SW Posted December 13, 2004 Share Posted December 13, 2004 Anyone heard about the L100 Hammond? Is it "wow!" or "ouch!"? I saw one on the internet, it was a gig model spinet. I guess it can't compete with a B-3. Does anyone know of any songs/sound clips with this organ? I heard that the tune "A whiter shade of pale" is not played on a B-3, it is like a M102 or something..Dunno.. maybe it's just a rumour.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jode Posted December 13, 2004 Share Posted December 13, 2004 All I know for sure is that the L100 was Keith Emerson's first Hammond, and it is the model that he has always used for his show-ending "organ rape" routine. I'm pretty sure it has made appearances on some early ELP recordings. "I had to have something, and it wasn't there. I couldn't go down the street and buy it, so I built it." Les Paul Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bob Rinker Posted December 13, 2004 Share Posted December 13, 2004 Originally posted by SW: Anyone heard about the L100 Hammond? Is it "wow!" or "ouch!"? I saw one on the internet, it was a gig model spinet. I guess it can't compete with a B-3. Does anyone know of any songs/sound clips with this organ? I heard that the tune "A whiter shade of pale" is not played on a B-3, it is like a M102 or something..Dunno.. maybe it's just a rumour..There is some info here . It's a spinet, meaning shorter manuals and fewer drawbars, but its got tonewheels, so should both sound good and be a bit cantankerous to keep running (both just like a B3). - Bob Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bill H. Posted December 13, 2004 Share Posted December 13, 2004 I played one onstage for awhile in the 70's. Overall sound is different because the tonewheel generators are different. A bit brighter, more rock oriented...definitely not as funky as a B3. No chorus, and the 3 1/2 octave keyboards have more of a synth feel...not the waterfall keys of pricier Hammonds. If you are looking for that B3 sound in a spinet because you're on a budget, head for the "M" series instead. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DafDuc Posted December 13, 2004 Share Posted December 13, 2004 I loved the 1969 L-100 I played at church from '99 - '02. Very musical sounds, at or least when you run it through a Leslie 147 like I did. I really preferred it to the M-3 that I bought for myself in 2001. Only 4 presets, but they're nice. Just 1 octave of stubbies for pedals, but the M-3 gives you one less. L-100's bass also has 8' only. Mine may have had the foldback mod - VERY nice percussion, and the onboard spring reverb and integrated run/start switch were also great. Unless you kick a lot of bass, an L-100 will do 85-90% of what a B-3 will do. Great price point too - last I saw, they were usually under $300. Daf I played in an 8 piece horn band. We would often get bored. So...three words: "Tower of Polka." - Calumet Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marino Posted December 14, 2004 Share Posted December 14, 2004 I've had an L-100 for a while, and while I'm not an expert, it did have the Hammond sound without a doubt. Real tonewheels, drawbars, etc... It just lacks a bunch of features that the B and C series have. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Byrdman Posted December 14, 2004 Share Posted December 14, 2004 but its got tonewheels, so should both sound good and be a bit cantankerous to keep running (both just like a B3). - BobWhether it sounds good is, of course, a matter of taste. One thing it does not sound much like is a B3. No doubt adding a Leslie would help with that. The short manuals however are a problem. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mate stubb Posted December 14, 2004 Share Posted December 14, 2004 L-100s are OK, not junk, but are the least desireable of the tonewheel Hammonds. They are unnecessarily heavy to lug around due to the worthless power amp and speaker. Need to be played thru a real Leslie. If I had to gig a tonewheel spinet, I would pick a M-3 for its real chorus vibrato and waterfall keys. Then I'd do the foldback mod to get the treble back, rip out the speaker, power amp, and pedal assembly, and chop the cab. I'd much rather have a console, however. Moe --- Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PianoJazz1951 Posted December 14, 2004 Share Posted December 14, 2004 ...I had an L-122 which is what Emerson used in the early ELP tours, along with the C-3. These are nice organs; the L-122 lacks the cool vibratos the "BIG" Hammonds have, though. I made some really good music on one-if you'd like a reccomendation; you've just got one... 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...
Jeep Posted December 14, 2004 Share Posted December 14, 2004 SW, all the fellows that have responded to you are major dudes, and know what they're talking about. Of course, there's also a boatload of info on the 'Net regarding these instruments. Dig in, and enjoy. You should be able to score an "L" for peanuts. It's the side dishes like the optional-but-pretty-well-obligatory Leslie organ Speaker, a pair of Roll-or-Kari dollies, and a van, that can put the slim on your wallet. When contemplating a Hammond spinet organ these days, I'm intrigued with the new 910. It'd be a blast to gig and mess with one of these: http://www.hammondorganco.com/images/910front.jpg For more on this and other new/current models, see: http://www.newhammondorgans.com/organs/hammond_910/hammond_910.html Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeff Irok Posted December 14, 2004 Share Posted December 14, 2004 I had an L-100 for several years. Initially, I intended to gig with it, but even though it was modded with an output, I couldn't get it loud enoug to gig with a band. (I even used a preamp. Didn't work.) So I kept it for home. It was a nice little organ - 88 keys (44 & 44), a built-in vibrato feature (I don't think the B-3 Vibrato, however), and 18 drawbars - 7 for the lower manual, 8 for the upper, and 2 for its 13 foot pedals. (The 2 missing drawbars for the lower manual were the 2 highest; the 1 1/3' and the 1'. **I think** the reason for omitting them is because those 2 drawbars don't play for the lower keys, and since the L-100 only has 44 keys, most, if not all of the keys that these drawbars respond to aren't there. [Note, I said "I think"...I used to also play a C-3 during this time period, and this is the memory of my conclusion. But it was a long time ago, and I could be wrong.] I suppose the fewer drawbars for the footpedals could be the same reason.) The sound WAS Hammond-dy, although thinner than what you'd here from a B-3 or other higher-priced models. Maintenance, however, was the same. You needed to oil it every few months or so. The L-100 only had one switch to turn it on. Also, the percussion routine was a bit different in that I think it used a different drawbar than the B, C, and other models for the percussion sound. Mark Vail's "Beauty and the B" is a great resource on all Hammond drawbar organs, indluding the "L" series. I sold my L-100 about 9 years ago when my second child arrived (we needed the room.) I never really played the L-100 much, but darn, I wish I had it back, or a another Hammond drawbar organ now. As stated above, the "L" series are relatively inexpensive. If you're paying over $500, you're paying too much. Check out my band's site at: The Key Components! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DafDuc Posted December 14, 2004 Share Posted December 14, 2004 There's no 16' on the lower either. Pretty much rules out left hand bass, cos the upper doesn't have that bottom octave. Daf I played in an 8 piece horn band. We would often get bored. So...three words: "Tower of Polka." - Calumet Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yannis D Posted December 14, 2004 Share Posted December 14, 2004 HiI own a hammond L100 P(ortable) - a kinda chopped model, Hammond used to advertise "for the gigging musician". It's a good and honest instrument, a real Hammond but never a B3, C3, A100! As it has clonewheels and everything, its sound is a "hammond" sound, but not as fat as the "big brothers's". But, with a Leslie, the intrument seems pretty authentic. Nice for rock, blues and reggae and less for jazz and gospel. A friend mentioned in this thread that the L100 is "less funky" than the B3. I totally agree - but sometimes I think that we musicians, can be funky or less funky, not the gear. I think Jimmy Smith (and the list goes on...) would easily "burn" my poor L100 -where I could not rock even the best B3 in the business!RegardsYannis Be grateful for what you've got - a Nord, a laptop and two hands Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeep Posted December 14, 2004 Share Posted December 14, 2004 yannis: Marvellous post. Informative, subtle, wise, and humble. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DafDuc Posted December 14, 2004 Share Posted December 14, 2004 Yannis - never heard of the P version. Way cool! Wonder if they did that with other models? Daf I played in an 8 piece horn band. We would often get bored. So...three words: "Tower of Polka." - Calumet Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rod76 Posted December 14, 2004 Share Posted December 14, 2004 I was getting myself an L model until I settled for a M3. I had already made a downpayment of a couple hundred bucks and when I called the acquintance one weekend, to pay him the last hundred dollar, he tells me he had sold it two weeks earlier for double the price i was going to pay. freaking A-Hole. So I quickly checked the ads, found an M3 with 147 kit and arranged to buy it the next day. But I really wanted an L, as I was very much after the Graham Bond/the Nice/EGG/Genesis organ sound. L100s are 100% Hammond and they have a sound of their own. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yannis D Posted December 15, 2004 Share Posted December 15, 2004 Jeep... thnx DafDuc... when I say "Portable", please don't take it literally. Even the "P" Model is quite heavy. It needs 3 people to carry around just the upper half and two to carry the lower! (a 5 piece band or just a poor keyboardplayer to ask for help from others!!) Otherwise, it's good for Graham Bond/Keith Emerson stuff, as those artists (and many more) used to play with the little beast. It's basic problem is that the lower register has only 7 drawbars, and (only) goes down to F - one and a half octave form the classic bottom C of the B3's c3's etc... So it has poor base and it's impossible to walk the bass line in jazz tunes...If you need more, there is a site somewhere in the internet with instructions how to connect an octaver unit to resolve the problem. If you need it let me know Regards Yannis Be grateful for what you've got - a Nord, a laptop and two hands Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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