Old No7 Posted August 20, 2019 Share Posted August 20, 2019 Wow, I just realized it's been 37 years since I finished the chop job on my old Hammond M3... ...And 14 years since I sold it off back in 2005... Anyway, I'd built in for use in my band at UMass Amherst, where we also used our bass player's M102; so I played keys with the Crumar string machine on the M3 on left, with the PA mixer and a Mini-Moog on top of the M102 at the right (with an L-shaped setup), and I also played the trumpet on a few Chicago tunes too. But boy, that was a lot of fun lugging all that gear around! NOT!!!..................... As much as I enjoyed playing the M3 with its 145 Leslie (with a 147 preamp), I finally sold it off to someone in VT back in 2005 who was planning to gig with it. I often wonder if it's "still out there playing somewhere", as I got busy with work and a family after leaving school in '82 and I didn't play out with it after it was finally finished. Yup, it was built for, but never used on the road -- at least by me. Plus, the bass player had disappeared with his Hammond and his Mini Moog (we don't even know if he ever graduated or not), and the Crumar went off to someone who wanted more than I needed it. Anyway, here's a few photo's of it... Custom-made Case (made by me and the bass player) (The electronics were finalized by Tom Coates of Coates Organ Service, Swampscott MA; we had a hum and a glitch that we couldn't figure out) Trek II Reverb and Percussion Boost that I added: Preamp and Reverb case that I made: Bass and Leslie & volume pedals (pedals case homemade): The Leslie 145/147: Do I miss it.... Sure!! But I really don't miss lugging it around, that's for sure. Old No7 ps: Returning Back to 2019: After not having a "real keyboard" in the house for too many years (as I don't count the Casio that I'd played occasionally for the last decade or so), I finally decided it was time to get my chops back into shape and spend some time with some decent keyboards -- most likely to reconnect with my youth, I'll admit. I'll play for my own enjoyment for a couple of years, and then maybe form an "Over 60 Rock Band" just for fun. ("NOT too old to rock 'n roll, but still to young to die..") So instead of having 1,400+ pounds of gear, now I'm all setup with maybe 140 pounds worth -- with a Roland FP-30 e-piano (as I wanted 88 weighted keys), an awesome Crumar Mojo 61 and a Yamaha MX49 all on an AX-48 stand (as I added a 3rd tier), all played through a Mackie Thump 12A for now. Yeah, I still miss having a "real Hammond" in the house at times, but this Mojo 61 ROCKS and the MX49 has some pretty decent sounds on it... (For now, that is... We'll have to see what the future holds...) Quote Yamaha MODX6 * Hammond SK Pro 73 * Roland Fantom-08 * Crumar Mojo Pedals * Mackie Thump 12As * Tascam DP-24SD * JBL 305 MkIIs Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mate stubb Posted August 20, 2019 Share Posted August 20, 2019 I love talking about chops! A well done chop is a beautiful thing. Quote Moe --- Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Outkaster Posted August 20, 2019 Share Posted August 20, 2019 Tom Petro had an M3 he chopped in NJ, turns out it came back 30 years later into his collection which was pretty amazing. Quote "Danny, ci manchi a tutti. La E-Street Band non e' la stessa senza di te. Riposa in pace, fratello" noblevibes.com Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ABECK Posted August 20, 2019 Share Posted August 20, 2019 WBCN! I remember those bumper stickers!!!! Its amazing how cumbersome the M3 chops are. Seems like a B3 Chop is more manageable. I considered getting mine chopped, but seems like it wouldn't buy me much space or weight savings. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SamuelBLupowitz Posted August 20, 2019 Share Posted August 20, 2019 That looks pretty cool! But I wouldn't have wanted to lug it either. You're saying that you would gig with TWO Hammonds onstage? Must have made quite an impression! Quote Samuel B. Lupowitz Musician. Songwriter. Food Enthusiast. Bad Pun Aficionado. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Outkaster Posted August 20, 2019 Share Posted August 20, 2019 Chops are interesting because the weight you save isn't that noticeable. The tone generator and manuals is where the weight is. Cutting legs off a b cabinet maybe saves 15 pounds.. I can understand the portability but a lot of good consoles have been lost to bad chop jobs. I saw a kid in 2006 that cut down a perfectly good C cabinet for no reason. It was pristine and this idiot ruined it. Quote "Danny, ci manchi a tutti. La E-Street Band non e' la stessa senza di te. Riposa in pace, fratello" noblevibes.com Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Old No7 Posted August 20, 2019 Author Share Posted August 20, 2019 You're saying that you would gig with TWO Hammonds onstage? Must have made quite an impression! Dang, the only picture I have with the 2 Hammonds on stage is ripped and torn; I'll have to see if my drummer has any old pix... I did find this old photo showing the Leslie and the M102, Crumar and Moog and yours truly -- playing at a sorority formal, I think it was. I think it was for SDT (aka "Seldom Date-em Twice") or one of those houses... Old No7 Quote Yamaha MODX6 * Hammond SK Pro 73 * Roland Fantom-08 * Crumar Mojo Pedals * Mackie Thump 12As * Tascam DP-24SD * JBL 305 MkIIs Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mate stubb Posted August 20, 2019 Share Posted August 20, 2019 This one is 168 lbs and the size of a Rhodes. 2 octaves of black keys play lower manual, 4 octaves of white keys play upper manual. It would be way easier to move with only a dolly than even an M-3 chop. I admire this one so much that I'm thinking of building one myself one of these days. I have a spare chop sitting around... More info here. http://www.hotrodmotm.com/images/hammond/hammondchop1.png Quote Moe --- Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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