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Mooser wrote: this one is bi-amped with a gazillion watts.
Having sat right in front of it, I would say this is a scientifically valid statement.
Mooser wrote:the mystery of no pedal sustain on Hammond consoles remains unsolved
What do you mean by pedal sustain? A setting to lengthen the duration of pedal notes after releasing the pedal? Or are you talking about a piano style sustain pedal?
These users thanked the author bboyjamin for the post:
"A setting to lengthen the duration of pedal notes after releasing the pedal?"
Yes, exactly. "pedal sustain" makes it much easier to play a bassline with one foot, the other foot being pretty much trapped on the swell pedal.
"pedal sustain" and "pluck" is what the "Synth bass" on the C2-C2D gives. The "sustain" gives you time to move your foot a third or fourth, and eliminates most heel-toe moves. Every spinet, from every maker, had it. All console size (2x61+25-32 peds) organs had it (except, I think for a few which were supposed to be "classical") But the Hammond console models ( A-B BV B3 etc.) didn't. I've always wondered why.
Now, as far as I can see, you can't use "synth bass" for the mixed LH-and-pedal bass style, the sound of the LM and pedals have to sort of match. But for playing a pedal only bassline, and playing chords with the LH, pedal sustain can be very useful.
But again, the weird part it, all the spinets (the M models and later L models) had it for their one-octave pedalboards, but it wasn't put on the 25 pedal models. Why? running bass with the foot is expounded in all the Hammond instruction books, they were well aware the organ was used for popular music.
The only answer I ever got, from an old-line Hammond tech who worked at Puget Sound Organ, was that pedal sustain required a relay for each pedal (?) and was cost-prohibitive on the console. But I'm not sure that's right, or that I understood it right. Where are the pedal sustain relays (should be 12, I guess) on the spinets? Very likely I didn't understand him properly. "flmc" might be the guy to clear this up, as he knows the spinets very well.
However, I do believe it showed up again in Hammond's post tone-wheel, pre-Suzuki era. But I don't like to think about those models, I just get depressed.
Sorry for going on about it, but it's puzzled me for oh, about 45 years since I was 15. The first time I got close to a Hammond B3 (at my organ teacher's home, I believe) I was sure there was a pedal sustain rocker, but I just didn't know where it was. Actually had a recurring dream about it, Never could figure it out.
A 3300 Keybduo and pedals? Wow, what a rig!
Last edited by Mooser on 21 Apr 2013, 20:55, edited 4 times in total.
See? That's how it goes. Just mention the pedal sustain-Hammond thing, and the entire place goes silent. Nobody wants to talk about it, and I apologise for bringing it up. I won't do it again.
Those Mojo pedals are nice. I bet they are light, too. I keep telling my wife that everybody is buying 3300s, and there won't be any left for me if I don't act today!
Mooser wrote:See? That's how it goes. Just mention the pedal sustain-Hammond thing, and the entire place goes silent. Nobody wants to talk about it, and I apologise for bringing it up. I won't do it again.
Those Mojo pedals are nice. I bet they are light, too. I keep telling my wife that everybody is buying 3300s, and there won't be any left for me if I don't act today!
I have the mojo pedals hooked up to the C2 as well as a Korg X5DR using a fretless bass patch one octave down. Fills it out and gives me some sustain.
I thought I was pretty hip when I picked up the Hammond 20-note pedal set, but the thing weighs a ton, and is not worth bringing. A light one-octave set with velocity and patches would be just the ticket.
I wonder if there is anybody left alive now who knows the answer to my pedal-sustain-on-console-Hammonds question. I wonder, did the "RT3" have sustain on the "pedal solo" unit? That, I think I can find out. I think the "pedal solo" unit was oscillator, not tone-wheel based.
I think the problem was that there was 8 contacts? for each of the bass pedal notes. A sustain system would have been quite complex.
The spinets used one complex tonewheel and one contact per note.
Last edited by flmc59 on 27 Apr 2013, 20:06, edited 1 time in total.
These users thanked the author flmc59 for the post:
"I think the problem was that there was 8 contacts? for each of the bass pedal notes. A sustain system would have been quite complex.
The spinets used one complex tonewheel and one contact per note."
Thanks. That must have been what the Hammond tech was talking about. I don't know how I got the idea it involved a "relay" He may have been talking about relaying the signal or something. That sure makes a lot of sense flmc. We had the conversation as an aside to the main event, which was him telling me that if I wanted my A-100 re-capped, I'd damn well have to do it myself, cause he wasn't going to, for any price.
Thanks flmc. I have been wondering about that for, literally, about 50 years.
"The Sk1/2 have adjustable Sustain for Bass... Did I get the point right? I´m not sure..."
Exactly right, And that Bass Sustain makes it easier to play a bassline with one foot.
Last edited by Mooser on 28 Apr 2013, 19:16, edited 1 time in total.
