A bit OT...What kind of organ is this?

[sweetbeats]

I know its a Hammond . Its got a Leslie. Its neat-o. Sorry for the poor picture quality...cell phone camera...and sorry for posting off forum topic, but I know there are some organophiles here...

[MadAudio]

Beats me, but does it have lots of shiny lights like the one my friend picked up at auction for $60?

[sweetbeats]

Dunno...I saw it in passing at a meeting venue I was at in another state earlier this week. I was tempted to fire it up in the middle of the meeting, but common sense got the better of me...

$60...man!

That's a lot of lights for $60...

[MadAudio]

Originally Posted by sweetbeats

Dunno...I saw it in passing at a meeting venue I was at in another state earlier this week. I was tempted to fire it up in the middle of the meeting, but common sense got the better of me...

$60...man!

That's a lot of lights for $60...

It actually sounds really good, too!

[jpmorris]

I thought it might have been an X66, but a little googling later, it turns out it's actually an 'Aurora' - late 1970s-era, so it's either transistorised or LSI, rather than being a 'proper' tonewheel organ. That said, from playing with my digital Hammond, I've learned that the bulk of the sound - at least the way I like to hear it - comes from the Leslie more than the tone generation itself.

[dementedchord]

Originally Posted by jpmorris

I've learned that the bulk of the sound - at least the way I like to hear it - comes from the Leslie more than the tone generation itself.

just flat not true... if it were all you would need is a leslie and a Farfisa/vox/baldwin/allen/etc. granted your digital does a good job of emulating the real thing... in fact alot of the samplers do... but there's more to it than a leslie when your dealing with the analog thing... i worked on them for @10 yrs...

[jedblue]

Dead right Demented, my valve powered tonewheel L122 is only a spinet and has no Leslie but that doesn't stop it sounding like a Hammond. It chews up my digital Roland VR760 when it comes to that Hammond thing. Anyway Sweetbeats, the Hammond section of the organ forum at organforum.com will answer you in a flash.

[dementedchord]

SB... on the one hand if it makes sound it's cool for something... but the real deal can be easily identified as it has 2 switches to turn it on... one is springloaded and it's for the start motor... then when it's spinning abit you throw the second switch and release the start... so if it's got 2 switches it's the real deal...

[avieth]

You should have checked the back of it. There was probably a gold plate with the serial no. and model no. My Hammond VS-300 has one.

[jedblue]

The two pictures are different, the top one has drawbars (which usually [but not always, as jp says about the Aurora being transitor] signifies a mechanical tonewheel instrument) and the one being playing does not. That means that that one is a trannie, non tonewheel jobbie. The top one has diving board keys like the spinets and the one being playing has the waterfall keys like the famous C's and B's. But it's neither of those. You can soon tell though, just start it up and if you can hear that happy whirling clatter as the tonewheel spins away then it is a mechanical tonewheel - or have a look in the back, you can't miss the tonewheel assembly. As far as starting the tonewheels models up, the later ones, like my L, only had one switch and off they went. There were hundreds of different Hammond models made over the years but they stopped making the mechanical tonewheel ones in the middle of the 70's. From then on they were all solid state. Generally $50 for a non tonewheel trannie Hammond is about all you can get. B's and C's can go anything up to ten grand for a goodie. If anybody has an interest in organs then the organforum.com is a great place to find stuff out.

[sweetbeats]

Yeah, but the encounter occurred during an intense board meeting and then it was zip-zip to the airport for a return flight as soon as that was done...I literally snapped the photo on the move returning from the restroom...

[SteveM]

I've got a Lowrey, all tubes, with a Leslie. Unfortunately I've got it in storage now but it's sweet.

[dementedchord]

Originally Posted by jedblue

As far as starting the tonewheels models up, the later ones, like my L, only had one switch and off they went. .

you are right... i tend to forget those single switch jobs.. they had 3 positions on a single switch instead of two distinct switches... ya still need to activate the start motor and release it... i am questioning though what you mean by trannie models??? they all use transformers at some stage...

[jedblue]

Trannie - Transistor solid state amplifiers and electronic tonewheel sounds. Post 1974 (I think) they were all made like that. The coveted ones (B's & C's) are all mechanical tonewheel and valve amplifiers (including the valve Leslie speakers which weren't made by Hammond).

[dementedchord]

ok... now i get you... for the record though in geek speek trannie is transformer... transistors are SS.. (solid state)...

[jpmorris]

Originally Posted by dementedchord

ok... now i get you... for the record though in geek speek trannie is transformer... transistors are SS.. (solid state)...

"Tranny" used to be slang for "transistor radio", at least where I come from.