The Hammond A-100 Organ, History, How it Works, Maintenance, Operation and Features.
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Published 2022-12-03
Although I use the word "electromagnet" in the description of how it works, what you see is actually a permanent magnet (the rod) with a coil of wire mounted at one end. When a tooth of a tone wheel comes close to the tip of the magnet, the magnetic field is strengthened slightly, which induces a tiny current in the coil. When the tooth passes by and the tip of the magnet then faces a gap between the teeth on the tone wheel, the magnetic field is reduced, which induces a current in the coil in the opposite direction.
All Comments (21)
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My father worked at Hammond for 42 years. He was their veneer guru. If you touch a Hammond organ, you touch veneer he laid up. We had an M3 which I was supposed to learn. After two years of lessons, it was determined I could not carry a tune if I could put it in a bucket. I became an engineer instead.
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I am a traditional pipe organist but I once worked for a church that had a B3 in the choir loft and no pipe instrument. Hammond organs are fascinating and I enjoy the unique registration challenges they present. You can create almost any sound using the drawbars.
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I lubricated my L100 and M101 this morning. By the time i'd removed the rear panels and shifted the hefty beasts around towards the window, (so I could see what the heck I was doing) i was ready for a cuppa and a sit down. Later, armed with my mini torch, my glasses, my syringe and my special Hammond oil, i approached each instrument. I feel a great sense of peace now, i've made a note of the date and i will repeat the process in exactly one year's time. ✌️ 🇬🇧
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Excellent explanation of Hammonds original tonewheel technology and how it all works. I played a C-3 in church for several years when I first transitioned from piano to organ
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Glenn C. Koenig | This was the MOST VALUABLE (yelling just a little bit!) YouTube video ever, and I've watched more than 2.72 million YT videos (estimate) so far. Thank you for sharing your knowledge fine sir
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My first real job out of college was at Boosey and Hawkes in London, quality checking Hammond A100s and other models as they came off the production line. I wasn't allowed to play music on the organ, just check the notes methodically, so as a budding musician in the sixties, I didn't stick it out for long.
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What a sound, what a machine, and this guy knows what he's talking about, we're losing people like this!
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Fascinating insight into the workings of the Hammond
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Thank you for the information and the upload. Very interesting.
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Excellent video, thank you so much for sharing this information information with the world
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This is very helpful. thanks for posting!
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Such a beautiful instrument.
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This was incredibly useful for me, thanks a lot Tyler, Glenn!
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Awesome! A great respect to the guy, such a basic and clear presentation! You should put his link in description so people can find him when needed.
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I've got one just like it... Serial #13992. Awesome organ...with a stock 122, it's over the moon. thanks for the video.
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Good summary and explanation of the A100. In a side note re: the B3, it's interesting that I can find no reference to Bill Rieger anywhere in reference to the B3. Bill Rieger worked for Hammond for 35 years or so and was Director of Engineering and Research at Hammond. He led the team that created the B3. He was a brilliant electrical engineer, and had a major hand in what because the B3. He's never mentioned.
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I have the exact Hammond clock and 3 generations of the Hammonds. CV. A-100 and the H-111. Love to play them and one has been MIDI modified.
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so cool! always wondered this
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In the early 1970s, I worked on all of Hammond's organs and was one of the very few techs who rebuilt the vibro scanner in the home, saving a lot of money. The scanner, next to the run motor, would get too much oil and stop working.
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Amazing video, as someone just now learning to play a Hammond organ, I learned a lot here.
