Leslie 760 Cabinet

For those new to this type of amplifier: welcome & have a look at what the others have written about its use and basics.
What I would like to add to all this is:
Don't be put off by the 760 not being a tube amplifier!
Agreed - it doesn't get overdriven. However, I found an easy solution: try and find a nifty gadget called the MIG-L Leslie Tube Overdrive! It will fit like a glove into your solidstate Leslie and sounds the (dirty) business!

Please note:
I am in no way affiliated with the manufacturer, other than having bought a preamp from them, and they are very recommendable indeed.... If you can't find one, contact me on my email address below.

See above - clean it sounded good, with added tube preamp it sounds exactly like I wanted it to be, ranging from clean and crisp to a gritty roar!
Note that I drive this Leslie with my Hammond Porta-B (all tubes and tonewheels), which makes quite a difference in sound compared to, say, a Hammond X-5 (I also got 2 of those as well - no tubes or tonewheels), but it will sound like a proper leslie anyway.

Mine isn't the tolexed version, it's actually got a wooden vineer on the top and bottom half! Which accidently nicely matches the one on my Hammond Porta-B!! :-)
That's the only concern I've got when it comes to accidental damage.
I got mine looking like it had been standing in about 1' of water, electronics looked messed up and the motors were actually rusted. Took it all apart, replaced the relay switches and triacs, cleaned the motors up, and hey presto: it works!
What did these people know then what we can't get in reliability on modern kit without paying though the nose for it?....

None - it's a well-known fact that there's plenty of places to go for repairs and such, other than the manufacturers...
But I'll telling you: it's not rocket science.
If you got some experience in DIY basic electronics and repairs, you'll get it sorted.

If you'll allow me a slight note of critisism: largely everything you'll find on repairing Hammonds and Leslies, schematics and specs, are based on american models.
If, like me, you live in Europe (for y'all americans - a lot of people actually do....) you're stuck with 110V and 60Hz along with sometimes significant differences in models.
Hence the low rating. No US-based company seems too eager to part with information on non-US models.
Sorry guys and girls, but if this means you: please do something with this, there's a whole market waiting for you....

I've been playing Hammonds for about 20 years now. For my pleasure I got a Hammond Porta-B (or L100-P for europeans), two X5's as a spare, a Leslie 760N, an Elka leslie type Elkatone 700, some tube pre-amps to drive the latter, an very rare Intercontinental Dakota solid-state Italian Hammond-clone, Oberheim OB-3s module, Korg G4 leslie-simulator, and the Native Instruments B4.
And that's just the Hammond-related stuff.

In my opinion the 760 is something you can use whether you're just starting out on a Hammond or as a seasoned pro. No kidding.
They're still quite cheap but won't be for long I'm afraid.

Solid State electronics, while they are very stable, and great for the road, they just can't get gritty like a Tube Leslie 122/147. Most of the other reviews here tell ya more than once what you already need to know. What I will tell ya: My 760 has been dropped, knocked over, and sits in a frozen garage during the winter, and all I ever do is have it oiled and serviced every year, and it's never failed me!

Very quiet motors, and quick motors. Certainly a "live application" leslie, as it offers twice the power of a Tube Leslie. Not much distortion from this leslie, although I crank up the preamp on the B, and I get a little dirt, so it's very satisfying.

Mine looks like it's been to "He$$" and back, and I really don't caress it, as it's my road leslie, and it NEVER breaks down!

Find a local tech, and they can help you. Goff Prof, Vintage Hammond has great info too.

If you're touring, or playing live, and you refuse like I to use a clone, or digital simulator, this is the leslie to take out with you. You don't have to worry about destroying a beautiful walnut finish, this is black tolex, it can always be retolexed.

No newer Hammond-Suzuki leslie can come close to this. They are okay, but even a 760 will stand it up.

the sound for a the leslie is goob for blues and rock-n- roll gigs, but the sound for a church is not good. It si very hard to get the warm sound out of it for soft situations , but for loud situations it is perfect because, the power that you get from it is awsome, but it still lacks the distortion of a 122 or a 147, there is none. For my church I had to muffle 3 of the six vents on the top horn on each side, to kill the scream of the top horn, and i had to take the wheels off the bottom so the bass would stop sounding muddy,the bass sound had no where to go it would just be loud and blaring.

it will last being maintaned or not.

I've been playing for 15yrs.,and the reliability of the 760 you can't beat, but the warmth of it is not it's strong point, but if you need the power the 760 is the one for you.

The 760 is a solid state dual rotor rotating speaker cabinet. There are separate power amps for each speaker; bass is 90w and treble is 35w, and an active crossover splits the signal at 800hz. The old 122 and 147 Leslies have a single power amp for both speakers and a passive 800hz crossover splits the signals to the speakers, so the 760 is more efficient.

The motors controlling the rotors are dual speed and the bass rotor has an electronic brake that slows the wooden scoop from fast to slow.

The cabinet is covered in tolex and has wheels for easy transport (no finished wood to worry about scratching).

You need a 9-pin Leslie cable with this cabinet. If you want to plug anything other than a Hammond organ in, you need the Combo Preamp which looks like a big stompbox with speed controls, volume, and 1/4" inputs.

I have used my 760 with my Hammond Porta-B for over twenty years and I love the sound. Compared to a 122 or 147, it's much louder and cleaner thanks to its hefty solid state amp but you won't get that classic tube overdrive like the 122 or the 147. But the 760 is a slightly larger cabinet than either of the classics and that translates to better bass response.

What sounds good through a Leslie? A Rhodes is heavenly, Clavinet is cool, analog keyboards (Moogs) sound great, bass guitar, and even an electronic drum kit really pumps through one of these. Guitars were a little raunchy, that top rotor adds too much squawk. Now I understand why guitar players go for the bass-rotor-only Leslie 825.

Crank it too far and you'll hear that unpleasant solid state clipping, but the 760 gets pretty loud before clipping. Raise the cabinet to about ear level and you'll hear the top rotors much better.

Over twenty years of service the only breakdown was a bad rectifier diode which blew the fuse. I did blow the treble driver once but I restored it easily when I found the broken wire and just unwound a new wire from the coil to make it to the terminal. Otherwise the 760 is very dependable.

Be prepared for maintenance. The rotors have to be oiled periodically and the belt on the bass rotor can stretch and has to be adjusted. Don't adjust the belt too tight, you actually have to include some slippage for the bass rotor to sound right. If in doubt, have an organ shop do the adjustment; this procedure isn't easily explained on the internet or in email.

What customer support? They haven't made these since the 70s but there are plenty of places to get parts or get it fixed. Start at http://www.goffprof.com/ or at http://www.captain-foldback.com/ if you're the DIY type.

If you're a gigging musician and you want a road-ready Leslie speaker to hook to your Hammond or clone, the 760 is a great choice. It's loud and clean, and it holds up great on the road. Don't get snobbish about the solid state amp, it actually sounds excellent. Many Leslie experts agree that they can hold their own against a 122/147, and prices are beginning to reflect that.

I didn't list a price because I paid $650 for the Porta-B and Leslie together.

The previous eight years I retired the old stuff and was using a Hammond XB-2 with a Dynacord CLS-222. A year ago I joined this blues band and I hauled the Hammond Porta-B and Leslie 760 out of storage, and I forgot how good these things sounded. Every night someone comes up to me and tells me how much they love the sound of the organ, they want to know if that is a real Hammond and Leslie up there. I didn't think your typical audience member was sensitive to that, but they really do notice the sound.