From den121961@yahoo.com Thu Jan 24 08:52:38 2013
Subject:Re: OT: need info to see if this is worth it

I was going to keep quiet about this, but I'm gonna state my opinion anyway. I have a studio with an M3, a CV and an L100 hammond organ in it. I also own a Korg CX3 which I've been using for a long time, and now I just got a hammond SK1. There's nothing like the sound and feel of a real hammond. I get to play everyone's clone rig because the hammond community is pretty tight around here, I've been on everything except the mojo. But when I get behind the real thing there's still something about it. But honestly, that difference is getting smaller and smaller. And I'm a really fussy organ guy who hates playing acoustic piano, would rather play a wurly or rhodes any day over an acoustic piano. But organ is definitely my thing.
If you're not an organist and just like to dabble, I think you need to realize a few things about a real hammond. THey are going to take a bit of maintenance. Sometimes it's little stuff. SOmetimes it's big stuff. The parts are still readily available, and easier to get than the power transformer was for my 80's roland JX8P. But organ techs are getting rarer, and they get a good fee to come out. I don't begrudge them that at all, because it's not easy work and you have to do it on location for the most part. This month I had a run motor go in my CV, my hands are still all boogered up from pulling that out and putting a new one in. WHile pulling it I noticed the threads that oil the motor, and the vibrato scanner were decomposed, which added quite a bit of work to it. I had maybe two days labor in it because I do fix my own, but I don't see how a hammond tech could have done it in an hour or two. I told my wife it's good I have some electronics background, if I had to pay someone I'd be broke. I also had a cap blow up on a leslie, and had a good two days getting that back up and running. I'm not an electrical engineer, but I do have a pretty good knowledge of tube amps, if you don't understand that stuff you're going to be paying to have stuff fixed. But the fact remains this stuff is old, caps and motors, and even the oiling system doesn't last forever, so there will be problems.
Now, I have an old analog CX3, and a new digital one. THe chips went in the analog one, and after tracking replacements down it turned out to be an hour job to figure out how to open the thing up and pop new ones in. I also replaced some switch buttons on it while it was open, and that's been the extent of the maintanance on that. THe digital korg has to have the top pulled off every 6 months (a few screws) and have the connectors reseated, a known maintanance problem with the Korgs. It takes 10 minutes if I take my time, and I did it between sets once on the road. I don't think many other clones have that kind of problem.
I still have three hammonds in the studio, and still love them so I'd be a hypocrite to tell you not to get this. I love the things. I have to fight myself to not buy every one that comes up. I also have 4 clones now so I got issues, LOL. SO weigh out very carefully the fact that you're going to need to do some of this stuff yourself unless you're made of money. And weigh out the fact that just because it works when you buy it doesn't mean it'll always work. You can't check for everything that can go wrong, and if you did know you'd find that all hammonds are going to have things go sooner or later. IF you're a fix it yourself guy you'll have an instrument that can be fixed compared to a clone that'll need an expensive motherboard or something when it goes, and maybe will be obsolete then anyway. Hammonds don't get obsolete because they are the standard which all our clones are judged against.
Like I said I was going to keep quiet, but thought it needed to be said what you're getting yourself into. The payoff is huge in my opinion but in ten years, maybe not? We're really getting closewith these clones. Hope this helps with your decision.