Hi guys. How much would you pay for a Hammond T-212? How about an H-182?

[Samnite]

Forgive my utter noobery, but assume for a second that you're in the market for a vintagey organ vibe. My local Craigslist seems to be flooded with old organs at the moment. One ad has a Hammond H-182 (no Leslie, etc.) for $100. Another has a Hammond T-212 for $500.

 

To my uneducated eyes, both these prices look pretty darn good for real vintage instruments.

 

Now, I understand that some models are not as desirable as others, and I'm not really familiar with the ups and downs of any of them.

 

Can you help? Are the above organs worth the money? The T-212, with the built-in Leslie, looks pretty tempting.

 

Thanks!

[yorgatron]

if you can wait a little while they'll be trying to give it away pretty soon.

an authentic B-3,C-3 or A-100 will fetch thousands of dollars,but the models you listed end up being given waway.

 

 

i can't tell you how many times i've seen ads that say;

 

"FREE ORGAN;must go by Friday,bring a truck and a couple of friends,this thing is HEAVY!"

[Samnite]

if you can wait a little while they'll be trying to give it away pretty soon. an authentic B-3,C-3 or A-100 will fetch thousands of dollars,but the models you listed end up being given waway. i can't tell you how many times i've seen ads that say; "FREE ORGAN;must go by Friday,bring a truck and a couple of friends,this thing is HEAVY!"

Man, that just strikes me as sad. Is it because these organs suck? Or that the market is flooded? Or are they just less well-known than B3's, etc.?

[The Real MC]

Those models are nowhere near the sound of the B-3.

 

Both are non-tube solid state organs with inferior percussion and non-scanner "churchy" vibrato. They also have pre-emphasis to reduce the "key-click fault" that is a feature of the old Hammonds.

 

Hammond despised what modern music was doing with their organs, and their disdain for the genre showed in their later models.

[Samnite]

 

Those models are nowhere near the sound of the B-3. Both are non-tube solid state organs with inferior percussion and non-scanner "churchy" vibrato. They also have pre-emphasis to reduce the "key-click fault" that is a feature of the old Hammonds. Hammond despised what modern music was doing with their organs, and their disdain for the genre showed in their later models.

Wait. I thought the H182 was a tube/SS hybrid?

 

Also, how much would you give for the T212 just for that built-in Leslie?

 

That's a shame about Hammond. Probably the reason nobody wants these organs anymore, huh?

[Outkaster]

The H-182 is a bitch to work on and not worth very much. They kind of wanted to replace the B-3 from what I understand:

 

Production Years: 1965 through 1974

Cabinet Size: 50 1/2" wide, 26 1/2" deep, 50" high with music rack, 445 lbs with pedals and bench.

Finish: H-111 Traditional styling in Mahogany

H-112 Traditional styling in Walnut

H-133 French Provincial in Cherry

H-143 Early American in Cherry

H-182 Italian Provincial in Walnut

H-195 Mediterrean in Oak

H-262 Institutional Model with locking roll top...Walnut, some preset and other differences.

H-324 Comtempory in Pecan with built-in Auto-Rhythm

H-382 Italian Provincial in Walnut with built-in Auto-Rhythm

H-395 Mediterranean in Oak with built-in Auto-Rhythm - HX100 like H100 in X66 cabinet

 

Manuals: Two 61 note manuals with overhanging keys. 25 note detachable pedalboard.

Controls: One expression pedal effecting both manuals and pedals...tone compensated photo-cell type. Kick switch mounted to pedal cancels vibrato "immediately". 9 presets and 2 adjust keys for each manual. 2 sets of 11 drawbars for upper manual, 2 sets of 10 drawbars for lower manual. 4 pedal drawbars. 28 tabs for percussion, vibrato, sustain, reverb, etc.

Amp/Output: Stereo amplification plus a bass channel. Two 8" speakers and one 15" speaker. Mixture of solid-state and tube circuitry.

Features: 96 tonewheel generator with self-starting synchronous motor. Tones go up to a high B (around 8,000Hz), then foldback. Foldback note: 16' goes all the way down, the higher harmonic in the mixture drawbars does not foldback. Reiteration, percussion touch control, harp sustain, string bass, lots of vibrato/chorus controls

[Samnite]

 

The H-182 is a bitch to work on and not worth very much. They kind of wanted to replace the B-3 from what I understand: Production Years: 1965 through 1974 Cabinet Size: 50 1/2" wide, 26 1/2" deep, 50" high with music rack, 445 lbs with pedals and bench. Finish: H-111 Traditional styling in Mahogany H-112 Traditional styling in Walnut H-133 French Provincial in Cherry H-143 Early American in Cherry H-182 Italian Provincial in Walnut H-195 Mediterrean in Oak H-262 Institutional Model with locking roll top...Walnut, some preset and other differences. H-324 Comtempory in Pecan with built-in Auto-Rhythm H-382 Italian Provincial in Walnut with built-in Auto-Rhythm H-395 Mediterranean in Oak with built-in Auto-Rhythm - HX100 like H100 in X66 cabinet Manuals: Two 61 note manuals with overhanging keys. 25 note detachable pedalboard. Controls: One expression pedal effecting both manuals and pedals...tone compensated photo-cell type. Kick switch mounted to pedal cancels vibrato "immediately". 9 presets and 2 adjust keys for each manual. 2 sets of 11 drawbars for upper manual, 2 sets of 10 drawbars for lower manual. 4 pedal drawbars. 28 tabs for percussion, vibrato, sustain, reverb, etc. Amp/Output: Stereo amplification plus a bass channel. Two 8" speakers and one 15" speaker. Mixture of solid-state and tube circuitry. Features: 96 tonewheel generator with self-starting synchronous motor. Tones go up to a high B (around 8,000Hz), then foldback. Foldback note: 16' goes all the way down, the higher harmonic in the mixture drawbars does not foldback. Reiteration, percussion touch control, harp sustain, string bass, lots of vibrato/chorus controls

 

 

Thanks for the info. I found a web page that gives a synopsis of all the Hammonds. But quite a lot of the info is Greek to me, and I wanted an idea of how desirable they are.

[suitandtieguy]

i've never had to pay for a hammond that had divingboard keys.

[augerinn]

The only thing yoy really have to know when looking at used Hammonds is if it's a tonewheel or transistor. Any trasnsistor organ should be free, IMO. M-100s (which are tonewheel) routinely go around here for $150.00.

 

I had an 8202 Aurora, which I was all excited about because it had drawbars and had an emplem on it that said "Animation by Leslie". I paid $75.00 for it thinking I was getting the steal of the century.

 

Only to later find out that it was a transistor organ. Don't get me wrong, it was a lot of fun. But just didn't have "The Sound".

[Samnite]

The only thing yoy really have to know when looking at used Hammonds is if it's a tonewheel or transistor. Any trasnsistor organ should be free, IMO. M-100s (which are tonewheel) routinely go around here for $150.00. I had an 8202 Aurora, which I was all excited about because it had drawbars and had an emplem on it that said "Animation by Leslie". I paid $75.00 for it thinking I was getting the steal of the century. Only to later find out that it was a transistor organ. Don't get me wrong, it was a lot of fun. But just didn't have "The Sound".

So the H-182 might be worth it? It's a tonewheel organ, but I'd kinda miss that Leslie sound...and apparently, a Leslie can't be attached without some pretty major work, and even then, it doesn't sound that good.

[Outkaster]

It is the type, condition and vintage of the instruments. Too many people hear recordings of Hammonds and bitch and complain that they can't get that sound. They never realize it is dependent on a lot of factors.

[tim gueguen]

The T series does have a very specific niche, that of copping Tony Banks '70s Genesis organ sound, as he used a T122 for a long time.

[Deanna McLaud]

I have a Hammond T - 212-2 in mint condition and would like to know what it's worth

 

[daddymack]

Even in mint condition, the T series spinets are not considered desirable, and I have seen them listed, but not always selling, in the $100-500 range, even in mint condition. There is one older listing on Reverb going for $100...sad but true.

I do know a few electro-mechanical geeks around here [Los Angeles] who do buy old tone wheel Hammond organs for parts, and some buy the spinets like the T series [as well as old Thomas models], strip out the Leslie and install it in a small cabinet and resell them.  Typically they pay $0-25 for the organ, working or not...but they have to have a couple of hefty guys help move those beasts. I have moved enough B3, C3 and A100s to know I won't own one again...and I convinced our keyboardist to get an XK /2215 Leslie Cab and let his consoles go. Years ago I played with Deacon Jones who had cut his B3 down to make it portable...not for the faint of heart...I've also serviced and rebuilt Leslies and Fender Vibratones, as well as the control pedals.

[moogerfooger]

A100s can be had for around a grand.  sometimes even less.   then you'd really have something.  sometimes you can pick up a B2 or BV and add treck II modules to bring them up to B3 specs. they go real cheap around here. sometimes with the percussion already added. 

[quadibloc]

This is informative, but it's also surprising to me. Given the rarity and the value of the B-3, if later models like the H-100 that still had tonewheels are not up to snuff, I would have thought that by now there would be schematics, or modules for sale, to add the right kind of reverb back in. If one can modify a BV to add the scanner vibrato, after all (and an instrument with both scanner vibrato and the chorus tone generator with extra tonewheels is what I consider the ideal) it should be possible to stick one in an H-100 as well. Even with different component values (since the transistor amp may have a different output impedance) and even if it's a box outside the organ (as there might not be room on the inside).

[Outkaster]

There is a lot of information on the web available you just have to know where to look. Don't bother doing that to an H series. They aren't fun to work on.

[genghiskrahn]

https://www.keyboardpartner.de/hammond/t-mod-skill1.htm

I just started modding a t500 - its already starting to sound damn sexy! Look up some youtube videos, I have a feeling these will be going up in price at some point.