Hammond X-66

[JohnR]

I have the chance to look at, play and acquire a pristine condition Hammond X-66. It's local to me and has been serviced by and referred by my personal organ technician. So there's a lot of credibility here with the instrument. It's been completely worked over and given any and all attention that it has required. The owner has even added a 147 Leslie in addition to the Original tone cabinet that came with it. Per his personal taste. It really is in pristine condition and as far as I know it has only known two owners. The owner has simply aged out of being able to play the instrument. Super nice guy! My biggest concern. His asking price is $3800.

I understand the value of being serviced and maintained locally, by someone I personally know and trust. I'm even willing to grant some added cost due to the Leslie addition. But I'm having trouble reconciling that asking price. Just don't want my love of unique vintage instruments to interfere with level headed reasoning here. What would be a fair price? I did run across another one for $1200 - has original tone cabinet, no Leslie but hasn't been maintained by anyone I know. Andy Gilbert, thanks in advance for the Youtube video that you created for this instrument. I have to admit it only made me want it more!

Any and all feedback is welcome!

Thanks- John

[Admin]

In today's market, any organ is worth what someone is willing to pay for it. That said, I think this instrument is priced way too high. I've seen X-66's with the original tone cabinet go for $500.00. You have to consider that this organ is likely over 50 years old and has lots of complex circuitry and lots of components that could fail. Fortunately, this organ used all discreet components and no proprietary IC's so should something go wrong it should be repairable.

Given that instrument is pristine and has the additional Leslie, I think somewhere around $2000 would be the highest I would go.

[JohnR]

In today's market, any organ is worth what someone is willing to pay for it. That said, I think this instrument is priced way too high. I've seen X-66's with the original tone cabinet go for $500.00. You have to consider that this organ is likely over 50 years old and has lots of complex circuitry and lots of components that could fail. Fortunately, this organ used all discreet components and no proprietary IC's so should something go wrong it should be repairable.

Given that instrument is pristine and has the additional Leslie, I think somewhere around $2000 would be the highest I would go.

That's where I was thinking it might come in... I think he's trying to recoup some of his costs on the work he's had done. Coupled with the fact that it's his pride and joy! I don't want to offend him but I'll certainly feel him out as to how negotiable he is at this point. Thank you!

[paulj0557]

[[They have me as 'Guest', I'm Organ Forum member Paulj0557 (maybe it's fixed now?) ]]

They only made 1,000 HAMMOND X-66 organs. 'Properly, and regularly maintained' is a huge huge bonus worth $1,500 over the going rate of more often than not, X-66's with unknown history. Also, with a Leslie 147, and it's unique, and not cheap, X-66 -to - LESLIE ADAPTER (perhaps the 'universal', non-balanced input [from organ] Leslie 147 has a more simplified adapter than a Balanced 145 or 122...less to repair, right).

Do ask if there is a TREK 3 TRANSPOSER ( https://trekii.com/tr-3-6.html ). This is another plus to the organ. Besides the handy key changing function (2 half step increments up from Middle C, and 4 half step increments down from Middle C), the transposer replaces the stock mechanical 12 Tone wheels, tone wheel generator, negating regular oiling. The 12 TWG is the entirety of fundamental tone generation for the organ.
NOTE: THE ORGAN JUST HAVING THE STOCK 12 TWG IS PERFECTLY FINE. THERE IS ACTUALLY NO AUDIBLE ADVANTAGE A TREK 3 TRANSPOSER. PROPERLY, AND REGULARLY IT WILL LAST MANY YEARS. PERHAPS BUY THE TREK TRANSPOSER TO HAVE AT THE READY FOR WHEN THE TIME COMES...OR A SPARE WORKING STOCK 12 TWG UNIT. INCIDENTALLY THE TWG IS IN THE BASE OF THE ORGAN.

ALSO ASK WHAT YEAR IT'S FROM, OR LOOK AT SERIAL NUMBER. UP TO A CERTAIN SERIAL NUMBER (the lesser of the bulk of the X-66's made), THE LENGTH OF THE ORGANS KEYS WERE SHORTER FROM FRONT TO BACK. BESIDES THE NOTICEABLE APPEARANCE OF THE SHORTER KEYS, AND I'M NOT SURE IF THIS IS TRUE, BUT SINCE THE X-66'S KEYS ARE INORDINATELY HARDER TO DEPRESS THAN PROBABLY ANY OTHER ORGAN EVER MADE, THE EXTRA LENGTH MIGHT MAKE THEM AT LEAST A TINY BIT EASIER TO PRESS DOWN. PROBABLY NOT, BUT MAYBE.

Clever transistor flip-flop circuits 'divide down' all of the octaves of tones from the highest octave generated by the 12 tone wheels (or Trek TRANSPOSER TWG). There are no integrated circuits in the X-66. ONLY DISCRETE TRANSISTORS (discrete meaning individual, one part does one job) are used throughout the X-66. This means two majorly important things about this very special organ-

1. The X-66 can be repaired for many more decades into the future.

2. Although an electronic organ repair specialist will be proficient, thorough, and cost you less hours on the invoice (the greatest expense in electronic organ repair); in a pinch, or if an organ tech is simply not available in your location any qualified electronics tech with general troubleshooting skills in solid state amp repair, armed with an X-66 SERVICE MANUAL, can service the organ and tone cabinet with relative ease.


The X-66 was built to the highest standards ever invested in a consumer (industrial ha ha) product. It can be maintained well into the future. It's a tonal and visual wonder to behold. People pay 5 figures for hunks of wood with strings on them, or a few thousand for a small guitar amp with one twelve inch speaker. And these are all available in abundance far far beyond the X-66s and their equally rare tone cabinets.

So what does a relatively rare, unquestionably unparalleled musical instrument get valued at? In many ways because these particular organs are owned by so few, and because there is a tendency of the best examples to end up in Mexico (their most popular Country due to their excellent sound for Latin pop, and traditional Latin music), thus they are getting more scarce, the value comes down only to the user. And if ever there was a specific specialized product of which the price is based on the region and availability, it would be the X66. I combo organ, guitar, etc. you can ship " all over America...the world, but shipping an X-66? Not cheap!

Bottom line, consider the people you ask about this instrument. Do they desire that organ, tone cab, and Leslie? Probably not, so naturally they'll think back to the window low to high of what they've seen them go for. $500 to $1,500 w/o a Leslie and no tell of history of maintenance. An average Gibson Les Paul of the past 25 years in fair condition goes for $1,500-$1,800 ,but maintained, upgraded, and if more rare, 4-10 times that much.

So the asking price for the Hammond X-66, it's 11-77 tone cabinet, a Leslie 147, it's to-organ adapter kit, it's half moon switches, cables, and tech's maintenance records?

GRAB IT! WITH 12 HANDS!!
I have an ever awe inspiring, great original shape 1972 Hammond X-66, it's 11-77 5-channel tone cabinet, bench, pedals,Trek 3 Transposer, and Leslie 122 organ kit (I already had (have) Leslie)
ALL cost me $30. Yep, I traded a Bonvici Pianacord 'pedestal' accordion I paid $30 for on Ebay for it. I actually saw the Bonvicini on what used to called SPELLSAVER DOT COM...a site that had an algorithm that generated every possible misspelling of the item listed on ebay then it showed those items from Ebay misspelled in the listings title. They misspelled ACCORDION as ACCORDIAN. At the time Ebay would only show an ad exactly as it was spelled. So misspelled far less people see he item. This increases your odds of getting said item. Ebay has since used the misspell generator, negating the need for Spellsaver dot com. What was worse for the Bonvicini seller was I won it for $30, Shipping charge was $40. When the Accordion arrived I noticed they paid $80 to ship it to me! ha ha
So 'value'? 'worth'?
Priceless! To me I wouldn't sell it for $5,000...so there is the 'goin' price' in my neck of the woods.
Okay $4000 😁

[JohnR]

[[They have me as 'Guest', I'm Organ Forum member Paulj0557 (maybe it's fixed now?) ]]

They only made 1,000 HAMMOND X-66 organs. 'Properly, and regularly maintained' is a huge huge bonus worth $1,500 over the going rate of more often than not, X-66's with unknown history. Also, with a Leslie 147, and it's unique, and not cheap, X-66 -to - LESLIE ADAPTER (perhaps the 'universal', non-balanced input [from organ] Leslie 147 has a more simplified adapter than a Balanced 145 or 122...less to repair, right).

Do ask if there is a TREK 3 TRANSPOSER ( https://trekii.com/tr-3-6.html ). This is another plus to the organ. Besides the handy key changing function (2 half step increments up from Middle C, and 4 half step increments down from Middle C), the transposer replaces the stock mechanical 12 Tone wheels, tone wheel generator, negating regular oiling. The 12 TWG is the entirety of fundamental tone generation for the organ.
NOTE: THE ORGAN JUST HAVING THE STOCK 12 TWG IS PERFECTLY FINE. THERE IS ACTUALLY NO AUDIBLE ADVANTAGE A TREK 3 TRANSPOSER. PROPERLY, AND REGULARLY IT WILL LAST MANY YEARS. PERHAPS BUY THE TREK TRANSPOSER TO HAVE AT THE READY FOR WHEN THE TIME COMES...OR A SPARE WORKING STOCK 12 TWG UNIT. INCIDENTALLY THE TWG IS IN THE BASE OF THE ORGAN.

ALSO ASK WHAT YEAR IT'S FROM, OR LOOK AT SERIAL NUMBER. UP TO A CERTAIN SERIAL NUMBER (the lesser of the bulk of the X-66's made), THE LENGTH OF THE ORGANS KEYS WERE SHORTER FROM FRONT TO BACK. BESIDES THE NOTICEABLE APPEARANCE OF THE SHORTER KEYS, AND I'M NOT SURE IF THIS IS TRUE, BUT SINCE THE X-66'S KEYS ARE INORDINATELY HARDER TO DEPRESS THAN PROBABLY ANY OTHER ORGAN EVER MADE, THE EXTRA LENGTH MIGHT MAKE THEM AT LEAST A TINY BIT EASIER TO PRESS DOWN. PROBABLY NOT, BUT MAYBE.

Clever transistor flip-flop circuits 'divide down' all of the octaves of tones from the highest octave generated by the 12 tone wheels (or Trek TRANSPOSER TWG). There are no integrated circuits in the X-66. ONLY DISCRETE TRANSISTORS (discrete meaning individual, one part does one job) are used throughout the X-66. This means two majorly important things about this very special organ-

1. The X-66 can be repaired for many more decades into the future.

2. Although an electronic organ repair specialist will be proficient, thorough, and cost you less hours on the invoice (the greatest expense in electronic organ repair); in a pinch, or if an organ tech is simply not available in your location any qualified electronics tech with general troubleshooting skills in solid state amp repair, armed with an X-66 SERVICE MANUAL, can service the organ and tone cabinet with relative ease.


The X-66 was built to the highest standards ever invested in a consumer (industrial ha ha) product. It can be maintained well into the future. It's a tonal and visual wonder to behold. People pay 5 figures for hunks of wood with strings on them, or a few thousand for a small guitar amp with one twelve inch speaker. And these are all available in abundance far far beyond the X-66s and their equally rare tone cabinets.

So what does a relatively rare, unquestionably unparalleled musical instrument get valued at? In many ways because these particular organs are owned by so few, and because there is a tendency of the best examples to end up in Mexico (their most popular Country due to their excellent sound for Latin pop, and traditional Latin music), thus they are getting more scarce, the value comes down only to the user. And if ever there was a specific specialized product of which the price is based on the region and availability, it would be the X66. I combo organ, guitar, etc. you can ship " all over America...the world, but shipping an X-66? Not cheap!

Bottom line, consider the people you ask about this instrument. Do they desire that organ, tone cab, and Leslie? Probably not, so naturally they'll think back to the window low to high of what they've seen them go for. $500 to $1,500 w/o a Leslie and no tell of history of maintenance. An average Gibson Les Paul of the past 25 years in fair condition goes for $1,500-$1,800 ,but maintained, upgraded, and if more rare, 4-10 times that much.

So the asking price for the Hammond X-66, it's 11-77 tone cabinet, a Leslie 147, it's to-organ adapter kit, it's half moon switches, cables, and tech's maintenance records?

GRAB IT! WITH 12 HANDS!!
I have an ever awe inspiring, great original shape 1972 Hammond X-66, it's 11-77 5-channel tone cabinet, bench, pedals,Trek 3 Transposer, and Leslie 122 organ kit (I already had (have) Leslie)
ALL cost me $30. Yep, I traded a Bonvici Pianacord 'pedestal' accordion I paid $30 for on Ebay for it. I actually saw the Bonvicini on what used to called SPELLSAVER DOT COM...a site that had an algorithm that generated every possible misspelling of the item listed on ebay then it showed those items from Ebay misspelled in the listings title. They misspelled ACCORDION as ACCORDIAN. At the time Ebay would only show an ad exactly as it was spelled. So misspelled far less people see he item. This increases your odds of getting said item. Ebay has since used the misspell generator, negating the need for Spellsaver dot com. What was worse for the Bonvicini seller was I won it for $30, Shipping charge was $40. When the Accordion arrived I noticed they paid $80 to ship it to me! ha ha
So 'value'? 'worth'?
Priceless! To me I wouldn't sell it for $5,000...so there is the 'goin' price' in my neck of the woods.
Okay $4000 😁

Wow! You got the deal of the Century... And thank you for all of the information. It is evident that these organs have a loyal and true following. I hope that I'm able to secure one. On that note I have to share this. I found an X-66 and tone cabinet for $500 out of Wisconsin. A little bit of a drive for me but I was willing to do it. I called yesterday about the organ and missed it by 5 hours. The contractor remodeling the home had taken a sledge hammer to it, just to get it out of the way. Citing no one came to get it and he needed it gone! I was crushed. Save the ones you can because so many are meeting their demise at the hands of people who cannot appreciate them..

[andyg]

I'd agree with Admin that $2K for a mint, well maintained X-66 with a 147 and a 12-77 would be a fair price, with the 147 being the major part of that. A lesser one with a 12-77 will sell for maybe $500 and that may take the seller some time. I just missed out on a good one, with a 12-77 and Leslie 720, outbid at the last second. That went for £302, it's been on sale again more recently for a lot more than that! Anything north of $2K for that combination would be over-paying and $3800 is just way too high. Hammond never made a connector kit for the 147, just the 122 and 900, but I've seen it done before and it's true that, given enough time and thought, you can hook almost any Leslie to almost any organ! So this hook-up is a 'special'.

Location and condition are the key factors in pricing, as always.

X-66 keys inordinately harder to press than other makes? No, they definitely should not be! From the ones I've played, there's precious little difference in feel between a Type 1 and a Type 2. In theory you can tell which type it is from the serial number (I forget what the serial number break point is) but I've been playing a Type 2 that has a low Type 1 serial number! Look at the Hammond name on the sides of the organ. If it's large, in the later typeface and with the 'H' logo, then it's probably a later Type 2.

The X-66 electronics do include what my old service engineer mentor called 'circuit packs', a handful of components bonded together in an in-line package. If you know what's in one, you can recreate it with no problems. Apart from that, it is just lots and lots of ordinary electronics. Scanners and belts may need attention.

The Trek II generator is a bonus but not essential.

[JohnR]

I'd agree with Admin that $2K for a mint, well maintained X-66 with a 147 and a 12-77 would be a fair price, with the 147 being the major part of that. A lesser one with a 12-77 will sell for maybe $500 and that may take the seller some time. I just missed out on a good one, with a 12-77 and Leslie 720, outbid at the last second. That went for £302, it's been on sale again more recently for a lot more than that! Anything north of $2K for that combination would be over-paying and $3800 is just way too high. Hammond never made a connector kit for the 147, just the 122 and 900, but I've seen it done before and it's true that, given enough time and thought, you can hook almost any Leslie to almost any organ! So this hook-up is a 'special'.

Location and condition are the key factors in pricing, as always.

X-66 keys inordinately harder to press than other makes? No, they definitely should not be! From the ones I've played, there's precious little difference in feel between a Type 1 and a Type 2. In theory you can tell which type it is from the serial number (I forget what the serial number break point is) but I've been playing a Type 2 that has a low Type 1 serial number! Look at the Hammond name on the sides of the organ. If it's large, in the later typeface and with the 'H' logo, then it's probably a later Type 2.

The X-66 electronics do include what my old service engineer mentor called 'circuit packs', a handful of components bonded together in an in-line package. If you know what's in one, you can recreate it with no problems. Apart from that, it is just lots and lots of ordinary electronics. Scanners and belts may need attention.

The Trek II generator is a bonus but not essential.

Thanks Andy and Paul!

I included pics so, that you guys could see it. I played it tonight. It didn't disappoint! Sound wise or visually. However, I think due my inexperience with the organ I wasn't able to register a really rich or deep full organ sound. By this I mean upper drawbars at full 16,8,4,2,1. It felt like the upper flutes (1&2) were more prevalent in the overall sound. I had to tone down the upper flutes to hear the lower as well. Maybe, that's just a difference in the overall sound of the organ than say my Elegante? Or maybe something my tech would need to look into. I also didn't think the 147 Leslie did much for the sound but was nice. I have to say the bass pedals rattled my teeth! Lol! Wow, that thing can get loud. He said he would work with me on price. So the asking price is negotiable. Let me know what you think...