The stock amplifier in the "classic" tube Leslies produces 40 Watts. It's a great amp and has a terrific sound but it has a tough time competing on stage with a guitar amplifier at full honk. It's not surprising that a common modification consists of some method of achieving higher power. This usually involves replacing the amplifier or else powering the Leslie from an external amplifier. The increase in power will probably require a change in drivers as well. (You probably did that anyway when you blew up the treble driver).
+Also see LeslieDriverReplacement.
+ Here's a couple tips for optimizing your leslie 122 amp.
+ 1Use a matched driver tube. The driver tube is the 12AU7 nearest the volume knob. http://www.torresengineering.com is a good source for all of the parts I'll mention.
-One modification to
the 145/147 amp you might consider is to add grid resistors to the output tubes
. As stock, when
the amp is overdriven heavily,
the output tubes can start to draw grid current, which can produce some harsh-sounding clipping
. You might add
a 1K-5K ohm resistor between (the intersection of the .1uf cap, the 100pf cap, and the 220k cap) and the grid of the output tube
to smooth out the clipping and provide
a more gradual onset of distortion as
the amp is overdriven
.
+2 Carefully match C9 and C10,
the
.1 600v
coupling caps in between
the aforementioned driver tube and
the output tubes. Here's
a link
to a site with schematics http://hammondb3andleslietips.com Torres is a good source for
the matching caps. Orange drops sound good here
.
-Also see LeslieDriverReplacement
.
+3
Also match resistors R5 and R7, 1 MEG 1/2 watt. Ohmite carbon comp are a good choice, just buy (and measure) 10 or 20 and you'll get a good match . These changes provide a much more equal signal to both sides of your output tube. You'll hear the difference in volume, maybe a huge difference if your original components are very uneven
.
