This evening one of my bands had time on a local television show that focuses on local music. The format is live performance (3-4 standard-length songs) in-front of 3 dolly-based cameras, with band interview/Q&A afterwards.

I'm the Hammond Organist/Mandolin dude/piano dude/Mellotronist/Saxophonist/What-ever-the-fuck-else player in the band. We've hauled along my '62 A-100 (same as Hammond B-3), Leslie cabinet, tenor saxophone, a cheap electric piano, powered monitor, laptop, mandolin, melodica. I've got everything else setup.

We finally get a drop for power to my own powerstrip. I get the Hammond spun up and running. Laptop is running, sub-mixer is running. Powered monitor is good. Leslie cabinet....

click.

click click

click click click click

No. Oh no. Nononononono

NOOOOOOOOOOOooooooooooooooooooo

It was working just fine two days ago at a gig in a local record store. Nonononononononononononononono.

The TV crew is powering up their three very nice hi-def cameras. True tv studio gear. The sound crew is starting soundcheck on the drum kit.

And I've no signs of life from my Leslie. Without it, there is no Hammond.

So here's the sound crew, asking me where to put the two microphones on this Leslie cabinet (they've never seen one before) and here I am with my Swiss-army knife frantically pulling open the rear of the Leslie. Band mates are, shall we say, concerned.

First thing I do is check the amplifier fuse. Which seems to be good.

To Hell with seems. I'm putting jumpers across that shit.

No such luck. Still dead. Completely dead.

Unplug.

Uh shit crap.

Bassist is tuning up. Soundman is getting levels on the hi-hat.

Tear apart the CPA III. (It's a largish pedal unit that controls on/off, speed, and allows any 1/4" jack to be input with variable gain for any 11-pin Leslie system. I have installed a 1/4" line-out off the power amplifier of my organ.)

I place jumpers across the power switch of the CPA III, reinstall the 11-pin cable, and plug the Leslie in. (Don't panic, it doesn't carry mains power, only a 24V DC relay signal.)

Nada.

Start thinking I may have to run the Hammond straight into the monitor through a sub-mix board. God. How boring that's going to be. How dreadfully droll. It will get us through, but isn't going to represent us in any good light.

Uh... shit... what else?

Maybe this ancient 11 pin cable has given out?

God I hope it's just the power relay and nothing else.

Remove the 11 pin cable from the Leslie.

Smartphone time, which pins?

Lead guitarist is getting his soundcheck. Everyone is looking at me, bandmates and staff.

I've got screws everywhere and am frantically chanting "shit shit shit shit shit shit shit shit" at a very quiet level.

Thank you Uncle Harvey you magnificent bastard! 5 and 6 Blue and green

So I jumper 5 to 6 on the Leslie itself and plug in.

voom.

I've got juice!!!

So I unplug. Hastilly disassemble one end of the Leslie cable, jumper 5 to 6 on the near end of the cable, plug it in. Plug in the unit.

Nothing.

No life.

Nonononononono!

Vocals are starting to get checked.

Unplug mains.

Check my jumpers.

Put the cabling back on and really wiggle that sonbitch.

Plug in the mains.

JUICE! LIFE! IT LIVES!!!

Check the Hammond.

........

God. Damnit. All.

Anemic as Hell. I have no bass at all.

A quick technical aside, the Leslie 860 is one of the "Pro-Line" series of Leslie cabinets. It is a bi-amped design, taking a single unbalanced signal, from instrument to line level, and it splits that at 800hz into two separate amplifiers. The "treble" handles 800hz and above and feeds it through a compression driver that feeds into a rotating horn. The "bass" handles 800hz and below and feeds it through a 12" woofer that fires into a rotating drum shaped baffle. (It realistically starts suffering below about 200hz as the dimensions of this tiny Leslie don't permit sufficient bass response. Actually quite great for a rock band, I don't fight with the bassist for turf.)

So for some reason my bass amplifier is either not getting signal, not functioning, or not delivering to the bass woofer.

So I'm praying it's something simple. Please let it be something simple.

So here I am, with a full TV production trying to happen, removing the back cover to the upper compartment of the Leslie, screws all helter-skelter, paying no attention to soundcheck really. Certainly not participating.

And thank ye heavens, all that had happened is the neutral (return) wire had come off the bass woofer. I wiggled that little bugger back on and powered up.

Full sound.

But my upper rotor is sticking badly when going from slow to fast. While I'm in there then, I slacken the upper belt just a hair as the spindle on the slow motor was binding on the tire of the fast motor. That's all I needed!

Reassemble my unit, screws all tight so there's no rattle. Double check my jumpered Leslie cable with the cowling removed from the near plug.

All's a go. Time to soundcheck.

I only saved tonight by way of experience with these sorts of electronics in the past and the arbitrary decision to keep packing around my set of RadioShack jumper cables.

Went on to perform well on the Hammond.