What to do with an empty Hammond cabinet

[Piktor]

Hey Folks,

 

Go ahead and skip to the question, if you don't need the BG.

 

Background: In 1974 I purchased a used 1966 Hammond M101 in its full cabinet. In 1975 I had all of the organ's bits transplanted into a custom made chopped cabinet and then I gigged with that for about thirty years. I know that the M101 is not a classic B3, etc. Nevertheless, since 1974 I have dutifully moved and stored the well preserved original cabinet. Of course, when I was young I thought that I might have the organ restored to that original cab one day when I got old, but I refuse to get old and the original plan will not happen. It's not like, in my years-long ramp up to pairing down, I need yet one more thing in my house that I cannot move by myself....

 

Question: I decided to keep the chopped organ for a couple more years, but I am getting rid of the cabinet, original speakers and volume pedal and all, asap. I am checking with an organ tech friend to see if he or anyone in his network wants it for free. If that does not pan out, I am curious to know what other people might have done in a similar situation. I suspect that few of you have been in this situation in recent years, but what the heck. FWIW, I am NOT going to use the wood to make anything myself. I just want less stuff.

[ElmerJFudd]

Stick a refrigerator in it and stock it with beer for when you"re entertaining.

 

Maybe go the distance and have it also house your stereo system with some LED lighting that changes to the beat.

[elif]

You say that putting it back in the origjnal cabinet will never happen. Never say never. I chopped an A100 and now wish I had a nice A100 cabinet for it. I periodically check Craigslist and ebay for an empty A100 cabinet, thinking maybe someone put the A100 guts into a BV cabinet or something and has one taking up space - no joy.

[mate stubb]

Console cabinets might be worth something. Nice condition B or C cabinets decidedly so. Spinet cabinets not so much.

[KuruPrionz]

No Hammonds but I've bought a few thrift store organs that were packed with tubes.

I kept the tubes, sold the amps, speakers and some other stuffs. I unscrewed and knocked the cabinets apart. I've kept a couple of pieces of solid wood and a couple of cool looking bits of hardware that may find a place on guitar builds.

 

The rest of it got put in the dumpster because nobody on craigslist wanted it for anything. It was in the free section, now I am free of it!!!!

[Mighty Ferguson]

I don"t know real Hammond cabinets very well⦠could it be turned into a clonewheel shell of some sort? There seems to be a market for that sort of thing. I purchased a used Valhalla Woodworking shell from Craigslist a few years ago (my DMC-122 sits in it on gigs) because a new one was pricey.

[bill bosco]

yea, a shorter clone , like a nord or sk might fit in it . would be a nice shell for something that's parked somewhere , like in a church . would hide a lot of wires . or , at the

least , you could make a desk out of it .

[KuruPrionz]

True story. Years ago I went into a thrift store and there was a lovely old tube Baldwin organ for $20. Since an outlet was nearby, I plugged it in, turned it on, let it warm up and nada, no sound. Changing the position of the volume pedal did not make it go.

 

It was full of tubes and I bought it, got a dolly out of the vehicle and wheeled it out into the parking lot, where I removed the amps, speakers, reverb tanks and anything else I could sell. I got all the tubes too. Then I wheeled it back over to their donation center on the side of the building. One if the two workers at the donation point looked at it and said "We've got another one just like it on the floor!" I said "Now you will have another one."

 

When I went back a week later, it was on the floor with a $25 price on it. The week after that it was gone. So they made $45 instead of $20 and I sold the amps, speakers and reverb tanks as-is on eBay for $75 or so. I still have quite a few tubes marked Baldwin in my stash.

[AWkeys]

My buddy is a crazy artist and did this with a donated M3 and other items. All innards were removed.

 

[MAJUSCULE]

Well, P, I still have the non-functional PR40 tone cab that I got from Afternote Music when they closed... I had to take it home if I wanted the M3 that I enjoyed for a couple years and sold last year. The PR40 is doing its best as a shelf for now. I sent some pictures to a guy who has a standing Kijiji ad looking for vintage speakers and stereo equipment, he wasn't interested.

 

So, all this to say, yeah, I'd probably side with Elmer. Cool looking furniture and another story to tell.

[Piktor]

Eric, are you trying to tell me that you don't want to take any of my junk? ð

 

Thanks for the suggestions everyone. The organ yard art is a hoot, but my wife is definitely not going to go for that. ð I hate to do this to an old friend, but I want the space more than I want the furniture, so I am likely going to dismantle it with a saw(?). I might save a couple pieces of wood for someone who works with such things. As I said, I am hanging on to the organ itself in its portable cab for a few more years.

 

Just for an added bonus, here is a 1998 recording of the organ in question in action. I did not make this video and there are no images of me in it, but the organ can clearly be heard. BTW, you can skip the first thirty seconds. The band's old singer flew in to do this one-off reunion show. She improvised an acapella thing at the top and it took a little bit for her to find her legs.(She sang the sh*t out of the rest of the song!). Organ solo at about 3:05....[video:youtube]

[drawback]

I backed Nancy when we were both about 16! Smallish world, for sure.

[RABid]

I bet a good carpenter could turn it into a really nice roll top desk.

[Piktor]

I backed Nancy when we were both about 16! Smallish world, for sure.

That's cool! I know that, after Cottage, Nancy spent many years involved with the west coast music scene. I only met her a day or two before we did this gig, but I would go hear the band when I was in high school. We used to compare her to Joplin. The band was sort of legendary in my home town because of the recording that they had done with Walter Horton. I do recall standing behind Bob Derkash while he was playing to try to figure out what he was doing on his A100.

 

 

I bet a good carpenter could turn it into a really nice roll top desk.

No doubt, but I do not need more furniture. I need less. I am hoping that one day I will be rid of almost all of my old stuff and move into a condo with a stripped down setup for writing and recording. No more lawn care, no more Rhodes care,....The dream is uncluttered space. In the end there will be no coffins for me; only ashes cast into a wide open sky....

[Old No7]

KILLER Hammond solo - Luv it!

 

Old No7

[rod76]

I once used an empty L as a stand for a Yamaha SY77... It's wide enough to accomodate big 61-key boards.

 

A shell for clonewheel organs (1 or 2 manuals) is a neat idea.

 

 

Give it out for free on Kijiji or something.

[Tom Williams]

Hey guys, I have this problem: I have a beautiful, versatile keyboard that weighs 33 pounds (15 kg). This is much too easy on my back, and embarrassingly convenient to transport. Can you help me make it so it weighs more like 250 pounds and requires a step van? Thanks in advance.

[o0Ampy0o]

....In the end there will be no coffins for me; only ashes cast into a wide open sky....

Yet another option, burn the organ shell, (i.e. as firewood to warm your home, as beach party bonfire, as BYOCrematorium Box).

[KuruPrionz]

Hey guys, I have this problem: I have a beautiful, versatile keyboard that weighs 33 pounds (15 kg). This is much too easy on my back, and embarrassingly convenient to transport. Can you help me make it so it weighs more like 250 pounds and requires a step van? Thanks in advance.

 

 

Buy a small kids pool, mix up a few bags of concrete and set the keyboard firmly in the middle of it. Allow to dry overnight.

 

You're welcome...

[Piktor]

KILLER Hammond solo - Luv it!

 

Old No7

Thanks. That"s generous of you to say.

A shell for clonewheel organs (1 or 2 manuals) is a neat idea.

 

Give it out for free on Kijiji or something.

It could be made to fit something that is up to 40 inches wide, so that is a possibility for someone who is so inclined. In a similar vein, I see on You Tube someone used an A 100 cabinet to house a Hammond SK2. The Kijiji solution might save me the trouble of disassembling the cabinet and if someone just wanted repurpose the thing instead dropping it into a landfill, that would be good. The wood is in good shape.

 

Can you help me make it so it weighs more like 250 pounds and requires a step van?

Yes. I figure that anyone who wants that look on stage would prefer something that is sturdy but light and assemblable

 

....In the end there will be no coffins for me; only ashes cast into a wide open sky....

Yet another option, burn the organ shell, (i.e. as firewood to warm your home, as beach party bonfire, as BYOCrematorium Box).

Thoughtful, but the last time that I checked, the funeral folks insisted that we purchase and use one of their boxesâ¦probably something that is sturdy but light and assemblable.

 

Buy a small kids pool, mix up a few bags of concrete and set the keyboard firmly in the middle of it. Allow to dry overnight.

This might also be a cheaper alternative to cremation.

[zxcvbnm098]

Eric, are you trying to tell me that you don't want to take any of my junk? ð

 

Thanks for the suggestions everyone. The organ yard art is a hoot, but my wife is definitely not going to go for that. ð I hate to do this to an old friend, but I want the space more than I want the furniture, so I am likely going to dismantle it with a saw(?). I might save a couple pieces of wood for someone who works with such things. As I said, I am hanging on to the organ itself in its portable cab for a few more years.

 

Just for an added bonus, here is a 1998 recording of the organ in question in action. I did not make this video and there are no images of me in it, but the organ can clearly be heard. BTW, you can skip the first thirty seconds. The band's old singer flew in to do this one-off reunion show. She improvised an acapella thing at the top and it took a little bit for her to find her legs.(She sang the sh*t out of the rest of the song!). Organ solo at about 3:05....[video:youtube]

 

That does sound pretty great! Excellent playing as well!

[Outkaster]

yea, a shorter clone , like a nord or sk might fit in it . would be a nice shell for something that's parked somewhere , like in a church . would hide a lot of wires . or , at the

least , you could make a desk out of it .

 

Make a desk is better idea. Any time I see a cabinet with a clone it reeks of cheese.

[Delaware Dave]

For people who own the XK33 system or the XK5 Pro System it might make a nice cabinet if everything could 'drop in'. Your issue is the shipping since it is heavy and bulky (shipping would be killer). But for a local pickup I think that you wouldn't have many issues getting rid of it if you put it on reverb, ebay, etc..

[erik_nie]

Eric, are you trying to tell me that you don't want to take any of my junk? ð

 

Thanks for the suggestions everyone. The organ yard art is a hoot, but my wife is definitely not going to go for that. ð I hate to do this to an old friend, but I want the space more than I want the furniture, so I am likely going to dismantle it with a saw(?). I might save a couple pieces of wood for someone who works with such things. As I said, I am hanging on to the organ itself in its portable cab for a few more years.

 

Just for an added bonus, here is a 1998 recording of the organ in question in action. I did not make this video and there are no images of me in it, but the organ can clearly be heard. BTW, you can skip the first thirty seconds. The band's old singer flew in to do this one-off reunion show. She improvised an acapella thing at the top and it took a little bit for her to find her legs.(She sang the sh*t out of the rest of the song!). Organ solo at about 3:05....[video:youtube]

 

Nice band and great solo! How is it possible that it is almost impossible to get these kind of nice recordings nowadays.

Love it!

[Piktor]

Thanks for the additional comments and suggestions guys.

[DaveFC]

On 8/5/2021 at 7:19 PM, ChoppedHam said:

You say that putting it back in the origjnal cabinet will never happen. Never say never. I chopped an A100 and now wish I had a nice A100 cabinet for it. I periodically check Craigslist and ebay for an empty A100 cabinet, thinking maybe someone put the A100 guts into a BV cabinet or something and has one taking up space - no joy.

Nice A100 cabinet in Colo. Will ship. Dave

[ShadowMan]

I really enjoyed that track!

[Piktor]

Thank you ShadowMan.

 

Hey, since this thread re-emerged, I thought that maybe I should reveal what I decided to do with the M101 cabinet. Just to quickly recap, my dad built a great chopped organ cabinet for me  in 1975 and the organ guts have resided there ever since. At the time that we did the transplant into the new cabinet I decided to preserve the original 1966 cab, thinking that when I became the young geezer that I am now I would have the original organ restored. (How little we know when we are young.) After some 46 years, I was close to chopping the cab up and offering up the nice pieces to someone who was not as nervous around power tools as I am. ("Count your fingers. Are there still ten?") I got lots of good advice here on our forum last year and I got no takers for the cabinet or the wood. As winter began to tighten its grip and I turned my labors back to indoor matters, I realized that one of my problems in my house was a shortage of shelving in the basement.  Though I know that sentiment is illogical, I have to admit that I felt a bit guilty doing this. At least now I have a nice sturdy place to store some tools.