The Organ Forum

We've inherited my mother's M100 that she purchased in the early 1950s.  She was organist for a church, and wanted her own organ at home to play "other" music.  The M100 was moved once to a new house in the 1970s, and has been in her living room ever since.  I don't think it has been played since the '80s.  She did complain that the foot pedals stopped working back then.

An organist friend has looked at it, saying "It's shot!  Throw it out."  Well,  FIRST I would like to know what the problem is with it.  So I decided to search the Internet, and happened upon The Organ Forum.  I've read so much about the M Series on this forum, and am quite confused.  Posts range from "I picked one up on the street, and oiled it" to "It almost burned my house down."  So where do I start?  When my friend turned the switch on, nothing happened, but it seems that some of the tubes glowed.  My guess is the switch is working, but maybe the "Run" button isn't?

It sounds like oiling is essential, but I don't remember Mother mentioning oiling the organ, ever!  Oil is for lubrication, and from the forum - I must use Hammond oil.  OK, but what needs to be lubricated?  The Tone Wheel?  The generator?  

I liked a suggestion in one forum, that the power cord can be replaced if the cord is brittle or has broken insulation.  What other wiring is there that may have suffered the ravages of time?  I also read that Hammond never put fuses in their organs.  Why couldn't fuses be inserted into the wiring?  It sounds like they're needed.

The organ is at Memphis, TN.  The cabinet is in good condition, and yes, it has a music rack and an organ bench.  I don't want to leave it by the side of the road if there's any hope for it, although I don't have room for it at home.  I would like it to have a good home.  I think I need to find a "Hammond Organs for Dummies" book.  I know so little about this poor old jewel. 

Any advice will be appreciated.  Thanks,  Cora 

 

 

The tone wheels you mentioned are the generators in your M100.   As you've seen there is a host of good information already in the forum about restoration.    There are oil cups on top of the generator cover.   Buy some real Hammond Oil -- easy to find on the internet or through Ebay -- fill the cups and give the organ a few days to take it in.   Many threads here have instructions on more intense oiling if that should be necessary.

The connections to the pedal drawbars should be investigated if that is the only part of the organ that doesn't play after oiling.   I have had a few hammond with broken wires.   The wires move as the drawbars are pulled out and age may have caused some to crack apart.  It isn't too hard to rewire them.

I'm sure the organ means alot to you and most of us share your sentiment that it is ashame to discard a nice old instrument.   If you decide the restoration work isn't your cup of tea, just advertise the organ on Craigslist.   I'm sure you'll find an interested party quickly.

Thanks for joining the forum.   We're glad to have you.

Check out the info at;

 

www.bentonelectronics.com/serviceinfo.html

 

 

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Organs

Hammond B-3/145
Hammond Super B (MIDI Controller)
Yamaha FX-1 - TM-1 x 2

Synths

Korg Triton Pro
Yamaha P-80
Native Instruments Soft Synths;
Akoustik Piano, Electrik Piano, B4II,
FM-8, Pro-53, Massive, Absynth,
OPXpro, Mtron

The tubes glowing indicates that it powers up.  It definitely will need to be oiled.  You will need 'hammond oil' which you can find at musical instrument stores, the internet, or turbine oil, which can be found at a well stocked appliance parts wholesaler. 

Around the back of yur m100 you will find a curved hardboard cover over the tone generator.  Sticking up are oil cups with little lids on em. Get your hammond or turbine oil and pour it in the little cups until they are full. In a few minutes they will drain down, but don't add any more, you now have at least a year's supply of oil in the generator.   Remove the cover.  The tone generator is the large rube goldberg thing suspended on four springs.  There are two square motors, a round vibrato scanner that looks like it might be a motor or part of Flash Gordon's ray gun, and a long shaft running through em all and a long box affair covered by a strip of green felt.  Fold the felt back and you will see lots of mysteriousl electrical wires and stuff and under that, the tone wheels, little shafts, gears and wheels.  

Here's what I would do (I have done this a few times and it works).  Get a can of WD40, and spray all the little gears and shafts of the tone generator liberally.  Try turning the long shaft over the TG, if it spins freely, reach around the front and push up the 'start' switch.  You should hear a grinding noise, and the long shaft should be spinning.  Let it go until it seems like it is not going to turn any faster, and flip up the 'run' switch while holding the start switch up.   Count of 4 seconds (one one thousand two one thousand...) let go the start switch.  If everything is good, the shaft will stay spinning.  If it slowly stops, turn the flywheel looking thing at the front of the tone generator by hand, maybe give it anothe shot of WD and try again.  If it is stuck, turning by hand followed by the start run sequence should unstick it, if you feel resistance when turning the shaft hose more WD onto the TG.   Once the generator spins by itself and the tubes glow you can try the manuals and pedals and find out what works and what don't.   WD40 should only be used to free up frozen parts, it is not a substitute for the proper oil.

BTW, if you are transporting the organ, make sure you lock down the generator.  Under each of the four corners of the tone generator there will be a large hole drilled in the shelf.  These are meant for special hammond screw lock thingies, but you can use regular hardware store machine screws (as I recall they are either #10 or 3/16 standard thread machine screws) and large diameter (fender) washers, the idea being to pull the TG down so that it sits on the shelf and is not free to  bounce around.  Letting it fly around when moving it will cause wires to break and magnets to jam up wheels (DAMHIK).  It is ok to shift it from one end of the room to the other without locking the TG, and some people just leave the TG screwed down.  Letting it hang is to isolate the TG from vibration, but apparently there really isn't that much of a problem.

 

The M100 was, is the best tonewheel spinet, some prefer the M3, but the only  thing the M3 has the M100 does not is waterfall keys, whereas the M100 has presets,  reverb, three speakers, more watts,  etc..  

Troubleshooting, service information, mods etc. can be found here.

http://www.dairiki.org/HammondWiki/HammondMaintainanceAndTroubleshooting

http://www.captain-foldback.com/

You can buy reprints of service manuals on ebay, but don't pay too much and stay away from the CDs, as you can find all the same information in html or pdf by surfing.

 

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ES

After you get the generator spinning, you'll want to remove all the tubes and clean their sockets and pins with contact cleaner. (any generic "electronic contact cleaner" will work, just make sure its plain cleaner and not a 2-in-1 lubrication type thing). Spray liberally on both pins and socket, insert and remove the tubes a few times.

 As for the brittle power cord, it may probably be worth replacing. Off the top of my head there are no other components in this organ that should be suspect. The power cord issue seems to be consistent with all old electronics, but as for other parts which can wear out - that depends on the conditions under which the organ was stored for the last number of years.

If you see disconnected wires at the back of the drawbars, the problem is usually a broken solder connection. I believe that the top of the organ can be removed to observe the insides with less hassle.

 Usually if organs work fine, then sit around untouched and don't work when they are turned on again, the most likely problems are not related to broken components. Mechanical parts will need lubrication and electronic contacts will need to be cleaned. Normally these procedures will at least get sound from the organ. From there, spotty notes/tones and abnormal percussion or vibrato can be diagnosed.

If you can spin the main drive shaft by hand, you may be right - the start switch could be broken. A handy multimeter can usually spot that one relatively easily. Just watch where you touch when the organ is plugged in...lots of bare connections to get zapped inside these old beasts. Just take your time and don't do anything if you are unsure.

Oh yeah the cord.  If the cord is rotted, don't use the organ until it is fixed.  In order to replace the cord the amplifier will need to be removed, and the entire cord removed right to where it is soldered inside the amplifier.  Replacement will require re-soldering a new cord, and should be done by somebody with soldering experience.  It is a very basic job and easy but probably should not be your first attempt at electrical service work.   If the cord is of the type where the insulation has hardened and is breaking off the wires, the part that goes inside the amp through a rubber grommet will likely be worse than any part you can see.  If the cord needs replacing, wire in a grounded cord with a ground plug.

A fuse is not really necessary assuming your house wiring is up to date and proper, but if it makes you feel better, plug the organ into a power bar that has an internal circuit breaker (as far as I know they all do).  

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ES

You've been given a great deal of quality information here - I shouldn't wonder if it might be too much for a novice.  So let me try to boil things down for you.  When troubleshooting it's usually best to start with the simplest possible answer, and progress to the more complex/obscure only as needed.  *The symptoms you describe could all be due to the simple fact that the organ needs oil!*  If the tubes light up when you try the switch, but the organ doesn't seem to start, it could be that everything's ok but the generator is just stuck from lack of oil.  So yes, get some proper Hammond oil, pour it in the cups as you've been directed -- but then just wait, as much as a week or two, and try it again.  The oil takes time to work its way in, because it works by capillary action along little strings running from the cups to the bearings.  No need to get in there up to your elbows trying to lube the bearings by hand... yet.  This is my point: try the simple method first, and only resort to the WD40 etc. if simple oiling doesn't work (unless you're up for a lot of tinkering just to see how it works; or unless you're in a hurry and don't want to wait for the oil to soak in.)  The fact that Grandma never mentioned oiling the organ is, I think, very telling -- she probably never did!  Which supports the diagnosis that it may just need oil.

With all that said however: I agree, you don't want to tempt fate if the power cord is bad!  But that's not the primary fault if the tubes are lighting.  Anyway please take heart and don't give up on it: I've never seen a Hammond that couldn't be fixed, and if this one lived its whole life in Grandma's living room it should be ready for another 40 years, with just a minimum of attention.  Good luck-

Scott

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"The Commander-in-Chief answers him while chasing a fly,
Saying, 'Death to all those who would whimper and cry';
And dropping a barbell he points to the sky,
Saying, "The sun's not yellow - it's chicken."
-Bob D.

Thank you for your advice.  I've ordered a 4 oz bottle of Hammond oil on Ebay, when my local piano/organ store didn't have any.  Next week we will be going to Tennessee where the organ is located.  I will try my best to get it going.  At least, I certainly know much more about "my" organ.

Best wishes, Cora 

Thanks for the advice.  I know much more about the M100 now, and will be taking a bottle of Hammond oil with me when we go back to Tennessee next week.

 Best wishes, Cora
 

Thank you for all the advice.  I'm taking a bottle of Hammond oil with me next week when we go back to Tennessee.  Will get that M100 playing!

 

Best wishes, Cora 

Thanks for your advice.  I'm going to try oiling, and cleaning the tubes/sockets.  Will let all of you kind people know what happened when we return from Tennessee.

Best wishes, Cora 

I will definitely replace the cord.  Fifty years is pretty old for wiring, I think.

Thanks, Cora 

Thanks to all of you who were so kind to reply.  My husband is pretty good with electronics, but I really needed your ideas to help us get started.  We'll be taking a multi-meter with us, as well as Hammond oil.

Best wishes, Cora