From keysandguitars@yahoo.com Mon May 18 12:54:58 2009
Subject:Re:OT: Hammond Chops

Thank you to everyone who has posted with their input.First and foremost, I'd really like to have the real deal to play on at home. Taking it to a gig would be cool, but maybe not worth it as Craig points out the cons.

As I've kicked around the idea about the chop, I've also thought that I
could pick up an A-100 that has been gone through by a pro tech for
less than a chop.

I really like the C1, it's nice being able to lift it from the bag to the 2nd tier of my stand without effort. Through the 145, it sounds pretty sweet. I am wondering how much do you miss out on the feel, the action, etc. with a a clone vs. a real hammond. I've only played an A-100 for a few minutes and it didn't work well enough to get a feel for it (black foam disease took over and the thing barely worked.)  Perhaps, I'll take a closer look at picking up an A-100 for use at home and continue to use the C1 to gig.  That would be a win win. I'd have to sell the C1 to buy a chop if they are north of $2,500.

Again thanks for the input to all. Is it worth it to own the real thing. How much maintenance is required assuming I get one that has been gone through my a pro?

Thanks, Brandon

--- On Mon, 5/18/09, Craig MacDonald wrote:

From: Craig MacDonald
Subject: [CWSG] Re:OT: Hammond Chops
To: Clonewheel@yahoogroups.com
Date: Monday, May 18, 2009, 12:08 PM





Brandon,

I gigged with a chop and let me tell you to NOT BOTHER, DON'T EVEN THINK ABOUT A CHOP.. from my experience chops can be harder to move around than a real B3 with dollies (the smaller handles make them much harder to lift)... even the best hammond chops are still heavy as hell cumbersome to move around.

I purchased an A100 and transplanted it into a chop cabinet that I built myself (same exact dimensions as the top of a B3 cabinet). The A100 cost me $1000 and the cabinet cost me about $600 to build.. The transplant took a weekend. If you're reasonably handy and have basic knowledge of electro-mechanical stuff you can do the transplant yourself and save a lot of money. That said, I quickly got fed up moving my chop around and transplanted the A100 guts into an older B style cabinet that now sits in my living room.

I use a 33 pound Nord C1 now.. and love it.. I have been a real hammond player for many years, and from my perspective, the difference in sound between a good clone and a real Hammond is NOT worth the hassle of moving a real hammond... certainly not to play in the small clubs that I generally play in. The only exception I would make is for a special gig where I want the look of a real B3... then maybe I'd pull out the real thing..

As Tony mentioned the Hammond Store makes a good chop (I've seen and heard them)... Speakeasy Vintage Music also makes chops (but I have never heard one).. but you're likely to be paying $2500 to $4000 for most of the 2 manual hammond chops. I wouldn't even bother with a single manual hammond clone.. I don't see the point of chosing a single manual hammond chop over a good clone.

Again I would strongly recommend against a chop.. but that's just my opinion.

Craig

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