Hammond Organ Repair HELP!!! It's it pieces!

[GhettoD]

I've got a Hammond L-112. Actually it's my new one, with dirty contacts. The old one sounded great even though 5 or 6 keys were smashed off. It made it onto a bunch of punk records. Anyway, I got D-5, and talked to a repair guy who said "it's easy, you just have to keep pulling everything apart until you get to the contacts, a quick spray,. and that's it" Well, I've dug down many layers, and I still can't get to the contacts. The top keyboard sits on a wooden blocks on both sides, and in the middle between the sliders and the keys. I was hoping for a hinge, so I could lean the keyboard back and give it a quick spray. What's the trick, do I pull it up the 3 inches to get it above the blocks and rest it on them and reach the contacts from underneath??? I feel like I'm going in through the back door (what?) there has to be an easier way. I would really, really appreciate some advice.
Thanks
DALE Meiners

[HuskerDude]

You got it dead right. Ususally when you remove the manuals, you rest them right on the frame, just get a couple wood blocks and some magazines. It's a drag, and a pain in the ass, but it's kinda the way it's done.

[Scodiddly]

Poke around some organ websites for repair info. And years ago Keyboard Magazine put the Hammond on the cover and had some tech advice included.

You won't get to the key contacts by taking things apart... if you get that far, you'll probably never get the damn thing back together. Instead, look for a screw head on the back, I think near the upper end. Turning this will move the internal bus bars a bit and provide fresh contact surfaces. If things are really bad you can pull the bus bars out from one end and clean them, but that's pretty drastic.

Do a google on
hammond "bus bar shifter"
for some really good info.

[thekid]

try these sites...

http://www.organtek.com/hammonds.htm
http://theatreorgans.com/hammond/faq/ha ... q_toc.html
http://www.b3sforsale.com/Inside_the_Hammond_organ.html

for what it's worth, some of those old L and M model hammonds have great spring reverbs inside of them. if your organ becomes beyond repair or you're just tired of having the giant taking up your precious studio space, you can remove the reverb unit, and have a killer shoebox-sized reverb unit...

[marqueemoon]

There is an interview with Death Cab in the the new Big Takeover, and Chris Walla mentions asking John Vanderslice for advice on organs, and John's response was "Never accept a free organ.". I laughed out loud for several minutes.

[b3groover]

You won't get to the key contacts by taking things apart... if you get that far, you'll probably never get the damn thing back together. Instead, look for a screw head on the back, I think near the upper end. Turning this will move the internal bus bars a bit and provide fresh contact surfaces. If things are really bad you can pull the bus bars out from one end and clean them, but that's pretty drastic.

Turning the bus bars is really dangerous and can permanently damage the contacts. The safest way to go is to take them out and clean them. Use the "bookend method". The bus bars come out through the side of the manuals, so first you need to free the manuals so you can lift them up.

Figure out what side the bus-bars are on (I honestly don't remember.) You should see a little removable metal covers on one side of the manuals. Tip the organ on it's side and take the bus-bars out ONE BY ONE. Clean one and replace it before taking out another. Clean them with metal cleaner and then wipe them down with alcohol. Putting them back in is a bitch and you have to be patient.... you can't force them or you'll bend them a fuck them all up.

It takes awhile, but it's the only way to do it right.

[Scodiddly]

Turning the bus bars is really dangerous and can permanently damage the contacts. The safest way to go is to take them out and clean them. Use the "bookend method". The bus bars come out through the side of the manuals, so first you need to free the manuals so you can lift them up.

Well, it didn't used to be dangerous, but after some decades things do change. Actually I'm really glad this item came up, because it led to me finding this page:
http://www.davenportsmusik.se/X-files.htm
Yikes! I had to pass the url to various organ-player friends of mine.

Not sure removing & cleaning the bus bars is much safer, though.

[Scodiddly]

b3groover:

Hi Jim! Wondered if I'd know a Hammond nut located in Michigan... I passed the above link along to Decker, since he's probably the best person to deal with such nasty age-related issues.

[b3groover]

How are you, Scott?

Yeah, Doug has hipped me to that problem before. Makes me glad I own a beautiful 1954 C2 along with my 1958 B3. If the B3 goes because of that problem, I'll have my C2!

I guess I should take that rubber thingy out of my B3... but I use the B3 so much I almost never have time for maintainence. I'll have to make time...

BTW, the trio will be at the Bird of Paradise this weekend if you want to stop in...