[HAM] The recapping controversy

[Steve Leigh]

This is a great message.  That's why I didn't trim it.

And this subject has been under discussion on mail groups for about 
11-12 years that I'm aware of.  I wrote my "recap" page on 
www.sl-prokeys.com in 1996.  Little has changed since then.

But what it all comes down to is how it ALL sounds and feels.

Back when I cared about renting, I supplied Hammonds and Leslies to 
special artists.  I declined more rentals than I accepted.  Make no 
mistake - I liked earning money, but my own, personal preferences 
leaned towards Booker T., Billy Preston, Shirley Caesar, 3 Dog, etc. 
as opposed to Louie and the Space Invaders.

My client list was (mainly, not completely) a thing of beauty.  In 
other words, in MY world, the majority were REAL players.

Recapping was only one of a thousand steps along the way.  So many 
other secrets, so many other areas that can use attention.  So many 
NEW things to learn each time you tear one apart for a rebuild.

Just for fun, I gave away a REAL secret to John Haburay last 
week.  Since I no longer rebuild, it was a pleasure to share this 
secret.  I suspect it may have put some golden thoughts in John's 
mind, but I could be wrong.

Again regarding recapping - unless they're shot, they *ALL* "work" 
(assuming proper values).  "Work" was never the issue - *sound* has 
always been the issue.  When someone (anyone) can come up with hard 
data on why some caps are "more musical" than others, I'll certainly 
be paying close attention.

=======================================

At 06:47 PM 6/2/2007, you wrote:
>I don't know if anyone else has noticed that discussion on the topic
>of recapping Hammond tone generators seems to be permanently stalled
>at a level that, at least to me, is a source of perpetual
>disappointment, verging on disgust. For something that seems so
>important to some people, it seems odd to me that many of the
>discussants, on all sides, have apparently not spent a great deal of
>time learning about the circuit or the components involved.
>
>For example, when we are told that certain capacitors work better
>than others but are given no hard data from which to generalize, it
>is helpful in that it tells us something, but it does not tell us
>very much.
>
>Motivated by my frustration, I've been quietly working for several
>months on a paper analyzing the tone generator filter circuits
>combining empirical data measured from a tone generator and filter
>theory, doing actual research in an actual major university research
>library on relevant topics, including capacitor design and
>construction from the 1940s, 1950s, and 1960s. Several Hammond/Leslie
>techs with genuine electronics expertise have generously volunteered
>to review it for accuracy before I make it public.
>
>Maybe I'm optimistic, but I think the conclusions I'm reaching may
>enable us all to get along. At the very least, I hope it may raise
>the level of discussion from the hurling of insults to the level of
>scientifically objective explanations for subjective observations.
>What I've found is more complicated than I originally thought it
>would be, but it also ends up having greater explanatory reach.
>
>And, no, I'm not going to give more previews than that before I go
>public :-)
>
>David Anderson
>
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