Hammond organs

[franksdad]

My profile picture is of my 1975 Hammond organ. I found the picture on Google. I'm not good at posting pictures or anything. Anyway, I picked up the Hammond at a thrift store for $300.00 in 2001. It did not have a bench but my wife found me one in 2003. I have enjoyed playing this Hammond and it has given me great service. It was in a local Episcopal church I was told. I love Hammond organs and one day hope to own a late 60's B3 with Leslie speakers. Does anyone else here like Hammond organs?

 

[JohnTIZ]

late '30s Model D, a "Northern Hammond" (Canadian made in Belleville)
late '40s Model RT-2
mid '60s L-100
And a couple Leslies.
No B-3.
Yet.

 

[washernoob]

Nice hammond!

I used to have a 1947 model CV with the huge dr 20 tone cabinet. What a great little organ. At the time I needed something with more pedals and traded it in for a 1968 Rodgers AGO full sized organ.

Miss the sweet sounds of it!

 

[JohnTIZ]

DR-20 had the rotating drum in the V cut at the top, right?

I have a D-20 with Canadian amp... it came with the Model D.

 

[washernoob]

Sorry, I couldn't answer that.

At the time I didn't know much on old electronics. I never opened up the Dr20. The top of the cabinet had a grill with 2 speakers behind it.

A spring reverb unit ran the channel of the speaker (if you bumped the cabinet you could hear the springs bouncing around)

An amp was near the bottom, and if I recall correctly there was a little dial that you could turn to adjust the overall volume

I kept the dr20 turned almost completely down, and never used the expression on the organ because the thing was so gosh darned loooud! lol. Earth shaking 16's.

Personally I like the sound of the models A, Concert E (MY DREAM ORGAN!!!!), b, and cv series a little more than the later hammonds. They seemed to get kinda punchy and edgy sounding (not with the percussions on) The early hammonds were sweet and more resonant sounding to me.

 

[washernoob]

Oh I misread your question... The DR20 had no rotating drum. Just 2 cone speakers stationary, pointing up.

Hey look! I just realized you can see my old 1951 Kay bass in the picture! Haven't seen pictures of that bass since I got rid of it.

 

[JohnTIZ]

Yup, the older Hammonds did not have foldback... they had true window shaking 35 hz low 'a' bass.

 

[norgeway]

Nothing!!

Compares with a Hammond!!!

 

[kimball455]

Hammond C3

Way back when I was in elementary school I learned to play the Hammond C3 in church. Today I get to play the worlds largest pipe organ, the 33,112 pipe Midmer Losh in Boardwalk Hall Atlantic City (600HP of blower power if all working) and the second largest original theatre organ, the 4/55 Kimball in the Ballroom (33HP of blower power) at Boardwalk Hall. But .... we have a Hammond X77 in the organ shop awaiting restoration. It was left on the curb and needs power supply work. One of our volunteers saw it, put it in his truck and we now have it a Boardwalk Hall. It will be restored and will be part of an eventual museum in the building.

 

[washernoob]

WOW!

What a curb find indeed! Never found any nice old vacuums on the curb....

Let alone a HAMMOND X77! Do share pictures!

Thanks!

 

[spookiness]

I want to learn to play!

I've been thinking for a long time of learning to play keyboards and I have a strange attraction to cheesy Lowreys with the canned rhythms and stuff. I just want to be able to play renditions of pop songs and fun stuff like that at parties. Lady Gaga anyone?

I have seen a few pop up on CL and such, and I should be able to eventually snag one when the time is right and I have time to deal with moving one.

 

[franksdad]

Lowrey organs

Lowrey organs have been showing up at thrift stores around here lately.

 

[franksdad]

Rodgers organs

Hey Brandon,
My last music teacher had a Rodgers AGO organ. I loved that organ also. Sometimes when I would hit that low C pedal the windows in her studio would vibrate! I've played Hammond B and C models at different churches. My first music teacher used a Baldwin organ. I am currently playing a Baldwin theater organ at my church. It is okay but I feel it is "too nasley." At once church I played a Wirlitzer theater organ. No matter how I would set it up it always sounded like a caliopy! I kept waiting for the clowns and elephants to march down the aisle! I've never played a Conn. I don't know of any Conn dealers around here. If fact, with the passing of time hardly anyone in the upstate sells organs any more. Every music dealer around here has gone strictly keyboard. Jim

 

[countryguy]

All current makers of organs (not just Lowrey) that are marketed for the non professional home player have built in rhythms, easy play features, etc. - Hammond, Wersi, Bohm, Roland, Orla, etc.  I just started playing about 7 years ago.  I am on my 4th Lowrey now   I bought them all used (for a fraction of the original cost) on Ebay.

 

Gary 

 

[spookiness]

Gary,
I know most have the rhythms. If I saw the right deal at the right moment, I might go for another make, but there's something about the cheesy attraction of a Lowrey that I like! They're the organs that drew a crowd and were played outside the stores in the mall of my youth. Plus, some of them cost tens of thousands of dollars, yet today you can get one for virtually free after their owners die off.
I like the fact that serious organ people really disdain them. Therefore, if I'm going to learn to play Lady Gaga, pop-song & disco covers, show toons, and Copacabana, it absolutley MUST be on a Lowrey!

 

[countryguy]

If you like Copacabana then here is a version played on a Lowrey

 

Gary

 

[franksdad]

Man, that was great Gary. The lady in the video beolw, of course, is not me, but being raised an SB (Southern Baptist) this is the style of Southern Gospel music my first teacher taught me how to play and I love playing for fun and church. My second teacher taught me how to read music and some theory but eventually told me I would always be a Southern Gospel organist and I should just go with it! Jim

 

[spookiness]

Copacabana

Oh yes I've seen that one! I have wasted WAY too much time watching people play organs on youtube.

 

[norgeway]

Jen Flowers!

I have listened to ALL her stuff, look up David Davis, he used to play for the AA Allen tent revivals and boy can he make that thing talk, also look up Nancy Harmon at Calvary Temple in Kansas City 1961....This Little Light of Mine, The organ solo is something else!! Love me some Gospel Hammond and old Red Book singing!!

 

[joelippard]

Red Books

That just knocked a little dust off my brain and I remember the old red hymnals from the Balls Creek Campmeeting that we used to go to in my early years.  Hans did you ever get to go there since you grew up around this area?

 

[countryguy]

Spookiness,

 

If you enjoy doing something then it isn't a waste of time

 

Gary

 

[whirlcool]

AAGGHHH!! Drum machines!

The later ones are better, but the ones that they came out with in the 60's that just do the same beat over and over again drive me nuts.

After watching these videos it appears that organs too have become synthesizers as well, but do they have thunderstorms, car horns and marimbas in them too?

 

[countryguy]

Whirlcool,

 

Yes the Lowreys do have all of those sounds that you mentioned and a whole many more - over 450 different sounds & voices in the current models.

 

Gary

 

[macboy91si]

Hammond

Just to chime in, I miss my M-3 dearly. Sold it to a church here a few years ago. I have a PiperChord L with the beat-box and tape deck I'm getting ready to trash in my storage if anyone wants it or parts, it did work, but a short somewhere killed every 4th note intermittently. A good way to learn to play things in a different key It's a solid state organ from the early 70's.

 

-Tim

 

[kimball455]

The X77 at Boardwalk Hall

Did a Boardwalk Hall tour yesterday. As requested, here's a picture of the X77 in the organ shop waiting for restoration. Also, the road crew is in doing setup for Lady Gaga's tour open this weekend. Lots of activity in the building this week for that show.

Harry

 

[washernoob]

Awesome picture! Thanks for sharing!!

Are those M-L bits and pieces in the background?

 

[franksdad]

Red Books - Church Hymnal

I love those red books also! My first organ/music teacher was a Church of God organist who I swear was born on the organ bench! She always told me not to pay attention to all those dots and squiggles...just play what I felt! My second teacher was a music teacher at a local Bible College. When I inadvertently tried to gospelize Beethoven she told me I was a gospel organist and that is what I should do. Thanks for the leads for the lead on David Davis. Love me some Nancy Harmon also! I can feel the spirit moving right now! I love when I'm playing in church and the folks start clapping and someone yells out "Bless Him!" Makes me play that much faster and stronger! Can't wait to get home tonight and tear that Hammond up! Jim )

 

[franksdad]

I'll Fly Away

Here's Jen Flowers playing "I'll Fly Away". I'll never forget, back in 1997 I served as organist for a large funeral in a "fancy" funeral home in nearby town for a 90+ year old "Saint of God". Her life long request was as they were rolling the casket out that "I'll Fly Away" be played as loud and as fast as it could.Her son, a good friend of mine, asked if I would play. I granted her request and apparently everyone at the funeral enjoyed it also. Since then I always think of her whenever I play that song.

 

[norgeway]

WHY DONT!

You post a video of you playing!! I miss real Church music like this!! I HATE the contemporary stuff now, and a keyboard just dont cut it!! Look up the Herman Stevens Singers..Didnt it Rain, its a hoot!!

 

[kimball455]

X77 and the Midmer Losh

Yes, the lumber you see in the background are parts and pieces of the swell relay that was removed during the remodel along with other wood for repair and building replacement components of the ML. The swell relay will be replaced with a solid state relay as will all of the Midmer Losh systems in the future. It's all a case of funding. The plan is to keep the Great relay which is in good share in place for demonstration use, not performance use. There are 4 large relays, Great, Swell, Echo, and Fanfare. Masterpieces of 1929 - 1932 technology but not practical today. The solid state systems would be used for performance. The combination capture system takes two rooms in the basement but was severly damaged in 1944. It is not practical to try to restore that system. Those rooms will be left in place as museum pieces and will remain part of the Hall tour. The tour takes about 3 hours. This picture is the Swell key relay box, some chest work, and shades from one of the swell boxes awaiting repair.
Harry