122A or 122?

[dfcas]

Although I'd prefer a short cabinet for gigging, I think I may be able to buy a 122 or 122A from a local church.They have 1 of each.. I'm guessing the 122 is 40 years old, the 122A ~20. I'm thinking the drivers in the 122A would hold up better to loud gigging being less old, but I know the motor speed controls are an endless problem on the 122A. If I have a choice, which should I buy, assuming the price is similar?

[muckelroy]

122.. without question. You can replace drivers, or take measures to ensure you preserve the life of the stock V21. It's usually cheaper in the long run than trying to keep a 122A going.

[David Anderson]

I'd buy the 122.

[Sweet Pete]

Buy the 122, no question.The gold standard.

[Goff]

Get the 122, the other is not the same as the tried and true.

[Frankquip]

I purchased a 122XB - its the same 6550 tube configuration as the 122 but the horn driver sounds much brighter and stronger then my 122 V-21. If your gigging I would use the 122A any day, you'll be able to keep up with the other guys and not worry about blowing the V-21.

[muckelroy]

I guess as long as you keep about $500 saved for a rainy day when you need a new motor and/or a new control board, the 122A will suit just fine.

It comes down to reliability and parts availability. You can maintain a 122 to last basically forever with little parts cost, but the 122A has motors that cannot really be maintained.

[Goff]

I guess as long as you keep about $500 saved for a rainy day when you need a new motor and/or a new control board, the 122A will suit just fine.

It comes down to reliability and parts availability. You can maintain a 122 to last basically forever with little parts cost, but the 122A has motors that cannot really be maintained.

Yes you can find drivers and speakers that will do a gig. And there's something for the way the original motor stacks/pulley system ramp that adds to the character of the classic Leslie sound.

Even the amps themselves are different.

[Frankquip]

I'm glad that there's such a following for the 122, I'll have to keep an eye open for spare motor parts for the 122XB

[muckelroy]

I don't mean to throw shade on the 122A. You asked for our opinion between the 122 and 122A, and we gave it. The 122A is a great speaker, but if you have a choice between the two, you know what I prefer.

That being said, the 122A is the only 122 you can buy "brand new". That is the way things have been since the mid 1980s, and ever since any surplus of old style Leslie speakers dried up from showroom floors.

The 122A is a good cabinet, and it will have some warranty if you do buy it brand new from a dealer. The current generation of 122A has redesigned motors which fail a lot less frequently than their predecessors. But since you said from the get-go this is being sold used from a church, you have your pick.

If given the choice between a worn out 122 that needs tons of work, and a clean and functional 122A, I would probably choose the 122A, to be honest.

[Tim_at_Jonas]

122. Everything can be serviced, or replaced at reasonable cost, but non-expert blokes like me. The 122A's motor electronics I just send to HammondOrganCo. The 122A motors seem to resist attempts to resurrect them.

[Baldwin51]

must be a lot of difference in the later 122 s I personally never liked any of them, I have a 21-h and a 31 h both with same amps and the only thing ive had to trouble with is the 15 in woofer in the 31-H, I had it reconed and back in business, I have had no other problems, I have had these since 1955 both work horses, original motors in both and this thing was played in the night clubs for years before bringing it home. I do plan on carefully going through both amps and checking everything. I think the quality of the wood in the cabinets have a lot to do with the sound quality, I have owed about 4 different 31- h cabinets and they all sounded different, this one now is the best sounding one I have ever heard, it is interesting to me that both the 21-H and the 31h that I have now both have identical amps and speakers but sound entirely different. I also run two HR-40 cabinets with my rig, but I have a low opinion about the HR,s I think I may dump them both. all my stuff now needs to be checked out, the organ a C-3 is not sounding so good, im going to go through the AO-28 and vib line and recap the tone gen highs have been lower for

[Baldwin51]

computer failed before I could finish my post, I will recap c-3 because ive lost highs, also I have found the 22-h to be a super good sounding cabinet, they are worth looking into but do not have the 2 speed, can be put on them .

[Papus]

122, it's a no-brainer.
Why use modern garbage which is designed to fail, when you can have a reliable, battle-tested vintage device designed to run forever?
Everything on a vintage 122 can be serviced/replaced by a competent tech. Some things you can do yourself with a little research and patience.
If you're worried about gig-worthiness, swap the V21 for an Atlas, and carry a Mini Vent pedal as a backup in case of total amp or motor control failure.