Types of Electric Organs

Jim Garten wrote: Seyo wrote: Jim, is it Hammond spinet that Caravan used on the album "In the Land of Grey and Pink" Almost certainly, Seyo - 'Nine Feet Underground' is a great example of a non-Leslied organ being played with distortion and wah-wah effect... Unless it's being played through a Dallas Arbiter fuzz pedal.... Or both...

Thanks.

A very similar sound (at least to my non-musician ears) can be heard in Traffic's "Low Spark of High Heeled Boys album title track, as well as in many Camel records. I guess that's it.

Jim Garten wrote: Now that's interesting - I have the original Hammond warranty (but not the receipt, so I don't know how mucgh was paid) from when my little beastie was purchased from new in Exeter, Devon on 9th December 1971 (which was coincidentally my wife's 4th birthday), and given their popularity at that time, it's difficult to believe a brand new Hammond gathered dust in a shop for seven years before being bought. Are you sure Mark Vail wasn't referring to the original L100 as opposed to the L series as a whole?

I think he is referring to the whole L series because he spoke about the other different cabinets like the L111 and L122 in the same article and he doesn't talk about other L models.If you talk about the Porta L,it's completely another kind of organ and had nothing to do with the original L100 serie,the Porta L is not a tonewheel organ.Don't forget that Hammond was a very special company and they doesn't take back an organ that a dealer doesn't sold.So it not impossible that your organ was in the store for a couple of years before the first owner brought it.I clearly remember when I began to became interested in Hammond organ at the age of 7,I was going to the Hammond dealer near my home and they still have older models like L100,M100 and A100 new and on sale several years after the model was discontinued. Don't forget that the ordinary Hammond consumer of the time want the latest model (even if it's doesn't have tonewheels) and as the years passed, they get stuck with a lot of unsold organs. My grand uncle had the same brought pattern as the first owner of your organ as he said to me some years ago before his passing that he brought his Hammond L102 new with Leslie 147 in the fall of 1970.Unfortunately, he sold it 12 or 13 years later to buy a newer,transistorized models with an internal Leslie(what a shame...).

To concluded,in the book Mark Vail said that the T100 serie, wich was the remplacement of the L100 serie began production in March 1968.So, the production of the L100 maybe goes further than July 1964 as Mr.Vail suggest but was certainly discontinued in March 1968 when the T100 hit the market.

Jim Garten wrote: Good heavens! I may just have to look into this a bit further - I thought my L was in pretty good nick for a 35 year old - now it looks to be about the same age as me (but in considerably better condition, regrettably). As an aside, I never much cared for the T series, as they were transistorised, rather than valve driven - there's nothing quite so soothing as the smell of a warm valve when you're playing with your organ. Also, I found their sound to be a tad harsher than the valve driven organs.

The book "the Beauty in the B" is a useful book to anyone who had an interest in Hammond organs.The only dowside of it, Vail concentrate mostly on console organs like the B3,C3 and A100 but there a chapter where they recapitulate all the tonewheel models including the spinets like the L100,M100 and M3(the one I consulted to tell the date of your organ on a previous post).

As for the T series,they were mainly later date organs and uses transistors but the T100 still use tonewheels.My friend(who was the original keys player in "The Musical Box")had an L100 in the beginning of the project but replace it with a T100 later on and said that it do the job pretty well.

Jim Garten wrote: pierreolivier wrote: the spinets like the L100,M100 and M3 If I had to choose a Hammond I'd love to own apart from a C3, it would be the M3 - absolutely gorgeous instrument, the king of the spinet - no silly presets, just drawbars & proper waterfall keys

I'm completely agree with you.The M3 is the king of the spinet and will like to have one in the future.

Jim Garten wrote: By the way, Pierreolivier - I've just ordered a copy of "Beauty In The B"; sounds like the perfect book for an old saddo Hammond anorak like myself...

Yes sir!,that's a beautiful book.You won't be dissapointed.

A few years ago I wrote a review in a Dutch progrock magazine about the aforementioned Hammond book by Mark Vail, it's recommended to every Hammond aficionado!

MARK VAIL – THE  HAMMOND ORGAN (Beauty in the B)

(Miller Freeman, 1997, US $ 24,95, ISBN 0-87930-459-6)

There has always been a strong relationship between progressive rock and the Hammond organ: this powerful and varied instrument fits perfectly to the alternating and dynamic music that good progressive rock features, from Colosseum, The Nice and ELP to Spock’s Beard, Ars Nova or very recently Niacin. This book (240 pages) is presented by the known magazine Keyboard with a foreword by their editorial director Dominic Milano. It’s layered with photos from all kinds of Hammond organs (from the legendary B3 to Model A and C, Grand 100, the ‘spinets’  L and M and the colossal X-77) and some exciting pictures from Keith Emerson and other ‘Hammond aficionados’ like Tom Coster and  Rod Argent. Chapter 7 contains tips from famous players like Jimmy McGriff, Keith Emerson and Paul Shaffer, popular B-3 drawbar configurations like the ‘ELP - and Argent sound’ and the  “Green onions” groove and known Hammond licks. Some chapters are a bit technical for the average ‘proghead’ (buying and maintaining, vital statistics and details about all the known Hammond organs) but most chapters are at least interesting like the story about the inventor Laurens Hammond. He started with clocks, an automatic bridge table and a 3-D viewer and then invented the tone wheel mechanism of the Hammond organ! Of course this book contain a chapter about the Leslie speaker, the ideal combination with a Hammond organ. Also included is a comprehensive list of adresses (also E-mail and Internet), a Hammondology (instruction video’s and sampling CD’s) and a glossary (from the words “envelope” and “spinet” to “vibrato”). Reading this book was fun and excitement for me because it’s written fluent with lots of fine details and it’s not too technical, typcial Hammond sounds like ‘drawbars’ and the ‘key-click’ are explained very clearly. So I would like to recommend The Hammond Organ to all ‘progheads’ who wants to know more about the instrument that sounds so well and distinctive on ‘classic recordings’ like “A whiter shade of pale” from Procol Harum,  “Child in time” from Deep Purple, “Pictures at an exhibition” from ELP, “Tomorrow night” from Atomic Rooster or “Close to the edge” from Yes.

Jim Garten wrote: Geck0 wrote: Here are some screen shots of Hugh Banton playing with VdGG in Belgium in 1975: Oooohhh - that E112 is a beast! ++drool++

yes, but those pictures are not from the 75 Godbluff concert , but from the 71 TV special on the same DVD, I think

= Electric organs?

Aw... have a heart!

There ya go, Jimminy!

Dig the beat!