ABECK Posted November 6, 2023 Share Posted November 6, 2023 Is it possible to modularize a Hammond - for example, one "box" for the Keybed, rocker switches and key contacts, one for the tone generator, and one for the preamp? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AnotherScott Posted November 6, 2023 Share Posted November 6, 2023 Back in the 70s, I took a tonewheel Hammond and split it into a Tone generator box, Upper manual with all drawbars, and Lower manual, all connected with big multipin connectors. (With a fourth piece being the base.) Quote Maybe this is the best place for a shameless plug! Our now not-so-new new video at https://youtu.be/3ZRC3b4p4EI is a 40 minute adaptation of T. S. Eliot's "Prufrock" - check it out! And hopefully I'll have something new here this year. ;-) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lightbg Posted November 6, 2023 Share Posted November 6, 2023 Looks like these guys have been down that path. Some good references in the responses. https://groupdiy.com/threads/hammond-b3-chop.9525/ Quote 1967 B-3 w/(2) 122's, Nord C1w/Leslie 2101 top, Nord PedalKeys 27, Nord Electro 4D, IK B3X, QSC K12.2, Yamaha reface YC+CS+CP "It needs a Hammond" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ABECK Posted November 6, 2023 Author Share Posted November 6, 2023 1 minute ago, AnotherScott said: Back in the 70s, I took a tonewheel Hammond and split it into a Tone generator box, Upper manual with all drawbars, and Lower manual, all connected with big multipin connectors. (With a fourth piece being the base.) Cool - so it sounds at least possible (and yes, I totally forgot about the swell pedal and bass pedals (M3). So that would be an additional component to account for. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CEB Posted November 6, 2023 Share Posted November 6, 2023 Yes but I will never recommend it. The main reason for the original chops were so that the organ would fit in the cargo bay of a Silver Eagle bus. 1 Quote "It doesn't have to be difficult to be cool" - Mitch Towne "A great musician can bring tears to your eyes!!! So can a auto Mechanic." - Stokes Hunt Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bill H. Posted November 6, 2023 Share Posted November 6, 2023 In the 1960s, Portland's Sunn amplifiers attempted to make L's and M's more manageable by putting the keyboards in a separate cabinet from the tone generator. This was during a time when visuals were very important, and they did look better onstage than Hammond's home cabs. When I was a teen I saw Don and the Goodtimes use one, and it made an impression on me because I still remember it. Looked for a pic online, but couldn't find one. When it came time to chop my L101 my father built an all in one cab, and I Tolexed it with a speaker grille across the front. It was by far the easier way to go, and was less hassle setting up. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Delaware Dave Posted November 6, 2023 Share Posted November 6, 2023 This is why i bought my L100p years ago. Handles on the side so that two people could move it and if I put it on a handtruck I could move it myself. i thought about buying an A100 and chopping it but quickly realized that I would F it up. I'm decent with electronics and my brother has an electronics degree and be said I was taking on a huge task so the L100p was the next logical step. i gigged with it for a couple of years until the band stopped helping me move it then I retired it to the studio. good luck... p.s. put your DMC through a tube leslie and you will only notice the small difference. Check out the T115, under 70 pounds. https://www.facebook.com/groups/1449903441935326/permalink/3518949565030693/?mibextid=Nif5oz 1 Quote 57 Hammond B3; 69 Hammond L100P; 68 Leslie 122; Kurzweil Forte7 & PC3; M-Audio Code 61; Voce V5+; Neo Vent; EV ELX112P; GSI Gemini & Burn Delaware Dave Exit93band Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Old No7 Posted November 6, 2023 Share Posted November 6, 2023 1 hour ago, ABECK said: Is it possible to modularize a Hammond - for example, one "box" for the Keybed, rocker switches and key contacts, one for the tone generator, and one for the preamp? 1 hour ago, ABECK said: Cool - so it sounds at least possible (and yes, I totally forgot about the swell pedal and bass pedals (M3). So that would be an additional component.. Here are some old pictures of my Chopped M3 from 1980-82. I recall getting the large plugs soldered correctly (and well) was a major pain in the a**, and when you added the Leslie -- it still was a load to move in/out. I never thought of separating the boards from the tonewheels though; and I don't think I knew of any that had been done that way back then. I do recall that we got it working OK but it had a 60 cycle hum -- so I needed the services of a Hammond Tech to add a doohickey (capacitor?) somewhere to account for the extra cable lengths involved; at least that's what I recall him saying. He also made sure that I wouldn't get "Shocked!" by the aluminum trim and he added some type of ground or insulator (maybe both). Good luck if you go that route. Old No7 4 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...
Radagast Posted November 6, 2023 Share Posted November 6, 2023 Anyone want to buy my T200 and chop it up? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wineandkeyz Posted November 6, 2023 Share Posted November 6, 2023 19 minutes ago, Old No7 said: Here are some old pictures of my Chopped M3 from 1980-82. I recall getting the large plugs soldered correctly (and well) was a major pain in the a**, and when you added the Leslie -- it still was a load to move in/out. I never thought of separating the boards from the tonewheels though; and I don't think I knew of any that had been done that way back then. I do recall that we got it working OK but it had a 60 cycle hum -- so I needed the services of a Hammond Tech to add a doohickey (capacitor?) somewhere to account for the extra cable lengths involved; at least that's what I recall him saying. He also made sure that I wouldn't get "Shocked!" by the aluminum trim and he added some type of ground or insulator (maybe both). Good luck if you go that route. Old No7 My back hurts just from looking at the pictures. 1 Quote Live: Yamaha S70XS (#1); Roland Jupiter-80; Mackie 1202VLZ4; IEMs or Traynor K4 Home: Hammond SK Pro 73; Moog Minimoog Voyager Electric Blue; Yamaha S70XS (#2); Wurlitzer 200A Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mate stubb Posted November 7, 2023 Share Posted November 7, 2023 Absolutely. I built a 3 piece B3 split up as top manual/preamp, bottom manual, and generator/vib line box. It had an aluminum chassis and the generator snugged up under the manuals for shorter wire runs. It used big Elco connectors for swell to great and swell to generator. i omitted the pedal keyboard harness as it was for non jazz use. You could set it up as a single manual if you wanted. 4 Quote Moe --- Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mate stubb Posted November 7, 2023 Share Posted November 7, 2023 But was it worth it? As a fun project to keep me busy building something, sure. As a practical gigging instrument, nope. Instead of one 300 lb piece I now had to wrangle 3 100lb pieces, plus all the stand scaffolding. I took it to one gig and parked it in a studio, where it remains to this day. This led to my Hammond midi controller project, where I got two manuals down to 70 lbs, at the cost of a real generator/preamp. 1 1 Quote Moe --- Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ABECK Posted November 7, 2023 Author Share Posted November 7, 2023 16 hours ago, Old No7 said: Damn - haven't seen a WBCN sticker in a minute! I miss the days of rock radio in Boston with WAAF and WBCN (and for a really brief time, WCOZ!) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Delaware Dave Posted November 7, 2023 Share Posted November 7, 2023 11 hours ago, matted stump said: But was it worth it? As a fun project to keep me busy building something, sure. As a practical gigging instrument, nope. Instead of one 300 lb piece I now had to wrangle 3 100lb pieces, plus all the stand scaffolding. I took it to one gig and parked it in a studio, where it remains to this day. This led to my Hammond midi controller project, where I got two manuals down to 70 lbs, at the cost of a real generator/preamp. Now that Guido has the gemini module and the mojo desktop you could install either into your controller. Through a real leslie you could probably fool alot of people. i believe either one is only about two pounds. Quote 57 Hammond B3; 69 Hammond L100P; 68 Leslie 122; Kurzweil Forte7 & PC3; M-Audio Code 61; Voce V5+; Neo Vent; EV ELX112P; GSI Gemini & Burn Delaware Dave Exit93band Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eric Posted November 7, 2023 Share Posted November 7, 2023 Cool thread! I never made the commitment to chop a Hammond. There was about a 1-2 year period where I was carting a Hammond M3 to gigs and the studio in the earliest days of my original ska/reggae/pop band. I had my tech friend help me install a 1/4" output on the M3 and I added wheels to it. We carted it around to as many gigs as possible, along with a Leslie 145. It was kind of a beast, so it was mostly replaced by first an analog Korg CX-3 and then Hammond XB-2. This was around late '80s into very early '90s. Here's a picture of it in the studio for I think our second album around 1991. We had talked about chopping the lower half with speaker and pedals to make it more portable. I don't know if that would have done a whole lot. I see some pro Hammond players (even without roadies) that do wonders moving A and B console Hammonds with dollies plus Leslies on wheels. There's a guy Todd Phipps (not sure if he's on this forum) who plays all his gigs with a console Hammond and two Leslies! He has a transit van with ramps and makes easy work of it. That's dedication to the cause! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ABECK Posted November 7, 2023 Author Share Posted November 7, 2023 If I had the time (I do not!!), it would be an interesting project. I was thinking a single manual M3 could theoretically be housed in multiple boxes and carried easily by 1 person. But in reality, by DMC/Gemini and hell, even the VB3m, meet my Hammond needs as far as gigging goes. I do like tinkering though (which is why I should never, ever dip my toes into the modular or Eurorack world!) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Noah DC Posted November 7, 2023 Share Posted November 7, 2023 https://www.bossorgan.com/custom-organs Quote Numa X Piano 73 | Yamaha CP4 | Mojo 61 | Motion Sound KP-612s | Hammond M3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Old No7 Posted November 7, 2023 Share Posted November 7, 2023 48 minutes ago, ABECK said: I was thinking a single manual M3 could theoretically be housed in multiple boxes and carried easily by 1 person. Sounds like a Mojo 61 would be a lighter and possibly better option. I'm loving my SK Pro-73 for the Leslie sim, extra voices and layering -- and even the synth does a very reasonable job of emulating the Lucky Man synth solo (with ring modulation added at the end) -- but I often miss that easily-accessible chicken-head overdrive knob of the Mojo. 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...
CEB Posted November 7, 2023 Share Posted November 7, 2023 The manuals are heavy. The preamp and generator is heavy. There is no way around that. Personally I have found it easier to move a B cabinet on ROKs than most chops. Stairs and sharp corners in some old club entrance ways suck. If a move in is going to suck just go digital organ with a Leslie. Quote "It doesn't have to be difficult to be cool" - Mitch Towne "A great musician can bring tears to your eyes!!! So can a auto Mechanic." - Stokes Hunt Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SamuelBLupowitz Posted November 7, 2023 Share Posted November 7, 2023 Y'all, this thread is so cool. I do not play the kind of gigs where I have ever thought "I should try to move my A100 to the venue" (thank goodness for my Mojo), but there was a time when it was that or nothing, and I love to see the creative solutions. Quote Samuel B. Lupowitz Musician. Songwriter. Food Enthusiast. Bad Pun Aficionado. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Floyd Tatum Posted November 7, 2023 Share Posted November 7, 2023 14 hours ago, matted stump said: This led to my Hammond midi controller project, where I got two manuals down to 70 lbs, at the cost of a real generator/preamp. I'd be interested in seeing photos of that! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Delaware Dave Posted November 7, 2023 Share Posted November 7, 2023 looks like someone did the work for you. https://www.facebook.com/groups/12459319594/permalink/10161806786859595/?mibextid=Nif5oz Quote 57 Hammond B3; 69 Hammond L100P; 68 Leslie 122; Kurzweil Forte7 & PC3; M-Audio Code 61; Voce V5+; Neo Vent; EV ELX112P; GSI Gemini & Burn Delaware Dave Exit93band Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ABECK Posted November 7, 2023 Author Share Posted November 7, 2023 20 minutes ago, Delaware Dave said: looks like someone did the work for you. https://www.facebook.com/groups/12459319594/permalink/10161806786859595/?mibextid=Nif5oz Even with one manual, the M3 is still a big beast. Not much smaller than a B3 chop, really. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mate stubb Posted November 7, 2023 Share Posted November 7, 2023 3 hours ago, Floyd Tatum said: I'd be interested in seeing photos of that! Here's a few. There was a long thread about it but all my image links were broken when this forum moved to the new software and server. Quote Moe --- Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Outkaster Posted November 7, 2023 Share Posted November 7, 2023 Problem is with chops is the have a terrible resale value. Even Bill Beer chops. The guys that I know are very wary of taking them on because its tough to resell them. As a gigging instrument they are fine. 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...
bjosko Posted November 7, 2023 Share Posted November 7, 2023 I remember years ago something about a company that put the tone wheels in a box, and as I weakly remember something about that it could be triggered from a midi board. I don’t know what was up with the rest of the electronics. As we know the mojo is in many of the original components, and how they work together. But that was before we got the better clones. Quote /Bjørn - old gearjunkie, still with lot of GAS Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Floyd Tatum Posted November 8, 2023 Share Posted November 8, 2023 3 hours ago, matted stump said: Here's a few. There was a long thread about it but all my image links were broken when this forum moved to the new software and server. Oh, that one! Thanks. I remember that - I thought you were talking about something else. I forgot you built two portables. 👍 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bill bosco Posted November 9, 2023 Share Posted November 9, 2023 On 11/6/2023 at 3:03 PM, ABECK said: Is it possible to modularize a Hammond - for example, one "box" for the Keybed, rocker switches and key contacts, one for the tone generator, and one for the preamp? i've read it described as " putting an anvil in a paper bag " , i've chopped two M3s , two different chops on my L102 , and have done three different chops on my c3 . I think the anvil comparison is about right . 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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