Forum Top Banner Ad

Collapse

Ebay Classic organs

Collapse

Announcement

Collapse
No announcement yet.

Help and advice for Hammond L-133

Collapse
This topic is closed.
X
X
 
  • Filter
  • Time
  • Show
Clear All
new posts

  • Help and advice for Hammond L-133



    Hello everyone and I hope someone can help and give me some guidance. My Grandmother's L-133 was her pride and joy. This was my Mother's Mother and according to her, Grandma used to play it all the time. Unfortunately, she passed away at a fairly young age. I think I was 5 at the time and so that is why I don't remember but my mom said that my Grandmother and I were "very close". She did not have many "prized possessions" but she considered her diamond wedding ring and her organ to be her only two possissions of value. When she passed away she left both the ring and the organ to me. Now I was only 5 at the time so my mother natually kept them for me but did not give them to me until I was 30. I natually had a great use for Grandma's antique wedding ring, it now resides on my wife's finger! But the organ was something I never gave much thought to except as something that had to be moved from one place to the other and "stored" in the garage. I kind of considered it a nuisance but knew that I could never get rid of it because my mother would kill me. My mother had a very hard time handling Grandma passing and the fact that she left both her prized possisions to me. I should point out that I am adopted as well. </P>


    I am a bit older now, 43, and have been racking my brain about what to do with this organ. I tried to donate it to a chuch but could not find any takers. I have been thinking lately to see about having it restored. It has not worked for at least 20 yrs. The front legs are still attached but cracked and in need of repair. Overall it needs some tender loving care that's for sure. I don't really consider myself a very handy person and was wondering if it would be possible to find someone to repair and restore this piece of our family history. I would very much like to give it back to my mother if this could be done. My understanding is that the L-133 is not as desirable and that it does not fetch very much on the open market and therefore my not be "worth it" to repair and restore but it does have family significance. To be able to present the organ to my mom would mean a lot to her. </P>


    I am in North Richland Hills, TX which is part of the Dallas and Fort Worth area. It would be great to find someone local that I could bring this to and possibly even work with so I could learn a bit more about this instrument. But I could possibly have it shipped somewhere. Anyone have any advice? I have digital pictures of the organ but could not figure out how to post them. </P>


    Thanks for reading!</P>


    Jon</P>

  • #2
    Re: Help and advice for Hammond L-133



    Hi, Jon-</P>


    Chances are that your grandmother's organ can be brought back to playing condition without a great deal of trouble. I'd be willing to bet that you can do the maintenance and repairs yourself, making the gesture even more meaningful to your Mother. Hammonds of this type generally need little more than good vacuum tubes and oil in the generator. We can talk you through this.</P>


    When you say that it hasn't worked for 20 years, can you be a bit more descriptive? What happens when you plug it in and turn on the power switch? Ideally, you'll hear the electric motor start at least, but I need to know if you get any sound at all. If when you switch on the organ, you hear the motor start and then a piercing whine, the generator needs special Hammond oil. The power cord on many Hammonds of this vintage will have become brittle by now, and if this is the case with yours, replacement would be advisable/</P>


    Post back with a few more details and we'll take it from there.</P>


    Regards,</P>


    John</P>

    Comment


    • #3
      Re: Help and advice for Hammond L-133



      Jon, about 5 to 6 weeks ago there was a detailed thread regarding bringing back old Hammond spinets. Much of the information you need can be found in those threads. Sorry I'm too far away in Florida to visit your project or take it on. As far as shipping the organ to someone, I'd only recommend that if you have deep pockets. It cost far more than the market value of this instrument. Look on the Internet for BB organs. Bill Brown is a leading expert. Very friendly and ready to help anyone working on a Hammond. He has alot of information on parts. Also the Hammond Service Site still exists for parts information.</P>


      With the Hammond experts here and accross the web it won't be a difficult task for you to repair the L-133. Be sure to check Ebay for Hammond Oil. It is a must in getting your organ going again. We'll look forward to hearing more about your project! Your mom would be thrilled to hear Grandma's organ again. I'm sure it would make up for any hurt feelings about not having received the inheritance first!</P>

      Comment


      • #4
        Re: Help and advice for Hammond L-133



        Thank you so much for your reply.I gave a bit more thought about when the organ was last turned on and what happened and I realized that it has been longer than 20 years. I guess my admitting exactly how long ago it was I have to as well have a personal realization on my rapidly increasing age!! Ha! Anyhow, I lived at home in my parents house when it last was turned on and it has to be probably 30 years ago. I remember it was plugged in at the time, 30 years ago, to see if it worked, and when turning it on there was smoke and a burning smell. It was unplugged and I don't believe it was ever turned back on. According to my mom, she never plugged it in all the years she had it. There is probably a good build up of dust inside and there is some discoloring on the wood and on the keys. </P>


        Yes the power cord is very brittle and worn. So what is my first step? Like I said, I am not too handy but I will give it a try. More worried about the wood damage (discoloring and cracked front legs) and key damage than I am with the actual electronics. If you guys can help me get it running then I will deal with the rest later. </P>


        Thanks again. </P>

        Comment


        • #5
          Re: Help and advice for Hammond L-133

          Thank you for your reply. I will go back through the threads and try to find the thread you mention. Thank you as well for the other information. I am sure I will have many other questions. I will post to let you know how this is coming along.

          Comment


          • #6
            Re: Help and advice for Hammond L-133



            I'll jump in here and say your first step is checking out that burning!! </p>

            If you want to undertake this fairly straight forward process of revitalizing the organ, get yourself a clear workspace with good lighting and a work bench (table, bench...anything really). I dont know if 20+ years will make a burning smell disappear, but I would get down with my noes and smell some components. I'm guessing its either the silver oval box which is placed by the motor, the motor its self, or one of the 3 amps (wiring inside). </p>

            Check it out soon because there is a motor on ebay right now for less than $20. </p>

            If you can't smell anything obvious, you can always remove the main amp (bottom shelf, 4 screws holding it down), remove the tubes and flip the amp over on your bench - it will be easy to spot anything awry as burning or fire will usually leave black marks or stripped wires (resistors and capacitors will have bare wiring). Do you know much about electronics (tube amps) and the electrical hazards associated with them?
            </p>

            Comment


            • #7
              Re: Help and advice for Hammond L-133



              Almost forgot - you'll want the main amp on the bench anyway - use pliers to get the plastic grommet out of the chassis and replace that power cord.
              </p>

              Have any experience with volt meters and soldering? </p>

              Comment


              • #8
                Re: Help and advice for Hammond L-133



                I don't really know much about electrical wiring, tube amps, or repair like soldering. But......I suppose now is the time to learn. I am a bit nervous about turning it on and will have a good E rated fire extig. handy. </P>

                Comment


                • #9
                  Re: Help and advice for Hammond L-133

                  You might try plugging it into a power strip with surge protection. If there is a short, the circuit breaker will cut power to the organ. Also, the circuit breakers that protect your home wiring will keep any problem from getting too out of hand. Just use caution. The burning smell you described would cause me to suspect the capacitor in the motor circuit first. It's the silver oval can near the motor, as JohnnyB3 described. If it is the problem, the motor may not start at all or it could also cause a circuit breaker to trip. If there is any seepage from within this silver capacitor near the motor, this must becleaned up with caution as it may contain cancer-causing PCB's. Use rubber gloves if this is the case.

                  Comment

                  Hello!

                  Collapse

                  Looks like you’re enjoying the discussion, but you haven’t signed up for an account yet.

                  Tired of scrolling through the same posts? When you create an account you’ll always come back to where you left off. With an account you can also post messages, be notified of new replies, join groups, send private messages to other members, and use likes to thank others. We can all work together to make this community great. ♥️

                  Sign Up

                  Working...
                  X