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Early K-horn with a butterfly valve in the mid-high horn?


jtnfoley

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Actually, the "butterfly valve" has on the right end of it's horizontal rod, a 'pully.' This allowed the "butterfly" to be rotated (twirled!) by a small motor. The result was (supposed) to provide a "Leslie-like" vibrato for electronic (or electric) organs. It is not a 'volume control.' I have heard bunches of Leslies but never one of these... sure wouled like to, though.

Cheers,

Rob

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Might someone explain what controls the rotation of the motor then? (on this OR a Leslie)

I've seen old Leslies when I was a kid and was always intrigued at that spinning "horn" (which is what I thought it was...and heck...maybe it is?)

anyways, I was always intrigued by that spinning horn and specifically noticed that at times, its rotational speed would change. I presumed that it was the keyboard guy making it change on the Leslie...

If that's true, then what controls the spin on this... same logic that there is a person with a pedal?

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Actually, the "butterfly valve" has on the right end of it's horizontal rod, a 'pully.' This allowed the "butterfly" to be rotated (twirled!) by a small motor. The result was (supposed) to provide a "Leslie-like" vibrato for electronic (or electric) organs. It is not a 'volume control.' I have heard bunches of Leslies but never one of these... sure wouled like to, though.

Cheers,

Rob

Absolutely correct!

One of the really great things to listen to on a Klipschorn is a Hammond B3 organ (with a Leslie cabinet).

Where are my Jimmy Smith CDs.....?

-Tom

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Pretty cool find. Very interesting, though not on par with what Don Leslie came up with. This would provide an effect technically considered tremelo, a variation in amplitude only. Though clever, it's only on the mid horn.

The classic Leslies (there are numerous designs including stationary tone cabs) have a high frequency horn that rotates as well as a rotor that goes over the bass speaker. The bass rotor provides amplitude modulation like the baffle shown on the Khorn above. But the horn (it's only a single horn that produces sound, btw - the other is only there for weight balancing) creates a doppler effect as it spins that creates chorus and vibrato as well. The most popular units have a slow and fast speed as well. Switching between the two speeds and stationary positions along with the electronic scanner vibrato and chorus on the organs themselves create swirling efffects that have made the Hammond/Leslie combo a fixture in Western music for over 50 years.

The Leslies are generally controlled by switches located attached to the front of the organ or via a pedal switch.

The best example I've ever experienced was at St.John Baptist church in Buffalo. Musical director Greg Treadwell tears it up on a very well maintained B-3 with twin 122 Leslies with independant control. One's up behind the choir, and the other is next to the organ just off the platform. Sal Azz takes care of him very well.

I recently scored a good deal on an A-101 (a B-3 in a church cabinet with spring reverb and integrated amp and speakers). Looking for screaming deals on the right Leslie and connector kit to turnit into a slammin road organ. The A-1xx series are much less deep and go right through doors.

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There was a organ model khorn offerd by klipsch in the catologs back in the 50's. I,m pretty sure this is a real one.

I always wanted one and still do for my speaker museum/ studio.

To bad that one on Ebay is so much $$$$$$ i'll have to wait for a cheaper one or maybe just the mid horn,motor and flap.

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My recall of the Leslie was that there was a rotating turntable and two cone shaped speaker holders 180 degrees apart with ordinary four inch drivers on the big end of the cones and the narrow ends were at the center. You can Google.

As you can visualize, the rotation of the turntable induced a tremelo and some Doppler shift. Sort of an uncanny modulation.

The rate and direction of turntable rotation was under control of the player as well as the tones comng out of the rotating speakers, natch.

It may have been Vanilla Fudge or some band playing the same, that I heard. The Psychodelic (sp) era. It had a good effect when there was a stong bass tone, perhaps two octaves below, during the "mind blowing" organ solo.

The turntable would turn in one direction and then be accelerated in the other. So you got fast, through center (stop) and reversed. It sounded very cool.

However, it was a one trick pony.

The Klipsch thing was, I think, mostly a matter of, "We can do that too."

Gil

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There was a organ model khorn offerd by klipsch in the catologs back in the 50's. I,m pretty sure this is a real one.

I always wanted one and still do for my speaker museum/ studio.

To bad that one on Ebay is so much $$$$$$ i'll have to wait for a cheaper one or maybe just the mid horn,motor and flap.

Serial number 699 IIRC... It's on the eBay photo of the sticker.

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As I recall, there was a big debate among audiophiles regarding the "butterfly valve." Some liked the convenience of direct drive, while the snootier ones thought the belt or idler drives sounded way better.

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