Re: B-3 Pedigree

[SalAzz@aol.com]

Zane Gill writes:

>I just bought a B-3 with serial number 100007.  Can anyone tell me >how old
>it is?

Great serial number!!

Did you buy it from a guy named "Q"? 

I can just hear it...(insert proper British accent here)..."James, whatever
you do, don't touch that red button under the vibrato/chourus switch.  This
will engage the ejection bench"! :) :)

Seriously, if anyone wants to talk serial numbers and build dates, I know of
a few clues that I have yet to see anyone mention regarding date codes buried
on Leslies and Hammonds. I have a dozen Hammonds and more than a dozen
Leslies (I am original owner of some, or have good paperwork to support the
others) on tap that I've played anthropologist with. 
 
As Brad Baker mentions in his follow up to this message, what happened to the
thread on this subject?  Obviously, this is not an exact science, but in the
case of 1969 to 1974, the letter system is a good clue (A = 1969, B=1970,
ect.).  We do know that B-3's and C-3's started at a certain serial number
(56000) in January 1955, and we do know that the 22 series Leslie became the
122 series at a certain serial number and date.  

All this points to an approximate build date, not an actual "in service" date
of first retail sale. Does anyone want to pursue this subject, or has it
already been done??  I'll be happy to share what little or much I have on the
subject.  Maybe the guru's out there with all the service notes can look for
clues in their documentation as well as keep us straight. Collectively, I
know there is enough info out there to make something useful.

I'd be happy with something like this to put in the FAQ: The serial #s stared
here, went there by this date, changed to this prefix format in 1969, and
ended at this #.  So, you have B-3 serial XXXXX?  Do your own math and figure
it out from the above info. Or, look for this number stamped here, and it
means the Leslie cabinet was made on the 194th day of 1966. (Hint, and
there's more).

Whaddya all think?    

100007?  1967 is my guess.

Sal Azz    Buffalo, NY