Dont know if this is the right place to post,but any way. i have been looking for an Hammond organ, you pick them up dirt cheap if you are willing to pick up. but this one is way too pricey, and i dont think i have heard of Jon Thomas!. http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/HAMMOND-ORGAN-MODEL-X-66-COLLECTORS-MODEL-JON-THOMAS -/220651095216?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0

I don't care what part of their anatomy anyone used to play this thing, it's still way overpriced.

--------------------
An Eagle for an Emperor, A Kestrel for a Knave.

Quote Mart584:

---

i have been looking for an Hammond organ, you pick them up dirt cheap if you are willing to pick up.

---

Usually only if the seller doesn't realise what they have, or if it's an electronic instrument rather than an electro-mechanical one with tonewheels.

Quote:

---

this one is way too pricey, and i dont think i have heard of Jon Thomas!.

---

It's that pricey because the seller is trying to cash in on the unique history of this particular instrument (which did cost $10,000 when new in the late 60s-early 70s, which was alot of money!). He's also offering worldwide shipping for free, which accounts for a fair chunk of the price. I've seen these things go for between $3500 and $5000 before now, but without any pedigree or history and shipping extra. So it's priced high, but not as mad as all that...

Your lack of awareness of Jon Thomas and his music is your loss!

The X66 was built as the flagship portable console Hammond, first shown as a prototype in 1964, and launched in 1967. It was made for the following seven years or so. It was supposed to replace the B3 but it was too expensive and never sold in big numbers.

It was actually a very unusual hybrid design, part tonewheel and part electronic. It used just 12 tonewheels to generate the top octave frquencies, and then used electronic dividers to create the rest of the notes.

Even more unusually, the tonewheels were buried down in the base of the organ alongside the foot pedals, and the (self-start) motor runs twice as fast as the generator motor on more common tonewheel Hammonds!

It also had a revolutionary (excuse the pun) vibrato system that extended the conventional electro-mechanical scanners of older tonewheel organs, but with split frequency operation (ie, independent bass and treble scanners) to give an effect similar to a Leslie speaker.

Because of these two technologies, the X66 doesn't sound quite like any other Hammond... which is either good or bad, depending on your point of view!

This particular instrument is a standard American 120V and 60Hz model. Although the operating voltage is easy to deal with for European location using a step-down transformer, the 60Hz is an issue because the tone wheels are driven by a synchronous motor. If it's not running on 60Hz mains, it won't play in tune -- and although there are ways of dealing with that problem they all add to the overall cost...

hugh


--------------------
Technical Editor, Sound On Sound

Edited by Hugh Robjohns (12/08/10 05:39 PM)

"BUY IT NOW PRICE INCLUDES FREE SHIPPING WORLD WIDE"

damn.....for that money, i'd want it shipped to my moon base!

--------------------
Ready Eddie?
Bingo Gringo!

Quote Hugh Robjohns:

---

Quote Mart584:

---

i have been looking for an Hammond organ, you pick them up dirt cheap if you are willing to pick up.

---

Usually only if the seller doesn't realise what they have, or if it's an electronic instrument rather than an electro-mechanical one with tonewheels.

Quote:

---

this one is way too pricey, and i dont think i have heard of Jon Thomas!.

---

It's that pricey because the seller is trying to cash in on the unique history of this particular instrument (which did cost $10,000 when new in the late 60s-early 70s, which was alot of money!). He's also offering worldwide shipping for free, which accounts for a fair chunk of the price. I've seen these things go for between $3500 and $5000 before now, but without any pedigree or history and shipping extra. So it's priced high, but not as mad as all that...

Your lack of awareness of Jon Thomas and his music is your loss!

The X66 was built as the flagship portable console Hammond, first shown as a prototype in 1964, and launched in 1967. It was made for the following seven years or so. It was supposed to replace the B3 but it was too expensive and never sold in big numbers.

It was actually a very unusual hybrid design, part tonewheel and part electronic. It used just 12 tonewheels to generate the top octave frquencies, and then used electronic dividers to create the rest of the notes.

Even more unusually, the tonewheels were buried down in the base of the organ alongside the foot pedals, and the (self-start) motor runs twice as fast as the generator motor on more common tonewheel Hammonds!

It also had a revolutionary (excuse the pun) vibrato system that extended the conventional electro-mechanical scanners of older tonewheel organs, but with split frequency operation (ie, independent bass and treble scanners) to give an effect similar to a Leslie speaker.

Because of these two technologies, the X66 doesn't sound quite like any other Hammond... which is either good or bad, depending on your point of view!

This particular instrument is a standard American 120V and 60Hz model. Although the operating voltage is easy to deal with for European location using a step-down transformer, the 60Hz is an issue because the tone wheels are driven by a synchronous motor. If it's not running on 60Hz mains, it won't play in tune -- and although there are ways of dealing with that problem they all add to the overall cost...

hugh

---

Hi, thanks for that. i did go on to YouTube and give the track a listen, As much as i love the Hammond sound it's not my cup of tea.
It is the electric ones you can pick relatively cheaply.

Quote Mart584:

---

It is the electric ones you can pick relatively cheaply.

---

They're all 'electric'

All the early stuff used tonewheel generators and valve preamps/amps, culminating in the classic B3, C2, A100 console models and the L100 and M3 spinet models.

More or less everything after that moved to solid state amps and although there were a few transitional models with tonewheels, they quickly moved over to all electronic tone generation too. Although a few of these transitional models remain popular -- the T500 series for example, or the X66 -- most aren't favoured at all and so command very low prices.

The earlier organs predating the B3 era often go for little money because people don't appreciate how very similar their internals are to the B3, and they can usually be updated without too much trouble. Some even had two complete generators sets to provide a stunningly rich chorus sound! Bloomin heavy though!

Hugh

--------------------
Technical Editor, Sound On Sound

Quote Hugh Robjohns:

---

Quote Mart584:

---

It is the electric ones you can pick relatively cheaply.

---

They're all 'electric'

All the early stuff used tonewheel generators and valve preamps/amps, culminating in the classic B3, C2, A100 console models and the L100 and M3 spinet models.

More or less everything after that moved to solid state amps and although there were a few transitional models with tonewheels, they quickly moved over to all electronic tone generation too. Although a few of these transitional models remain popular -- the T500 series for example, or the X66 -- most aren't favoured at all and so command very low prices.

The earlier organs predating the B3 era often go for little money because people don't appreciate how very similar their internals are to the B3, and they can usually be updated without too much trouble. Some even had two complete generators sets to provide a stunningly rich chorus sound! Bloomin heavy though!

Hugh

---

Woops!,That came out all wrong. you are right of course. i used to use a L100 in a band and it was indeed heavy!i have seen a few on ebay that have not sold perhaps people reckon you can get a similar sound from a keyboard a hell of a lot smaller.

... whereas now the new one is something like £18000 and uses "digital tonewheels"... they don't half look the business though. I saw one the other week and it was quite a bit of kit. I wonder if they're filled with concrete or something to make those PCBs feel more 'vintage'.

Quote nathanscribe:

---

... whereas now the new one is something like £18000 and uses "digital tonewheels"... they don't half look the business though. I saw one the other week and it was quite a bit of kit. I wonder if they're filled with concrete or something to make those PCBs feel more 'vintage'.

---

Actually, as per the original consoles, I would expect most of the weight is in the manuals (which explains why making a 'chop' doesn't really reduce the weight that much; makes it smaller though).

Re the organ listed, I wouldn't part with any money for this. To be honest, the seller should be looking for someone to take it away for nowt - not a desirable model and not in good condition to boot. My A100 and 147 cost me a fraction of this a few years ago. Basically, the seller either 1) knows nothing about the value of Hammond organs by model or 2) is taking the p155, but most likely both of the above.

As for previous ownership, unless it was someone genuinely famous, I think this info makes it LESS desirable to own. If some old rocker used it, it is much more likely to have had a harder life, possibly gigged too. I'd much rather have one that was owned by a little old lady, kept in the living room and used to play the odd hymn once a week!