Re: M-3: worth restoring?

[GeoFishJr@gnn.com (George E. Fish, Jr.)]

Mike Lemieux wrote:
>I recently received an M-3 and Leslie 120 as a sort of hand-me 
down from a
> relative.  It 
>seems to be in good condition, with the following exceptions:
>
>1) the drawbar contacts and key contacts are dirty

There may be some broken wires on the wiring harness to the Tone 
Generator due to moving the organ without first securing the TG 
holddown bolts.  They will cause missing tones scattered throughout 
the keyboard.  For dirty keys, hit each offending key about 20 
times in a quick staccato manner to dislodge the dirt from the 
busbars. If that doesn't fix the keys, use the busbar shifter screw 
on each manual (bottom right corner of each manual looking at the 
back of the organ).

Check the backs of the drawbars to determine if any wires have 
broken loose from the ends.  Pull the drawbars in and out a few 
times. They might clean up from this action. Check the FAQ for 
cleaning methods.

>2) the vibrato is motor-boating

Your vibrato scanner may have been over-oiled and might have 
cadmium hair-growth inside that shorts out the plates. You can 
rebuild the scanner (see the FAQ) or zap the plates with B+ 
voltage. Email me if you want the correct procedure.

>3) the pedals do not produce notes, just low-frequency noise 
(simple
> problem or not?)

Check the grounding wires coming up from the pedal wiring harness. 
They are on the extreme right side of the tone generator. When 
worked loose, they cause all kinds of grief.

>4) the cabinetry needs a little refinishing

See the digests for Brad Baker's excellent posts on woodworking.

>
>Now, what I need to know is this:
>
>Keeping in mind that I am presently a novice at Hammond 
>technology, is this organ worth 
>the cost and effort of restoring it?  If so, what would it be 
>worth in full operating condition?  In operating condition with 
>refinished cabinetry?

Don't do it for potential resale value. The M-3 is a very hip and 
playable organ that Hammond players can be proud of. It suffers 
from poor value recognition and is worth far more to the musician 
that restores it than to someone answering an ad and asks, "Does it 
do one-fingered chord thingys?"

>
>I know it's not one of the hippest Hammonds to be discussed here, 
>but it's all I've got right now....  Any info would be 
>appreciated.
>
>Thanks!
>____________________________
>
> MIKE LEMIEUX
> Professional Musician
> Boise, Idaho USA
> <lemieux@cyberhighway.net>
>_

Good luck with your new M-3

George Fish Jr.

George Fish Jr.
GeoFishJr@gnn.com