Hammond Tonewheel Instruments

All but one of my consoles (the model A) have either original Hammond Harmonic Percussion (A100, B3) or the improved Trek II aftermarket harmonic percussion (BC, BV, CV) All of my consoles except for the B3 include their original benches and pedalclaviers.

• The B3 Is the most recent addition to my collection. Extricated from an Ozite covered "chop", this mid-fifties beauty it is now housed in a 1938-ish Northern BC case. (the donor BC components are headed for installation into a cast-off C case, making it a model D)
• The A100 console (1962) is functionally identical to the B3 but it is housed in a slightly more compact "continental" style walnut case. Here's a few pics of the A100 in action
• The BV console (1946) is honey coloured, features round-edged keys and TREK II percussion. This console has a fascinating story. (See the BV story below*)
• The CV console (1946) is in a dark walnut "C" style case reminiscent of a traditional church organ console and features TREK II percussion.
• The BC console (1938) is dark walnut, features TREK II percussion and a Hammond original second tone generator which is slightly detuned to provide a truly "analogue" chorus. The original BC tremulant feature is in place of the vibrato/chorus function of the later models. The BC is currently undergoing replacement of the square edged keys with the preferred round edge or "waterfall" keys. Other planned upgrades include smooth continuous drawbars. The BC components will be transferred to a C style case, which will make it a D model.
• The Model A (1936) was Hammond's very first production console. Mine is dark walnut, features a vibrato/chorus factory upgrade from the original tremulant. Currently, my model A does not feature harmonic percussion.
• The M2 & M3 spinets are currently playable and available but not in demand. The M2 lacks Harmonic Percussion.

What's the big deal about the B3 model? To many, the Hammond model B3 is "the standard" of Hammond tonewheel instruments. The B3 is commonly preferred over other Hammond models for a number of features including:

• Harmonic Percussion - which highlights the "attack" of upper manual notes
• Smooth Continuous Drawbars - older models were "detented" and/or non-continuous
• Split Vibrato - separate vibrato/chorus control for upper & lower manuals - (on older models the same vibrato/chorus setting was applied to both manuals)
• Waterfall Keys with rounded edges - older models had square edged or "piano" keys
• "B" Style Case - While the case style has no effect on the actual sound, function or interface of the instrument, the "B" style case seems to be favoured over the "C" style or various A100 style cases

*The BV Story

Apparently my Hammond BV console spent some time as the house organ at the Apollo Theater in Harlem. I have a letter from the BV's previous owner outlining the organ's history. When we found the organ in Quebec it was in horrible shape. Once the manuals were removed the case literally collapsed! The veneer was long gone due to exposure to the Quebec elements and many of the case boards had delaminated and warped - what a mess. Boards were straightened and relaminated, and the case was reassembled without veneer. A new fallboard was fashioned from black cherry and the whole thing was Varathaned. All internal parts were thoroughly cleaned & lubed. Preamp & vibrato scanner were re-built, manual and drawbar buss-bars were cleaned & lubed, tonewheel generator was re-capped and re-calibrated and all AC wiring was renewed. TREK II percussion was added and the organ was re-assembled. This console sounds absolutely wonderful now.