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Flying Dutchman 
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 Topic: Types of Electric Organs
Posted: March 14 2006 at 17:35 |
I know the Hammond B3 is the one used by Ken Hensely in Heep's classic days. But what is the "clicky" organ Emerson uses? Hammond C3 maybe? Also, what is the one that Banks uses that sounds kind of like a flute (on Can-Utility, Dancing with the Moonlit Knight)? Thanks in advance.
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pierreolivier
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Posted: March 14 2006 at 20:12 |
Hi,
All 3 used Hammond organs.A B3 and a C3 is essentially the same type of organ.The only difference between the two models are the different cabinet but electronically, they are the same organ. The "click" sound you heard on Emerson C3 is because he plays it with percussion engaged.Emerson also had an L-100, wich he stab with knives and jumped around.
As for Tony Banks, he used spinet organs,the L-100 model in the early days and since "The lamb lies down..." he used the T-100 wich is an update model of the L-100.The spinet organs sound not as big and dirty as the B3 or C3 console models but they sound mellower and softer.Personnally, I like the spinet models more than the big consoles like the B3 and C3 and I own a L-100 since a couple of years and like it very much.With a leslie cabinet, they sound very good, like in Genesis records.
Hope that it answers your questions.
Edited by pierreolivier
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erik neuteboom
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Posted: March 15 2006 at 06:33 |
That 'clicky' sound is part of the tone-wheel (not an electric organ) Hammond organ and named 'key-click', it has to do with pushing a key and then making an electric contact. In fact it was a 'factory failure' but soon it turned into one ot the specific Hammond 'side-sounds' like distortion and leakage.
Thijs Van Leer about the Hammond L100: "this was my main keyboard, it has a wonderful mid-dominion, very suitable for arrangements.
Rick v/d Linden: "the Hammond organ is the king of the keyboards, the B3 is superior to the other Hammonds but nonetheless the L and M spinets are impressive!"
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Sean Trane
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Posted: March 15 2006 at 07:07 |
Another type of organ widely used was the Farsifa (used by Manzarek, Banton and a few more)
There was a cheap orange plastic organs usedby garage bands in the 60's called the Vox Continental
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Jim Garten
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Posted: March 15 2006 at 07:48 |
 pierreolivier wrote:
I own a L-100 since a couple of years and like it very much.With a leslie cabinet, they sound very good, like in Genesis records |
I've an L122 myself (played through a Leslie 145) and they're wonderful instruments (considerably lighter/smaller/cheaper than the full console B3/C3s) - the only thing I'd take issue with is that unlike many players, I don't believe Tony Banks ever used a Leslie cabinet - I think his was adapted for use with a 1/4 inch jack plug to a standard amplifier.
David Sinclair (Caravan) and David Stewart (Hatfield & The North, Hillage) were others who used a Hammond spinet through a standard amp, but they took advantage of this arrangement to use a great deal of guitar effects pedals, most notably wah-wah & distortion/overdrive - this in turn gives a particularly individual sound to the Hammond - almost unrecogniseable from the 'usual' sound, but still wonderful.
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Jon Lord 1941 - 2012
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erik neuteboom
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Posted: March 15 2006 at 08:02 |
I love the Farfisa Duo Organ sound by Rick Wright on Pink Floyd At Pompeii, more soaring and spacey, perfect for Pink Floyd in those days!
The Vox Continental was used by The Animals (on House Of The Rising Sun), Them and Iron Butterfly.
Ray Manzarek changed the Vox Continental for a Gibson combo organ, on the flat surface he could put a Rhodes Piano Bass.
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A'swepe
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Posted: March 15 2006 at 09:25 |
erik neuteboom wrote:
The Vox Continental was used by The Animals (on House Of The Rising Sun), Them and Iron Butterfly.
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Eric you beat me to it. Doug Ingle of Iron Butterfly used the Vox Continental on In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida.
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pierreolivier
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Posted: March 15 2006 at 15:52 |
Jim Garten wrote:
the only thing I'd take issue with is that unlike many players, I don't believe Tony Banks ever used a Leslie cabinet - I think his was adapted for use with a 1/4 inch jack plug to a standard amplifier.
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Tony Banks surely used a leslie cabinet, just listen to the organ sound of "Fountain of Salmacis" on Nursery Cryme(very leslie sounding) and many others songs.He always be very subtile in his leslie setting and never pushed it to full spin,but the leslie sound is present.My friend used to be the original keyboard player in "The Musical Box" tribute band and always had 2 leslies 147 with him during the shows.Sometimes, even the mellotron was put trought the leslie.
Edited by pierreolivier
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erik neuteboom
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Posted: March 15 2006 at 16:36 |
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In the book Genesis The Evolution Of A Rock Band Tony Banks tells that he bought an organ (Hammond L-100) and a home-made Leslie end 1969.
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Jim Garten
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Posted: March 16 2006 at 03:42 |
Hmmm - I sit corrected (damn this truss)  ; you get so used to hearing the fast doppler effect created by the treble horns on fast setting used for emphasis, you assume a Leslie isn't present when a player doesn't use the setting... Unless Banks was using one of the smaller Leslie 110s which had the fast/slow on the bass speaker, but no treble horns (which would explain pierreoliver's 'Salmacis' reference, above) - also, the T500 Banks used later on had a built in Leslie rotating bass speaker, so he wouldn't necessarily need an additional cabinet...
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Jon Lord 1941 - 2012
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Seyo
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Posted: March 16 2006 at 04:19 |
Jim Garten wrote:
pierreolivier wrote:
I own a L-100 since a couple of years and like it very much.With a leslie cabinet, they sound very good, like in Genesis records |
I've an L122 myself (played through a Leslie 145) and they're wonderful instruments (considerably lighter/smaller/cheaper than the full console B3/C3s) - the only thing I'd take issue with is that unlike many players, I don't believe Tony Banks ever used a Leslie cabinet - I think his was adapted for use with a 1/4 inch jack plug to a standard amplifier.
David Sinclair (Caravan) and David Stewart (Hatfield & The North, Hillage) were others who used a Hammond spinet through a standard amp, but they took advantage of this arrangement to use a great deal of guitar effects pedals, most notably wah-wah & distortion/overdrive - this in turn gives a particularly individual sound to the Hammond - almost unrecogniseable from the 'usual' sound, but still wonderful. |
Jim, is it Hammond spinet that Caravan used on the album "In the Land of Grey and Pink"?
Was it the same instrument used also by Steve Winwood on Traffic's "Low Sparks of High Heeled Boys" title track?
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oliverstoned
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Posted: March 16 2006 at 04:38 |
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Very interesting.
That would be nice to post pics to illustrate the different organ kinds/models.
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Jim Garten
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Posted: March 16 2006 at 07:56 |
OK then - my very own 1971 Hammond L122 with Leslie 145
Its far bigger (and more expensive) brother, the glorious Hammond B3
...here being (ab)used by Ken Hensley:
Finally (for now) - the weird, wonderful & gloriously cheesy sounding Vox Continental:
Enjoy...
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Jon Lord 1941 - 2012
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Jim Garten
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Posted: March 16 2006 at 08:05 |
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...
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Jon Lord 1941 - 2012
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erik neuteboom
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Posted: March 16 2006 at 12:14 |
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Great pictures!
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Rosescar
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Posted: March 16 2006 at 13:56 |
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On the first picture, that big box on the right is the amp?
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My music!
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pierreolivier
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Posted: March 16 2006 at 14:35 |
Jim Garten wrote:
OK then - my very own 1971 Hammond L122 with Leslie 145
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Hi Jim,
You have a very beautiful organ and a very fine leslie.Just a little rectifier,you say that your organ was made in 1971 but according to the Hammond book "Beauty in the B" by Mark Vail,all the L models were produced between September 1961 and July 1964 so your organ may be older than you think.
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VanderGraafKommandöh
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Posted: March 16 2006 at 19:43 |
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Hugh Banton made his own organs, by converting existing models. I shall list there details in due course (in the next few days). He was also a skilled cabinet maker as well.
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Jim Garten
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Posted: March 17 2006 at 03:07 |
pierreolivier wrote:
You have a very beautiful organ... |
That's a dangerous thing to say to a 'Carry On' films fan...
pierreolivier wrote:
...and a very fine leslie.Just a little rectifier,you say that your organ was made in 1971 but according to the Hammond book "Beauty in the B" by Mark Vail,all the L models were produced between September 1961 and July 1964 so your organ may be older than you think. |
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?
Incidentally, the warranty has expired... cheapskates!
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Jon Lord 1941 - 2012
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Jim Garten
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Posted: March 17 2006 at 03:18 |
Rosescar wrote:
On the first picture, that big box on the right is the amp? |
That's right - the classic combination of a Hammond Organ & a Leslie 145 cabinet; halfway down the cabinet, there's a 15" speaker facing down into a rotating drum, and at the top, the treble drivers face upwards into a pair of rotating horns; speed of rotation (fast/slow) is controlled by a switch you can just about see on the front of the organ on the left (poor picture, sorry), and the whole shebang is driven by a 45 watt valve amplifier - when you floor the swell pedal, this baby can blow the windows out!
As an aside, Laurens Hammond, inventor of the original Hammond organ hated the sound of a Leslie.
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Jon Lord 1941 - 2012
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Types of Electric Organs
