeasy even
> >with this great sounding Hammond. The Speakeasy
> Classic stereo rack (with
> >122 option) has totally made clone playing a joy.
> >
> >Geography might be a big factor in selecting a chop
> maker. I live in LA,
> >bought a nice sounding a100 in a beat-to-death
> cabinet for $500, put it in
> >my ford explorer, and drove to Oakland to have Bob
> do his magic. A few
> >weeks later (He's busy), I drove back up to get my
> chop. So I avoided
> >shipping, which can be prohibitive.
> >
> >I'm not going to qoute prices--It has been a couple
> of years, and Bob is
> >the nicest guy in the world and will qoute you
> easily enough.
> >
> >In my opinion, the playing experience of a real
> hammond comes from that
> >keybed as much as the sound.
> >
> >I will probably continue to use clones through the
> speakeasy (onboard
> >leslie or real 142) for whole band gigs for
> weddings and/or small stages.
> >I hope to use the chop in a new 3-4 piece band
> (guitar, drums, and organ,
> >with guest singers). I grew up on organ, and,
> strangely, my bass kicking
> >chops are much better than my hands!
> >
> >If you can only have one, chop vs. Clone, it is a
> tough decision. Nothing
> >compares to the real deal, but are you really gonna
> lift it to that $75
> >gig?
> >
> >[Non-text portions of this message have been
> removed]
> >
>
>
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