Current status: Overdrive quest

[Anders_S]

I found the ideal solution for me to add more overdrive to the magnificent sound of my C3/142 yesterday: The Profkon ZD-1. An hour of googling later I had to conclude that I was late to the party, and the ZD-1 is no longer available.

To me it seems like a good solution to have a passive unit, so no power needed, and hooked up at the GG outputs of the preamp. Does anyone know of an alternative? Are there plans to bring the ZD-1 back again?

I guess the Trek II instrument level effects loop kit is one alternative, but having loose stomp boxes isn't as elegant.

[Tonewheel]

Hi Anders,

I have the Profkon, and every once in a while I have seen it come up on eBay, so keep an eye out. It is worth the cost. Mine was about $350 US.

The advertising video clips do not do it justice, because they basically floor the overdrive. There are several microswitches and knobs in a very compact space, the unit replacing the cheek block, having a fairly nice wood accent. (Don't throw away the cheek block!)

Where I find it useful is pushing the V21 clip threshold so that it is just gritty enough without excessive distortion. And the nice thing about it is the passive distortion, with very little risk of blowing the V21 driver. Also, you can play at low volume, and still get nice distortion, and not have the police show up at your doorstep for disturbing the peace. The other thing is that the bass is preserved enough so that it is not lost in fuzz.

Here is my favourite setting:

Main OD knob to 1. Blend 3. Bass cleaner. V21 dirt level 3. V21 clip thresh dirtiest. Mellowing to Mellow. Sweet mellowing to 8. Vol 8-10.

To achieve a Gimme Some Lovin' sound, I take the OD knob and blend to max.

Here is a shot of the unit. IF you do acquire one, I can forward the instructions to you if they are missing. They are very helpful and include photos and examples of settings mimicking various artists' sounds.

Kon Zissis from Australia is the genius behind this unit, and here is a Hammond Wiki reference to him. You may be able to seek him out and find out what is up his sleeve next. http://www.dairiki.org/HammondWiki/KonZissis

Brendan Wright, one of the moderators in this forum, had direct contact with Kon, and if he is reading this post, may be able to fill us in.

Good luck on your quest.

Dave

[peterb_2795]

Hi Anders_S,


I have one of these Profkon ZD-1's and can attest to the fact that they are all that they are advertised to be. You will be pleased to know that they are still available but are only built to order by George Karabelas (manufacturer ->Audio K). If you are interested in buying a ZD-1, you can contact George via email: [email protected]


I am sure that Kon will chime in here if you have any difficulty in contacting George. I see that Kon now pops up quite often on Organforum.


Best of luck in your quest,
Peter

[Jaim]

I built a prototype on the ProKon years ago from a drawing Kon had posted. It worked ok, but the production unit has the ability to blend overdrive and clean which should tone down some of the harshness.

Hamptone has added overdrive to their EQ unit. https://www.bborgan.com/products/hamptone-leq3b
It is a bit spendy. I haven't heard it although I've been meaning to give Bill a call to set up a demo.

I built a preamp based on Rod Elliot's design - http://sound.whsites.net/project27.htm with the intent of installing it in a Leslie pedal. I had to add a pot to control the feedback of the first opamp as I got a bit of overdrive. My intent is to layout a new PCB but It'll probably have to wait for winter.

Jim

[Tonewheel]

Nice, Peter and Jim. Good to know.

Dave

[Anders_S]

Hi, and thanks for the excellent answers.

Very nice that the people who use the ZD-1 are so enthusiastic about it. Sounds like it's the best solution, if it's obtainable. And in fact there may be some possibilities.

Tonewheel: Great tips on using the ZD-1, I hope I'll get to use them. But I wonder, was it a straightforward operation to get it mounted and hooked up? And getting everything back in place again? I downloaded the instruction manual, and it seems doable, even for someone with my limited experience.

Peter: I'm pleased indeed that the units are still available on order from Audio K, so I'm sure that mail address will be very usefull.

I got a PM from Kon, so I'll ask him if it's ok to share what he told me.

Greetings all

Anders S.

[Tonewheel]

Anders,

It was quite doable, even though I was edgy lifting the manuals, trying not to put any pull on drawbar wires, etc.

You might get a decent soldering iron, because usual consumer stuff isn't controllable vis a vis the heat needed. Get some shrink wrap and good little nibblers for the insulation on the wires, and it should be fine.

Watch out for the final steps of really tightening the unit down on the console.

In retrospect, I think that the price was just fine. It looks good, and you can really tweak it. It takes up so very little real estate on the B3, yet is so visible and accessible.

I would ask Kon if there are any new settings that he would recommend, and by virtue of this note, I thank him for the design of this thing!

Dave

[Tonewheel]

Anders, before you buy, you might listen to this.

I've laid down some doodling (I'm a drummer, not an organist) with and without the Profkon. IPhone 6S inside a 147 treble compartment, no processing apart from the Profkon. 55 B3.

The first is dry with no Profkon:https://vocaroo.com/i/s0AFLeezrlPS Left hand bass 848. Right hand 888 Perc 2nd. C3

The second is with the Profkon with my usual tweaks (see previous post) https://vocaroo.com/i/s0pMphFZUUp7 Note that the highs come out fairly clear with good bite.

The third is the Profkon but with bass pedals, then a pause and switch to dry. Note that the bass pedal sound is clean with the Profkon on. (use headphones) https://vocaroo.com/i/s1S0zyAGHB5O

So, you can be far more subtle with the distortion, or really push it without third degree burns to anyone in the front row, shards of speaker cones embedded in the drywall, or volcanic drivers....

Andy (G), a moderator here, says "It's not what you play. It's not how you play. It's the fact that you're playing that counts." That is merciful to those of us who are not quite there yet....

[Anders_S]

Very nice doodlings, Tonewheel. They, and this YT clip: https://youtu.be/6CLSp_51uOw have me convinced the ZD-1 is what I want. Also thanks for your tips on mounting the unit and the settings.

I have just sent a mail to George Karabelas at Audio K, so I don't know yet if they are still made on order. I'll update later.

[larryjanca]

I have installed a BBEQ unit on my a-100. the unit is a box that can be placed on top of your organ after it is wired. I am by no means a tech but installed it my self with the help of the owner of the company in less than half an hour. the unit can be purchased from BB Organ. the telephone number is 763-571-8284. the unit is an EQ, bass and treble controls, volume control and distortion controls. I cannot say enough about this unit. great, unbelievable. totally satisfied with the unit. I can now get that Jon Lord or Keith Emerson sound that I have been searching for. the unit also enhances the key click. this is the unit for anyone looking for distortion, and with the addition of EQ and volume controls, to me should be on every Hammond. you will not disappointed with this unit........Larry

[Tonewheel]

Very nice to have this array of choices, Larry.

[RogerRabbit]

Later this summer I will be building Kons 12AX7 overdrive ciruit found here http://www.dairiki.org/HammondWiki/K...cuit?version=7 has anyone here tried it?

[Tonewheel]

Professor Kon it is! Of the Cosmic Nomads.

I would love to hear the 12AX7 overdrive demo'ed.

[Anders_S]

larryjanca: Do you have, or know of, any demo clips for the BBEQ? I couldn't find anything on YouTube. I figure products that get such enthusiastic customer endorsements are worth investigating.

[larryjanca]

no demos that I know of. if you're looking for adjustable distortion, bass, treble and volume that is easy to install with no modifications to the organ this is the unit in my opinion. believe me, you won't be disappointed with the BBEQ.......Larry