[HAM] Overdrive

[William Mark Bristow]

Dylan and Kon,

I think Greg Rolie used a stock B3 & 122’s from what I’ve heard of his
recordings with Santana.  Tom Coaster and Chester Thompson used the Bill
Beer Chops & High Power Leslies with Santana (Chester Thompson’s unit –
although still in the Bill Beer Chopped Case is now an EIS Bob Schleicher
organ – and the Leslies of Bob’s design – though the Santana Leslies still
use JBL’s.  Bob said they were now driven with a 1000 watt Yamaha amp.)

 

Having talked at length with Bill Beer about the two High Power 122’s I own
– I do not believe he ever incorporated an “overdrive” circuit into his
organs.  The “percussion from any drawbar” and volume controls for those
individual pots added to Coaster’s organ (and the Kansas organ) would easily
push the organ into overdriving hot signal.  On those organs – there was
also a master volume which produced a normal “gain setting” at 5 (or half).
There was also active treble and bass – and a separate volume control for
each manual.  The organ came from Bill with all controls set “normal” at 5
(or half).

 

The Bill Beer Leslies will begin some blur-distortion at about the volume of
a stock 122 set to 7 with the expression pedal at full (about a 2 setting on
a Bill Beer volume knob).  At about ½ volume the Bill Beer Leslies will
produce a very airy – bubbling “tube-like” distortion at about the last 1
inch of expression pedal.  At full volume (10) a Bill Beer unit is very loud
indeed ( 2 and ½ half times the volume of a stock 122) and produces a very
powerful gurgling “tube like” distortion at about the last 2 inches of
expression travel.  Bill told me never to sit within 30 feet of the Leslies
when they were played above volume 7 – or permanent hearing damage would
result (I seldom use them above ½ volume).  (Bill said he preferred the 1 &
½ turns of the gain setting on a stock B3 when I told him that my stock A028
unit – bought from a rocker – had the gain turned out much further than that
--  He said, “Some numb-skull would have it screwed out a foot if it’d screw
out that far!”)

 

At concert level for Santana or any large group – I see how the units might
be played at or near full tilt.  Bill said he thought Christine McVie
(Fleetwood Mac) who used a Bill Beer chop and 3 of his High power 122’s,
played with the organ at full volume and the 3 Leslies at full (10) and used
the drawbars for volume control.  In an eight thousand seat hall with a full
band – I was playing my high power units at about ¾ volume (plenty for the
stage) and we still needed to mic the highs to keep the organ distinct and
not muddy in the house. One Leslie was about 30 feet from me – the other was
60 feet.

 

My stock B2 & 145 are in a small church seating about 120.  With several
singers and a small band – the Leslie is set to 10 – and begins slight
distortion at about the last 1 & ½ of expression travel if much bass and
lower drawbars are used and goes to a good gurgling rasp at full expression.
I kick bass – so it is nearly always the 16 foot drawbar out to 8.  It is a
full thick sound at that volume in the church – but not deafening – we have
the dropped tile ceiling – paneled walls and lots of thick carpeting – and
when you add people the acoustics are pretty dead.  When I had the Bill Beer
Leslies in that building they were set on just above “1”. And were clean
thru full expression travel.

 

When Bill high-powered my 122’s in 1994 or 95, I was using them with the
then new XB-5 (2 manual with pedals portable) – and I was asking him where
to set the volume on his 11 pin to 6 pin 122 preamp converter (Bill’s
version of the 1122 converter).  I told him the XB had an “overdrive” knob –
and he said, “that’s the better way to do it – it’s not nearly as hard on
the speakers.”  

 

So for those interested at blur and low volumes – Kon’s distortion circuit
is the way to go and I think he’s published that circuit on the list.

Mark