An Inglorious end to Hammonds

[John Vanderlee]

After trying for over 2 years to find a home for the H100, and the little Hammond Chord Organ, they had to go; we need the space desperately.
Our area had an E-cycle event, so I figured I'd do the environmentally responsible thing.
At first they would not take them, the mostly Latino workers kept arguing "No Piano, no piano!" It wasn't until I spoke with the supervisor and had him look inside: "see? electronics!" that they took them. Hope the pieces find some use. I saved the motors and tubes though. Just thought I'd share.
John

[andyg]

Always sad to see decent instruments go this way, but you've done all you could to find them homes. Same as me and my T402. I couldn't give it away, so I put it outside the house and offered it for parts. One T owner and a couple of local organ techs took what they needed and I recycled the rest - though I had to do the dismantling and sorting with my son. That cabinet was well put together!

[bnelson218]

Back when I had my shop a fellow pulled up out front in a pickup truck. In the back was an H100 series organ and a Thomas 821, Celebrity. Both were in good condition and worked okay but didn't move for months--and this was 20 years ago. They both ended up being parted out. Sad, but necessary.

[jbird604]

Always sad, but we just can't preserve them all forever. There are of course still very large numbers of the truly "great" Hammonds out there, being used and maintained and cherished. A100, B, C, M, and others. Many of the rest, as interesting as they might have been at one time, have simply outlived their usefulness. Or the best use for them is as a parts source and/or repurposing of the wood and metal parts.

[Lazlo]

A common discussion (usually on the Home Organ forum) asks why the home organ market died out. And there are numerous theories. i think it's more pertinent to ask - Why did certain models survive? To continue what jbird above mentioned, -3 series Hammond consoles are generally cherished, as well as Mxxx models (especially in Europe) and L100s. Certain tube-oscillator Lowreys, and combos such as Farfisas (Compact range) and Voxes (like the Jaguar) among others, the Gibson G101 being another, hard-to-find expensive example, I think what keeps these organs from the skip (UK term for giant trash can) is primarily their sound and legacy. But of course legacy is dependent on how good they are in the first place.

I played an H100 once at a live recording - not a bad organ by any means. But for what is was it was heavy - all that furniture wrapped around the console was never a good look, and a few too many bells and whstles. Still, it's a shame to see it go as I suspect many of us on this forum, were we to chance upon it somewhere, would happily play it.

[tiredoldgeezer]

A common discussion (usually on the Home Organ forum) asks why the home organ market died out. And there are numerous theories. i think it's more pertinent to ask - Why did certain models survive? To continue what jbird above mentioned, -3 series Hammond consoles are generally cherished, as well as Mxxx models (especially in Europe) and L100s. Certain tube-oscillator Lowreys, and combos such as Farfisas (Compact range) and Voxes (like the Jaguar) among others, the Gibson G101 being another, hard-to-find expensive example, I think what keeps these organs from the skip (UK term for giant trash can) is primarily their sound and legacy. But of course legacy is dependent on how good they are in the first place.

I played an H100 once at a live recording - not a bad organ by any means. But for what is was it was heavy - all that furniture wrapped around the console was never a good look, and a few too many bells and whstles. Still, it's a shame to see it go as I suspect many of us on this forum, were we to chance upon it somewhere, would happily play it.

I don't know if i'd chalk it up to "the sound" as much as "the need".

Like many, many products in this world, there's a lot of organs that have been made for no other reason than to sell. You look and wonder why they exist except to give a salesman something to convince a customer into buying.

Hammonds have a following in rock and jazz. So because of the musicians, there exists a need. Even then, a "Hammond sound" is obtainable without a Hammond, so while the sound might still be desired, the instrument is losing its following. It has been for many years, actually, because of weight, size, cost, and sound limitations.

Spinet models exist in Europe because houses and apartments are typically smaller and floorspace is at a premium. Were they given a home of 2500 sq. ft. (232 m.sq.), more Europeans might have consoles. Also, loud is bad in cramped buildings, so a spinet, designed for a more muted playing, fills the bill.

Anything quirky (like tube Lowreys) will have a following, even a dedicated following, but not necessarily *popular*. In scale, even Hammonds are a niche following.

They tell me Harley Davidson is shrinking. Their customer base is, quite literally, dying off. This is happening to organs, even Hammonds. But it's not happening to all keyboard instruments nor is it happening to all motorcycles. It's just changing.

I've not seen a synth sold in the last 35 years that did not come from the factory with at least one or two patches of "Hammond sound". They might've been sucky, wimpy sounds (or occasionally, quite useful sounds), but they gave it a shot. And more than one customer said it was "good enough" and *used it* the same way millions upon millions of customers have said that an .mp3 is good enough over .flac or even vinyl.

Things change. There's always someone that says it's for the better and always someone that says it for the worse.