Hammond L-100 organ

[superhand]

I wasn't sure which forum to put this in so I figured "off topic" would work.
I have a Hammond L-100 organ that does not work, I have no idea what is wrong with it. I will probably not try to get it fixed anytime soon, so I'm starting to think maybe I should try to sell it and let someone else mess with it. I think it could be a really fun project to get it working, I just don't have the time or the money to do it right now. It sounded awesome when it worked, then one day, it just wouldn't make any sound at all.

Anyhow, I've been looking online to try to get an idea of what they are worth, and it appears that they often just get parted out. I do know that just the tubes alone have some value to people that like old tubes. Anybody know what is a good ballpark price for it? Should I try to sell the parts or the whole organ?

any feedback is appreciated.

[hannigan]

I had an old organ that died and it just needed a fuse.
I dont know anything about the L 100 but it was just a thought.

[superhand]

Originally Posted by hannigan

I had an old organ that died and it just needed a fuse.
I dont know anything about the L 100 but it was just a thought.

Well it still turns on, it just doesn't make any sound, so I don't think it's a fuse. I really don't have the patience to try to troubleshoot it. I just want to try to figure out what its worth, if it's not worth much then I might keep it. If it's worth selling then I might sell it.

[Satchmo]

You might want to check out The Organ Forum. They're a bunch of folks who play, repair and maintain old organs. Post your situation in their Hammond sub-forum or just search for info on L-100s.

Here's the first thread I found that "might" be related to the non-functioning of your Hammond - Maybe you can find a quick fix or determine whether it's worth your time and effort to save the organ.
http://organforum.com/forums/thread/64249.aspx

Here's the main page for the forum.... just gravitate to the Hammond section.
http://organforum.com/forums/default.aspx

I'm not sure what the individual parts would be worth. Do a search for Hammond on eBay to get a general idea. There are always various parts from Hammonds for sale but they'll usually be oriented towards B-3 or A-100 players. I'm not familiar with L's so I don't know if any of your parts could be used by other organs or only by other L-100s.

I'd guess that you can get your "L" working again without too much effort. I'd rather see you keep it instead of parting it out.

I keep dreaming of getting an A-100 or a B-3 but for now, I'm content with my M-3, E-100 and E-133.

[Warren Pederson]

I have a 1955 ebony M3. There should be a fellow driving all the up from Vancouver to buy it this week. The Organ Forum is a real helpful bunch of people. I don't know anything about the other models as I don't play.

[Tim Bowen]

My good friend and associate earns the bulk of his living from repairing and diagnosing Hammond organs and Leslie cabs. He's done so for many years, and there's very little that he doesn't know about them. I'll ask him. If you haven't come up with satisfactory conclusions by the end of the week, make sure to bump the thread.

[Tim Armstrong]

Another thought: you probably just need new tubes!

Tim

[Wardpike]

Tim and Hannigan have the best points here. Just take it to a real good amp tech and I'll bet you'll have your "B3 home edition" home in under $150. I love the tone of the L100. Combined with a small Leslie, you got some seriously beautiful soul vibe.

[Deaf Eddie]

Check and see if the tone generator shaft is spinning - when did you oil it last? Sometimes a good lube and a push-start will bring Hammomnds back to life...

[superhand]

Now you guys got me reevaluating the situation, I'm going to check out that forum.

It really did sound awesome when it worked. Much like a B3 to my ears just without the Leslie.

It might be more trouble then its worth to sell it anyhow, it's not like I can just UPS it!

[Tim Armstrong]

I used to have an M-111 that a guy gave me in settlement of a debt. We brought it over to the band's rehearsal room, which was in a basement apartment shared by our guitarist and drummer. I'm amazed that no one was crushed when we took it down there, and when the band broke up and the guys moved out, we left it. It's probably still there!

Tim

[David Barnett]

Has the organ ever worked for you in the past, or did it come to you in its present condition?

I don't mean to be insulting, but in any case of a Hammond that "doesn't make sound", my first question is -- do you know how to start a Hammond?

[Deaf Eddie]

Shoes for Industry!

As I recall, the L models don't have the two ("start" and "run") toggles - I think they have a single "syncrostart" switch and motor. When dinosaurs ruled the earth (before he went "B-3"), my brother had an L-111 and a Leslie 147 - man, did that cover all the B-3 tone we ever needed as kids.

Get a Leslie for that little beastie!

BTW, yes, I still have a B-3...

[superhand]

Originally Posted by David Barnett

Has the organ ever worked for you in the past, or did it come to you in its present condition?

I don't mean to be insulting, but in any case of a Hammond that "doesn't make sound", my first question is -- do you know how to start a Hammond?

Well, maybe not. When I first got it all I had to do was turn it on and it worked fine. I don't get it, do I need jumper cables or something?

I know very little about Hammond organs (obviously) other than that they sound awesome.

[<jbc>]

I'm looking for dead L-100 parts. Specifically the ao-47 tremolo unit.

[David Barnett]

Originally Posted by superhand

Well, maybe not. When I first got it all I had to do was turn it on and it worked fine. I don't get it, do I need jumper cables or something?

I know very little about Hammond organs (obviously) other than that they sound awesome.

Well if Deaf Eddie is correct, my point is moot.

On older Hammonds, there are two switches to start the organ, "Start" and "Run". You first push the "Start" switch and hold it for about eight seconds, then press the "Run" switch and hold them both on for about four more seconds, then let go. The "Start" switch will spring back when you let go. Then, as soon as the tubes warm up, you'll have that beautiful Hammond tone.

I guess on newer organs they must've come up with some internal relays or something to make all that happen automagically?

Most Hammond spinets are only worth about $300 or so in working order, so frequently a repair job will cost more than the value of the organ. That's a shame, 'cause most of the tonewheel organs are capable of making all those wonderful Hammond sounds from your favorite records, if you've got a Leslie. And a lot of '60s hits were originally played on Hammond spinets anyway -- "Green Onions" was done on an M3 with no Leslie, for example, and a lot of the Brits recorded with L-100s and M-100s.

[superhand]

Originally Posted by <jbc>

I'm looking for dead L-100 parts. Specifically the ao-47 tremolo unit.

I don't know what ao-47 is, but it does have tremolo. But if I sell it, its going to have to be local pickup thing, it weighs about a million pounds.

I'm not going to try to sell a piece of it here and another piece there and be left with an empty shell.

If I can find a buyer who can come pick it up then I might consider that.

[superhand]

Originally Posted by David Barnett

Most Hammond spinets are only worth about $300 or so in working order,

I actually bought it for $300 about 10 years ago. Back then gasoline was just over a buck a gallon and cigarettes were $2 a pack. Now I'm not that good at math, but I figure my organ is worth more than $300 today. Unless I paid way to much for it.

[David Barnett]

Originally Posted by superhand

I actually bought it for $300 about 10 years ago. Back then gasoline was just over a buck a gallon and cigarettes were $2 a pack. Now I'm not that good at math, but I figure my organ is worth more than $300 today. Unless I paid way to much for it.

...or they just haven't kept up with inflation.

Unless it's a B3, C3, RT3, A100, or one of the earlier version of those, Hammonds aren't worth much. Spinets are almost give-away organs, and the non-tonewheel organs from Hammond or any other organ are dumpster fodder now. Lowerys, Baldwins, Thomas, Conn, you can't give those thing away anymore. Except for a few specific models from Lowery -- the one The Beatles used on Sgt. Pepper, the one Pete Townshend used on "Baba O'Reilly" and "Won't Get Fooled Again", and the big Lowery that Garth Hudson used, there's some small demand for those.

Some organ stores will try to get more for a really clean L-100 or M-100, but they sit in the store for years waiting to find a buyer. Unless it's a B3, C3, B2, C2, A, B, BA, an organ is probably worth more parted out on eBay.

And that's a shame, 'cause all the tube tonewheel Hammonds have pretty much the same sound, as long as you pipe it through a 2-speed Leslie. I personally hope to someday own an M3 spinet, and I figger on paying $300 for it, unless I can find one of those "if you can drag it away, it's yours" deals.

[superhand]

Yeah it is a shame, cause it sounded great when it worked. If that's all I can get for it, I'll probably keep it. One of these days when I have a free weekend maybe I'll try to get it going again.

Thanks everybody for you feedback.

[David Barnett]

I guess the place to start would be to make sure that the tone generators are actually starting when you turn the organ on. Look in the back when you start it to see if the moving parts are actually moving. And make sure the tubes are lighting up. Does any sound at all come out, like maybe a bit of hum? If it does, does the level of the hum change when you move the volume pedal?

These are the sort of places to start troubleshooting. A visual inspection to see that it's actually starting and that the tubes are coming on, then trying to isolate the problem to a specific part of the organ. If everything is running but it's completely silent, then it's probably the power amp or the speaker (or a mouse has chewed through a wire). If nothing's moving when you start it, then there's a problem with the tone generators or the motor or the start-up system. If you get a hum that changes when you move the pedal, then the problem is in the preamp. Divide and conquer.

[Tim Bowen]

I spoke with my buddy, the Hammond tech, today. He said an L-100 is currently worth a couple hundred bucks, like closer to 200 than 300. As to repair, he said that he'd first look at the motor and the run capacitor. But like all competent veteran techs, he went with the usual disclaimer of "But it's tough to say unless I can actually check it out myself.", which is perfectly understandable.

Just a thought. If it were me, and I could get it fixed for a reasonable rate, I'd rather do that and hang on to it than part ways with it for a couple hundred bucks. I'm sure my opinion might be different if fair market value for the piece were considerably higher, but that's just me.

By the way, I just received my new Hammond 44 Acoustic-Electric Melodion. It sounds so cool. Now I gotta learn to play it.

[superhand]

Originally Posted by Tim Bowen

I spoke with my buddy, the Hammond tech, today. He said an L-100 is currently worth a couple hundred bucks, like closer to 200 than 300. As to repair, he said that he'd first look at the motor and the run capacitor. But like all competent veteran techs, he went with the usual disclaimer of "But it's tough to say unless I can actually check it out myself.", which is perfectly understandable.

Just a thought. If it were me, and I could get it fixed for a reasonable rate, I'd rather do that and hang on to it than part ways with it for a couple hundred bucks. I'm sure my opinion might be different if fair market value for the piece were considerably higher, but that's just me.

By the way, I just received my new Hammond 44 Acoustic-Electric Melodion. It sounds so cool. Now I gotta learn to play it.

Yeah I think I'll hang onto it. It's worth more to me than $200. If nothing else I bet I could gut it and make a killer tube amp out of it.