New project

[Hansi]

Hey everybody,

It's been a long time since I was last active but I thought I would share my latest project with you all. I recently picked up a Hammond M-111 for free. It was a kind of a "barn find" if you can put it that way. This guys grandmother had bought it new in 1963 and used it as a home organ. When the old lady passed away noone in the family knew how to use or care for one of these so it just sat in their living room, not being oiled or played for decades. Now they were selling the house and needed to get rid of it.

All inn all it cost me less than 400 dollars to get it to me. That might be the average price for ome of those in the USA but here in Iceland a good one of these can cost between 3 and 5.000 dollars. It looks perfect but of course the mechanics were all frozen and wouldn't budge. I am now getting closer to getting it started and whem that has happened I will mod it to my liking.

 

[happyrat1]

That's a lovely piece of vintage gear you picked up Hansi.

Hopefully you won't have to work too hard to get it playing again

Gary

 

[Hansi]

I just managed to get it started now after 5 days of tinkering. The TG now runs well and creates tones but the amp output is very low. Now I just need to wait for the parts shipments to get to me. A new output and all new tubes will be installed when they get here which will hopefully get the levels up to where they should be.

Later mods will include a left hand bass foldback, an effects loop, foldback for the upper manual along with some bits and bobs here and there. Until then the bus bars will get some love and the whole organ will get a thorough cleaning, inside and out

 

[happyrat1]

Glad to hear the tone generator is working.

If you're working with Vacuum Tube equipment however be certain to take the proper safety precautions.

Also the old crappy paper and oil filled capacitors should be exchanged for modern mylar ones.

Here's a series of videos on working with tube gear that may save your life and your equipment.

https://www.google.ca/search?q=mr+carlson's+lab+paper+capacitors&oq=mr+carlson's+lab+paper+capacitors&aqs=chrome..69i57.9785j0j8&client=ubuntu&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8

Gary

 

[delaware dave]

I wouldnt be in a rush to swap out the caps just yet. Yeah they're old and probably leakage has caused some to be out of spec, but unless the organ' s tonewheels are giving you issues I wouldn't be in a rush to replace them. I helped a friend do this and the organ with the new mylar caps is so bright that the 1' drawbar will cut your ears off. The warmth of the organ is gone ....

 

[Hansi]

I am looking to build an organ to use in more of the rock projects from this one so a little (or a lot) of dirt and leakage are ok for this one. I am not in a rush to swap out the caps just yet although I might do that if I was building an organ for jazz or anything that needed a cleaner tone. I will wait and see how the organ sounds when I have finished fixing up the amp and reverb and if I feel it calls for new caps (which I actually doubt it needs judging from the sound I get from it now) it will be done at that point.

I just got word that my first two orders of parts have been sent so I should hopefully receive them some time next week and might even have the organ operational before the end of June. When I am satisfied with that the modifications can begin. I've got a group of larger shows in August so I am hoping to have it completely ready by then.

 

[Hansi]

The TG is a beautiful thing though. It is a real treat being able to tinker with this and admire the workmanship

 

[Becky]

Looks like a fascinating project! Nice to have you back on the forum @Hansi

 

[Rayblewit]

From what I remember from school days (half a century ago) The capacitors, what everyone is talking about are those yellow cylinder things (in the photo above). Is that right?
Jeezz! There are lots of them. To replace all of them will need ptience and a steady hand. Good luck.
Ray