From bruce@ashbysolutions.com Thu Mar 13 06:04:54 2008
Subject:=?ISO-8859-1?Q?Re=3A_=5BCWSG=5D_re_=3A_9_contacts?=

Hi SB5,

>i ,ve played on a new b-3 and the keyboard is remarkable ,
>what i,m wondering is ,is there a way to interface a good
>sound engine with the analoge switching of a vintage
>hammond keyboard ? i figure you could replace the drawbars
> and vib. and perc. switches with new ones that would
> be compatable with modern technology and the preset keys
> could trigger programed presets through midi . and you
> would save quite alot of weight in the process .

It's certainly possible to do so. There are, of course, drawbacks. #1) The keybeds are actually one of the heaviest parts of the B-3! One of the Hamtech members weighed each of the parts while reconditioning his organ a few years back, and I seem to remember 55 lbs. PER MANUAL. #2) The keyboards use manufacturing technologies that are long past. It's not a question of can the results be duplicated. Of course they can. The bigger question is can they be done *economically*. All of the parts of the Hammond B-3 were made using available, reasonably-priced technology. Duplicating the solid, yet lightweight feel of the Hammond keybed would probably require some kind of molded frame, and thus would have to be hard-tooled.

Regards,

-BW
--
Bruce Wahler
AshbySolutions.com™
978.386.7389 voice/fax
bruce@ashbysolutions.com

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