Buy'n a B3

Updated 9/04

The Purpose of this page is to help those who are not familiar with Hammond Organs and are interested in buying a Hammond B3 as a collectors piece and or an investment. Since the original Hammond built B3's that have been kept in good condition have appreciated in value I would safely say they are a good investment. There are many Hammond organs that have the same components, features and sounds of a B3 ie.. A100's, C3's, and RT3's. All though the organs mentioned above have the same features as the B3 they do not seem to have appreciated in value like the B3 has.

Retro's

Recently there has been a trend to build Retro B3's to fill a void left by the end of the B3's production in 1975. By retro I mean the installation of components from an A100 series, C3 or RT3 into a AB,ABV,BC,BCV,BV,or B2 cabinet. The ABV and BCV are AB and BC models converted to V series in the field so there really are no ABV or BCV cabinets. Some of these organs are put together so well it is hard to tell they didn't start out as a B3 accept for the differences which will be mentioned. Others are very obvious and were intended as a player instrument only. Most of the retro's built and refurbished as players and represented as retro's make good instruments and generally sound every bit as good as a B3. If you are looking for a B3 style organ and don't care if it is not an original Hammond built B3 organ by all means don't be afraid to buy one. A retro that has been put together properly should make a great instrument. If you are interested in Buying a Hammond B3 as an investment the following text should help you sort out the retro's from the real ones. I would like to start off by saying that none of this info is written in stone. By that I mean I have seen several exceptions and will try to mention as many as I can remember.

Serial Number Tag

If I had written this a few months ago I would have said that a good way to tell it was a Hammond built B3 would have been by it's serial number tag. Recently and in my opinion unfortunately I have seen repro Hammond console serial number tags offered on eBay. The tags looked like an authentic early Hammond serial number tag but the seller said that he had them made. Updated 9/04 I recieved an email from the person that had the fake tags made and here's what he had to say. (Hello,I'm the individual who had the ser.plates on Ebay.You,ll be pleased to know they are all gone and I have no intention of having any more made.It was never my intention of aiding in the faking of organs.I had my plate stolen during repairs,and it really drove me nuts.I had to order a minimum...I think most people used them for key chains.I purposely didn't have them stamped which would be tricky without the right machinery.There was one noticable difference between the fakes and real McCoys.The printing on the real metal plates was raised. If you run your hands across the plate you can feel it,even after all these years.We weren't able to get the same feel.Also, the original appeared to have been nickel plated and then screened on top of brass core ,or a brassy colour metal.If you look at the back of the plate (underside) it was this brass colour.The new ones were silverish on the back.You may wish to include this additional info in your description.Feel free.Thanks.) All Hammond organs built had a serial number tag when shipped from the factory that included the model number somewhere inside the cabinet. The serial number tags were made of metal from 1935-1959, from 1960-1971 they were made of plastic. The 1972 tags were also made of plastic but the size changed. In 1973-1975 they went to a paper tag. The B3's tag is located behind the cabinet cover on the right side toward the front. Click the links to see photos of one. B3 Serial # Tag 1 B3ser # Tag 2 B3 Serial # Tag 3 The tag in the photo is made of plastic and is on an authentic 1969 B3. The early tags were made of metal as were the ones on eBay. With the surfacing of the serial number tags on eBay there is already one of the exceptions I spoke of. During the 60's and 70's and maybe even the 50's Many B3's were gutted to build portables. Some of those original B3 cabinets retained their serial number tag and have since had the components of another organ installed. This would be another exception. If you are looking at a B3 and have the serial # you can get a general idea of the year by checking it at the Hammond-Leslie Age Determination List The list has alot of serial numbers listed by model and year and a whole bunch of other good info on determining age and model.

Expression Pedal

The expression pedal (volume or swell pedal) from 1935 to around 1953 was made of wood. This Pedal was used on the B Models AB,BA,BC,BCV,BV and some B2's. This wooden style pedal also had a two piece linkage to connect it to the reostat box or variable capacitor used to control expression. Click on the links to see some photo's of a Wooden Expression Pedal on a Hammond Model AV. Wood Pedal 1 Wood Pedal 2 Wood Pedal 3 The later B2's and all B3's Had a Metal expression Pedal with a one piece linkage to connect it to the Variable Expression Capacitor. Click on the links to see photo's of a Metal Expression Pedal on a Hammond Model B3. Metal Pedal 1 Metal Pedal 2 (Exception)The Expression Pedal on the A100's, C3 and RT3 are also metal and it can be exchanged for the wooden one with a little effort. The linkage for the A100's is different and can not be used for a retro. I have seen a new linkage fabricated so well that it would be hard to tell it from the original.

B type Cabinet Differences

Legs

The legs of the AB,BC,and early BV were different from those used on the late BV,B2,and B3. The early legs were turned differently at the top. Click on the link to see a photo of a Model A leg that is the same leg as used on the AB,BC,and early BV models Model A Leg Click on the next link to see a photo of a Model B3 leg that is the same leg as used on the late BV,B2,and B3 models Model B3 Leg Click on the next link to see a photo of the A and B3 legs together A & B3 Legs

FallBoards

The FallBoards or Fall Board of the B series organs are the boards that fold down over the keyboards. The AB,BC,BV,and B2 organs all had curved or what I call four piece FallBoards. Click on the links to see photo's of a curved FallBoard on a Model AV that is the same as the one used on early B models. Curved FallBoard 1 Curved FallBoard 2 Curved FallBoard 3 Curved FallBoard 4 The FallBoard on most B3's were made with five pieces instead of four so I call them a five piece. I have recently contacted several owners of orginal 1955 B3's and have found that some were made with the curved Fallboard and some with the 5 piece. Click on the links to see photo's of a five piece B3 FallBoard. B3 FallBoard B3 FallBoard 2 B3 FallBoard 3 B3 FallBoard 4

Generator Shelf

The AB,ABV,BC,BCV,and BV Generator shelves all Have finger grooves machined into the front by the cover bolt holes. The B2 and B3 do Not!