From brianfores@hotmail.com Mon Apr 28 06:19:41 2003
Subject:Re: Should i buy an old bx3/A100 chops

tony,

thanks for the advice. Good to know he does tube pres. So, i'm guess, even
with van and ramp, and dollies, you're not gigging with it? A friend had an
idea for rhodes which might work. Hand truck with the extra fat tires +
those high quality belts/straps to fasten it to the hand truck. Or is this a
ridiculous guess?
So, do you recommend a bx3, not only in terms of portability, but do you
like the bx3/cx3 sound engine? I was trying to make a break for the real
thing. I play jazz, and these cats are picky about that, but i always wanted
the real thing anyway.

ps - would you be willing the privately share with me how much you paid for
you chop? My email is brianfores@hotmail.com

thanks, bri

>From: ynottnaro
>Reply-To: CloneWheel@yahoogroups.com
>To: CloneWheel@yahoogroups.com
>Subject: Re: [CWSG] Should i buy an old bx3/A100 chops
>Date: Sun, 27 Apr 2003 22:59:31 -0700 (PDT)
>
>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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