B3000 - Is it worth repairing?

[klezman]

I've recently started playing for a church that has a B3000 that is in sad shape. After 20 years of not playing organ, I was thrilled at first to have pedals to use again but this thing really rough. Most of the time I end up playing the Yamaha DP (Clavinova 930) that they have instead.

 

Issues are:

1) It makes an occasional rumbling sound when sitting idle (appropriate when the pastor is preaching on Noah but otherwise not so much).

2) Only the bottom 11 pedals work. Sometimes *no* pedals work. Supposedly, there are issues with "contacts" in the pedal mechanism but I've yet to talk to the repair guy myself on this.

3) An entire octave is missing on the manuals. Pull out 8' drawbar, and notes from middle C up to B are missing. That translates to the other drawbars in different octaves.

4) Db octave above middle C sounds faintly but constantly on the top manual when any of the top manual presets are engaged.

 

Having done a bit of research, I'm starting to think this thing isn't even worth the price of the service call and won't stay working long enough for the repair guy to get out of the door again. Am I wrong here or is this one of Hammond's duds? They are willing to call the repair person (again) but I don't want to waste the church's money on this.

 

Thoughts?

 

I'm thinking about options for practical replacement (not a new $20+k Hammond for sure) and will post a separate thread after more research.

[CEB]

I have one. Most of it could be easy fixs. Was the organ moved around? Sometimes the IC board contections get loose or loose contact and need cleaning.

 

It isn't as bad an organ as a lot of internet people make it out to be.

 

But is the above doesn't clear up your issues then who knows.

 

PS - The organ doesn't happen to be sitting on a carpeted surface does it.

[klezman]

It *was* moved by folks who were somewhat clueless about organs (before I was involved). That's what supposedly wrecked the pedals but who knows.

 

Not on a carpeted surface.

 

If its just contact cleaning, etc, it sounds like that within the repair budget (around $400). This time, I would be there and discuss things 1:1 with the repair guy.

 

If we do fix it, I'm going to cover it with a tablecloth or something to keep the dust out (and sticky fingers away).

 

Being a long time lurker here, I figured I'd get someone with experience with this model. Thanks for your input.

[mate stubb]

I personally wouldn't put a dime into one. The tech is ancient enough that it's not worth fixing IMO.

[CEB]

If you have to hire the repair work to be done it becomes a tough question. You have no idea what all the organ really needs done to it until you look under the hood. It may just be a matter of cleaning connectors and reseating components. But, If you need parts .... well there is a chance you will not even be able to get them anymore.

[MoodyBluesKeys]

I was in the service business for about 30 years, moving to compuuters in the early 90's. Don't know where you are, and distance that the organ tech will have to travel.

 

While in business, I would check out an instrument like the B3000 you describe - try to get a handle on it within 30 to 45 minutes - and make recommendations based on that. So, a customer was looking at my travel (time and mileage, which could be lower if I had other calls in the same area) and between 30 and 45 minutes of my labor rate.

 

The instrument probably does justify spending that kind of money to see. I rcently bought a grand - spent $85 having it checked out by a good piano tech before making an offer. Was well worth it to know what needed doing.

 

The problems you describe could be caused by either component failure or connection failure. Some of the LSICs on the boards may not be obtainable. So it is a bit of a gamble. Other valid questions - can the church afford to replace it with something better (and is agreeable to doing so), or would they rather just use the Clavinova. What is the service history on it? Has it given a lot of trouble in the past, or has it been reliable.

 

First steps I'd recommend are to talk with the pastor (or committee or whoever is in charge of finance) to see what options there are. Next, I'd call and talk to the tech that has worked on it in the past - most techs will give you their best advice even if they don't get a service call out of it (of course, the tech won't really KNOW fully without checking it).