The Organ Forum

Hey everyone; I recently acquired a Hammond L-102 and after a few weeks of working wonderfully (it had recently been serviced according to the previous owner), the tonewheel motor stopped altogether. I played it one morning, and after getting home from work and firing up the organ, it just didn't work. Can anyone shed some light on this predicament???

Do the tubes light up? how about the pilot light? If the organ is getting power (i.e. the On/Off switch works) check the motor shaft. Does it spin freely? If you don't suspect the motor is seized up you probably have a problem with the capacitor (Silver oval shaped box mounted in front of the motor) and need to have it replaced.

This is a relatively easy problem to diagnose since the AC power enters the amp and goes directly to the motor and on/off switch. If you have power inside the terminal box your problem is either the on/off switch, motor or that capacitor, most likely the capacitor. All the other electronics in the organ are not suspect.