Hi folks. I am buying my first Hammond Tonewheel-an M3. I have the instructions for bolting down the tone generator for transport http://www.dairiki.org/HammondWiki/MovingAHammond but where do I find the TG? Do I need to take the
back off with a screwdriver or wrench to get at the tone generator and
what does it look like? </p>
Although I'm getting a good deal on the M3 (well maintained, supposedly perfect shape, little old lady owned), come to find out I could have gotten a B3 for free about a month ago! Talked to an old friend in a another band for the first time in over a year yesterday. I almost called him last month as in the town he lives in, about 2 hrs. from me, someone was giving away some kind of Leslie.
I was going to go up to check it out but there was a bad snowstorm that weekend and I was thinking of calling my buddy to check it for me but figured it would be too much of a bother for him. Come to find out he would have been perfectly willing to get it for me and
someone he knew was giving away a B3 that needed "just a little work!" Had he known I was looking for a Hammond , he could have secured it for me! Arrgghh!
</p>
....Just another entry in the "You snooze, you lose" category!</p>
Hi BBB, this is an easy one on an M3. The TG is the long metal thing running lengthwise through the organ. There's a picture of it on GEO's excellent site:</P>
On an M3, though, this will be covered (well... should be covered!) by a rounded cardboard cover. You don't have to remove the cover to lock down the TG, but the cover will help you locate the TG bolts. Just follow the rounded cover down to the shelf underneath it; the TG bolts will be protruding through that lower shelf. Now, don't be surprised if you don't see all 4 bolts - I've owned three M3's, and none of them had all four TG bolts. If one or more seem to be missing, look around on the bottom of the organ - they often fall out and end up rolling around down there. Even if there are only two bolts left, don't worry - that will be enough to cinch it down for transport. (I like to do two diagonally opposite from each other in this case.) And even if ALL of them are gone, you may be OK if you don't have too far to go and don't rock things around too much.</P>
As far as actually inverting the bolts to lock the generator down... it helps immensely to take a flashlight along with you! The only trick to the thing is gettingthe bolts started after you flip them, so a flashlight really helps in terms of getting the bolts in right to start them.</P>
Other than that: you have the HammondWiki instructions, they're very useful especially in reminding you to take a 5/16" socket wrench with you. Good luck with it and let us know what you come home with! (pictures always welcome... I love the little old M3s [:)] )</P>
cheers,</P>
Scott</P>
PS if you succumb to the urge to take the cover off and check out the TG when you get home, be sure you only take out the bottom screws. The ones at the top of the cover (further back inside the organ) are the kind where you can just loosen them, then slip the cover off over the screw heads. On my first M3 I didn't realize this and managed to drop a screw into the TG itself! (not good)</P>
Nobody loves me but my mother,
And she could be jivin' too...
--BB King
I'm pretty sure the M3 has no reverb to speak of to lock down-correct?</P>
[/quote]</P>
Excellent question. The answer is: it might, but it probably doesn't. Most M3s that I've seen with reverb have either the external reverb cab (i.e., reverb tank contained in the remote cab), or the nifty little "music rest" reverb unit. But one of my M3s had the whole deal installed inside the console: amp plusreverb tank, then the signal was just tapped back in before the speaker. However, with this kind of setup there should be a reverb on-off switch mounted below the rail: a simple toggle in a blackboxwith white lettering. I don't seeany of the aboveon the CL picture, so you probably don't have reverb. </P>
But just in casemaybe there's a remote cab in the dealand they just neglected to mention it...all you need is a flat-head screwdriver to lock the springs. On these "necklace" reverbs, there's a little camshaft that sticks out directly at you, with a notch in it. It's counterintuitive; if I remember right you turn counterclockwise to tighten, and clockwise to loosen. But you can see the little clamps tightening down on the springs - it's actually harder to describe than it isto figure out.</P>
anyway good luck picking it up - looks like a nice one! (also looking forward to seeing pictures of that budget Leslie rig)</P>
Scott</P>
Nobody loves me but my mother,
And she could be jivin' too...
--BB King
The M3 and I arrived home about 9PM tonight. The trip, like moving the organ, went without a problem. The elderly woman who was selling it was wonderful,and so happy it was going to a good home. She was afflicted by Polio and has lost the use of her left arm. She was telling me it was the first Hammond spinet produced and how "wonderful the sound from a Hammond is." She had these white plastic furniture movers with black rubber on top that she purchased from a "shopping channel" (QVC) that were truly amazing. We put 6 under the M3 and slid it down 30' of carpeted hallway,across a concrete walkway and up a wooden ramp into my utility trailer as easily as pushing a fully loaded grocery cart! Her kind son who was about my size, a middled aged 5'7" ,150 pounder not only helped me move it but guided me to the highway-a worthwhile 3 hour round trip!
</p>
All the keys and drawbars and switches worked perfectly. I locked down the TG with no problem finding the bolts oily which is certainly a sign that the organ has been oiled recently. It has a mahogany finish and is cosmetically perfect, including it's bench. No reverb or addition, however. The owners manual says 1961 on it which is ironic in that it was the same year the spinet piano I basically traded for it was! </p>
It was raining approaching home and a few tiny drops of water somehow found their way under the plastic I had it swathed with and on to its amp, but I gently wiped and dried it from about a foot away with a hair dryer and don't anticipate any problems. I did notice one wire on the amp that was connected but not soldered which I can easily fix.</p>
She is comfortably nestled in my garage on the trailer awaiting my daughter's "moving crew" tomorrow. Thanks to all for your advice in transporting the M3. It's actually smaller than I thought it would be. A big voice from a compact package!
</p>
The" moving crew" was successful. We moved it into my studio with out a problem and it fired right up and I played it for about an hour tonight. The more I played it, the better it seemed to sound! It's hooked up to my Leslie now and the sounds I'm getting already with vibrato/ Leslie/percussion combinations are astounding. I'm even getting overdrive sounds. I love the action of the keys.It does sound a little thinner up top but the Leslie sounds decidedly better connected to a real Hammond than to my clonewheel.</p>
Now if I could just find an organ that prevents me from making mistakes! </p>
That's beeyoooooootiful Bob! Ab-so-tangly-tanfastically brilliant with ten exclamation marks!</P>
You'll never look back now. I wish my T had the action your M has, but I will modify it down the track. (and Idesire your tube amp and the cabinet and...)</P>
The thinness up the top is completely fixable, but obviously enjoy the organ awhilebefore deciding to go hard on modifying this beautiful beast.</P>
I can give you step by step instructions if you ever want to tackle adding the wail to the top octave. Ihad therecipe handed to me by Kon Zissis, who hadn't even done it himself. My T is possibly the firstspinet to ever have manual Tapering added... so I guess that makes me the world expert by practical experience!</P>
Don't forget to take a nap sometime during the night. Tomorrow's the weekend!</P>
She is a pretty l'il thing! I'm still "stuck" with a solid state Leslie, however it never sounded better....
</p>
One question: After unlocking the TG (which I did) by reversing the washers, how tight or loose are the bolts supposed to be? The motor (or TG?) seems a little bit noisier now than when I first tried it (could not even hear it but it had been on for awhile).</p>
Also the owners manual is titled "M100 series." I wonder if that was just a standard book for all the M models? The label on the back and the round visible speaker cover on the front leaves no doubt that this is an M3.
</p>
Once they're in unlocked position, it doesn't matter how tight they are, except they'll eventually fall off if you don't make em atLEAST thumb tight... maybe just a bit more with a spanner.</P>
then you can compare them page for page. Print out anything that matters...</P>
It won't hurt to oil everything for a bit.</P>
My motor was making a little noise a few weeks ago, so I oiled it til it stopped. I porobably over oiled it. Tonewheel1966's RTs motor was gunked from an earlier overoiling however...</P>
The TG should be oiled of course (and see if the Vib scanner needs oiled in the book) but it's possible you'll always hear it. </P>
My T has a noisy TG, while the C3 is nearly silent. From memory I think the C3 TG has an oak shelf underneath it, a felt blanket on on top and a sealed solid oakorgan body around it.
The T's TG is suspended on a frame, no wood below, no felt above, only 5mm board at the back and openings all around it for speakers and so forth.</P>
The M does at least have an opening for a speaker in front....so it may leak a bit of noise.</P>
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