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Bought Hammond M111 for $50 for parts - now I want to fix it!

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  • Bought Hammond M111 for $50 for parts - now I want to fix it!



    So I see this Hammond M111 in the back of a music store I frequently patronize. This organ had been sitting there for a while and I asked the owner of the store about it. He said that it had a burnt out power transformer and had been subjected to flooding from an overlowing toilet from the floor above for almost an entire weekend. This had happened a few years ago. I aksed him "how much?" and he said, "$50". After a while I finally bought it, intending to part it out because I make guitar amps and other tube-based audio gear for a living (well not much of a living yet...). So a while later I came to take the speakers and the two chassis (the main one and the reverb amp) and the reverb tank home.</P>


    I immediately discerned that the burnt-out power transformer was in the AO-44 reverb amp and I had a transformer that was an exact match at home. I also had an EZ81 and discrete filter caps to replace those parts too, since they were probably bad as well (I leave filter cans on for looks, but I never re-use them anyway). Although I intend to test the EZ81 because I had plans for the one I already had.</P>


    I knew next to nothing about M111's - it's hard to find a lot of info on them on the web, but the chassis were like what you'd find in the M-100 series organs. I could see that I already pretty much had a schematic for the main chassis, which looked pristine underneath and close to it, save for a lot of dust, on top. Maybe the oil slowly leaking from the mechanics above saved it a little - who knows? It seemed that virtually no water had gotten in there. Nor had it damaged the speakers. There was very very minor spotting on one of the 12" speakers, but nothing else. Everything I could see from the back, including all of the moving parts under the inside cover looked like it had never seen water. The stops and switches and key action felt OK, but I doubt that's any clue as to what lies ahead.</P>


    My fear is that the keys and switches are what's trashed and I'm wondering if I have more work cut out for me that I can (or want to) handle.</P>


    But suddenly realising that I now own a Hammond tonewheel organ that has a scanner vibrato, the funky AO-44 reverb amp notwithstanding (maybe I can find an AO-35 that needs fixing?), has suddenly created a crisis of conscience in which I cannot just take all of the parts off of this organ. The worst I could do was keep the chassis and speakers &amp; reverb tank and sell it for peanuts to a dedicated enthusiast or repairman. But I want it ALL! And I don't want to have to clean every damn switch contact. And I definitely don't want to pay someone else to do it. I wish I hadn't cut the chassis wires (but I labeled the ones that needed it...). I didn't have a way to bring it all home that day and on that day I had planned to use just the parts.</P>


    I envision a slow process in which I use the AO-44 by itself (after I clean the nasty junk off of it and make it work). Actually, let's talk about the AO-44 and why its transformer blew (besides there not being a single damn fuse - that I could see - on the whole organ!). The 1kOhm resistor to the screens was also burnt and the insulation on the wire to the screens by one of the tubes was a little melted. It looks like one of the tubes has been replaced by a Radio Shack tube - the other is still a "Hammond" labeled tube. I wonder if someone half-fixed it at one time and then made it worse? Accidently shorted the screen supply? I had assumed that it was a shorted filter cap on the screen supply- and that's still what I think (and hope) it was. But I'm testing all of the tubes just to see. Those ECL86 tubes are funky and I haven't priced one, but I guess they wouldn't be cheap? Those output tubes look fine otherwise. I can't tell with the EZ81 because they often look "sooty" even new. The schematic says 12 watts from this amp. Are they serious? I mean the output transformer is a monster - it looks like they used the same one as they used on the AO-35 reverb amp. But I just can't see squeezing that much power from 2 ECL86's no matter how you bias them.</P>


    What do you all think about mods to these organs? I want to be able to patch in other audio sources to the main amp, the reverb amp and the scanner vibrato. Has anyone done any mods like that? I think I have seen one or two, but maybe not all three.</P>


    What is differentabout an M111 from an M100?or an M102? Heck, what's the difference between an M100 and an M102?</P>


    Bottom line:Use the parts for cool guitar amps or fix it right?</P>


    Cheers,</P>


    Anthony</P>
    <P mce_keep="true"></P>

  • #2
    Re: Bought Hammond M111 for $50 for parts - now I want to fix it!



    By the sounds of it I'd say you have a keeper. o</p>

    Once you fire up the amp you can start digging in. a bottle of contact cleaner is the first line of defense.
    </p>

    </p>

    Any number in the L-1XX or M-1XX series organ simply refers to the wood finish. <font face="Arial, Arial, Helvetica">
    M-111: Contemporary style, Mahogany wood.
    </font></p>

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    • #3
      Re: Bought Hammond M111 for $50 for parts - now I want to fix it!

      There seems to be a flood of M-100 organ on the board lately? I would fix it up. It will sound real good and most of the parts aren't that great for guitar amps anyway. That is what Conns, Allens, and Baldwins are for. Flame on...

      Comment


      • #4
        Re: Bought Hammond M111 for $50 for parts - now I want to fix it!



        One member was kind enough to scan and post the M series manual. It's 250 MB and full of info. Check it out.</p>

        Kalli</p>
        www.karlolgeirsson.com
        _______________________________________________
        1958 - Hammond M-3
        1974 - Leslie 760
        1981 - Rhodes 54
        1962 - Guild F-20
        1986 - Yamaha KX-5 keytar (Silver)
        1970 - Victoria Accordion

        Comment


        • #5
          Re: Bought Hammond M111 for $50 for parts - now I want to fix it!



          Anthony, </p>

          I would fix it up. I just got a fixer upper M-103 a couple of months ago and with a little effort got it singing beautifully! Also, I added an effects loop from Trek II that has made the organ even more fun. I think you might look into that since you asked about patching in other audio sources. I originally bought the effects loop so that I could hook up a Leslie simulator and other guitar effects pedals since the chance of me locating an affordable real Leslie anytime soon is slim. I really dig the effects loop. The organ sounds heavenly with a delay. Overdrives are a nice addition too. Most recently I found one more use for this effects loop. If you plug a guitar into the return input you can play the guitar through the Hammond amps in the organ!! With reverb! and with the vibrato!! Sounds awesome in a dark and moody way. I especially like the sound of the vibrato with a guitar. </p>

          -Randy </p>

          Comment

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