I loved my "Art of Walt Disney" book growing up. This was my take on an old Silly Symphony poster...
Monday, June 8, 2009
Monkey Neptune...
I loved my "Art of Walt Disney" book growing up. This was my take on an old Silly Symphony poster...
Friday, February 27, 2009
M3 Chop Project Part 2: Lead Fumes & Old Tubes
Wires! Plugs and Solder! Oh MY!
My Dad was having a new refrigerator delivered. There is a nice Mexican family across the street fixing up a powder-blue 63 VW Beetle. Another Guy across the street was installing a new front door and getting rid of a funky old 1970's fridge...It was a busy day on the East Side!
TCS was waiting by the time I got over to my Dad's house. He was going to rewire a few of these connections first. We noticed a definite grounding hum, and tried to isolate it.
TCS mounted a vice clamp onto the organ (the white paper to protect the finish), this provided him with a steady hold for the delicate soldering job on the connections...Ahhh Lead fumes, why do I like that smell?
The encouraging news was all of that oiling last week paid off...The M3 started right up, and there was no squeal from the tone generator...Yeah! So far I'm in for $10 for a new supply of Hammond oil.
Actually, the "wicking" mechanics on this machine are genius...There is a hair-thin wire above that drips oil from that copper resevoir and oils that motor...This was the squeal source...Also that metal pin jutting out there no longer needed to be poked into place in order for the starter to engage, It did it all by itself!
The crap news of the week? The "Field-Coil" Speaker need to be completely reconed, or replaced. The tear was just too significant.
This would be my next task- Finding the replacement (TCS says it shouldn't be more than $25...I hope!)...that and replace some...TUBES!
Well that Vibrato problem was isolated...It seems to be one of the tubes not working. We figured this out by swapping the two 6AU6...TCS also didn't like that the Rectifier tube (5U4GB) Arced when he tested it in his guitar amp, so that needs to be replaced too...Plus there is a missing pre amp tube 6C4, and what about two matched 6V6GT's...How much for each seperate versus a "new" old set? There was a whole set on ebuy for about $90.
Either way...It's a small price to pay for a Hammond!
Whenever the Vibrato was "on" we got almost no sound...We swapped the two Vibrato tubes (one is good, one obviously is dead), then we got Vibrato...Though it would die when we turned the Vibrato "off"...
SO: Next Week...
1)Field Coil Speaker repair
2)new tubes
3)Start thinking about legs, and transport design
4)Haul all of my tools to my Dad's garage in order to build TCS's rotating speakers.(I'll post this too as a seperate project!)
Well off to Puget Sound Organ to see what they got for Speakers and Tubes!
My Dad was having a new refrigerator delivered. There is a nice Mexican family across the street fixing up a powder-blue 63 VW Beetle. Another Guy across the street was installing a new front door and getting rid of a funky old 1970's fridge...It was a busy day on the East Side!
TCS was waiting by the time I got over to my Dad's house. He was going to rewire a few of these connections first. We noticed a definite grounding hum, and tried to isolate it.
TCS mounted a vice clamp onto the organ (the white paper to protect the finish), this provided him with a steady hold for the delicate soldering job on the connections...Ahhh Lead fumes, why do I like that smell?
The encouraging news was all of that oiling last week paid off...The M3 started right up, and there was no squeal from the tone generator...Yeah! So far I'm in for $10 for a new supply of Hammond oil.
Actually, the "wicking" mechanics on this machine are genius...There is a hair-thin wire above that drips oil from that copper resevoir and oils that motor...This was the squeal source...Also that metal pin jutting out there no longer needed to be poked into place in order for the starter to engage, It did it all by itself!
The crap news of the week? The "Field-Coil" Speaker need to be completely reconed, or replaced. The tear was just too significant.This would be my next task- Finding the replacement (TCS says it shouldn't be more than $25...I hope!)...that and replace some...TUBES!
Well that Vibrato problem was isolated...It seems to be one of the tubes not working. We figured this out by swapping the two 6AU6...TCS also didn't like that the Rectifier tube (5U4GB) Arced when he tested it in his guitar amp, so that needs to be replaced too...Plus there is a missing pre amp tube 6C4, and what about two matched 6V6GT's...How much for each seperate versus a "new" old set? There was a whole set on ebuy for about $90.Either way...It's a small price to pay for a Hammond!
Whenever the Vibrato was "on" we got almost no sound...We swapped the two Vibrato tubes (one is good, one obviously is dead), then we got Vibrato...Though it would die when we turned the Vibrato "off"...SO: Next Week...
1)Field Coil Speaker repair
2)new tubes
3)Start thinking about legs, and transport design
4)Haul all of my tools to my Dad's garage in order to build TCS's rotating speakers.(I'll post this too as a seperate project!)
Well off to Puget Sound Organ to see what they got for Speakers and Tubes!
Sunday, February 15, 2009
M3 Chop Project Part 1: Prelude to Punishment or Probably Perplexing Problems to Pursue?
I needed an organ. Like an organ donation really...not a Liver or Kidneys, either...I meant like a Soul transplant, you know an Organ! Whirling Highs, Thunderous Lows, Nauseating Runs...Like an Organ!
I didn't know why really...It just exploded in my head. Usually that means something huge is brewin'. Too much Garth Hudson and Booker T. Jones...I needed to hit those keys and make them pop and soar.
I saw an add on Craigslist for a free Hammond Organ. I called my Dad, to see if he could help me pick it up. He secretly loved this shit.
"Sure, but have you asked TCS? He's the Hammond guy...I think he's got one."
I called TCS (The Craig Show) a great guitar player, gearhead, audiophile nut my dad was friends with...He was part of our tight knit "Jam" community of musicians.
"TCS"
Director
Office of Audio Creation, Corrections & Rehabilitation
The Organ I saw sucked, "That's a newer transistor organ, okay, I've seen a couple of Hammond tonewheel / drawbar TUBE spinet organs on craigslist over the past few days -- $200 - $400 asking -- a couple of Leslie deals too."
(for the uninitiated Leslies are rotating Speaker's that function on the Dopplar Principle-Very, Very Cool)
"Yeah Man, I saw the Leslie's...awesome...I'm really cash strapped right this minute, unfortunately-Which is great in a way, it forces me to work on the most important part of one's tone/sound---The Technique! I'm practicing hours and hours a day, which is helping a lot!!!" I realized I was going to just have to wait on this craving.
"I'm optimistic there will be an opportunity to get a Hammond tonewheel / drawbar TUBE spinet organ from craigslist for $100 (or less). "Good" Leslie's are not as likely a prospect for low bux, but I suspect that we can build cabinets for the rotating speakers I already have that will be smaller, lighter & more portable than a full a sized Leslie." TCS was on the case, he was now going to cruise the interweb for every possible solution to my imaginary problem.
But a few days later...TCS emails me:
I saw this & thought of you & you may have already seen this on craigslist earlier today...
Sounds like this guy started a "chop" (cut off the bottom of the cabinet for lighter weight & better portablility) on this organ & didn't finish. If you finished the "chop", you might even get it down the stairs -- it would still be REALLY heavy & there are other issues to consider before attempting your basement. I would take it just for the amp, but I don't want to drive to Bremerton.
This organ -- Hammond M-3 -- is the same model as my organ, often referred to as the baby B-3, as heard on "Green Onions" by Booker T. & the MGs. It is a tube tonewheel/drawbar organ.
--TCS
I also didn't want to drive to Bremerton, and I ditched the idea. That Tuesday I played with my friend Jon's Band, MWAW. I mostly played keyboard, forsaking guitar, and harmonica for a digital Yamaha keyboard...It was more fun than I had had in a long time. I knew then that the organ as an instrument was my destiny.
I told my wife about the idea-Usually the idea of another project, especially one that would require massive time, effort and spare, archane electrical parts lying around everywhere was NOT going to fly. She surprised me with her encouragement. Especially if I could involve my four-year-old son, Quinn, and my Dad.
I contacted the guy in Bremerton. He didn't respond...I was sure it was already snagged. I wrote TCS back to see if this still would be a possibility..."Too late," he told me "It's already in the back of my Toyota Tacoma. But I need it out of my truck, and I don't have the room to put a toothpick in my garage."
I called my Dad, and volunteered to clean his garage if he would keep an eye on Quinn while TCS and I played with this organ. No problem.
Saturday we unloaded it and to our amazement, It fired up in the back of his truck, and we unloaded the sucker onto a plywood workbench in the back of my Dad's Garage.
The guy had already installed recessed handles, cool.
We tightened down the top keyboard which was loose. The finish was Walnut-and remarkably pretty. My visions of painting it died then. This was a nice finish, it had to stay.
The Tonewheel in the back was sort of a problem...It only engaged one out of every three times you started the organ. It seems like a new bearing would be needed. TCS brought some Hammond oil and filled the three resovoirs in the back...This system hadn't been lubricated in years probably. It sucked the oil down...The Squealing improved!
Quinn was a good boy, he hung out with "Care-pa" as he is known and rode down the hill on his tricycle...
This is the Amplifier with a ratty, scary ambilical bundle...TCS pulls out a soldering iron and redoes a few connection wires from that metal plate there lickety split...TCS put a few spare tubes in, but noted the need to replace the Capacitors.
"Will we have to call an amp guy for a re-cap job?" I asked.
TCS looked at me, despondant and annoyed, "I AM the Amp guy, OK?"
We fiddle a bit and he eliminates/discovers the overall hum, there is a grounding problem somewhere back there...We'll find it later.
Other issues early on, as I remembered them, in no particular order:
*One of the Chorus switches mutes the upper drawbar.
*Overall the sucker is very quiet, We need a way to boost the signal.
*The guts still look like Brainiac barfed-TCS wants to rewire the bundle.
*The tonewheel bearing, We got to get it sto start every time...
*The Volume lever is disconnected. We will need a volume pedal/switch.
*There needs to be a speaker and/or a resistor to take the electrical load off the Amp EVERYTIME the thing is turned on.
*The Speaker cone is torn in two places. (NO problem says TCS-He pulls out a vial of Nail Polish Clear Coat and cigarette rolling papers. Like an audio MacGuyver.)
*Too much to list yet!
BUT!
I did get sound out of every key, the action is awesome, and I played butchered versions of "Green Onions" and the Band's "Stagefright" just to get her lit up!
Okay, so next week we'll tackle another aspect of this Motherfather...But what aspect?
TCS will decide...But I'm taxing him right now to come up with an audio output for "her" so I could run it to an Amplifier or whatever...
I have the feeling I just kicked old Buddah's Gong, and now I'm hooked...
I also didn't want to drive to Bremerton, and I ditched the idea. That Tuesday I played with my friend Jon's Band, MWAW. I mostly played keyboard, forsaking guitar, and harmonica for a digital Yamaha keyboard...It was more fun than I had had in a long time. I knew then that the organ as an instrument was my destiny.
I told my wife about the idea-Usually the idea of another project, especially one that would require massive time, effort and spare, archane electrical parts lying around everywhere was NOT going to fly. She surprised me with her encouragement. Especially if I could involve my four-year-old son, Quinn, and my Dad.
I contacted the guy in Bremerton. He didn't respond...I was sure it was already snagged. I wrote TCS back to see if this still would be a possibility..."Too late," he told me "It's already in the back of my Toyota Tacoma. But I need it out of my truck, and I don't have the room to put a toothpick in my garage."
I called my Dad, and volunteered to clean his garage if he would keep an eye on Quinn while TCS and I played with this organ. No problem.
Saturday we unloaded it and to our amazement, It fired up in the back of his truck, and we unloaded the sucker onto a plywood workbench in the back of my Dad's Garage.
The guy had already installed recessed handles, cool.
We tightened down the top keyboard which was loose. The finish was Walnut-and remarkably pretty. My visions of painting it died then. This was a nice finish, it had to stay.
The Tonewheel in the back was sort of a problem...It only engaged one out of every three times you started the organ. It seems like a new bearing would be needed. TCS brought some Hammond oil and filled the three resovoirs in the back...This system hadn't been lubricated in years probably. It sucked the oil down...The Squealing improved!
Quinn was a good boy, he hung out with "Care-pa" as he is known and rode down the hill on his tricycle...
This is the Amplifier with a ratty, scary ambilical bundle...TCS pulls out a soldering iron and redoes a few connection wires from that metal plate there lickety split...TCS put a few spare tubes in, but noted the need to replace the Capacitors.
"Will we have to call an amp guy for a re-cap job?" I asked.
TCS looked at me, despondant and annoyed, "I AM the Amp guy, OK?"
We fiddle a bit and he eliminates/discovers the overall hum, there is a grounding problem somewhere back there...We'll find it later.
Other issues early on, as I remembered them, in no particular order:
*One of the Chorus switches mutes the upper drawbar.
*Overall the sucker is very quiet, We need a way to boost the signal.
*The guts still look like Brainiac barfed-TCS wants to rewire the bundle.
*The tonewheel bearing, We got to get it sto start every time...
*The Volume lever is disconnected. We will need a volume pedal/switch.
*There needs to be a speaker and/or a resistor to take the electrical load off the Amp EVERYTIME the thing is turned on.
*The Speaker cone is torn in two places. (NO problem says TCS-He pulls out a vial of Nail Polish Clear Coat and cigarette rolling papers. Like an audio MacGuyver.)
*Too much to list yet!
BUT!
I did get sound out of every key, the action is awesome, and I played butchered versions of "Green Onions" and the Band's "Stagefright" just to get her lit up!
Okay, so next week we'll tackle another aspect of this Motherfather...But what aspect?
TCS will decide...But I'm taxing him right now to come up with an audio output for "her" so I could run it to an Amplifier or whatever...
I have the feeling I just kicked old Buddah's Gong, and now I'm hooked...
Friday, January 9, 2009
Wednesday, January 7, 2009
Tuesday, January 6, 2009
Monday, January 5, 2009
Bird Poster
This graphic got a bit of a workout...It was used for two different events at two different locations, My dad even used it for a T-shirt for an old band's reunion get together.
I saw this poster still up across from the Stranger offices on Capitol Hill in Seattle months after it was over. That is a sign of poster respect!
Double Fun
Here's the take on Robert Palmer's Double Fun Record...I love Robert Palmer.If you haven't listened to early Robert Palmer you are missing the funkiest, sexiest music produced in the late seventies...Well worth a trip to the Record store, or however one buys music nowadays.
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