Interesting Donny.

I sure thought Booker T played a B3. Maybe later on. Remember his "Hang 'em High" and "Time is Tight"? Tastey tunes.

Golly, Time is Tight used to be a big feature number for me in the rock band with my chord organ. High school days, I thought I was a star then. haha

For a long time I played everthing in root position, cause that was all the chord chart showed in my dads' bootleg fakebook.

You know I heard that Telstar was the first rock hit to come over from England. I wonder if that was really the case. That organ tone sounded so bad, it was good.

Scott

P.S. Do you remember the TV commercials from around 1980 for Slim Whitman? They used to say that he sold more records than Elvis and the Beatles. I actually have one of his 78's.(That's an old record young'uns. Which means if he recorded on 78's, it takes a lot of them to equal one LP.

Booker, actually played an M model Hammond.... More portable and ....that sound.............
Mike

Nice link, Donny. I owned a Farfisa Compact (red and black)and never thought 96 Tears was played on one. It has just a little different tone - probably a Vox. Gee, maybe we could exercise our minds and try to list all or some of the keyboards we've owned.

Elka []Elka, an Italian organ manufacturer, started manufacturing piano and string keyboards around 1977. In 1982 they manufactured probably the most popular synthesizer of all of the Italian organ manufacturers (Crumar, Elka, and Seil), the Synthex. Piero Crucianelli, brother of Crumar's Mario Crucianelli, was Elka's president until it was sold to GEM (now a part of Generalmusic}

Crumar [Model?]

Vox Continental



Farfisa Compact Duo

Juno 60

Hammond B3

Hammond Porta B

Hammond M100

Korg Personal

Fender Rhodes

Univox [Model?]

Yamaha Psr 4600 [loved it.. remember the rollbar?]



Korg M1

Korg i3

Technics Kn5000, Kn6000

Ketron X1

Yamaha 9k,2k

Korg Pa80,60

Roland G1000

Theres more but I can't remember them all?



[This message has been edited by Dnj (edited 11-25-2003).]

Farfisa Combo Compact; Cordovox Leslie, then
Lesslie 50, then Leslie 122; Hohner Pianet; Casio CT 100; Moog Opus 3; Roland Juno 106; Roland U-20; Kawai K4; XP 50; Crumar CPB2 pedals; PK-5 pedals; Roland RA30; Korg iX300; Korg i4M; Yamaha PSR2000; plus Kurzweil Mark 5 digital piano; Hammond L100 w/ Leslie 145.
Amps - Ampeg B18, VT40; Fender Bassman, Deluxe Reverb; Bullfrog 118x cab; homemade 2x12 w/horn cabs; various Peavey heads and cabinets;Mackie 808s w/300 speakers.

I think...

I thought Booker T played a B3 as well. I use to play a Hammond L100 (not sure what the difference is between an L and and M, but wouldn't be a big difference). Like Donny, Gary, and Uncle Dave say, it's not the instrument, it's the entertainer.
Starkeeper

You can take that to the bank!!!!

I beg to disagree - a little anyway.
I think it's BOTH! But I agree in that the entertainer part is the MAJORITY part that "makes it", ie., the show, the evening, the concert, the TV appearance, the dance floor hall, etc. As long as a person has good chops and a good personality and knows how to woo an audience he or she has won 95% of the battle. Having an instrument that sounds reasonably better than a Duck quacking when you press the Keys is the other 5% IMHO. Being an expert player on a $100 Casio Keyboard may still enthrall an audience (most likely not because of the $100 Casio though) but being an expert player on a Korg Pa1X Pro, etc., would enthrall them even more by the simple fact that people like great "sounding" music not just a pretty face. People aren't dumb. They know what a Trombone sounds like from their exposure to music over their lifetime. If the $100 Casio doesn't have a 'convincing' Trombone people will realize it right off the bat and FYI may not come back to hear your stint again because of it -[plus all the other sub-par voices the Keyboard may produce]. Repeat customers are essential in the equation of continuing to prosper and make money in the Gigging arena. To have a Keyboard that has instrument sounds that are "authentic" and life like will only go in furthering your career as a Gigging Keyboardist. That's not to say a $100 Casio won't make you money but a better sounding instrument (Keyboard) will enhance your ability to make MORE imo.

Best regards,
Mike

I'll steer clear of the player / entertainer abilities vs the equipment debate other than to say, if you can't play and / or stay in control in front of the audience, you won't be able to hide behind the equipment for very long, no matter how good it is.

I think I'd rather have what I have in the arsenal right now, but I really like reminiscing about some of the older boards / setups that I've had or played, as it always conjures up good memories.

What I owned :

1960's -70's -
Magnus Chord Organ -
Silvertone Organ ( the model # escapes me )
Hohner Clavinet

1980's -
Yamaha CP25 electric piano
Korg Poly 6
Roland Juno 60 ( only for a short time )
Korg M1
Technics KN ? ( 650 I think )
Yamaha PSS480
Casio MT240
A couple other Yamaha / Casio toys that I don't remember the specific model #s for, including the very first casio released ( a gift to me ) with four patches and sub mini keys.

1990s - 2000's

Yamaha PSR 85
Yamaha PSR 530
Yamaha PSR 740
Casio MZ2000
Yamaha Motif
Yamaha PSR 2000
Yamaha Motif ES ( current )
Korg PA80 ( current )
Several soft synths that currently reside in my computer.

Yep, I'd take the current lineup over any of the past ones, but I really enjoyed having the CP25 and the Poly six sitting directly on top of it. I used that setup for several years, until I got the M1 and retired the Poly 6. Then I'd use the M1 on top of the CP25, until I finally got tired of lugging the CP around. The CP 25 had a huge "hood", so I could fit the Poly six / M 1 and several other pieces of gear / refreshments / what have you, on top of it. It also weighed a ton... None of todays or almost today's current boards, ( PSR9000's and the like ), weigh anything close to it.

I also used homemade speaker cabinets in my original setup that had a 15 inch altec lansing woofers, mid range horns, and piezo tweeters, driven by two Fender Bassman amps. I think each cabinet weighed as much as the CP 25 did. And I wonder why my neck is so messed up today. lol

AJ






[This message has been edited by Bluezplayer (edited 11-25-2003).]

AJ & Mike, when we look at our old stuff, it's easy to see that we all tried to have quality instruments - not necessarily the best, but in the park. I agree with Mike to a degree that instrumentation counts, but I feel that I could use that Farfisa today and people would still like the sound. The making od music creates its own sound. Horn stabs on a Farfisa sound differently than those on a Tyros, but the feeling/technique a good musician adds to the music is the key.

Starkeeper and others - almost anyone who has the opportunity and option, does eventually use a B3; wouldn't you? The differences between a model L and M were minor additional presets, reverbs, amplification, etc. The basic sound source was identical for all Hammond drawbar organs.

The L100, M100, B3, C3, T, all used Hammond tone wheel generator, but a B3 is a different beast, with a different sound. Some musicians called the B3 "The Beast with Hairy Balls".
Starkeeper

Star - if that is so, how do you explain 'Green Onions' and all of the Emerson, Lake and Palmer music. Keith Emerson always played a beat up old L. Those tone wheels are interchangeable (should I say identical), so what's the missing link. I think it comes from the popularity and all the tinkering many people did with the beast. 61 keys, all those presets, double sets of drawbars and maxed out Leslies didn't hurt either.

[This message has been edited by cassp (edited 11-25-2003).]

The percussion effect was the "sought after" sound of the "B" ..... that, and the dirtyness made that sound that we all grew to know and love. The dirty, grit was actually a malfunction. (A happy accident, as it were.)
When it all comes down to it - the Leslie was actually FAR more important than the organ model. I've heard Casios, DX7s, and other beasts sound awesome in a Leslie. It's all in how you move the air that gives it that special, spacial character.
I used to play my Rhodes in stereo through a host of different comninations, but one of the best was a set of special electric piano speakers (Made by Leslie) that I added horns to. It was true stereo vibrato, just like the original suitcase model, but you could spread them farther apart. What a sweet sound. Remember the beginning of Stevie's "You are the sunshine of my life" or Minnie Riperton's (his protege) "Loving you" .......
Both have that stereo panning tremelo that drives me wild. So full .... so phat .... so uniquely Rhodes.

THANK YOU DAVE! That was one of the bests posts I have read anywhere. I remember those Leslie satellites; they were awesome. I could hear them as I read your words. Happy Thanksgiving, for sure.

Hey speaking of organs, does anyone know of some gooood songs with some nice organ, or organ solos?

I don't know quite as much about the other models ( L and M 100 ), but I do know for sure that the B3 and C3 had the exact same internal components. The thing that set them apart was the cabinets themselves. You can read about this on one of the Hammond websites.

I wasn't aware of this when I was listening to ELP in their heyday, hence the C3, as Emerson used it, became my personal favorite, mainly because I favored his playing techniques and his soundset. Keith Emerson used the 100 series boards, (along with just about everything else under the sun ) but in interviews he has noted that the C3 is also one of his favorites.

AJ

LOL, I know that the C3 was their "Church Organ" model, so I wonder if the B3 was their "Bar Organ" model.

Tom

PS I had a pristine M100 for about ten years and finally got rid of it when I moved and no longer had room for it. That was in march of 2001, and it still worked perfectly.

------------------
Bigger is not always better

[This message has been edited by Tomcat (edited 11-26-2003).]

Tomcat, actually the B3 was the original style, marketed radio stations, churches and the like. The 3 is the progression from BV and B2 which didn't have percussion. The surprising popularity of the organ in churches prompted Hammond to make a more traditional, closed front cabinet (C3). A similar model, the RT-D, had a larger (AGO) 32-pedal board and was sold to churches whose organists demanded a regulation (size and spacing) pedalboard. The B3's popularity on the lounge circuit was originally quite a surprise. The Leslie speaker (a cabinet made by one of Hammond's previous employees, but refused by Hammond) is what really brought the B3 to the jazz and pop players.

[This message has been edited by cassp (edited 11-27-2003).]

Ahhhhh, that rotating air sound .... mmmmmmm. LOVE those Leslies.

I don't konw if Telstar by The Tornados was the first rock hit to come over to America from the UK, as I was a mere lad in England at the time. But the "organ" on Telstar was in fact a "Clavioline" which was a strange one-and-a-half or two-octave mini keyboard (monophonic, to boot) which was designed to attach to the front of a piano keyboard (the old joanna-basher in our local pub used to have one). I remember my Dad was willing to fork out 12 pounds (almost a week's wages in 1961) for a second-hand one for me. I didn't go for it in the end though, because it didn't have 'that sound' - I was just getting into Jimmy Smith at the time.

My first exposure to B3 was at the Baptist church where my mother played the organ. I would go with her when she practiced and she would let me play on it for awhile. That had to be in the early 50's. I think.
What's a joanna-basher?
DonM

Don - A Joanna was originally Cockney Rhyming slang for Piano but most people in the UK know what it is. A basher is probably a thumper of keys playing in a sort of "Stride" fashion as was the favourite style of pub pianists of yesteryear in the UK.

I played Hammonds for 25 years of all models and one of the things that sets the As, Bs and Cs apart is the Chorus Vibrato that you got on those models. This is the effect that Jimmy Smith mainly used. It was so good even through straight speakers (Non Revolving) I remember you had 6 different vibrato settings. There was V1 to V3 which was just modulation and C1 to C3 settings with the C3 setting being the deepest. I could play all day with that setting with the 16/8/4 bars full out and the 2 2/3 percussion. Those were the days.......... Back Problems, 2 Ton truck, 3 roadies

KF