Blues Disciple Posted January 20, 2003 Share Posted January 20, 2003 I'm doing alot of research on Hammond Jazz artists and have come across a number of pictures of Jimmy Smith playing a C3....in fact more with a C3 than the almight B. I know the guts and sound between the two are the same, but just was wondering if he, for whatever reason, prefers to play a C3 over the B? and if so why? Or does he just play whatever is there when he shows up? Any info? BD "With the help of God and true friends I've come to realize, I still have two strong legs and even wings to fly" Gregg Allman from "Ain't Wastin Time No More" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Calumet Posted January 20, 2003 Share Posted January 20, 2003 There really is no difference. I would imagine that, as you said, he played whatever was there when he showed up. Also, every B-3 and C-3 have their own character. A lot depends on the Leslie also. Maybe Jimmy used the same C-3 on some records because it sounded really good. Also, it might depend on what was in the studio. If he did a lot of sessions with, say, Rudy Van Gelder and he had a C-3, then that's what Jimmy used. Joey plays an A-100, I believe, on some of his early records. My band Thousand Houses: www.thousandhouses.com Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
coyote Posted January 21, 2003 Share Posted January 21, 2003 To support what calumet said, electrically there is no diff whatsoever between the B3 and C3. The only difference is in the case.... the C3's solid case is a bit sturdier than the B3 and its spindle legs, and that's why the rock guys like Emerson & Lord (who were both known to occasionally abuse the organ) toured with C3s. I used to think I was Libertarian. Until I saw their platform; now I know I'm no more Libertarian than I am RepubliCrat or neoCON or Liberal or Socialist. This ain't no track meet; this is football. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
joegerardi Posted January 21, 2003 Share Posted January 21, 2003 Originally posted by coyote: To support what calumet said, electrically there is no diff whatsoever between the B3 and C3. The only difference is in the case.... the C3's solid case is a bit sturdier than the B3 and its spindle legs, and that's why the rock guys like Emerson & Lord (who were both known to occasionally abuse the organ) toured with C3s.Actually, Emo has stated in many an interview that the reason he used the C3 was simply because they were easier to find in England. ..Joe Setup: Korg Kronos 61, Roland XV-88, Korg Triton-Rack, Motif-Rack, Korg N1r, Alesis QSR, Roland M-GS64 Yamaha KX-88, KX76, Roland Super-JX, E-Mu Longboard 61, Kawai K1II, Kawai K4. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blues Disciple Posted January 22, 2003 Author Share Posted January 22, 2003 I have always seen Emerson, Wakeman, Steve Walsh, and John Lord with C3's. In fact it would look strange to see them with a B3! (Yet both Wakeman and Walsh seem to have gone with clones these days--Wakeman with a CX3 and Walsh with what looks like a Kurz on the recent live Kansas CD) It just seemed strange to me to see several pictures of the man who is THE Jazz Hammond king and who is the definition of Jazz Hammond music for so many people sitting at a C3 instead of the legendary B3. Yeah, the sound is the same and it really doesn't make a difference, yet the B3 is so much more recognizable and what he is most often associated with. Now owning a C3 (damn that feels so nice to say), I am paying particular interest in those who favor the C over the B. It's just cool to see Jimmy Smith with a C3 and was wondering if he actually prefers a C3 to a B3 for whatever reason, if any. BD "With the help of God and true friends I've come to realize, I still have two strong legs and even wings to fly" Gregg Allman from "Ain't Wastin Time No More" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PianoJazz1951 Posted January 22, 2003 Share Posted January 22, 2003 ...I used to run a direct plug out of my B years ago-directly into a phaser and into an amp (got tired of lugging a Leslie around). Does the C have the same outlet? We will not waiver; we will not tire; we will not falter; and we will not fail! George W. Bush Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
B3Nut Posted January 25, 2003 Share Posted January 25, 2003 The C-3 usually seen with Jimmy Smith on a lot of those old jazz albums is the house C-3 at Van Gelder Studios. IIRC, it's a '58 or '59, and was paired with a 21H single-speed Leslie. The organ is still in use at RVG's studio, Joey D has cut several albums on it. Usually Smith uses whatever is in the studio or at the venue he plays at - most "name" organists seldom haul their own rigs; their promoters make sure a rental organ is ready to go when they show up to play. As others posted, the C-3 and B-3 are identical except for the cabinet. The reason C-3's were more plentiful in Europe was because C cabinets could be manufactured under license in the destination countries while the more complex B cabinet had to be manufactured in Chicago. This increased shipping costs as the whole organ had to be shipped rather than the normal practice of shipping "tray organs" (innards only) and having the licensed manufacturer in the destination country make the cabinets there and assemble the finished instruments. Boosey&Hawkes was the British and South African licensee; there were licensees in Belgium, Germany, and several other places. The C-type cabinets and A-1xx and spinet cabinets were relatively simple to manufacture as they didn't require any complex lathe-work or other woodworking skills to build as the B cabinets did. Leslie ended up working out a similar situation as well, shipping amps/drivers/rotors and having cabinets made by cabinet shops in Europe and Australia for those markets. Fun schtuff. TP, getting settled in the Madison, WI area.... www.crush-band.com --- Todd A. Phipps "...no, I'm not a Hammondoholic...I can stop anytime..." http://www.facebook.com/b3nut ** http://www.blueolives.com Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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