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[hammond_zone] Baby Announcement!
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Ken & Dianne Godfrey
Hey Zoners!
I just wanted to officially announce the new arrival into our household... We are now the proud (adopted) parents of a new (to us) little (HA!) bundle of joy: A 1937 Hammond C40 Power Cabinet!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! She's a little long in the tooth for most prospective adoptive parents, but we love her. (Well, my wife's a little lukewarm right now, but as soon as I get her stood up in her new resting place, instead of laying down in the middle of the living room floor, I'm sure she'll come to love her the way I do...well, maybe not THAT much, but close.) And, by the way, when a C40 lays around the house...well, I don't think I have to finish it, do I? Let's just say my wife has promised to have me buried in it, and I would have PLENTY of room in there. (She could probably fit my entire LP collection in there with me!) Anywho, this thing is like nothing I've ever seen! Two, count 'em, TWO gorgeous black wrinkle finish power amps that weigh about 60lbs. each. Powered by 2A3 tubes (4 in each), with transformers big enough to run industrial equipment on. 20 smokin' watts each!!!!! (Well, the watts were bigger back then!) Four Jensen Concert Series A-12's (the OLD field coil ones with the HUGE round covers). The black paint on them is still factory-fresh and shiny! They look good enough to eat. Shame to cover them up, actually. I'll post pictures soon. The quality of construction on the whole thing is just unbelievable! I feel the same way I did when I first opened up my BCV after bringing her home. I just can't believe the way they built things back then. Just one small example: The speaker grill is expanded steel over black muslin between two wood frames scewed together. The cloth is held onto the inside of the grill frame with strips of wood. They have a decorative cross-section, and are stained to match the cabinet. They are INSIDE the thing when the grill is attached, and you'd never see them unless you removed the grill! Unbelievable!! They could have just used plain, wood strips. The attention to detail just amazes me. And, the whole works is in amazing condition! Strangely enough, the finish is very shiny, but not as shiny as my console (of the same year), and seems like a different finishing process was used. The color matches quite well, and I'm sure a good coat of wax will shine her up quite nicely. But this puts a new spin on our previous lacquer / shellac / varnish / french polish discussion. The organ looks like many coats of clear nitrocellulose lacquer, sprayed on and color sanded between coats. It is slightly crazed, like old lacquer gets. I only notice the crazing about an hour after I oil it down. The Tone Cab, by contrast, seems to have much less build, and looks more like a traditional varnish or shellac, brushed on. There are a few small drips under the bottom rail. Still, this C40 is a thing of beauty! The woodgrain Hammond used on the Cab's isn't the same straight grain used on the consoles. It's a gorgeous burl grain (could be birch, but Hammond claimed it was burled walnut), book-matched on the front and sides. I also want to give a big plug to Bill Giardina of Church Organ Center (the seller). What a straight, honest businessman, and a true gentleman to boot! He not only drafted his friend (and church organist who plays a D-152 every Sunday!) Ernest into helping Bill and I load it, but Bill and his wonderful wife Linda treated us to an incredible home-cooked dinner!! The BEST Southern Fried Chicken we've ever had! I just can't say enough about Bill's hospitality, kindness, honesty and integrity. We had an enjoyable (although too short) afternoon playing with the 3 organs in his front room, and the many in his showroom, and just talking Hammonds. Thanks Bill! BCV-KG...no, wait! BCV/C40-KG...uh, BCVC40KG? ...BC40-KG? ...C40BCV-KG??! ...BCVC40HR40147A100147L100330MS20KG!!! |
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Raul de Jalapeno
I don't know......I think maybe you're excited or somethin' :) :). I'm very happy fpr you, Ken. The amp in your C-40 is very similar to the one in George's DXR-40. You are experiencing the warm sound of a quartet of 2A3s that still makes this tube very popular with audiophiles the warm over. And a nice recommendation for Bill, too. Nice to know we have people like that.
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Raul ----- Original Message -----
From: Ken & Dianne Godfrey To: hammond_zone@... Sent: Saturday, February 23, 2002 6:51 AM Subject: [hammond_zone] Baby Announcement! Hey Zoners! I just wanted to officially announce the new arrival into our household... We are now the proud (adopted) parents of a new (to us) little (HA!) bundle of joy: A 1937 Hammond C40 Power Cabinet!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! She's a little long in the tooth for most prospective adoptive parents, but we love her. (Well, my wife's a little lukewarm right now, but as soon as I get her stood up in her new resting place, instead of laying down in the middle of the living room floor, I'm sure she'll come to love her the way I do...well, maybe not THAT much, but close.) And, by the way, when a C40 lays around the house...well, I don't think I have to finish it, do I? Let's just say my wife has promised to have me buried in it, and I would have PLENTY of room in there. (She could probably fit my entire LP collection in there with me!) Anywho, this thing is like nothing I've ever seen! Two, count 'em, TWO gorgeous black wrinkle finish power amps that weigh about 60lbs. each. Powered by 2A3 tubes (4 in each), with transformers big enough to run industrial equipment on. 20 smokin' watts each!!!!! (Well, the watts were bigger back then!) Four Jensen Concert Series A-12's (the OLD field coil ones with the HUGE round covers). The black paint on them is still factory-fresh and shiny! They look good enough to eat. Shame to cover them up, actually. I'll post pictures soon. The quality of construction on the whole thing is just unbelievable! I feel the same way I did when I first opened up my BCV after bringing her home. I just can't believe the way they built things back then. Just one small example: The speaker grill is expanded steel over black muslin between two wood frames scewed together. The cloth is held onto the inside of the grill frame with strips of wood. They have a decorative cross-section, and are stained to match the cabinet. They are INSIDE the thing when the grill is attached, and you'd never see them unless you removed the grill! Unbelievable!! They could have just used plain, wood strips. The attention to detail just amazes me. And, the whole works is in amazing condition! Strangely enough, the finish is very shiny, but not as shiny as my console (of the same year), and seems like a different finishing process was used. The color matches quite well, and I'm sure a good coat of wax will shine her up quite nicely. But this puts a new spin on our previous lacquer / shellac / varnish / french polish discussion. The organ looks like many coats of clear nitrocellulose lacquer, sprayed on and color sanded between coats. It is slightly crazed, like old lacquer gets. I only notice the crazing about an hour after I oil it down. The Tone Cab, by contrast, seems to have much less build, and looks more like a traditional varnish or shellac, brushed on. There are a few small drips under the bottom rail. Still, this C40 is a thing of beauty! The woodgrain Hammond used on the Cab's isn't the same straight grain used on the consoles. It's a gorgeous burl grain (could be birch, but Hammond claimed it was burled walnut), book-matched on the front and sides. I also want to give a big plug to Bill Giardina of Church Organ Center (the seller). What a straight, honest businessman, and a true gentleman to boot! He not only drafted his friend (and church organist who plays a D-152 every Sunday!) Ernest into helping Bill and I load it, but Bill and his wonderful wife Linda treated us to an incredible home-cooked dinner!! The BEST Southern Fried Chicken we've ever had! I just can't say enough about Bill's hospitality, kindness, honesty and integrity. We had an enjoyable (although too short) afternoon playing with the 3 organs in his front room, and the many in his showroom, and just talking Hammonds. Thanks Bill! BCV-KG...no, wait! BCV/C40-KG...uh, BCVC40KG? ...BC40-KG? ...C40BCV-KG??! ...BCVC40HR40147A100147L100330MS20KG!!! Yahoo! Groups Sponsor ADVERTISEMENT Visit The Hammond Zone To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: hammond_zone-unsubscribe@... Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to the Yahoo! Terms of Service. |
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Jeff,
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Bill Giardina Church Organ Center 1-800-386-1151 BCV-KG ----- Original Message -----
From: <jlc7184@...> To: <hammond_zone@...> Sent: Saturday, February 23, 2002 11:39 AM Subject: Re: [hammond_zone] Baby Announcement! HI Kento see if he has a few parts i think i need. |
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Ken & Dianne Godfrey
Raul,
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Excited...it doesn't SHOW, does it? Anyway, we can get on with that condo / resort development, now. I think I just added about 10 more units! Well, I got her stood up next to my BCV, now. After I shine her up, I'll have pic's! One of the amp springs was missing...sounds like a road trip to the hardware store is in order. Also, at one time somebody had one of the amps out (I'm sure that's who lost the spring). When they put it back in, they pulled the internal cloth-covered cable out of one of its hangers. The cable apparently then got trapped behind the amp chassis, and over the years the amp, teetering on 3 springs, wore away the cloth covering and the insulation on a couple of wires. Scary, huh? I think it must have been the ground and neutral, because it survived. Or maybe the paint on the chassis makes a pretty good insulator. Anyway, I haven't got to hear my BCV through it, yet. I did try a BV that Bill had hooked up to it, though. It sounded very good! My impression was that it sounded much better than my HR-40. I guess those 2A3's are pretty in-demand with high-end audio guys. At least that means replacements should be easy to find. Although ALL the tubes in both amps seem to be matching Sylvania's. I'm not sure if those would have been original, but I doubt it. I would have expected to see RCA or Westinghouse, or maybe Raytheon's. Can't wait to hear it! BCV-KG -----Original Message----- |
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Raul de Jalapeno
Man, Ken, I'm thrilled for you. Even though the finish is a little different, you now have the same setup that came out of the factory! We have got to see this thing when you get her shined up. As regards those great tubes, I can get any of them you may need in the future. I've been thinking, we now have two tone cabs in the group using that amp....you and George. If any more show up, I might assemble a retube set for the main amp and the reverb amp, which will include a matched set of 2A3s, and keep them in stock for you guys. I've ordered a new digital camera so as to document everything I do to the CV. All the mods and repairs will be covered by text and photo. This includes the reverb install and the drawbar conversion.
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Raul ----- Original Message -----
From: Ken & Dianne Godfrey To: hammond_zone@... Sent: Saturday, February 23, 2002 8:13 PM Subject: RE: [hammond_zone] Baby Announcement! Raul, Excited...it doesn't SHOW, does it? Anyway, we can get on with that condo / resort development, now. I think I just added about 10 more units! Well, I got her stood up next to my BCV, now. After I shine her up, I'll have pic's! One of the amp springs was missing...sounds like a road trip to the hardware store is in order. Also, at one time somebody had one of the amps out (I'm sure that's who lost the spring). When they put it back in, they pulled the internal cloth-covered cable out of one of its hangers. The cable apparently then got trapped behind the amp chassis, and over the years the amp, teetering on 3 springs, wore away the cloth covering and the insulation on a couple of wires. Scary, huh? I think it must have been the ground and neutral, because it survived. Or maybe the paint on the chassis makes a pretty good insulator. Anyway, I haven't got to hear my BCV through it, yet. I did try a BV that Bill had hooked up to it, though. It sounded very good! My impression was that it sounded much better than my HR-40. I guess those 2A3's are pretty in-demand with high-end audio guys. At least that means replacements should be easy to find. Although ALL the tubes in both amps seem to be matching Sylvania's. I'm not sure if those would have been original, but I doubt it. I would have expected to see RCA or Westinghouse, or maybe Raytheon's. Can't wait to hear it! BCV-KG |
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Raul,
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Does your D20 have the "newer" 6V6 amp? You can't tell the finish on the cab's is different unless you look REAL close. I just think it's odd. Did Hammond put more attention into Organ Console finishes than Power Cabinets? Was this a very early prototype C40? Or maybe one of the last built of what the guy with the brush in his hand knew was going to be a discontinued model? Built on a Friday afternoon? The finish IS really nice, I don't want to give the wrong impression...But, the BCV has a nice "piano" finish, the C40 has a nice "furniture" finish. The 2A3's seem to be plentiful (NOS, anyway) on Ebay. I'm not sure if anyone repro's them, but I haven't really looked. Bill threw in a spare amp which I believe came out of a D20 (they seem to be the most common old Tone Cab's). It's slightly newer then the ones in my C40. The tube compliment is the same, but the can cap is different. Mine are shiny boxes, soldered together (all seams are sweated). The newer on is black, with tack welded seams. The resistors in the newer one look like normal modern resistors, although large. The ones in mine look handmade (!?) with hand-painted stripes. The quality of wiring is incredible, though. All soldered connections are painted yellow, maybe as some kind of QC check? What an amp! BCV-KG ----- Original Message -----
From: "Raul de Jalapeno" <raul_de_jalapeno@...> To: <hammond_zone@...> Sent: Saturday, February 23, 2002 11:21 PM Subject: Re: [hammond_zone] Baby Announcement! Man, Ken, I'm thrilled for you. Even though the finish is a littledifferent, you now have the same setup that came out of the factory! We have got to see this thing when you get her shined up. As regards those great tubes, I can get any of them you may need in the future. I've been thinking, we now have two tone cabs in the group using that amp....you and George. If any more show up, I might assemble a retube set for the main amp and the reverb amp, which will include a matched set of 2A3s, and keep them in stock for you guys. I've ordered a new digital camera so as to document everything I do to the CV. All the mods and repairs will be covered by text and photo. This includes the reverb install and the drawbar conversion. I just added about 10 more units!to the hardware store is in order. Also, at one time somebody had one ofthe amps out (I'm sure that's who lost the spring). When they put it backin, they pulled the internal cloth-covered cable out of one of its hangers.The cable apparently then got trapped behind the amp chassis, and over theyears the amp, teetering on 3 springs, wore away the cloth covering and thethe ground and neutral, because it survived. Or maybe the paint on thechassis makes a pretty good insulator.that Bill had hooked up to it, though. It sounded very good! My impressionwas that it sounded much better than my HR-40. I guess those 2A3's arepretty in-demand with high-end audio guys. At least that means replacementsshould be easy to find. Although ALL the tubes in both amps seem to be matchingit. I would have expected to see RCA or Westinghouse, or maybe Raytheon's. |
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Raul de Jalapeno
Ken,
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You ain't just whistl'n Dixie, what an amp! The 2A3s are not only plentiful, but are still made. Svetlana makes one of the sweetest 2A3s ever built. It's the 56s that can be hard to find. Yes, I have the model G amp, which was the first to use a quartet of 6V6s. Interestingly, these finals run fixed bias, which I have never seen used with a 6V6. That's always been reserved for it's lareger brethern. The last series of amp for this cabinet to use the 2A3s was the model F. Now as to the finish, I find your observations most interesting. As a finish expert, I'm a darn good plumber. That's why I enjoy the input of folks who really know cabinet work. Do you think the difference in finsh appearance was affected by 60 years of being in two different places or is an obviously different finish? ----- Original Message -----
From: godfreys5@... To: hammond_zone@... Sent: Sunday, February 24, 2002 6:36 AM Subject: Re: [hammond_zone] Baby Announcement! Raul, Does your D20 have the "newer" 6V6 amp? You can't tell the finish on the cab's is different unless you look REAL close. I just think it's odd. Did Hammond put more attention into Organ Console finishes than Power Cabinets? Was this a very early prototype C40? Or maybe one of the last built of what the guy with the brush in his hand knew was going to be a discontinued model? Built on a Friday afternoon? The finish IS really nice, I don't want to give the wrong impression...But, the BCV has a nice "piano" finish, the C40 has a nice "furniture" finish. The 2A3's seem to be plentiful (NOS, anyway) on Ebay. I'm not sure if anyone repro's them, but I haven't really looked. Bill threw in a spare amp which I believe came out of a D20 (they seem to be the most common old Tone Cab's). It's slightly newer then the ones in my C40. The tube compliment is the same, but the can cap is different. Mine are shiny boxes, soldered together (all seams are sweated). The newer on is black, with tack welded seams. The resistors in the newer one look like normal modern resistors, although large. The ones in mine look handmade (!?) with hand-painted stripes. The quality of wiring is incredible, though. All soldered connections are painted yellow, maybe as some kind of QC check? What an amp! BCV-KG ----- Original Message ----- |
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