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What's a B-3000 really worth

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  • What's a B-3000 really worth

    Before you say "nothing!" let me explain. I found a 1978 B-3000 in nearly showroom condition. After several hours of cleaning, the organ came back to life and sounds great! I was going to sell and put $ towards an A-100,2, or 5, a C3 or B3 if I could find. Talking with an expert tonewheel Hammond guy, he told me that the organ basically wasn't worth the effort it takes to throw it away. Said he would not take it for free. But when I put it up for sale for $1,500, my phone blew up. I wound up looking at a trade for a C3 and putting 2K with. I didn't really care for the way the C3 sounded. Did not have as "bright" as sound as the 3000. Is this a result of something not up to snuff or???
    Not calling the deal dead just yet, but need to find the right organ. As I mentioned, the B-3000- is in nearly perfect condition with the matching 722 Leslie. Both in excellent condition. Part of the problem I had with the C3 was it did not have a matching speaker. This will go in my living room as part of the furniture.

  • #2
    As your post is a bit more than a regular 'How much is it worth?', I'll leave it here in Hammond Organs. Andy - Moderator

    OK, let's say it's really worth 'very little'! The 722 is worth more than the organ. If you were advertising organ plus 722, most buyers would have haggled the price and then scrapped the organ and kept the leslie. Sad, but we've seen it so many times. :(

    B3000 issues: 1) LSI sound (should only be an issue if you're a tonewheel-only person, but that's the market it's in) - I rather like the sound!
    2) LSI reliability - internal connectors, but it sounds like you've sorted them
    3) lack of spares - if something major goes down, you have a boat anchor

    That keeps the price right down. Not the 'nothing' that your 'expert tonewheel Hammond guy' said, but right down. To be honest, we've seen larger and later LSI Hammonds sell for less, or be given away.

    If you like the sound of the B3000 - and with a 722, it can really shout - then keep it and enjoy it. That C3 may well have needed a recap (or it was playing through a tone cabinet that needed it, or both). The C3 should have really cut through, with more 'bite' than the B3000.
    It's not what you play. It's not how you play. It's the fact that you're playing that counts.

    New website now live - www.andrew-gilbert.com

    Current instruments: Roland Atelier AT900 Platinum Edition, Yamaha Genos, Yamaha PSR-S970, Kawai K1m
    Retired Organs: Lots! Kawai SR6 x 2, Hammond L122, T402, T500 x 2, X5. Conn Martinique and 652. Gulbransen 2102 Pacemaker. Kimball Temptation.
    Retired Leslies, 147, 145 x 2, 760 x 2, 710, 415 x 2.
    Retired synths: Korg 700, Roland SH1000, Jen Superstringer, Kawai S100F, Kawai S100P, Kawai K1

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    • mohls
      mohls commented
      Editing a comment
      That was my thought. The C3 was very "dull' sounding. No bite at all. It was leslie it was playing through not a tone cabinet. I was actually disappointed. This deal is still viable but with the way it sounded my 3000 sounded much better. And on top of that, I would have to add reverb, etc...Just didn't know where the $$$ would end. I was looking at 250 for reverb, 500 for pedal sustain (may not be needed). Keys made a lot of noise. More than likely needed the upstops replaced. And as for "furniture", it was a non matching leslie. I would have to first go find one that sounds correct and make my decision based on what they are supposed to sound like. Been 30+ years since I stood next to a B/C 3.

  • #3
    If your phone "blew up" when you advertised it for 1500, you should sell it for that price right away without bothering about the trade. You won't get a better deal.
    Current organs: AV, M-3, A-100
    Current Leslies: 22H, 122, 770

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    • #4
      I'm wondering if the Leslie on the C3 had some problems. Maybe a blown treble driver? Moreover, how old was the C3? Wax caps or red caps? Several issues could dampen the high end, beginning with the final stage 12bh7 on back to the filters on the TWG.
      Regarding the 3000: you either like 'em or you dont. It was another attempt by Hammond to come up with a viable replacement for the B3, especially since the X77 had failed so miserably. They added everything that players had been adding to their B3s for years like reverb and pedal sustain. And I liked the Leslie control added to the expression pedal. The piano is so so and the lower manual strings can easily become harsh and overwhelming. As far as spare parts go, I often see 3000S on EBay being sold for 'parts only.' Good luck with your quest!
      Over the years: Hammond M3, BC, M102, B3, four X77s and three PR-40s, a Thomas Electra and a Celebrity, three Fender Rhodes, Roland HS-10, HP-2000, HP-600, RD-600, JV-880, a thing made by Korg (?), two Leslie 910s, 122, 257, 258, 247, two 142s, and three custom-built Leslies. Wow, way too much money spent!

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      • #5
        Thanks to everyone for the advise. As for now, I'm keeping my 3000. It's best to just cool my jets right now and get what I really enjoy.

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        • #6
          I'd sure keep it until you find a TW model that sounds like you want it to sound. The B3000 got so much disrespect, we tend to judge it even without hearing a particular one. I've only ever heard a couple of them in perfect working order, and have seen a number of them that were dead or else gone crazy. But the ones that were working were quite pleasant, to my ears. Not going to fool a diehard TW fan, but the LSI sound has its own charms, if you just listen.

          Hammond was of course wanting to mimic the success of the B3 while getting away from the tremendous cost of building that marvelous TW generator system. And the hope of the LSI was that it would be maintenance-free, quiet, clean, stable -- all the properties you wish your TW organ could have! Of course, they didn't quite get the B3 sound right, as a good bit of the "charm" of the TW organ is the subtle imperfection, the gentle flutter, the noise, the grunge, even the hum. And it turned out that the B3000 was going to be rather high-maintenance, due to the plug-in modular construction, and unstable due to the masses of wiring and unreliable interconnects, etc.

          So, not a very successful product, to be sure. But if you have one that is actually in perfect working order, and you like the clean, bright, uncomplicated sound of it, then by all means hang onto it. You've got nothing to lose, as its market value is already zero, and the Leslie will likely still be worth $1500 ten or fifteen years from now, should you get hold of a B3 or C3 or something with a 122 or 147 that you love.
          John
          ----------
          *** Please post your questions about technical service or repair matters ON THE FORUM. Do not send your questions to me or another member by private message. Information shared is for the benefit of the entire organ community, but other folks will not be helped by information we exchange in private messages!

          https://www.facebook.com/pages/Birds...97551893588434

          Comment


          • #7
            I'd take the B3000 in a snack (but not for a fifth of the asking price). To me, these organs are great candidates for an HX3 retro-fit.
            1966 C-3 / 925
            1965 M102 / 145
            1967 M111A / 330

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