Seeking knowledge

[Aaronpaulpattyn]

I purchased a X-66 with an original tone cabinet. 12-77 I believe. It seems to be in good shape, everything seems to be I the right place. The only thing is that the cabinet is humming fairly well. I wonder if there is a way to ground everything to help with that. I have what I believe to be the original Service Manual. I will post more pics.

I wonder what valuation to put on this piece of equipment. Any help would be appreciated.

[Papus]

Nice score!
Is this a self-starting motor (single "on" switch, no "start" and "run" switches?
If it's self-starting, change the motor run cap immediately - it's toxic and liable to explode given its age

[Aaronpaulpattyn]

I'm not entirely sure... are you asking about the cabinet or the organ Papus? I am very new to this!

[andyg]

Yes, change the capacitor on the motor, assuming that it is the original. You're probably looking at changing all the electrolytic caps in the power supplies in the organ and the 12-77. With the organ being 50+ years old, they're ripe for changing - but many are still going strong. Peace of mind and probably hum-curing are the reasons!

Papus, the X-66 is unlike any other Hammond. Its TWG has just 12 notes, assuming that it hasn't already been replaced with a solid state frequency generator. It has just one large green power switch.

[Aaronpaulpattyn]

Where would I buy the capacitor for the organ?

[snacks]

Valuation is tough on these. I saw one near me on the west coast of the US go for about $500 on ebay. They wanted $3000 and of course it didn't sell for that locally - I checked it out on craigslist but it had a few immediate problems I noticed when playing it. I think to the right person these organs are worth a fair amount, maybe $1500? There's not much market for them, but the market there is loves them, and they're scarce.

Duly noted re: run caps, were the same ones used on all single-switch Hammonds? Only one I've got is an L-100, although I suppose my Model A counts since it was modified before I got it to use one motor... will need to investigate that.

[enor]

I would be very surprised if it were the same capacitor in the X66 as in the others, seeing as the generator is completely different.

[andyg]

Looks pretty much the same type of cap to me, doing the same job. Of course the value may be different.

X-66 values are volatile and location dependent. In the UK, they've sold for £302, including a leslie and a 2-77. Non runners have been given away.

[handyczech]

You should contact Tonewheel General Hospital. They have a website. If the standard replacement found on L, T, E, H, X-77 is not right, talk to Rick or Jesica for advice. The 12 tone generator and motor are in the base, accessible through procedure in the manual you have,

Some will not agree with me, but Andy will-these organs are precious for both their technology of the time, as well as their musical quality. A unit was recently offered for sale in Northern Wisconsin for $500, but subsequently destroyed by the remodeling contractor who felt it was in his way. These require dedication in their service, but almost anything can be fixed or modified. Check out the various X-66 websites, oddly mostly in Mexico, and search for deep technical knowledge by Dan Vigin in Europe possibly through a link on Hector's website in Mexico.

Larry K

[andyg]

Yes, the X-66 is totally unique in the organ world. Nothing else looks, plays or sounds like it. The 'B-3 purists' don;t like it, but it was never intended for them anyway! There are now around four in the UK that are in good order, partly due to the non-runners being donated to people who needed parts for theirs. I've played a couple and the others are on my 'to do' list.

Larry is absolutely correct about the maintenance sometimes being demanding, but once sorted, they are well worth the effort!