Leslie 3300

[William Steward]

Hi Jim...the shipping problem is water under the bridge and will just try to organise proper packing next time. As for your comments about the subwoofer I found that really interesting. I am going try to add a Yorkville YX18S Subwoofer and see how that works....if it doesn't pan out I can still use it with my small PA system. Anyone have any experience with this unit...at $340 for 18" / 400 w. subwoofer how can you go wrong?

[William Steward]

I received and installed the new bass rotor yesterday and really enjoying this amp (about a 2hr job being extra careful)!! My only comment [and do not understand why H-S did this] is that the switch is a momentary type w a long press for the STOP function. One advantage of having a switch like my Motion Sound unit is that with a half-moon type you have a visual/tactile reference of what the thing is doing at that particular moment without touching the keys. Since lights are at the back there is no reference unless you can see them and not convenient in the heat of the moment if you want to change from Chorale or Fast to STOP....and back again. Weird but I will experiment with it. Mine did not come with a switch (which I found out later was extra) so I have bought a doorbell switch at the hardware until my 'halfmoon' one arrives from Halfmoon Electronics. Still even w the halfmoon switch it will always be spring-loaded in the center position. Hmmmmm I am sure someone else has tackled this minor issue.

Edited April 12, 2009 by William Steward

[Jim Alfredson]

For what it's worth, the best sound I've gotten out of the 3300 involves the following:

- NOS RCA 12AT7 for the tube (replacing the stock Chinese 12AX7)

- Leslie 3300 volume all the way up (don't worry, you'll pull it back on the organ)

- Both tube controls at 12 o'clock

- Hammond XK3/c master volume at 12 o'clock

If the rig is too loud, you can pull the master volume on the 3300 back a bit. But I've found it's better to let the 3300 amplify the signal and not send a full output from the XK3/c to it. The XK3/c output is quite hot compared to standard synths. I rarely ever use it above 12 o'clock... 2 o'clock at the very most.

Also, in the menu system of the XK3/c there are setting to control how much range the expression pedal has. I find that the settings as they come from the factory do not have a great enough range. I decrease the bottom range and increase the top range a hair. Since there is no volume switch like on a B3, this emulates the full dynamic range of the organ better.

[michel devos]

Hi Jim,

i came to the same conclusion, regarding the distortion problem I encontered recently...too much output from the xk3 overloading the 3300 input. Lowering the output level from the XK3 works fine...but is such a mismatch between xk3 and 3300 some kind of design mistake ?unless the xk3 and 3300 wre not really designed to work together without adjustments?

I have a next session in july, together with some B3's : i'll let you know whether these new settings solve the problem definitively; (noway I can change the se of tubes, unfortunately, not my instrument)

[Jim Alfredson]

Michel,

No, the XK3 output is just hot. When I used it with an older all-tube 122, I always had the master volume set to 12 o'clock. Anything more would overload the preamp on the 122. Actually, I like the hot output; I used to have a Roland VK7 and the output on that was barely enough to drive a Leslie. It was pitiful.