Re: YAMAHA ELECTONE MODEL A3 ser # 1666 TRANSFORMERS & STUFF
An A3? Never heard of that model. Are we talking early 1960's instrument, or something that Yamaha in Canada have renumbered. A pic of the organ and the offending part might help.</p>
Andy
</p>
It's not what you play. It's not how you play. It's the fact that you're playing that counts.
Re: YAMAHA ELECTONE MODEL A3 ser # 1666 TRANSFORMERS & STUFF
G'day FF,</P>
Your A3 dates back to the 60's, I would suggest you contact Yamaha Canada Music in Scarborough, Ontario, and check with their spare parts people for availability (being Yamaha, unlikely) or a substitute.</P>
Cheers,</P>
Ian (lying onthe Aussie Beach in the sun!)</P>
Andy,</P>
Have a look at the museum on the EZ site I'm pretty sure there's a pic of A3 there, It's a red 5 octave portable, predecessor to the YC models.</P>
Re: YAMAHA ELECTONE MODEL A3 ser # 1666 TRANSFORMERS & STUFF
Wait! </P>
Are you sure that it is a GA 0106?? I think that I have a GA 0186 and I will look for it if that is what you need. It is from an Electone E10R that was mouse damaged.</P>
Re: YAMAHA ELECTONE MODEL A3 ser # 1666 TRANSFORMERS & STUFF
Good news guys: Greg was kind enough to sell me the YamahaA3 in question, and it turns out the transformer is fine. After repairing a few bad traces on the filter PC board, I've gotten it about 97% of the way back to life. [<:o)] I think the remaining problems can simply be chalked up to 2 worn out levers - you know, the little sliders that Yamaha used to control footage blend (analogous to drawbars on Hammonds and others.) This was Yamaha's version of a pro portable/combo organ, so it has clearly seen a lot of use.</P>
So: does anyone happen to have a couple of those levers they'd be willing to send me? Unfortunately, I've either given away or trashed all the ones I salvaged from the E5 I parted out [:$] (... always a tough call: to keep parts lying around *just in case,* or to try to avoid unneccessary clutter...) Anyway if you do have any please let me know - I need two of the 100K version. thanks-</P>
Scott</P>
Nobody loves me but my mother,
And she could be jivin' too...
--BB King
Re: YAMAHA ELECTONE MODEL A3 ser # 1666 TRANSFORMERS & STUFF
Hey Clavier,</P>
Thanks for your comments on my photo... thought I'd pull my reply out here to avoid confusion, and in case anyone else is interested.</P>
The sound of the A3 is very similar to my YC10, but not quite identical. It's much more straightforward to manipulate the sounds on the A3, since you have 6 independently-controllable footages over 12 independent stops (6 flutes, 6 others.) Then you've got the "tone" lever, which produces a pronounced brightening, especially on the non-flute voices. But on the other hand, the YC10 is deceptively simple: even though it's only got three footages, it has two channels, which can be infinitely blended - kind of like if you could set both sets of drawbars on a Hammond console, but then blend anywhere in-between the two settings. Then there's also the "Bright" lever, which gives a harsher waveform... all in all the YC10 packs a lot of punch for a smaller/entry-level instrument. ...I never cease to be amazed at how clever the Yamaha engineers were, and how solidly-built these products are. I know that especially in my part of the country (the South), products of Japanese manufacturers from cars to stereos to musical instruments were scorned as inferior back then in the 60s, and also while I was growing up (the 80s). I can only attribute this prejudice toprejudice/ xenophobia, because some of the highest-qualitystuff I've owned has been Japanese in origin: Yamaha, Ibanez, Sony, and my beloved 2000 Toyota Tacoma.</P>
But anyway I digress: as far as the actual sound, the A3 seems to be capable of a more Hammond-like sound, with the 6 different flute footages. I haven't had the chance to hook it through a Leslie yet, but I suspect it'd be capable of fooling some people. It also has a certain amount of Hammond-like keyclick; though I've been told I may just be lucky there, in that the contacts may be just dirty enough to give some click, but not so much as to cause problems. The YC10 seems to yield the classic combo sound a little more readily, by comparison.</P>
So, good luck in your quest for a YC30, I recommend the Yamaha combos wholeheartedly! The only caveat is that the YC series used custom ICs in the divider circuits, so if one goes out you've got a real problem. However, I know of a source for these... [:-*] By comparison the A3 is all discrete components, very straightforward in design too. The money I paid Greg for this one has almost been worth it just from what I've learned in fixing it up (the simplicity makes the overall "theory of operation" much easier to understand.) --Anyway I've gone on way too long here - always happy to talk Hammonds, Wurly EPs, or combos! cheers-</P>
Scott</P>
Nobody loves me but my mother,
And she could be jivin' too...
--BB King
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