From harney2000@gmx.de Tue May 03 08:45:15 2005
Subject:RE: Real Hammond Deals--was video recommendations

It appears to be much more difficult to find a nice, or even a Hammond at all, outside the US, e.g. Europe

Every now and then, nice once show up in the papers or on eBay, but that.s rare. Often, especially for the ones on eBay, it.s difficult to go see and play the organs beforehand. Is there any good way to find out if they are real B3 (is the metal plate with serial number enough already?) and are there any definate sign why you shouldn.t buy the organ or questions to definately ask the seller?

Does anybody know of a good source of buying a B3 for a reasonably prized B3 from a trusted source in Europe? I have seen offers for 13-15000€ with Leslie, but then it seems much cheaper to get one in the USA and ship it to Europe... (Might be a business opoprtunity;-) Would you buy a B3 on eBay without prior playing?

Any recommendation highly appreciated.

Cheers,
Harold

-----Original Message-----
From: CloneWheel@yahoogroups.com [mailto:CloneWheel@yahoogroups.com] On Behalf Of Dave Bishop
Sent: Donnerstag, 28. April 2005 02:26
To: CloneWheel@yahoogroups.com
Subject: Re: [CWSG] Real Hammond Deals--was video recommendations

I watch eBay, craigslist and the theatre organs website, but the deals come from the local papers (estate sales and want ads), pennysavers, trolling the internet and word of mouth. I have called the local estate and auction sellers, and arranged to have them alert me to any Hammonds they come across. Often sellers have no idea what they have, so one has to interpret their ads creatively, make phone contact, and ask the right questions.

There seem to be four types of deals: sellers who don't know the value of what they have, organs in the boondocks, models that are out of fashion, and repairables. There are few of number one, more of number two, and lots of number three, and number four can bite you in the backside. So my main source is number two. I use a full-size van, but you can rent a pickup one-way for very little money if you have gas and time. My average drive is around 175 miles one-way. My last aquisition, I stopped at the nearest gas station and gave $15 each to two guys loafing around, to help me load up. I always ask if the price is negotiable before I drive, I pay in $20 bills, and I am earnest and friendly.

I walk away from a fair number of organs that sounded OK, but were junk in reality. Even if you don't value your time, there are some older organs that cost real money to bring back to life, and then they are no longer deals, but rather boat anchors. Usually if the case is beat, the keyboards are, too. All Hammond players need to understand how their organ works, so plan to learn how to maintain it yourself, based on the extensive info available on the lists. Then owning a repairable Hammond becomes much more satisfying.

I think the motherlode would be to purchase a defunct local dealer's Hammond customer list, because it would be a roadmap to where the organs are (or were). A lot of homeowners in their 80's are thinking of moving and just want a good home for that Hammond they haven't turned on for a decade. A second class is rockers from the late 70's who thought they were going to get back to their organ sometime, and are now facing reality. A third class is churches who were given an unwanted organ in a Will, or who stored their original organ when they upgraded, and now want the space back.

One place to get a summary of the Hammond lines' features is:

http://theatreorgans.com/hammond/faq/all_hammonds.html

Another is Mark Vail's book Beauty and the B.

The best B-3 is an A-100. There are lots in the northern Michigan area in the $800-1,000 price range. Anything in a C-style case is worth much less than a B-style case, even though the sound is the same. My favorite is the BV (I have four right now) because I love their tone. Of course the CV is identical, but it has negligible dollar value.

As far as practice models, the basic console is the BC. They are getting to the age where most need some serious rehabilitation. The "V" series added vibrato/chorus, which I think is pretty much a necessity for gospel/jazz.
The "2" series split the vibrato by manual, and the late models added smooth drawbars, replacing ratchet drawbars. The "3" series added percussion, which can also be added as a $250 upgrade on earlier models. There are lots of other little improvments over the years, but these are the big ones. The more bells and whistles, the more you pay, usually. All of these models amplified through a Hammond cabinet, which either comes with the organ or can be acquired for $0-150. The Hammond cabinets are stationary, but the sound is very good.

The H series Hammonds were an intended upgrade of the C-3 that didn't appeal to the then-current market. Ones serialed under about 15000 are a maintenance chore, but the newer ones hold up pretty well. They have divingboard keys like a lot of synths, plus a lot of gadgets like celeste, harp, extra percussion and extra drawbars. They sound like a good organ, but the tone doesn't break up as well as a true "3" series Hammond does. They can be tweaked to sound more like a B-3, and they sound good through a Leslie. The important thing is that they have everything you need to learn Hammodology except the exact "sound" , and rarely sell for under $300.
There is also a model E-100 series that I know little about but looks like a possible practice organ for little money.

You will likely spend more for a Leslie than for the Hammond, because demand is high since lots of players use two. The deals are in the single speed
Leslies: In fact, the field-coil woofers sound much punchier than the PMs that replaced them. You can upgrade to two speed with a solide state device or by buying two-speed stacked motors. I have seen players buy a Lowrey just for the Leslie that comes with it, and then dumpster the organ itself.
You may not need a pretty Leslie cabinet for a practice organ, which can help the money situation a lot. Stay away from the horn/driverless models, since the magic is in the upper frequencies.

Another advantage of using lesser-loved Hammond consoles for practice is that you can spread the investment over time. You can buy a CV for a pittance, add percussion, switch to smooth drawbars, buy a single speed Leslie, upgrade it, and then buy that second Leslie on a schedule that fits your taste.

Hope that helps.

Regards,

Dave Bishop

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