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Hammond Organ M-series...Need some Hammond Advice!


fuzzy4dice

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In my opinion, you are wasting your time with this Hammond. You should look into one of the clones to provide you with a smaller, more portable solution. This organ is a piece of furniture and it will sound crappy unless you have it running through a Leslie...another $800+ investment. So if you crave a strong organ sound, you may want to either stick with what you have or consider a Nord Electro, Hammond XK or Korg CX series.

 

If you really want the tonewheel Hammond, you should hold out for one of the true console organs - either a B3, C3, A100, etc. The M and L series are scaled down versions that could very likely become a liability for you in terms of unloading them. Back in the early 90's, I was touring with an M3/Leslie 145 rig. This was prior to the BIG resurgence of vintage rigs. My band's practice space lease ended and I had no place to keep the M3. So I went to a local vintage dealer/pawn shop as I had no choice. It was worth basically nothing at that point and I swapped it for a Vox Continental, which was more portable.

 

Bottom line...don't jump on something due to the name, as someone else mentioned. Carefully research and realize what you are trying to do with this piece of gear. If your budget is limited and you need a nice organ, save a little bit longer and get something that will last you for awhile.

 

Regards,

Eric

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man, all this spinet doggin be gettin me down.

 

bottom line: a spinet ought to be next to nothing to purchase. however, any Hammond tonewheel is NEVER a complete waste of time. each one has its own special peculiarities which you can harness to your advantage as a musician.

 

and at the very least, they are worth keeping for parts (keycombs, motors, tubes, etc).

 

another bottom line: clones are great. if you are happy with one manual and have no interest in carrying one around, and like spending money. even the cheapest good clone costs as much as a passable console, dollies, and a leslie sim (H&K, Korg G4, RPM-1, etc).

 

be careful of falling into the PERFECT ORGAN SOUND IS B3/122 trap. there's nothing i hate more than some midrangey late 60s Hammond muck, which seems to be what most Hammond enthusiasts strive for.

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eric I take it you didn't read much of this thread? We already went through the whole spinet versus everything else argument and the guy is just considering buying a spinet...he's not desperate for a Hammond sound he just came on what he thought might be a deal and wanted more information. He didn't need to be directed toward your personal taste.

 

Believe it or not, not everyone believes the spinets to be inferior to the consoles. Yes the consoles have more drawbars and keys but the spinets have a far mellowers sound and are in some regards an instrument in their own. It's kind of like a Gibson SG versus Fender Stratocaster. They sound very different and just because one may have more pickup options and more frets, does that mean you're always going to choose to play with that guitar? Granted this is a keyboard forum so probably most people who aren't guitarists would say "yes". Selah...

 

My point, I too am very sick of people treating the spinets as inferior. They just have a different sound and are smaller. If they were just wanna-be consoles, they would not have been used by Led Zeppelin and Boston, bands that definately knew their {censored} and could afford to have 100 of the flagship consoles sitting around if they so desired. And as for that clone thing, not everyone has a huge amount of money to throw around. A clone that will get you near the Hammond sound is still $2000 and I don't care how good some of you think they sound, but when you sit down at home at the end of the day, it doesn't sound entirely like a Hammond and you know you aren't playing one.

 

We've gone through a million things already in this thread, I suggest you go back and read them before you try to pull more people onto your bandwagon of personal taste...

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Originally posted by suitandtieguy

be careful of falling into the PERFECT ORGAN SOUND IS B3/122 trap. there's nothing i hate more than some midrangey late 60s Hammond muck, which seems to be what most Hammond enthusiasts strive for.

 

 

I agree. I mean, heaven forbid someone does something new with these instruments instead of always just emulating a sound used in 1963 and everyday since. These console groupies remind me of the people that always just buy a Gibson Les Paul and a Marshall stack...why? Just because they saw and heard of others playing it. Me I'd rather have someone more tailored to my personal tastes. If you actually think about it, I'd be willing to bet you most of those people you all base your Hammond tastes on had their own tastes too, they weren't just on a bandwagon.

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Originally posted by Fear My Potato



In what sense...I mean you're never going to convince me they sound useable or even passable without at
least
dropping new pickups in there...

 

 

RE: The Squiers. Some of them are really great guitars and loved in thier own right. As with many instruments nowadays, things made in Korea and China are really catching up. There is a large group of people who love Squiers...while I'm not totally obsessed with them I do think they are amazing guitars for the money...check out my thread: http://acapella.harmony-central.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=681025

 

In other news...Fear My Potato is becoming my new favourite guy on HC. Why is everyone trying to sway me to buy an emulator for THOUSANDS more than I might invest in this Hammond. Even if I get a Leslie I still could remain below the 1000 mark. That's not too bad.

 

I've said that I have my Yamah P-200 and it's ok for Hammond and Rhodes sounds on the road. I'd never consider bringing either out unless I had serious professional help.

 

Also, are we Hunter fans here? The "Selah" is a dead givaway.

 

Hunter would buy a real Hammond and put a bullet in an emulator.

 

Please check out this site that I've discovered...http://www.moogyboy.com/music/hammond/hamspin.html

 

It's all about Hammond Spinets...

 

 

ezt

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Damn right I love HST. I think "selah" is a great way to end a paragraph, I don't know why I never noticed in the Bible though :confused:

 

Don't get me wrong I like emulators, I'd have one if I had the money but if you're doing studio work and you have a limited budget and the real deal is cheaper, I don't get why you'd look at anything else...

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Just wanted to give you guys an update on things...

 

After talking with you, the Hammond Zone, and checking things on eBay, I would really be nuts to pay more than $100.00 for an M-series Hammond. Even if it's in really good shape.

 

So, that's what I offered the guy. He said (naturally) it's lower than what he was looking for and he's not in a rush to sell it anyway.

 

I said, "keep me in mind when you want to get rid of the sucker."

 

IN the meantime I've been scouring my paper and eBay looking for the Hammond that will inevitably pop up and be appropriate for me.

 

Thanks for all the help and info and if anything happens I 'll let you guys know.!

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Ok boys...

 

So, I checked out the Hammond today. Everything seems to work fine...it started up smoothly, all the drawbars seem to work on all keys, the pedals work, the vibrato, spring reverbs work and all the sounds appear to be fine.

 

I had a little trouble hearing the differences between the percussion setting, but I might not have been listening for the right things or had other prerequisite settings going on.

 

How can I really test out that percussion?

 

So, I gave him $60.00 to hold it with the understanding I would give him another $60.00 when I pick it up.

 

What do I need to do to ensure I move it pretty safely? I'm going to get like three buddies and put it in my Jeep Cherokee Sport (the boxy kind).

 

Any advice re: percussion and moving would be greatly appreciated!

 

Thanks,

 

ezt

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To test the percussion, push in all the drawbars on the upper manual, then push whatever percussion tab you want to check out and play. Also check the decay and soft tabs to make sure they work.

 

It's not a problem to lay it on its back for a short period to transport, but I wouldn't want to do that all the time. Standing up in a truck is better.

 

Good luck!

Dan

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Hey...just wanted you guys to know that i've hauled the beast up here in my living room and it's doing great.

 

Thanks so much for all of your opinions and help and guidance. I am really happy with my purchase and (for $120) I have no buyers remorse.

 

Now...to find the perfect Leslie!

 

Will this madness never end?

 

ezt

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Hey, here in Germany there's an M3 on offer and it looks kind of sweet. I already have a Nord so it's an utterly unnecessary and impractical buy...but it looks so cute! Does anybody have a clue about "european prices"?

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Originally posted by dan88z

The M100 series can use the 145/147 leslie. These are readily available and while not cheap, you can still find a good one in the $600 range. Once you have one you can use it for any other organ emulator you want so it's not a bad investment if you are into having authentic gear.


When I said B4 is not a Hammond, that's exactly what I meant. There is something to be said about the whirr of a motor, the smell of tubes burning, the feel of the keys, how the drawbars move that creates the Hammond experience. You don't get that with a computer program. It's like driving a vintage car- not something you will use every day but it's a lot of fun to have.


I'm not a purist in any way. I play an electro thru a leslie for my live rig. That said, if I had the means to haul a real hammond around, I would, because the playing experience is so much fun. A clone can fill the bill without a problem but unless you have spent many hours on the original units that the clones emulate (hammonds, rhodes pianos, clavs, etc) you really can't compare. It's easy for someone who has spent little or no time on a hammond to say that their B4 clone sounds just like a B3, but they really don't know. I'm not saying thats the case with the participants here, but in general, you get the feeling that most people have rarely played a hammond and really can't make a good comparision.

 

 

Good post.

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Originally posted by fuzzy4dice

Hey...just wanted you guys to know that i've hauled the beast up here in my living room and it's doing great.


Thanks so much for all of your opinions and help and guidance. I am really happy with my purchase and (for $120) I have no buyers remorse.


Now...to find the perfect Leslie!


Will this madness never end?


ezt

 

Congrats! I'm jealous, I'm at an organ shortage myself these days. And holy shit reading back over this thread....damn did it get heated, or at least I did :o

 

:D

 

What can I say I love the spinet sound as much as the consoles. I might be fixing up a spinet relatively soon though...assuming the owner (my guitarist) won't be a dick about it. All it needs is an output and some oil.

 

Oh, DON'T FORGET TO OIL THE TONEWHEEL GENERATOR!

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Yup, I started it a while back. I'm happy to say the organ is doing great, and I'm about due for it's second annual oiling!

 

It sounds terriffic! I don't play it as much as I ought to, but when I do it it a lot of fun. I never did get that Leslie or Motion Sound, but I've been getting ready to plunk some cash down on either the Line-6 rotary pedal, or the Boss pedal. They both look like they'd do a great job, and I'll run it through a tube amp. I think I'll get pretty dern close.

 

Not saying it will be the same, but it will be a lot cheaper and space-saving.

 

I have a 1/4" out on the Hammond, so I can just put it through one of my guitar amps.

 

Anyway, if anyone has any questions about it, I'd be happy to take 'em!

 

Here is is recently, it's happy!:

 

DSCF2330.jpg

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Hi,

I have a M-103. It play fine. But, when when pull down either one of the Reverb tabs, I get a very loud 60 cycle hum. Volume does not have any affect. Tubes in my A0-44 or a capacitor?

Any ideas?

If not, I will start with replacing the tubes. My aunt owned this organ, bought in 67 looks like. She died, I brought it home in 2001. The hum just started one day on its own.

tks

Chuck in Oklahoma

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