[HAM] Chopped C3. Does this make me a bad person? - Joe d

[William Mark Bristow]

Guys,

Owning a great EIS chop - Joe d is right - it is as much or more trouble and
time for an absolute minimum of two grown men to set up.  A stock Hammond
with roll-n-carry's is easier and quicker to set up.

 

It is easier to move the chop in two cases - one for the organ and one for
the pedals clavier, pedal keyboard, and bench - than a B3 in an Anvil.  

 

Joe is absolutely right in the nightmare of home-made chops.  If you are
going to do it - have Bob Schleicher or one of the greats do this
professionally and save any good B3 or C3 cabinet for someone else.

 

The late Bill Beer of Keyboard Products who masterfully chopped organs for
Fleetwood Mac, Santana, Eric Clapton and hosts of others warned me of the
dangers of lesser made chops - especially of the dangers of homemade chops
made into their own roadcase.  The real danger is to the Hammond
tone-generator which is simply fitted together with slotted frame pieces.
The generator must be properly and firmly mounted and protected.  One real
hit on the end of the TG causing it to twist and tork and it can fall apart
like a house of cards. (This is also a danger in moving a stock Hammond
without locking down the generator.  I firmly believe that any stock Hammond
which is regularly moved should have permanent shock mounts which several
dealers provide installed firmly and correctly mounting the generator - or
just keep the thing locked down - though it is noisy without proper shock
mounts.)

 

With the weight of the keyboards and generator - setting up any console chop
is still a two man job.  And stairs are still a nightmare scenario for a
chop.  Which is why (to the horror of many on the list - I'm sure) we use an
XK3 for small gigs - and those with stairs with no elevators.  The B3 full
chop with 2 122's only goes to large venues where finances justify moving
it.  

 

William Mark Bristow

EIS Chop with 2 Bill Beer 122's