Any organists out there?

mrfury68

mrfury68

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Being an "old school" rock n' roll guy I have always loved the sound of a Hammond organ in a band. From Booker T & the MGs, The Young Rascals, Deep Purple, Santana, Bruce Springsteen & the E Street Band , Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers plus countless other blues, jazz and Gospel bands the Hammond organ had a distinct sound and feel. Most of the bands used a Hammond B3 through a rotating Leslie speaker. The predecessor to the B3 was the model M3. Built between 1955 through 1964, it was a spinet style organ with a built in amp and speaker, and weighed only 250 pounds compared to the B3's hefty 400 pounds. The drawbars can be set up for countless variations of tones and sounds. It was always a dream of mine to have a Hammond organ along with my Fender bass, my son's 3 Stratocasters and the drum set we have in our basement. This '62 M3 showed up on CL last week and was only six miles from me. The guy was selling it because he was getting a more rare model and had to make room. Everything works and it was obvious it was well cared for. It sounds amazing and still looks great. I bought it for just over $100. My son and I are thrilled and are having a blast learning how to play it. Christmas came a few days early for us. Merry Cristmas everyone!
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Great job on picking that up! I'm sure I it'll be a great addition to your band.

My personal favorite artist with these was Greg Allman. But you are right, many others were master's on them. Very distinctive sound.
 
Congrats on your find! Maybe we should start a FCBO band....."Walter P. and the Chryslers"
We need a lead singer and harmony too......

Merry Christmas!
 
Maybe you can learn something from this guy……..Henri Herbert!
 
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Not a fan of the Hammond. Regardless of their use in rock-n-roll, there are so many better electronic organs out there.

We had an Allen here in Aldersgate Church. It was sitting idle and useless so we tried to sell it, even tried to give it away to any who would come and pick it up. No takers! Ended up in the local dump. A real waste! It had two full manuals and a full pedalboard. However, that's the future of the organ in churches I fear.
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Grandma had an Organ in her house similar to the first post. All of the grand kids would try it out time to time. (Around 18 at any given time) We would mess with all the buttons to change the sounds. We also would find the reverb button and a low key to make everything vibrate in the house.
 
I knew there was a joke in this somewhere.....

" what's better than Roses on a piano??
Tulips on my organ!"
Bada bum.....
 
Nice purchase. Being a pro musician myself, I know some outstanding organists out there who would turn green with envy knowing your good deal.

Check out Joey DeFrancesco some time...
 
I watched Keith Emerson play two B3's at one time with Emerson, Lake and Palmer in Detroit. Standing on the keyboard of one while leaning over the other and playing with his hands on the other... those guys rocked!!!!
 
this one I have has nice organ features...B3, Vox, Farfisa, etc...usually pull it out in the Winter season. Bugs my wifey. Headphones necessary.:lol:
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I grew up on roller skates to the sound of a Hammond organ, usually recorded, but at regional/national championships (where I competed) one was often played live! Literally the soundtrack of my youth, I still play one in several DC area bands. On stage I have a Hammond XB-2 (digital) with Wurlitzer electric piano (photos attached). In the past I used a Vox Continental, which the XB-2 enable me to FINALLY retire for studio use. Digitals Hammonds are more portable, but a less rich sound, the tone wheel sound is pretty tough to replicate.

Those Nords are nice as well. Not sure if it's good or bad, but at times my playing sounds like skating music, hard to escape that I guess.....

At home though, I use an A-100, which is the "Living Room" version of the B-3 with built-in speakers and reverb. DJ's often quote "Hammond B-3" when they don't know anything about them, or what model (there were many) Hammond was used a the recording; and it was often something besides the B-3. Similar to those who call Imperials "Chrysler Imperials." Booker T's "Green Onions" was originally recorded on an L-100 spinet organ. You definitely want to hold onto that M-3, they have a great sound, and "cut through" the mix of a band well, too. Have fun with the pedals!

It takes some wiring finesse, but they sound GREAT run through a Leslie.

Nice (and not surprising at all) to a couple other organ players on here. The instructionals are nice, but one does NOT play the organ like the piano, they both have keyboards, but are in different classes of instruments. I have been told you can't call yourself an organist unless you actually play the pedal board; which truly separates "the men from the boys."

Keep playing, guys!

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Two of you disagreed with my post:

"Not a fan of the Hammond. Regardless of their use in rock-n-roll, there are so many better electronic organs out there.

We had an Allen here in Aldersgate Church. It was sitting idle and useless so we tried to sell it, even tried to give it away to any who would come and pick it up. No takers! Ended up in the local dump. A real waste! It had two full manuals and a full pedalboard. However, that's the future of the organ in churches I fear."

I am curious what it is you disagree with, that there are better organs or that the organ is dying in churches today?
 
I wasn't one of the ones who disagreed with you Snotty, it's your opinion and that's cool. Hammond organs were the workhorse of the recording and live performances of several genres of music. From rock, blues, jazz, Gospel & contemporary Christian worship the Hammond organ through a Leslie speaker was the distintive sound everyone was looking for. No other make of organ could replicate that sound. My M3 has a self contained 12 inch speaker. While I can get great tones with the drawbars and vibrato and chorus switches, it still does not have that same sound as it would going through a Leslie. Sadly, the organ from your church has suffered the same fate as a lot of other large organs. No one wants them. They are too big and heavy. If they need repair, there are not a lot of people who do that anymore. There is also not as many kids leaning how to play an organ. Digital keyboards have pretty much taken over. That is why if one is looking for a vintage organ, there are some deals to be had. It has been pretty cool to see how many of us share similar interests other than our beloved cars.
 
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