Eric's Hammond B3 Restoration

12/7/09

My son Reily took this picture right after he and I got the B3 into my basement studio on December 5th 2009. Having never set one of these up before I will be doing some research before I attempt to turn it on. From what I can see visually it will need some cosmetic work done to the case and I will have to repair the top and make a new fold down cover for the keys (all stuff that I can do in my home shop).

As far as what needs to be done inside... Eric never got much further in our conversations about it other than to tell me "I'll show you how to oil it"... having never "oiled" an instrument before, so I assume I have my work cut out for me... I wish he was here to take on this project with me.

Since it hasn't been played in many years I will have to be careful turning it on for the first time (luckily I have a friend who has a few B3's and I'm sure he'll be able to make sure I do no harm to it).

8/10/10

I haven't done much with the B3 since my last post because touching this thing without a clear understanding of it can do more harm than good. I have done some research and rebuilt the connecting cable to one of the Leslie cabinets... and yesterday I actually got the motor started and powered the thing up. A lot of time went into oiling the mechanism (yes OIL)... Hammond oil is very hard to come by and tends to be very expensive, so I used Singer Sewing Machine oil (a good substitue according to B3 forums I frequent). Anyway, it took a while to get the gears and motor spinning freely, but after a few hours of TLC it seems to be doing OK (it hasn't run in 30+ years) . At this point I'm still can't get any sound out of it, but more than likely tubes need to be replaced (at least). One thing at a time...


				*Eric Polozune* *Eric's Hammond B3 Restoration*



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		Eric and I worked together for about 2 years in the "Bryan Gordon Band". In that short time Eric's sense of humor and gentle spirit left it's mark on anything he touched and I think fondly of him every day. When Eric passed away his family told me that he had left his 1957 Hammond B3 organ to me... needless to say I am honored and think of our friendship everytime I look at it. On this page I will attempt to document the restoration of Eric's Hammond B3 organ. Bryan Gordon



								*12/7/09* My son Reily took this picture right after he and I got the B3 into my basement studio on December 5th 2009. Having never set one of these up before I will be doing some research before I attempt to turn it on. From what I can see visually it will need some cosmetic work done to the case and I will have to repair the top and make a new fold down cover for the keys (all stuff that I can do in my home shop). As far as what needs to be done inside... Eric never got much further in our conversations about it other than to tell me "I'll show you how to oil it"... having never "oiled" an instrument before, so I assume I have my work cut out for me... I wish he was here to take on this project with me. Since it hasn't been played in many years I will have to be careful turning it on for the first time (luckily I have a friend who has a few B3's and I'm sure he'll be able to make sure I do no harm to it). *8/10/10* I haven't done much with the B3 since my last post because touching this thing without a clear understanding of it can do more harm than good. I have done some research and rebuilt the connecting cable to one of the Leslie cabinets... and yesterday I actually got the motor started and powered the thing up. A lot of time went into oiling the mechanism (yes OIL)... Hammond oil is very hard to come by and tends to be very expensive, so I used Singer Sewing Machine oil (a good substitue according to B3 forums I frequent). Anyway, it took a while to get the gears and motor spinning freely, but after a few hours of TLC it seems to be doing OK (it hasn't run in 30+ years) . At this point I'm still can't get any sound out of it, but more than likely tubes need to be replaced (at least). One thing at a time...