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Hello...haven't posted here for awhile
I local keyboard store in Salem Oregon called me to come and get a 1954 C-2 and PR40 cabinet. For free! I love C-2's....especially the smooth drawbar ones. And I love PR40 tone cabinets.
Anyway now there is the obvious issue of adding percussion. I happen to have? some A 100 preamps...AO 28's I guess that I got at an estate sale earlier this year. I have thought about wiring them up to this C-2 and I know that I would also need the percussion swithches. Of course I could always buy a Trek percussion unit but I am kind of curious about the possibility of using one of these preamps.
If anyone has thoughts about this or has done a percussion mod I would like to hear about it. I possibly would sell one of these preamps to get the Trek unit if anyone might want an AO 28.
Also ... can anyone recommend any other Hammond chat groups? I used to be on Hamtech.... not sure if that is going anymore.
Mark in Oregon
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Hi Mark,
I've got a 1950 C-2, too, and I love it, due to it's beautiful quatrefoil style cabinet. Didn't know there were non ratcheting C-2's, though.
Of course it is possible to install an AO-28 preamp into your organ. But it means major surgery: You'd also have to replace the drawbar base by one from a B/C-3, A-100 or similar organ and to get that percussion switch assembly also. The switch ass'y may also come from a M-3. Last but not least you'd have to move the start/run switches to another place. In other words: You'd convert your organ into a C-3.
Good luck!
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Am I imagining things? I'm sure I've seen after market percussion
kits that can be added to C-2 organs without major surgery.
On 09/12/2022 10:03, Uwe Menrath wrote:
Hi Mark,
I've got a 1950 C-2, too, and I love it, due to it's beautiful
quatrefoil style cabinet. Didn't know there were non ratcheting
C-2's, though.
Of course it is possible to install an AO-28 preamp into your
organ. But it means major surgery: You'd also have to replace the
drawbar base by one from a B/C-3, A-100 or similar organ and to
get that percussion switch assembly also. The switch ass'y may
also come from a M-3. Last but not least you'd have to move the
start/run switches to another place. In other words: You'd convert
your organ into a C-3.
Good luck!
--
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Hi there, yes, there is a easy to install solution: the TrekII TP-2B Percussion unit. Fast and quite easy to install.? Not the same sound as the original thing, but quite good.? Advantages:
- adjustable levels for the harmonics.
- Easy to install
Disadvantages:
- You will loose one drawbar
I personally would prefer this method above with the TrekII. Because the C-2 is then still original. And not a Frankenstein C-3.? The C-2 is great sounding with the AO-10. For me slightly better fatter Sound than the AO-28. I had the same decisions two years ago. I decided to let her original. I had already bought everything for the big operation: - Drawbarbase unit - smooth drawbars (I had in mine C-2 the ratcheted) - Percussion Switches - Matching transformer? - the percussion switch under the B key - AO-28? Quite expensive. But my decision was against the full convert to a franken C-3. I just used the smooth drawbars. The C-2 is a great organ!? With the trekII also with adding of the percussion feature. And she remains original.? Best regards Gerhard
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I am considering just doing a " quicky" preamp conversion.....I would just add the percussion switches and probably set them on top of the organ.
Someone mentioned that the TrekII sound is not the same.... that is my concern.. I tend to favor slow percussion decay. I would hate to spend 300 bucks and find out I don't like it
So I just want to wire up a AO28 and the switches and just get it to work.
I am not a tech but I have a tech who will help me . But I am just curious if anyone has done this and could offer some info
Thanks .... Mark
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It is almost exactly the same, because the percussion sound comes
from the same source as the Hammond percussion: the actual tone
generator tones. The reason that people say it sounds different is
that if the vibrato is 'on,' the percussion also gets "vibratoe-d"
instead of coming through the straight channel. That's never
bothered me. For me, the defect is something else: You cannot
preset the volume of it before switching it on. So if you
miss-estimate where to put the slider, it can come on at a volume
you didn't plan-for.?
I ran this by Mike Smoke, the Trek II inventor, and once he
understood my suggestion, finally, he said there wasn't enough
room on the box to install an on/off? switch!
On 12/9/2022 6:51 AM, mrk7421 via
groups.io wrote:
toggle quoted message
Show quoted text
I am considering just
doing a " quicky" preamp conversion.....I would just add the
percussion switches and probably set them on top of the organ.
Someone mentioned that the TrekII sound is not the same....
that is my concern.. I tend to favor slow percussion decay. I
would hate to spend 300 bucks and find out I don't like it
So I just want to wire up a AO28 and the switches and just
get it to work.
I am not a tech but I have a tech who will help me . But I
am just curious if anyone has done this and could offer some
info
Thanks .... Mark
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Have you considered buying a a-100? I love mind… they’re not super expensive?
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Show quoted text
On Dec 9, 2022, at 08:51, mrk7421 via groups.io <MRK7421@...> wrote:
?
I am considering just doing a " quicky" preamp conversion.....I would just add the percussion switches and probably set them on top of the organ.
Someone mentioned that the TrekII sound is not the same.... that is my concern.. I tend to favor slow percussion decay. I would hate to spend 300 bucks and find out I don't like it
So I just want to wire up a AO28 and the switches and just get it to work.
I am not a tech but I have a tech who will help me . But I am just curious if anyone has done this and could offer some info
Thanks .... Mark
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I just remembered to add: On the Trek II, you can make the decay
as slow as you want.
But there are other trick that have been on records by Don
Patterson, Jack McDuff and Jimmy Smith, and others, to make the
percussion harmonic seem to linger longer. You can pull out some
of that drawbar so that that tone lingers longer. Another thins
that's sometimes done is to slow down the decay by turning the
percussion decay knob on the back of the AO-28. You can also add a
pot in place of the percussion volume resistor that's under the
shielded box that's in the middle of the preamp. The bigger that
resistor value is, the louder it will be.
On 12/9/2022 7:12 AM, Scott Hawthorn
wrote:
toggle quoted message
Show quoted text
It is almost exactly the same, because the percussion sound
comes from the same source as the Hammond percussion: the actual
tone generator tones. The reason that people say it sounds
different is that if the vibrato is 'on,' the percussion also
gets "vibratoe-d" instead of coming through the straight
channel. That's never bothered me. For me, the defect is
something else: You cannot preset the volume of it before
switching it on. So if you miss-estimate where to put the
slider, it can come on at a volume you didn't plan-for.?
I ran this by Mike Smoke, the Trek II inventor, and once he
understood my suggestion, finally, he said there wasn't enough
room on the box to install an on/off? switch!
On 12/9/2022 6:51 AM, mrk7421 via
groups.io wrote:
I am considering just
doing a " quicky" preamp conversion.....I would just add the
percussion switches and probably set them on top of the organ.
Someone mentioned that the TrekII sound is not the
same.... that is my concern.. I tend to favor slow
percussion decay. I would hate to spend 300 bucks and find
out I don't like it
So I just want to wire up a AO28 and the switches and
just get it to work.
I am not a tech but I have a tech who will help me . But
I am just curious if anyone has done this and could offer
some info
Thanks .... Mark
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Thanks for mentioning that, I have a trek 2. ?I’ve never hooked it up, but I need to set that up I’d love to be able to adjust Percussion decay on the fly. My favorite sound is the percussion second harmonic slow with the tremolo on the scanner vibrato. It’s
perfect for intros of haunting songs :-)
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Show quoted text
On Dec 9, 2022, at 09:36, Scott Hawthorn <organfreak@...> wrote:
?
I just remembered to add: On the Trek II, you can make the decay as slow as you want.
But there are other trick that have been on records by Don Patterson, Jack McDuff and Jimmy Smith, and others, to make the percussion harmonic seem to linger longer. You can pull out some of that drawbar so that that tone lingers longer. Another thins that's
sometimes done is to slow down the decay by turning the percussion decay knob on the back of the AO-28. You can also add a pot in place of the percussion volume resistor that's under the shielded box that's in the middle of the preamp. The bigger that resistor
value is, the louder it will be.
On 12/9/2022 7:12 AM, Scott Hawthorn wrote:
It is almost exactly the same, because the percussion sound comes from the same source as the Hammond percussion: the actual tone generator tones. The reason that people say it sounds different is that if the vibrato is 'on,' the percussion also gets "vibratoe-d"
instead of coming through the straight channel. That's never bothered me. For me, the defect is something else: You cannot preset the volume of it before switching it on. So if you miss-estimate where to put the slider, it can come on at a volume you didn't
plan-for.?
I ran this by Mike Smoke, the Trek II inventor, and once he understood my suggestion, finally, he said there wasn't enough room on the box to install an on/off? switch!
On 12/9/2022 6:51 AM, mrk7421 via groups.io wrote:
I am considering just doing a " quicky" preamp conversion.....I would just add the percussion switches and probably set them on top of the organ.
Someone mentioned that the TrekII sound is not the same.... that is my concern.. I tend to favor slow percussion decay. I would hate to spend 300 bucks and find out I don't like it
So I just want to wire up a AO28 and the switches and just get it to work.
I am not a tech but I have a tech who will help me . But I am just curious if anyone has done this and could offer some info
Thanks .... Mark
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Mark, I had a C2 with smooth drawbars and Trek percussion and it was one of the best sounding Hammonds I’ve ever played.. I know of other payers who have, or have played, C2’s who would agree.. I found no difference between the Hammond and Trek percussion.. Trek is actually better if you like the 5th harmonic and it’s adjustability.. go with the Trek. Craig
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The percussion from the Trek II only gets vibrato applied in V series organs. In the 2 series the perc signal goes in post-scanner at the terminal the output of the scanner feeds into, essentially the same as the 3 series does internally.?
On Dec 9, 2022 9:12 AM, Scott Hawthorn <organfreak@...> wrote:
It is almost exactly the same, because the percussion sound comes
from the same source as the Hammond percussion: the actual tone
generator tones. The reason that people say it sounds different is
that if the vibrato is 'on,' the percussion also gets "vibratoe-d"
instead of coming through the straight channel. That's never
bothered me. For me, the defect is something else: You cannot
preset the volume of it before switching it on. So if you
miss-estimate where to put the slider, it can come on at a volume
you didn't plan-for.?
I ran this by Mike Smoke, the Trek II inventor, and once he
understood my suggestion, finally, he said there wasn't enough
room on the box to install an on/off? switch!
On 12/9/2022 6:51 AM, mrk7421 via
groups.io wrote:
I am considering just
doing a " quicky" preamp conversion.....I would just add the
percussion switches and probably set them on top of the organ.
Someone mentioned that the TrekII sound is not the same....
that is my concern.. I tend to favor slow percussion decay. I
would hate to spend 300 bucks and find out I don't like it
So I just want to wire up a AO28 and the switches and just
get it to work.
I am not a tech but I have a tech who will help me . But I
am just curious if anyone has done this and could offer some
info
Thanks .... Mark
|
Oh, thanks for the correction!
On 12/10/2022 12:15 PM, b3nut wrote:
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Show quoted text
The percussion from the Trek II only gets vibrato
applied in V series organs. In the 2 series the perc signal goes
in post-scanner at the terminal the output of the scanner feeds
into, essentially the same as the 3 series does internally.?
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Forgot to mention that I also installed the Trek II unit to my C-2 instead of doing the maximum sugery. Sounds fine! In addition, I added a switch to the unit that allows me to turn on percussion deliberately and doesn't omit the 8th drawbar when switched off.
Best regards!
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Uwe, you mean, 9th Drawbar when switched ?on“? I don‘t quite get it. :) — Christoph?
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Am 13.12.2022 um 15:57 schrieb Uwe Menrath <uwe.menrath@...>:
?Forgot to mention that I also installed the Trek II unit to my C-2 instead of doing the maximum sugery. Sounds fine! In addition, I added a switch to the unit that allows me to turn on percussion deliberately and doesn't omit the 8th drawbar when switched off.
Best regards!
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Christoph,
no, it's the 8th (grey) drawbar, according to the installation manual. The 9th drawbar keeps untouched. I added one more wire that I soldered to this DB and runs into the unit. The SPDT switch allows me to connect the 8th busbar either to the unit's trigger input when percussion is on, or to the 8th DB with perc off.
Best regards!
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Uwe Menrath
Christoph