[HAM] New member -- chops vs original -- Women players

[William Mark Bristow]

Gesine,

Glad to know another Bill Beer - Keyboard Products owner.

I'm curious about your statement of "way to heavy bass."  The High Power
Leslie should have either on the front of the amp - or just on top  - a
separate volume control for the treble - and you should be able to add
enough treble to balance the bass to your taste in any venue.  My amps, made
in about 1995, have the 122 connection a power-on LED light, a volume
control, and a treble volume on the front of the amp.  My treble volume is
usually set about 6-7-8 (on a scale of 0 - 10) or a little over half to
three-quarters volume - depending on the room acoustics.  Turn it all the
way up and there is way too much treble horn - it would cut your head off. 

Bill's later organs had a treble / bass / volume controls mounted in the
tray near the Leslie fast/slow switch - earlier models didn't have this -
but there should be a tone control adjustment on the preamp inside the organ
(similar to the tone control of a stock Hammond B3).  (Don't play around
inside - be dead sure anybody making adjustments on the inside of a Beer
organ knows what they're doing - I know horror stories of even good tech's
poking around in there.)  As Bill's preamps differed radically in size,
build, and placement in the organ, it's hard to guess.  Bill didn't like a
really brite organ.  His only complaint of my playing, "too much treble for
me."  I like enough treble to cut through a band (if needed).

Some of Bill's organs had what he called a "wire-down" on the lower manual
bass.  Bill modified the organ so that instead of repeating the octave up
from bottom 16 foot drawbar as a stock B3 / C3 does - on some of Bill's B3 /
C3 chops the 16 foot drawbar goes all the way down into the pedal tones on
the lower manual bottom octave.  

If you ever need service, Bob Schleicher in Oakland www.tonewheel.com
<http://www.tonewheel.com/>  has redone some of Bill's chops and Leslies
(both repair - and fitting a newer organ rebuild guts replacing worn out
organ guts into one of Bill's chops.)  He just redid Chester Thompson's
Santana Chop - which had all of Bill's tricks and gizmo's.

I'd love to hear you play.

William Mark Bristow