The Steel Guitar Forum

I bought a Hammond L-133 Organ at a Church rummage sale today for $5.00 (Five Dollars).

Here is a link I found to this model: http://www.nycfarmboy.com/hammond133.html

The motor squeaks, but all else seems sound.
The local Hammond guy is going to bring it up to snuff.
This will be a "set it and forget it" instrument for me (as in... set it in the music room and forget ever moving it again!).

There are some sound clips on that webset that have me chompin' at the bit!

I guess I need a Leaslie of some type now (a small one... please? )

Congrats.. you scored. Look for a Leslie 145 on eBay. It's the same as a 122, only about a foot shorter.
Have you contacted Louis Pain? He's a Hammond guru around Portland.
I got my first Hammond in 1965, and I've got a few of them now... nothing like 'em.

Except maybe an old Bud or a p/p....

Wow, that's a nice find. Pete, just remember that the tone generator should be oiled at intervals. It probably hasn't had oil in a while. Make sure to tell your Hammond tech to check out the leslie switch and adapter, if it has it. Your tech can identify the compatible leslie type by the cable socket, 145-147, or 122 most likely. If it doesn't have a leslie circuit, you have to decide what model leslie you want before installing it, so you know what model will match your circuit.

You'll have lots of fun with it. Find some easy songs to learn right-hand melody, left-hand chord, left foot bass.

You can also learn to play bass pedals while strumming a 6-string. All you need is a drum machine, and your a one-man band.

Good Luck.

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Mike Barone
2006 Carter S10 5&5, Sho-Bud Pro-1 5&5, BJS 15/16" Bar, Nashville 112
Assorted Guitars & Keyboards

Cool Pete.

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Mike
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Blue Moon Highway
(Country Music...and then some.)
www.bluemoonhighway.com

I played in a band in high school with a guy who had an L and a 145. It sounded like a B3. Great instrument.

Rick

Congratulations, can't beat the price. I have Three Dog Night's, A-100 and 122 that I had Keyboard Products rebuild and "hotrod" back around 1981 and I picked up a C3 with a 147 at a junk shop out in 29 Palms.

I don't even play keyboards, but I have a couple of Hammond spinets with the percussion stops on them. I have a mint condition M3 and also an L series like Pete just bought. Found them at the local Goodwill store and had to drag them home! I have used the M3 on some recording just to play some simple melodies on and it sounds great!

Little known facts about Hammonds-
"Whiter Shade of Pale" was not done on a B3 Hammond. It was recorded on a Hammond M101 spinet organ.

"Green Onions" was recorded on an M3 Hammond spinet using the 12" speaker in the organ!

Pete that's cool.
You need to go on Amazon and order an Ethel Smith CD.
She will REALLY get you in the mood to play some organ! Tico Tico.

Interesting about Green Onions. Just heard a minute of it the other day for the first time in a while and I was astonished at how raunchy the tone was. Really down & dirty. I'll bet that speaker was pushed to its limits. What kind of power does that internal tube amp have?
Great sound.


Oh, and BTW, Pete--here's a once in a lifetime opportunity for you to double....no, TRIPLE your money---I'll send you $15, you send me that baby. You pay shipping.
Great score!<font size="1" color="#8e236b"><p align="center">[This message was edited by Jon Light on 24 June 2006 at 06:39 AM.]</p></FONT>

M3-maybe 15-18watts. Two 6V6 outputs, voltage moderate. They just stuck a mic under the bench. The M3 has been used on a lots of classic rock tracks. It basically is the same tone generator minus the lowest B3 tone wheels. Heck of an organ if you are on a budget. Lots to be found for a hundred bucks.

Thanks for the thumbs ups, and other related info.
Yes, I believe this unit has the Leslie out.
These guys have a B3 and Leslie hooked up at their shop "KeyBoard Electronics" here in Portland, and they seemed as anxious as me to test fire this unit with their Leslie, so I hope to hear it sing next week!
Skip, Thanks, I'll look up Louis Pain here in Portland and see if he is playing somewhere.
David, I will go out and get that CD today. I was trying to remember that name from reading it here on the Forum in another Hammond thread a while back.

Here is a link that shows it at being 15W. http://theatreorgans.com/hammond/hamcat07.gif

Another source had this info:
Production Years: 1961 to 1972
Synopsis: Spinet Model with mechanical tonewheel generator and non-scanner vibrato.
Cabinet Size: 43.5x23x44.5 (WDH, inches)
Finish: L-101 - Traditional, Mahogany. L-102 - Contemporary, Walnut L-103 - French Provincial, Cherry L-111 - Traditional, Mahogany L-112 - Contemporary, Mahogany L-122 - Contemporary, Walnut L-133 - French Provincial, Cherry L-143 - French Provincial, Pecan - L16? had folding lid - L100P portable version - L200 style had built in Leslie
Manuals: two 44-note offset manuals with a 13 note pedalboard. 9 drawbars upper manual, 7 for lower.
Amp/Output: Built in amp and speakers.
Features: Two levels of vibrato and chorus, small selection of preset tabs, reverb with bright/soft settings. Percussion and chorus adjustable inside the cabinet.

And a pic (which is pretty much exactly like the one I have, including the bench): http://theatreorgans.com/hammond/faq/pictures/L133.jpg

Jon, This thing is freakishly heavey compared to anything in the steel world.
But if you see steel player pulling a Hammond organ in a Wheel-Eze case through Brooklyn...

When I was in high school, I owned an L147 and a Leslie 122. I somehow got the rest of the band to be roadies (with me) schlepping these things out to gigs and back to our rehearsal spot. I now own a C3 and the same old 122, but they're in storage. I hope I can pull them out soon and use them in our church ensemble.

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<font size=1>Bill, steelin' since '99 | Steel page | MSA U12 | My music | Steelers' birthdays | Over 50?</font>

I have an old M-3 that I try to play every once in while. Need an Leslie speaker! I been told they're hard to come by. J.C.

Leslies are actually pretty easy to find. Try eBay...
And they're still being made. Try these...
http://www.b3hammond.com/
http://www.goffprof.com
http://www.hammondorganco.com/

I am working on a new CD that will have a variety of tunes on it. Six of the tunes I recorded with my friend Dallas Knapp who plays a Hammond B3. He kicks bass pedals as well. Nothin' sounds like a Hammond.

In the late 70's I had a Hammond D organ that someone had converted to be "portable." It was in a different case with fold up legs, but is still took two people to carry it by the front and rear handles. The bass pedals were gone but the internal parts of the organ were there including the drawbars and the lot.

I think half of the Hammond sound is from the leslie unit. The organ is long gone but I still have the Leslie 145 cabnet. I used it for years with my guitoragan and even now if I use my Juno 1 keyboard to play thru it, it still has that bitchin sound. I bought the cabinet new for $700 in 1976 and tho it's 30 years old it still has that "sound."

My dad had a B3 and the tall Leslie in the
recording studio when I was a kid.
I most regret not taking organ lessons when
I was bored to tears up in NH. boarding school.

I have this Ethel Smith CD,

but there is a 2 for one worth getting.
You will dig it for sure.

<font size="1" color="#8e236b"><p align="center">[This message was edited by David L. Donald on 25 June 2006 at 12:21 AM.]</p></FONT>

A Hammond is one of the finest musical sounds ever conceived, period - of course, IMO. I started out on piano very young, but I preferred organ - but those suckers were big $$$ back then. I found an L-100 series with the short Leslie cheap 20 years ago, but moved up to an A-100, which is the full dual-manual in a big tacky-looking French Provincial box. I can't really say it's any better, except that it has the full low-register. My new band will be schlepping a somewhat cut down A-100 with Leslie, with me on steel and a friend on Hammond. This guy really knows how to work with a steel guitar. These are two instruments that can very easily walk all over each other.

IMO, Ken is right - a huge component of the Hammond sound is the Leslie. Strangely, Laurens Hammond disliked them. This history page is a must-read for Hammond owners and lovers, IMO:
http://www.hammond-organ.com/html/history.htm

Playing steel through a Leslie is an ear opening expirence.
I did a lapsteel track many years back, lovely sound.
Especially when you're pushing the amps hard.

Steinberg do a really authentic software version of the Hammond B3. You need their sequencer (Cubase) and plenty of computer power. Ethel Smith had solo spots in several films, in "Scandals 1945" she does a very impressive workout on "Lisa", mostly in close up. She follows that with an up tempo samba type thing, accompanied by Gene Krupa.