Hammond B3: Manual Non-Technicians

The
Hammond B3
Disassembly & Restoration
Manual
for
Non-technicians
by
Wayne Prue
http://www.b3sforsale.com
wayne@b3sforsale.com 1
Contents
Introduction ~ 3 Reinstalling the Matching

Things to Check before Disassembly ~ 6 Transformer ~ 90
Disassembly ~ 7 Installing the Preset Panel ~ 91
Removing the Pre-amp ~ 11 Gooey Foam, Do you have it?
Unsoldering the Scanner Harness ~ 14 Here’s how to find out ~ 93
Resistor Panel and Coil ~ 16 Removing The Generator ~ 98
Unsoldering Wires Scanner Rebuild ~ 100
from the Generator ~ 18 The Generator ~ 112
Removing the Manuals ~ 21 Working on the Generator ~ 113
Disassembling the Keyboards ~ 23 Bass Pedal Contact Unit ~ 122
Preparing for Keys Removal ~ 25 Installing a New AC Cable ~ 127
Removing the Keys ~ 28 Pedal Box Cover
Cleaning the Keys ~ 31 and Expression Pedal ~ 131
Polishing the Keys ~ 36 The Pedals ~ 132
Replacing the Up-stop Felts ~ 38 The Cabinet ~ 139
Key Combs ~ 42
Clean and Grease Putting It Back Together:
the Preset Action Bar ~ 48 The Generator ~ 142
Key Contacts ~ 51 AC Cable ~ 143
Bus Bars ~ 60 The Manuals ~ 143
Put back the Key Contact Covers Resistor Panel and Coil ~ 144
and Key Combs ~ 67 Wire Harness ~ 145
Disassembly and Cleaning of Installing the Pre-amp ~ 145
the Drawbar Base ~ 71
Vibrato/Chorus Gear Box ~ 82 Optional:
Vibrato/Chorus Switch Box ~ 84 Modification to Pre-amp
Percussion Switch Box ~ 86 Inline Fuse: ~ 146
Putting the Keys Back ~ 89 Resources ~ 148
Copyright © 2004 by
Wayne E. Prue
First printing February 2004
All rights reserved. No part of this

manual may be reproduced in any way,
or by any means, without permission in
writing from the author.
Introduction:
Hammond Tonewheel Organs,
especially A/B/C series, are getting more scarce. Many have already been
taken to other countries or chopped. Others have simply been destroyed
from abuse, reducing the number of original condition Hammond's available.
Unfortunately, it is only a matter of time before there are no more to be found
in salvageable condition. I hope that this time doesn’t come soon, because the
vintage Hammond's will never be made again. No one, not even Hammond has
come up with an organ equal to the original (Tonewheel) masterpiece.
So! Why this Manual?
I get a lot of requests from my web site for information ranging from, how to
do a particular job, to how I can learn to overhaul and maintain my own organ.
I’m not an electronics technician but I’ve found that many of these problems
can be solved by simply cleaning off the metal hairs caused by the coating of
zinc, with which the Hammond company unwittingly coated many of the metal
parts. After time, the zinc oxidizes and finally grows metal hairs which shorts
things out. The first B3’s which were released to the public in 1955, making
them now as I write this (2004) pushing 48 years old. All older Hammond's
have this problem to one degree or another. It’s not a case of if, but when.
What is Actually Effected by Zinc Oxide?
Matching Transformer: I’ve seen problems disappear from simply cleaning

the surface where the cover meets the main body. Example; volume on one
manual almost disappeared. Easy fix. More on this later.
Vibrato Scanner: The word Motorboating is commonly used to describe the

sound of the chorus/vibrato when the scanner has developed a short. After the
rebuild shown in this manual, this won’t happen again for a very long time.
Vibrato/Chorus and Percussion Switches: Your percussion can

completely stop working. Same goes for the chorus on/off and volume
(normal/soft) switches.
Bus-Bars and Key Contacts: These can get shorted out under extreme
conditions which can cause notes to disappear among other things. In any
case, the bus-bars should be cleaned and lubed as a part of the whole process.
Oxidation: This becomes a problem with the drawbar contacts and to some
degree, the preset panel. All this to say that an organ can be brought back to
life by giving it a good cleaning. Oxidation build up varies according to the
climate and conditions the organ has been exposed to. I haven’t seen one yet
that didn’t have metal hair growth.
Also covered in this manual...

Gooey Foam... Yuk !
The stuff nightmares are made of.
Sometime in the mid 60’s, Hammond decided to stop using felts inside of the
manuals and instead, they replaced it with “FOAM” ..... And! if the organ has
been subject to abuse on the road for instance, or left in hot, humid,
conditions, this foam can and does break down... melts all over those little
angel hair wires. 549 of them. If it eats through those wires you might as well
kiss your manuals goodbye. Heat and humidity are big factors but not the only
thing. Time will do it on its own. I’ve seen foam in uniform condition, but
when you touch it, it sticks to your fingers and falls apart. It’s only a matter of
time so why take a chance. Remove it if you have it. The manual will have a
section devoted to “how to find out whether your organ has it or not”.
In conclusion, I’ve found that although individual jobs can be accomplished, it
is much better to completely take the organ apart and do everything. It makes
it easier in the long run plus the fact that certain parts just cannot be reached
otherwise. While you’re at it you can clean the keys, remove paper clips,
confetti, song lyrics, drink swizzle sticks, change, guitar picks, hair balls,
mouse droppings and many other surprises.
In the chapter to follow “Things to do before getting started” explains how to
trouble shoot some basics in case you’re not an electronics technician, so you
can arrange to have a tech on hand while your organ is disassembled. You may
also want to ship things out for rebuild, like your pre-amp if need be.
In this world of built-in obsolescence and “throw away” society, Hammond
organs can be a joy to work on especially if you like quality. There are after
market parts, replacement capacitors and tubes and a community of Hammond
lovers all over the globe. I suggest you do some hunting on the net if you
haven’t already. There are technical manuals and books to be found but so far,
none like this one. To the Hammond pro technicians, Sorry! but I don’t think
this manual excludes you by any means. Most musicians can’t afford to have
someone else do this to their organ. All of the organ players I know are keeping
them running by the skin of their teeth and would love to have their axe
overhauled but just can’t afford the $XX.00.00 + per hour to do a job like this.
If you’ve never seen someone take an organ apart and also watched them put it
back together, this can seem pretty intimidating at first. It’s like any unknown
territory but it’s not rocket science. For the parts where you just feel that it’s
over your head and you don’t want to tackle it, then that’s the time to call your
tech and have him do it for you. At least the organ will be apart and leaves
only the job in question for him to deal with. It may be a good idea to read this
manual through before you start and that may help you to prepare things like
tools etc. The tools are simple and none are metric. You probably have many
of the tools in your collection already and the ones you don’t, can be
purchased at most hardware stores. I will always try to include the tools in the
pictures and if it’s something unusual, I will describe it in more detail. You
must not have a time limit on this. At times you may want to sleep on
something or order a part etc. So! if this is your gigging organ, you may want to
rent a clone for a while. (Yikes) In any case, if you have to rush this job, it will
take out all the joy at the very least. At the worst, you may do damage in haste.
Not to worry here. Most mistakes can be reversed, sometimes at a price but...
if you’re a “rip it out first” and “think later” type of person, then you shouldn’t
be attempting to rebuild a Hammond. I hope I’m not scaring you, it’s not that
bad, but please take your time.
One last note before getting started. If your organ has been through many
hands, you may find that along the way someone has installed parts from
other organs, did mods that are not factory standards etc. If you see things
that don’t match the pictures and descriptions in this manual, call your tech.
In some cases it’s ok but in other cases, totally bogus. You may or may not
have to call a tech at all but it’s good to have a contact just in case. If you’re
a take charge, do it yourself kind of person, you can save a couple of $xxx.xx
and end up with a totally restored organ that’s good to go for many years to
come. It will probably outlast you and I.
Disclaimer!
I take no responsibility for damage done to your organ
while following this manual.
Good luck! Have fun..... and please take your time!
Things to Check “Before Disassembly”
IMPORTANT NOTE : Go to page 42 and read about testing the

keycombs before disassembly.
Start the organ. Push all drawbars in for both manuals. Push down the B preset
on both manuals. Pull out just the first drawbar and play every note. If any
notes do not sound, write them down. If you find a note that doesn’t sound,
pull out other drawbars and if it still doesn’t sound, it may be just that the
drawbar wire has come unsoldered. Make note of that also. Do the same thing
on the lower manual. Push in that drawbar and go to the next one and again
play all the notes until all notes have been played on each drawbar then push
down the Bb preset and repeate the procedure. If all frequencies are working,
go outside and jump up and down ;-) Then, see if the other presets all work
and take notes. Pull out a base pedal drawbar and play the pedals and listen
to how they respond then do the other drawbar. If while testing for missing
frequencies a note is very faint, tap the key 20 or so times and see if it comes
back. It may just be a dirty contact. Take notes then move on to the
chorus/vibrato, volume normal/soft switch and percussion switches and see
how they act. For the percussion, push all the drawbars in with the B preset
pushed down on the upper manual only and go through the different settings
on the percussion switches. You should hear a ping each time you hit a key.
Try the decay fast/slow and the perc. volume soft/normal, second /third
harmonic selector, and take notes. With the vibrato/chorus there’s a common
term used called “Motorboating” thud thud thud on each cycle of the chorus.
If you have this problem don’t worry, all this as well as perc. problems can be
corrected by following the procedures in this manual. This is also the time to
write down anything else that you notice about the sound in general, 60 cycle
hum, distortion at low volume, scratchy notes, or whatever. These trouble
shooting procedures are going to save time if you do have to call in a tech.
As you go through the drawbars, a missing frequency will show up on different
keys on different octaves and may appear to be many missing notes but
actually be only one bad connection or capacitor. A tech is going to look at
which frequencies are missing, and be able to determine the problem.
Sometimes it’s the wires going between the keyboards or from the generator to
the manuals or a bad capacitor or broken coil wire in the generator. If you do
have Missing frequencies: I would suggest making contact with a tech and
tell him what you are about to do with the organ and ask him at what stage of
the process he would like you to call him in.
Disassembly
fig.1
Remove the music stand

from the organ. leave the
hinges on the stand and
store it in a safe place.
I recommend using small containers

(glass jars, small bottles etc.)
for all the screws and small parts.
Masking tape makes good labels.
You’ll be glad you did this.
fig.2 fig.3
fig.4 fig.5
Remove the music desk screws and be careful to use the right size
screw driver head. These are brass and can be damaged or break off!
fig.6 fig.7
fig.8 fig.9
The screws in fig.9 can be removed from inside the back of the organ if the
wires are too short to bring the switch out to work on.
fig.10
You can leave the start/run switch

plate on the music desk. Once the
switches have been removed, put
the music desk in a safe place.
fig.11 fig.12
Get under the organ with a 9/16” socket and remove the keyboard bolts.
There are 4, two long in the back and two short in the front.
(figs. 11 & 12)
fig.13
Get down where the pedals

would be and look up at the
front edge rail. This plate
secures the wooden rail to the
keyboards. Also look at each
end as sometimes there are
three of them. Only remove
the metal screws. (fig.13)
fig.14
While you’re under the

organ, you might as well
make sure the generator
is locked down. Fig.14
is showing the gen. in
the locked position.
You’ll need a 5/16” nut
driver. This will get the
generator out of the
way a bit when
removing the manuals.
fig.15
Fig.15 is showing the sleeve separated
from the bolt. This sleeve gets inverted
to lock or unlock the generator.
(fig.16 = locked) (fig.17 = unlocked).
The generator should always be locked
when moving the organ. The generator
floats on springs when it’s unlocked
and can do damage in transport if
jarred. When the organ isn’t being
moved, unlocking the generator will
make it more quiet.
fig.16 fig.17
At this point if you only want to install new “up-stop felts” or change a broken
key, you can now lift the manuals to do so. Push the manuals back 1/4” and
lift from the front and place 2”x2”x 6” or 8” on either side.
Removing the Pre-Amp
First, remove the volume arm spring. (See fig.18)
fig.18
This is as good a time as any to say
that this spring isn’t white. That’s
oxidization and you’ll see it in many
places as you go. Each organ has it in
various places and to varying degrees
but it should be cleaned where ever
you find it. Soak the spring and
screws in some alcohol. Give it a
brush then spray or soak in some
“DeoxIT D5” by CAIG.
fig.19 fig.20
See those “white” screws :-( Remove them and take off the covers,
unsolder all the wires then put the covers back on for safe keeping.
fig.21 fig.22
In fig.21, on the far left side of the pre-amp, is the AC power supply terminals.
Two gray and two blue. Fig.22, the next set of wires to the right. Fig.23 in the
center and fig.24 is on the right side. The color codes are all scratched into
the metal but if they’re unclear ie: scratched out or damaged and there is any
doubt as to where the wires go back, make some masking tape labels and mark
the wires. or take notes before unsoldering.
fig.23 fig.24
fig.25
Fig.25 is showing a 5”/16” nut driver on
one side and screw driver on right to
remove the linkage from the arm
attached to the pre-amp and the volume
pedal rod. Watch that you don’t drop
those down the tubes. Stuff a rag in the
top holes and when you get it apart,
look closely at it to see how it works
then screw it all back to the pedal
pusher rod for safe keeping.
fig.26 fig.27
After the pre-amp is stripped, as There are two chassis screws

shown above, put the covers back on each end. Remove them,
on for safe keeping. then remove the pre-amp.
fig.28
If you think the pre-amp

needs to go to the shop, or
you want to order some new
tubes, now’s the time to do
it. If not then just put it
aside for now.
Unsoldering the Scanner Harness Wires
from the Vibrato Switch Terminal
fig.29 fig.30
To locate, look in the top left hand corner and for fig.30, follow the red and
blue wires to the vibrato line box. Unsolder the red and blue wires and the
wiring harness in fig.29. Take note of the orientation of the harness with the
red and blue wires exiting on the left. When you have the red and blue free,
remove them from the line box and tuck them by the scanner with the harness.
fig.31 fig.32
Harness with red & blue free Vibrato/chorus scanner
Now in fig.32 on the left side of the picture, follow the silver shielded cable and
free it up wherever you must. On the following page there are some examples
of a couple of possibilities but not all B3’s have oiling cups. Depends on the
year. Just follow the silver wire and do what you must. When unsoldering the
wires in fig.29, be extra careful as those soldering posts are delicate. Go slow
on the first one and see how it was soldered.
Usually the wire is pushed up through the hole and wrapped half way around
then soldered. You have to carefully probe at that wire to get it in the right
position to be free. Don’t tug on it. Use lots of light and while you’re probing,
try not to over heat the joint. When I solder things back, I don’t wrap the
wires. I fold them and while holding the join tight with one hand, (with solder
roll in the same hand), Tricky! I then use my other two hands on the gun. ;-)
fig.33 fig.34
Fig.33 shows the type of wire holders commonly found in Hammonds. Fig.34
is showing how that shielded scanner cable is tucked behind the oil cups and
instructions plate. You have to remove the two screws but behind the plate
there are brass insulator/separators and you don’t want to lose them. Put a
towel or something directly underneath the oil cups to catch them as they fall.
fig.35 fig.36
Oiling cups screws and insulators. Now you can remove that wire.
fig.37 fig.38
Once you have that shielded cable free from the oil cups assembly, follow it
down and separate it from the wires that you just took off the pre-amp by
removing the tape then, put the tape back. You may have to use new tape.
Black electrical tape is good. Fig.38 is showing them separated. Now take
that cable and put it with the others you tucked under with the scanner.
They just have to be out of the way when you remove the manuals.
Resistor Panel and Coil
fig.39
In fig.39 you have at the top, the resistor panel and at the
bottom, the coil. The next page covers which wires to disconnect.
fig.40
The green arrows show
which wires to unsolder
on the resistor panel.
(From left to right)
pin 4 = yellow
pin 6 = orange
pin 7 = Red
The other red and brown
can stay, they come from
the bass pedal draw bars.
Remember, we are just
unsoldering the necessary
cables in order to
remove the manuals.
fig.41
This is the coil and you

only have two wires to
disconnect. One on
the left “black” and
one on the right
“brown”. Now tape
these together with the
resistor wires and
label them.
fig.42
In fig.42 you can tuck the wires that were removed from the pre-amp behind
the preset panel. It keeps them out of the way when removing the manuals.
Unsoldering the Wires from the Generator
fig.43
fig.44 fig.45
This is my choice of soldering gun. Those little springs you see in the
You can adjust the heat level and it middle, make all the difference
works great. I also have a Weller for working with one hand as you
expert 100/140 watts for jobs that solder with the other.
need a bit more juice.
fig.46 fig.47
I have two of these clamp-on You’ll need to push these wires

lights but most of the time I only back on the preset panel to
need one. They are versatile and access the generator wires.
in this case I have it clamped to a
mic stand. Bright light is a must
have item. You’ll see!
fig.48 fig.49
In fig.48 the two red arrows are pointing to connectors that are not used.
You’ll find a lot of them and rather than count the spaces, I simply put paper
clips in the holes and leave them there until I’m finished re-soldering
(see fig.49) When an organ has never been worked on, these empty holes are
clean and can easily be identified. However, I’ve seen them with old solder
where someone has made a mistake. When you start soldering the wires
back, go from left to right and just follow the pattern established in the
wiring harness and you can’t go wrong.
fig.50 fig.51
Fig.50 is just showing that there’s more than a few holes to fill and in fig.51
the wires have been unsoldered. The wires go through the holes from the
back side, are bent over a bit and soldered. Keep a bit of tension on the
wires while soldering for a good join but there’s no need to wrap them.
fig.52 fig.53
The red arrows in fig.52 are After all the wires have been
showing the last two wires on the unsoldered, tuck the harness
right hand side of the generator to behind the preset panel with the
be removed. The one on the left pre amp wires. Now the manuals
is coming from the preset panel are ready to be removed.
and the one on the right, from
the keyboards.
Removing the Manuals

fig.54 fig.55
Slide the manuals back a couple of inches as in fig.54, enough to get your
fingers in. The scanner will stop the manuals if you try to slide them back too
far. Make sure the (fall board) is flipped up as in fig.55. You will need two
people to do this. Take one hand, as shown in fig.54 and the other around the
back. Lift up the manuals as high as you can in order to clear the generator
and remove them out the back. Use your knee to support the manuals while
you bring your other hand around to the back. Get a good grip on them and
remove the manuals the rest of the way out.
fig.56
fig.57
I duct-taped a couple of
boards together and
placed them on top of
this little work bench
which gives a good height
to work. The top board
is 48” long with the
actual keyboards being
44”. See fig.58. You can
use anything you have on
hand for this but I work
on a lot of organs and
prefer this for ease of
access.
fig.58
Disassembling the Keyboards
fig.59 fig.60
As in fig.59, remove the long bolts on either side which holds the two manuals
together. Fig.60 is showing the removal of the wood screws. Label them and
put them aside.
fig.61 fig.62
fig.63 fig.64
The four figures above are showing the removal of the wire holders wherever
they may be. As shown in fig.64, put the screw back and leave the holders on
the wires. Now you’ll be able to separate the manuals as shown in fig.65.
The actual size of the

wood is 2 1/2”,
probably what is
called a 2”x3”. Don’t
use 2”x4”’s as they fig.65
won’t fit in on both
sides and 2”x2”’s are
a bit small. If all
your wires are free,
this will work.
Preparing for Key Removal
fig.66
Fig.66 is showing two tools you won’t be sorry you have. They are telescoping
magnets. The one on top came from Radio Shack and is less powerful but can
get into smaller places and works great. The other is for picking up larger
items. Both telescope out quite far and get used often.
fig.67 fig.68
Fig.68 is showing the preset panel. There are four mounting screws. Start with
the two underneath as shown in fig.67. Now for the fun part. Take a long, thin
screw driver and find the slot closest to the position of the screw mounted on
the wall of the manual. This is going to seem very awkward but so far I’ve never
found a better way of doing it. With the two bottom screws removed you can
lift the preset panel up a bit if need be. This has to be the job I dislike most but
just wait till you have to put them back! You’ll find new swear words and many
different ways of holding your mouth but it’s doable. Put a catch cloth
underneath the preset panel and just be patient and you’ll do fine.
fig.69 fig.70
These are the screws and one Please! do this ...

insulator/spacer. The two short
screws are from underneath and
the brass spacer goes on the left
side of the top set.
fig.71 fig.72
You can just let the preset panel hang. Don’t worry, it’s fine. As you need to
access things around or behind it you can move it side to side, up and down.
Don’t force it. Remove the matching transformer cover by removing the two
screws as in fig.72. Later we’ll clean it up but for now we want to drop it and
let it hang. If you get that white stuff on your hands, wash them and please
don’t breath that stuff when cleaning or handling it. It’s poison. You should
wear gloves to clean anything like this.
fig.73 fig.74
With the cover removed as in fig.73, you can now access the two wood screws,
remove, then put back the wood screws, put back the cover, and let it hang.
fig.75 fig.76
Lift up the drawbar base as in fig.75 to access the wood screw on each end of
the manuals to free up the “L” shaped metal holder then put back the screws.
fig.77
The lower red arrow in fig.77 is

showing the screw back in place after
the bar is free. The top red arrow is
pointing at the felt covering on the
metal bar, now free to move around
at will when needed.
fig.78 fig.79
Now you can place a 2”x2” under the drawbar base. Fig.79 is
showing how the manuals should be separated for easy access.
fig.80
The last thing you need to do before

removing the keys is to make sure
the oil cup plate, (if you have one)
and the resistor panel, are free. You
won’t be able to place the nut driver
(1/4”) on the key channel heads
with these in place.
Removing the Keys

fig.81 fig.82
To remove the keys, just loosen the nuts two full turns with a 1/4” nut driver.
Fig.81 = lower manual. Fig.82 = upper manual. Loosen both manuals then
proceed as follows.
fig.83 fig.84
Remove the face plate screws. The colors of the screws are different, top row
will be black and the bottom row brass, which get hidden by the wooden rail.
Keep the screws separated. Take a large flat head screw driver as in fig.84 and
carefully pry the end free then continue by tugging from the top edge so you
don’t bend it. If you pull from the end, it will bend. It’s just stuck on there by
tape. Leave the tape in place, there’s no need to replace it.
fig.85 fig.86
The red arrows in fig.85 are showing the up-stop felts. We’ll get back to these
because we’re going to change them. If you haven’t ordered them yet, it’s time
to do so. Start removing the keys as in fig.86. Lift them from the back and
slide each key out. Be careful when removing the preset keys. Go slowly.
But you knew that, right?
fig.87 fig.88
I have two pine boards 12”x 42”, actually the 12” is 11 1/2”, you know how it
is with lumber. Pine is good at this width because it warps. See the end in
fig.88. If you try to place a key channel on a completely flat surface, it will
fall. In this case warped is good. This board will let you move the keys around
for cleaning.
fig.89
This is the percussion switch
pusher and is located under the
“B” preset key on the upper
manual. It’s made of a type of
fiber board. You can break it if
you’re not careful. If you break
it, you have to find a whole new
switch ....... Somewhere? I know
because I did it once.
fig.90
Now it’s time to do a bit of

preliminary cleaning of anything
you find inside the manuals. It’s
incredible what you may find.
First pick out anything you don’t
want going into your vacuum
cleaner then you can vacuum.
fig.91 fig.92
Remove the cheek blocks then put

the screws back for safe keeping.
fig.93
CLEANING KEYS
Fig.93 is showing a barbecue rack
I picked up at the local hardware
store and it holds one full manual
worth of keys. I’m sure you could
think up many other ideas also.
fig.94
The organ I’m using

to write this manual
(1963 B3) was in a
living room all it’s
life so these keys
are not that bad.
The funk is a result
of liquids running
down the sides after
wiping the keys
down, sweat etc.
fig.95
Fill the tank with

really hot water but
NOT! boiling. Don’t
soak the felts. Just
fill to the level
indicated by the red
arrow. The felts will
get wet anyway but
it’s ok. Pat dry after
cleaning. They’ll air
dry by the time
they’re ready to go
back into the organ.
fig.96 fig.97
In this size sink, I’m putting about two and a half cups of Fantastik and soaking
the keys for two hours before cleaning them. All you need past that is a
toothbrush and some 0000 steel wool. Don’t use too much pressure on the
playing surface of the key as you may dull the gloss.
fig.98 fig.99
Brush out the key channel and all the edges of the key with the toothbrush. In
fig.99 the arrow is showing the front lip of the key that both makes contact
with the up-stop and down-stop felts and it is important to clean both sides
well. The goo affects the action “believe it or not”.
fig.100 fig.101
fig.102 fig.103
fig.104 fig.105
Fig.104 is showing the surface that contacts the up-stop felts and
how it should be. Fig.105 is why I remove the preset key labels.
You can purchase a set of new labels from Goff Professional.
fig.106 fig.107
The preset key labels usually peel off with a fingernail but then you have to use
steel wool with some “Goo Gone” and it will leave a dull spot so you may want
to polish them after. Fig.107 is showing the old grease on the springs. Remove
it and put on some new grease before putting them back.
fig.108
Ah! one set of clean

keys and you could
put them back just as
they are and they will
be fine. However, if
you like a gloss type
feel to your keys, then
go on to the next step
about polishing. Ok!
now go and wash the
other set of keys ;-(
It’s really worth it.
fig.109 Happy! Keys
Polishing Keys
fig.110
This grinder has a cloth wheel
on one side. The red stuff is
jeweler’s rouge which can be
purchased wherever you can
purchase Dremel tool products.
One large word of caution! The
keys found on later Hammonds
especially in the 70’s models will
melt on the wheel very fast. No
matter what year organ you have,
start by doing a test on a lower
side of a key just in case. The
older keys are no problem.
fig.111
A small container of
jeweler’s rouge is
shown at right. You
can also polish the
cheek blocks with it
but do the test on the
keys first. If the keys
can be polished, then
the cheek blocks will
be fine also.
fig.112
Go slowly and don’t

apply too much pressure
until you get a feel for it.
The wheel can pull the
key right out of your
hand and chew it up
before spitting it back
out. I don’t mean to
discourage you. Just
warn you.
fig.113
These keys have been

polished and you can see
that it’s well worth it.
fig.114
I tried to catch these keys in a certain light in order to show them in a certain
light.... OK all kidding aside, they feel as good as they look. On my own B3 the
finish has lasted. If you have a later model organ you might just try some type
of liquid polish. I don’t have any advice on this as I’ve never tried any. I have
heard of people using things like Pledge but I wouldn’t think it would last.
That’s also how all that gook gets down in the keys so .....
Replacing
fig.115 The “Up-Stop” Felts
Changing the up-stop
felts will make a huge
difference as to how the
keyboard feels and if you
have any clacking when
you release the keys, this
will fix it. At left are the
basic tools you’ll need.
One set of up-stops, 0000
steel wool, a chisel and a
scratch awl or a nail will
do fine also.
fig.116 fig.117
Take a scratch awl or nail and

with the old felt still installed,
make a mark at the end of it
Carefully remove the felt.
before removing.
fig.118 fig.119
The old felt will come off in one piece with no problem. Then you need to
start at the beginning and remove the funk. Do it with the chisel first and
save yourself some elbow grease with the steel wool. Careful, try not to cut
the metal by going too fast or too hard.
fig.120 fig.121
Use “Goo Gone” and steel wool

to finish the job. Don’t use steel
wool on the front panel or logo.
You’ll dull the finish and possibly
remove the logo.
fig.123
fig.122
My steel rule is 3/32” thick and

happens to be the perfect size to
use as a spacer. Clamp it in if you
don’t have an extra pair of hands.
fig.124 fig.125
Peel back the backing tape a little at a time and place it to the edge of the
ruler. Be careful as you go along not to stretch it. If you start just past the
scratch mark (cover it 1/2”) and you don’t stretch it too much, it will also
cover the other mark a bit. A little longer is ok as long as it’s not shorter.
After it’s in place, pat it down to make a good bond.
fig.126
Key Combs
fig.127
Please read this before disassembly.

Gently run a finger up and down the manuals when things are quiet and the
organ is turned off and listen for side to side key clack. You don’t have to press
the keys down while sliding, just skim the tops of the keys and see if they touch
each other in places. The main cause of this clacking is from doing keyboard
glisses. (Sliding up and down the keys for effect) Some players never do it so
the side to side felts never get worn in that way. The 1963 B3 I’m restoring in
the writing of this manual for instance, has never been played that way. It is a
one owner organ that never left the lady’s living room. However, I know organ
players who have carted their organ around since the 60’s and their combs are
fine simply because they don’t play that way.
Unfortunately, you cannot buy new key combs. Over the years I have collected
some from parting out M3’s, and was fortunate enough to find some good ones
from suppliers but they’re really not easy to get. Some after market parts
companies looked into the matter but so far no one is willing to tool up for it.
Not enough demand to warrant the costs involved. Others have tried
rebuilding combs as a service. You send your old combs and they send you a
rebuilt set but, I’ve heard less than desirable reports about the results.
I did some experiments myself and found a way to take a really bad comb
and make it better. I’m not going to cover this process in depth here as I don’t
recommend it but will explain briefly. I tried different sizes of heat shrink, cut
them to length, trimmed the sides of the felts for uniformity and mini torched
them. Sometimes I would have to put two layers. I used a manual from an M3
with an octave of keys as a template for testing. That way you could remove
the comb for adjustments quickly. This is very fussy work and the results are
not perfect. When I’ve made them with very close tolerances and played them
a bit, sometimes one key would stick and stay down so I’d have to remove it
and start over. When I’d give them a bit more slack, they work fine, no
clacking or sticking but feel a bit loose. Another way I’ve read about and tried,
which involves pinching the rivet and felt with a pair of vise grips to expand the
felt a bit, it didn’t work as well as the one I came up with. Short of finding
replacement combs, there is one thing you can do. Each comb holds an octave
of keys so you can move them around with good results. Make a map before
you disassemble the organ. As an example, take the bad combs and exchange
them for others that have been used less. On the upper manual, I’ll take the
lower octaves and exchange them with the middle section. Sometimes the last
comb on the upper manual is also good. On the lower manual it depends on
how the organ was played and how you play. If the organ was used to play left
hand bass lines, then the chances are that the combs are in good shape.
Anyway you get the idea, just make a good map as to where you want to switch
them before removing the keys and you’ll be fine. Please finish reading this
section before you start as the pictures will give you a better understanding of
what you’re dealing with.
fig.128 fig.129
These are the screws you’ll need to remove to get the combs out. For the upper
manual you’ll need a very short screw driver as shown in fig.129
fig.130 fig.131
Like I said, this organ was in a living room all it’s life and I call this one,
“relatively clean”. You have to get this cleaned up before opening the manual
any further. You don’t want this stuff going down into the key contact bins.
Any good vacuum cleaner will work fine.
fig.132 fig.133
Watch those key contact pushers, they’re fiber. Pretty strong but don’t whack
them while cleaning. You want to clean around each one of them to get the
dirt out of the felt. Fig.133 is showing the down stop felt. Give it a good
brush. Use a firm toothbrush.
fig.134 fig.135
This is how the key contact pusher

felt should look after cleaning.
This little compressor works fine.

It has only a two pound tank but
doesn’t cost a fortune. After
blowing out one manual, you have
to wait a minute for it to build up
to do the other. Or, get a can of
compressed air normally used to
blow out computers.
fig.136
Lay the combs out on a board that

can be moved around so you can
put them aside once the combs
have been cleaned. Keep them in
the same order as they were in the
manual for now. Once you’ve
finished the cleaning process you
can use your map to rearrange
them, cover and put aside.
fig.137 fig.138
In fig.137 you can see the funk on the felts. First just brush them off then
take a chisel to lift them off the pins. After you have the felts out, brush the
comb, brush the gray felt and put it back. Brush off the white felt and flip it
over and viola! you have a new felt surface.
fig.139 fig.140
To reinstall the white felt, take the chisel and press over the pins first, then
work it down at the sides of the pins. Fig.140 is showing a clean, new surface.
These are the down-stop felts for the black keys and I can’t stress enough the
difference it makes to the action when these felts are free of funk and goo ...
fig.141
Only the white felt needs to be

flipped over. Just make sure the
order is kept with the combs until
it’s time to rearrange them. The
comb felt on the last comb, the pre-
set comb, does not come off but is
not critical as it is not a part of the
action. Just brush it clean.
fig.142
Now you can rearrange the combs (if needed) ready to reinstall. Cover them
up and put them aside for now. Maybe put a note as to which manual is
which. After time has passed, it’s really nice not to have to second guess
yourself about where things go back. Notes are great, you’ll see.
Clean and Grease the Preset Action Bar
Jump ahead to fig.148 and read the text under it before starting.
fig.143 fig.144
In fig.143 remove the screw that holds the spring assembly. Slip it out. Take
a pair of vise grips and grab the shaft and unscrew on the right side. Watch
out for that percussion switch pusher (red arrow in fig.144).
fig.145 fig.146
Fig.145 is showing the pin laying in the bin and the action bar removed from
its slot. In fig.146 I have the pin in my hand and the red arrow is pointing to
the flat end. A little blurred, sorry but I couldn’t get any closer. If my
memory serves me well on one B3, can’t remember the year, instead of the
end unscrewing you just had to push the rod from one end and lift it out. In
any case, if the end is flat, unscrew it. Hammond factory technicians
probably had a special tool for this but vise grips work fine.
fig.147 fig.148
Fig.147 is basically showing the grease and funk you need to remove and in
fig.148 notice that just to the left of the screw head how the spring case hangs
over the edge a bit but with the lower manual it did not. This adjustment may
be different on your organ. Take note of where it’s set and put it back the
same way. This setting will effect how the pre-set keys function.
fig.149 fig.150
fig.151
Fig.149 = cleaned. Figs 150 and 151

are showing where to apply the new
grease before you put it back.
fig.152
The red arrows are pointing to where you don’t grease. You don’t want grease
on the felts or on the underside, only the upper side. Before putting back the
preset keys, we’re going to re-grease those springs also. This grease I’m using
is a multipurpose synthetic grease where high or low temperatures will not
affect it. It is resistant to water, rust, dirt and corrosion. I’m sure any good
grease will do but pick one that doesn’t harden when cold.
The sandwich sign
I’ve had people ask me how they could know whether or not the pictures of
the work that I display on the web site, were actually pictures of the organ in
question. I guess that’s reasonable. With the sandwich sign placed in the final
picture of each job which includes the year, serial number and date, there
should be no question although, with today's technology, maybe that could be
faked also. I must admit that when posting an organ on the web site, not all
pictures are shown. This would take up too much space so I put a general
section on the web site that shows all the categories of work that gets done.
Key Contacts
fig.153 fig.154
Above, my best friend, the power

screw driver. Fig.154, remove all
those screws. It’s the key contacts
cover.
fig.155 fig.156
Before trying to lift the cover out, you must loosen the ends by removing the
bolts as shown. The ratchet head is 9/16” and the under side is 1/2”. Fig.156
is showing the center bolt. It’s also 1/2”. The manuals will separate from the
wooden sides and drop a bit, so be careful.
fig.157 fig.158
The lower manual bolt will lift right out but for the upper manual you will
have to remove the wood block (2”x2”) and lift the drawbar base. When you
get it out, put the 2”x2” back.
fig.159 fig.160
Once the bolts have been removed you can take the wooden sides and shift
them over enough to lift out the cover. See fig.159. The red arrow at top is
pointing to the insulating felt. You could force the cover out, but putting it
back is not so easy. It will crush the felt and defeat its purpose. Fig.160 is
showing how easy the cover lifts out now. Also notice the felt laying flat
under the cover. Remove the thin felt.
fig.161 fig.162
Fig.161 has an arrow pointing to the thin felt which has a crease in it from
riding the edge of the cover. Just lay it out on the cover for now and put both
covers aside. When it comes time to put that felt back, we’re going to use a
thin double sided tape. Push the sides back in fig.162 and put all the bolts
back.
fig.163 fig.164
Keep all the screws in bottles and note which cover is which even though
they’re both the same right? right! Now make a note as to where that larger
felt sits as shown in fig.164. Remove it and put it with the covers. There will
be more on what you can do to restore those covers at the end of this section.
fig.165
In figs.165 and 166 the
red arrows are pointing
to metal hair growth
and this is what it’s all
about. I tried to take
some real close ups but
they wouldn’t turn out
even with a macro
setting so you’ll just
have to take my word
when I say that I saw
some over 1/8” long.
This is what shorts
things out and you
have to remove it.
fig.166
fig.167 fig.168
Now for the fun part. Take a small bottle and 1/2 fill it with DeoxIT. Next
take a pipe cleaner and bend it in half as shown in fig.167. Dip it and slip it
down between the bin walls and the contacts. Don’t worry, I’ve done this
many times without a problem. The fit will give enough pressure to the walls
to remove the hairs. The DeoxIT will leave a residue also to prevent or at
least slow down the growth of the hairs. Go between each compartment of
each bin until they’re all done, then do the rods as in fig.169. I do everything
but it’s probably not necessary. While I’m in there I take an artist’s paint
brush and do the bar you see in the background of fig.167. I clean all
surfaces. Fig.168 is showing a finished wall. It doesn’t take all that long to do
this. When you think that it’s most likely been 40 years since this part of the
organ has been opened, it’s worth doing and will probably last for another 40
odd years, so why not do a good job. If you decide not to do everything, at
least do the bar shown in fig.169.
fig.169
You can see in this picture that
some rust has started to eat
through the surface finish in the
bins’ floor. Remember that this
organ spent it’s life in a living
room and isn’t really that bad
compared to many I’ve seen.
It’s a good idea to put a coating
on it to protect the metal from
further damage.
fig.170
When the manual floor (bins) are
really bad I use Rust Check shown
at left. I buy it at my local
hardware store but I’m sure there
are many other products that will
work just as well. If the manuals
are in good shape, I at least brush
on some DeoxIT as I did in this
organ. In fig.171, the wet shine
look is the DeoxIT. I covered all
metal parts with it and, there is
now, no metal hair to be found.
fig.171
fig.172
Now remove the wood spacers
and put the keyboard support
bolts back just as it sits. In
other words, leave the covers
off. It should look like the
picture in fig.173 with all the
bolts back in place. If you plan
to take a break over night at
this point, cover the manuals
up with a sheet or something
since the key contacts are
exposed.
fig.173
The manuals are at the point where you can

do the bus-bar lube but first, read on in case
you decide to work on those contact covers.
(Optional)
fig.174
This cover was so badly
rusted that I had to grind
it out with a wire wheel
brush attached to a drill
then paint it for
protection.
The organ had been on
the road and was in
terrible condition. It made
me wonder just what road
it had been on.
fig.175
This one had a similar

story. These pictures
are not of the 1963
being used in this
manual but borrowed
from my web site. In
fig.175, look at how
rusty the bins are.
That was after using a
wire wheel brush on
them. Later I coated
them with Rust Check.
fig.176
Fig.176 is showing the

reverse side of a pair of
covers and in my opinion
they should be at least
this clean. If you do
decide that your cover is
bad enough to have to
grind out rust, mask on
both sides where the felts
are exposed before
grinding or painting. Use
metal spray paint or clear
lac. It doesn’t matter
much as long as it slows
down the oxidation. If
the reverse side as shown
here is in good shape,
then just use some
DeoxIT. It’s a great
product and I suggest you
order two or three cans
of it if you’re going to
restore your organ.
fig.177
If the rust isn’t too

bad, you could just
take some 0000
steel wool instead of
grinding and clean
them up that way.
Then brush on some
DeoxIT. Clean is good.
Bus-Bars
There are aspects of this job which will be

fig.178
better explained with words and the use of
your imagination but I’ll use photo’s whenever
possible. First I’d like to explain that some
people leave the manuals in a horizontal
position to do this job. If you’re feeling
lucky you can try it that way but first read
this section through and then decide. The
problem is guiding the bus-bars back through
the guides. It depends on both the condition
and shape of your bus-bars. There are three
different shapes of bus-bars. Rectangle, square
and round. The round bars are gold clad. My
experience with the round type has been good.
You may find the round ones in later A-100’s
and B3’s and I’m sure there are others but I
mainly work with B3’s. I have round ones in
my 1964 B3 but I’m not suggesting that this is
the year they first appeared. The example in
this manual is a 1963 B3 and it has rectangular
bars with a palladium strip on the edge. While
doing the lube job the first 7 on the lower
manual slipped right in with no problems. The
8th had to be guided through almost every
guide. On the upper manual #’s 6 and 7 had to
be guided through and it is easier to do this
with the manuals standing on their end as
shown in fig.178 and with the manuals
separated as shown in fig.181.
fig.179 fig.180
At left, remove the end covers and

above, the red arrow points to the bolts
that must be removed in order to both
separate the manuals and to access the
bus-bars in the upper manual.
fig 181
Before you start, if you had
decided not to remove the
keys for cleaning in this
process, push down the
preset cancel key and slip a
book of matches between
the key and the cheek block.
This will prevent you from
possibly damaging a contact
if a preset was accidentally
pressed down. If you’ve
removed the keys, never
mind ;-) On another note,
The manuals will stand very
stable on a hard level floor.
Separate them as shown to
expose the bus-bar guides in
case you have to give a bit of
guidance, and you probably
will have to.
fig.182 fig.183
Loosen the screws but don’t remove

them, slide the cover back to expose
the bus-bars. Only remove one at a
time. Clean it and put it back before
removing the next one.
fig.184 fig.185
I use these alcohol swabs from the drug store. They’re individually wrapped
and I use one per bar. Always hold the bar from the bent tip and slide your
swab or cloth downwards. When I’m finished with the alcohol, I also run it
down with some DeoxIT but then wipe it off before applying the lube. The
instructions I’ve read about bus-bar lubes do not include the DeoxIT but
that’s up to you. You could also use NEVR-DUL (hardware store).
fig.186 fig.187
I like to dip the cloth into the DeoxIT, then pinch the bus-bar with the cloth,
as I slide it down. Keep in mind that it’s the edge that makes the contact not
the flat surface, but clean it all. Fig.187 is showing the substitute that’s being
used for lube jobs these days. The original is not being manufactured
anymore. I had a supply of the old stuff so I’ve never used “TUNERLUB” yet
and can’t vouch for it, but it is what people are using. I’ll put a page of
resources at the end of the manual to list where you could get it if you can’t
find it locally. If the bus-bars are in bad condition, check for splinters in the
palladium coming away from the bar. If you slide down on that it will make it
worse. Inspect them as you go. Finally, apply the “TUNERLUB” and move on
to the next one.
fig.188
So now we get into the trick of

finding out where the bus-bar is
stuck, (if it’s stuck). You have to
measure how much of the bus-bar is
left outside of the manuals from the
point of entry (where you loosened
the screws) Then go to the opposite
end of the manuals and measure the
same distance to locate where the
bar is stuck. Makes sense right? Ok.
In the following pictures I’ve tried to
show the guides, and a little tool you
can make to free up the bus-bar
when it gets stuck. This is an “on
your knees, two handed job”. Once
again we kneel before the Hammond
B3... like the guy in the funeral
parlor who mistakenly thought it
was a casket...
fig.189
This little tool is made from a thin copper wire, but almost anything you have
on hand will do. I like copper because it’s so easy to form into odd shapes as
needed. The picture is 3/4” longer than the actual tool. The use of this tool
will determine whether or not you end up pulling your hair out. The reason is
that you can’t see what you’re doing. It all gets done by feel. On the other
hand, if you have any patience at all, it’s really not that bad.
fig.190 fig.191
Each bin wall has a set of guides that the bus-bars must go through. In fig.191,
you can see the lower red arrow pointing to the guides positioned in the
center of the bins. Find by feel, using your copper wire, which bar you’re at.
With one hand on the part of the bar (two fingers) that’s sticking out of the
manuals at the top... and the other hand working the copper hook, guide it
through. You can feel if you have the right one by gently sliding the bar up
and down with the hand that’s not holding the hook. You’ll feel the hook
tighten when you’ve located it.
Depending on which side of the guide hole the bar is stuck, you’ll have to pull
it toward you and at other times, you just push it a bit and it goes through.
The hand that’s pushing the bus-bar, has to be applying a bit of constant
pressure as you work the hook. (Boy, this is hard to talk about!!! ) After
you get a feel for it, you can sometimes go right to the next place without
using the tape measure.
fig.192
This is a better picture of that
center guide and yes, there’s
one between each bin. Also
keep in mind that each bar has
its own covering so you won’t
be able to access them easily.
If you take a bright light and
look in at a side angle you can
see the bars (not in this
picture). But it’s really all
done by feel.
Did I say that already?
fig.193
Well here is an attempt to show the grooves in the edge of a bus-bar. I admit
that this is really not a good picture. My camera does have a macro feature,
but it won’t get closer than this. Any glimmering tics you see are
little groove marks caused from wear and tear which is why there are bus-
bar shifters. I’ll cover that later in the manual after things are back together.
fig.194 fig.195
So! clean the covers of corrosion so they’ll hold a date, mark the date that the
lube job was done and put your manuals back together (those two bolts). Put
the manuals back on your work bench for the next step. When the organ is
finished, we’ll adjust the bus-bars using the bus bar shifters.
Putting back the Key Contact Covers and Key Combs
First remove those bolts again (fig.180 page 61) and block up the manuals
with your 2”x 3”s to separate them, but this time you can just stand the
drawbar base in the upright position as in fig.75 page 27. Start with the upper
manual first as it’s easier to see what you’re doing. Lay out the long felt, the
one that lays in the manual (fig.164 page 53). Then prepare the cover by
applying thin double-sided tape on the edge, then, stick down the felt. I have
done this without the tape but it’s very difficult, see fig.196 below. With the
felt in place, tilt up the cover as in fig.198. When the holes are lined up, let it
down. Slip the pushers through the holes and get it all seated properly, then
put a couple of the screws back. Put one on each end and one in the middle.
Not too tight. Close the end blocks and put back all the screws. If you tighten
down the screws too much, you will buckle the cover at each bin wall, so take
it easy. Tighten them enough to close the lock washers (finger tight). Lay
down the drawbar base, then do the lower manual.
fig.196 fig.197
The red dotted line is where the edge is. Orient the tape the same way. The
tape is Climashield #64-2683-0 and it’s 1/2” x 90” (12mm x 27m) and is used
for putting up those plastic windows. The tape can be purchased separately at
your local hardware store as “Insulation Kit Replacement Tape”.
fig.198
fig.199 fig.200
The red arrow in fig 199 is showing the tight fit you get when you loosen the
sides for the replacement of the covers. Put back the bolts (fig.200).
fig.201 fig.202
Take your brush as seen in fig.201, and put a coat of

DeoxIT on the cover, back bar and screws, then drop
the drawbar base as shown in fig.202, then do the
lower manual.
fig.203
The red arrow is pointing to a
broken keycomb lock washer.
It happens sometimes and when
it does you have to replace it.
Don’t put the screws back
without it. If you can’t match
it with something similar, order
some from Bill Brown at
BB Organ. Look in the resources
at the end of this manual.
fig.204
Here, the covers and keycombs have been reinstalled. The wood spacers have
been removed and bolts are back in place. If you decide to do the next job
“the drawbar base”, then you can leave out the long bolts.
Disassembly and Cleaning of the Drawbar Base
fig.205 fig.206
Figs.205 and 206 are to show the wiring color code for the drawbars. Check
to make sure yours have not been changed by someone. They are as follows;
from back view, left to right. #1 WHITE. #2 GRAY. #3 PURPLE. #4 BLUE.
#5 GREEN. #6 YELLOW. #7 ORANGE. #8 RED. #9 BROWN. And the two for the
bass pedals are; left: = RED right: = BROWN. Just trace the wires from the
hardboard guides as shown in fig.206. If someone has replaced them with
different colors, make a note of it. Or, follow them in a numbered sequence
(1 through 9, left to right.)
fig.207 fig.208
The plastic drawbar knob colors

looking from the front of the
organ, left to right are; 2 BROWN, Start by removing all the screws,
2 WHITE, 1 BLACK, 1 WHITE then, slip out the contact bars
2 BLACK, 1 WHITE. The bass and let them all hang.
pedal knobs are both BROWN.
fig.209 fig.210
Oxidation on the screws! I have

to keep saying that this is a
relatively clean organ.
The contacts are circled in red.
Later there’s a closer look at them.
fig.211 fig.212
If you’re not going to disassemble

the drawbar base, you can stand
it up and remove the plastic
knobs this way. It’s ok if you’re
only replacing one or two, but
keep in mind that it’s easy to
scratch the metal doing it
I’ll try not to say this anymore but
this way.
it’s important. Soak all the screws
while the other work is being done.
Label those bottles. Not like the
one in the picture.
fig.213 fig.214
After the plastic knob has been

removed, the bar just slips out.
This example is after removing
only one but from here on we’re
going to disassemble the whole
base.
This map of the screws will make things easier.
Fig.214 is showing the drawbar base with the mounting screws removed. At
this point you could lift it up but it’s still not apart. There are 43 rows of two,
86 screws, some small and some large. This is how to find and remove the
mounting screws. Counting from left to right as if you were sitting at the
organ, remove rows (4x2), (10x2), (14x1 remove only the one closest to you),
(16x1 the one farthest from you), (22x2), (28x2), (34x2), (40x2). Then cover
the holes with masking tape to mark them (see fig.221). You’ll be happy you
did. The red arrows in fig.214 are pointing to the white powder left by the
screws.
Removing the Drawbars
Flip the drawbar base up as in fig.215, and remove the plastic drawbar knobs
and slip out the contact bars. Put all the plastic knobs in a bottle of undiluted
“Fantastic” and soak the bars.
fig.215 fig.216
You can now access the knob screws

more easily. If a bar gets stuck
while trying to slide it out, tilt the With the drawbars removed, you
base forward towards the keys and can now flip the base over to
gravity will let it slide out. If you access the nuts to be removed.
don’t have someone to help you But first, fig.218 is showing how
with this step by holding the base, to mount a board onto the
stabilize it with some clamps. manuals sides, to be used as a
I do it alone and so can you. work table.
fig.217 fig.218
To clean the drawbars, I put them

into an old aluminum ice cube tray
of “Fantastic”.
Over sized clamps. Yikes!
Ok! so I didn’t have any clamps that would open to 6 1/4”. Every other kind
though. Anyway, these did the job of clamping a workspace to the wooden
sides of the manuals.
fig.219 fig.220
First, put a cloth under the base to catch screws, lock washers and nuts.
They’re really small. Put something under the drawbar base to stabilize it. I
used a roll of tape to keep the base in an upright position. With a screw driver
on one side and a 1/4” nut driver on the other, remove all the large screws
which have nuts on the opposite side and the cover will come off. In fig.220,
all the red x marks are showing the types you don’t remove. Again, if it
doesn’t have a large type screw on one side and a nut on the opposite side,
don’t remove it.
fig.221
Cover the mounting screw holes

with tape as shown in fig.221
before removing the rest of the
screws. It will make the job of
finding the right holes when
reassembling much easier.
fig.222 fig.223
Lay the drawbar base flat as it would normally go as in fig.222. Then pull it
apart and flip the top part with the contacts over, as in fig.223. Place it on to
the board so you can work on it.
fig.224 fig.225
Clean all that white stuff out of there, then use Q-Tips and DeoxIT on those
posts. In fig.225 the red (...) brackets are showing the area to clean.
These are contact bars.
fig.226 fig.227
Here’s 40 years of funk mixed with old contact spray and goo in those slots. I
clean them in a tray of “Fantastic” with a tooth brush. Lay these pieces out
first and don’t loose the order and orientation of them.
At left, notice the red arrow is

fig.228
pointing to a very faint scratch
line left by one of the posts.
They all have it. This mark
goes on the inside, obviously,
and the picture is upside down
for a reason, because this is
how it’s going to be
reassembled. It’s important
that, after taking the base
apart, you study the nature of
these walls and you’ll see for
yourself how they sit.
When you pull the top off the drawbar base, some of the side-wall pieces are
going to stay in the bottom and some in the top part. Wherever they feel like
landing. But when putting the drawbar base back together, they should all be
placed in the part with the contacts because it will hold them better and make
the job of reassembly go much easier which is why I said “upside down”.
fig.229
Here, everything has been cleaned and is ready to reassemble. You can see the
way the side walls are oriented. Also, the side wall pieces with all the little
cutouts are laying on the right and left side of the base. The notched part
would be the up side, but to install them they must be reversed and placed in
the top with the contacts. The fit is much tighter and the walls hold better.
Then you flip the base over and fit it together. It’s not as difficult as it sounds.
fig.230 fig.231
In fig.230, the side walls are in place

and in fig.231, the base is together and
seated in its proper place temporarily.
When you put back the nuts and bolts in the base, be careful not to tighten
them too much. You can crack or deform the walls. Just tighten them enough
so the lock washers are closed and feel snug. Do a few on each end and in the
middle before removing the masking tape that’s holding it together. Put in the
rest of the nuts and bolts. Remove the masking tape covering the mounting
holes and seat the base in place but don’t put the mounting screws in yet.
fig.232 fig.233
You’d be surprised at the layers of hardened contact spray that gets

accumulated on the drawbars and the funk on the knobs. Anyway, here they
are cleaned and ready to install.
fig.234 fig.235
Now you can install the drawbars

but before you do, clean those
contacts with DeoxIT (fig.235)
and follow the color codes.
fig.236
If any of your drawbars had a ratchet
effect when you were testing the
organ, (contact is broken between
clicks) STOP! it means you have a
broken “PALLADIUM” wire shown in
fig.236. It’s hard to see it in the pics
but it’s between the two red arrows.
Flip your contact bar over and look
closely and you’ll see it. If you can’t
solder it back together, call a tech
and have him put in a small
1k resistor.
fig.237
With each drawbar you install, put some

DeoxIT on those two little contact pins.
Work the drawbars in and out several
times to work them in. Put back the
mounting screws and you’re done.
WAIT! All except for that one screw
that won’t go back, right? See the red
arrow pointing to that screw in fig.237.
That’s because that screw goes into the
Vibrato/Chorus gear box. This is
continued on page 82 but first, on the
next page, there are two pictures which
have no fig. numbers. They were taken
from my web site as examples of bad
contact and drawbar conditions and
what can be done if yours are in this
state.
In the picture above, count the first 9 drawbars then look at what follows.
This organ was in bad shape but it just goes to show how you can revive a
Hammond organ. With the bars out, just take some steel wool and elbow
grease and they’ll come back. I can’t imagine where this organ had been.
This was from the

same organ. Just look
closely at those
contact bars. The crud
is one thing but with
contacts like this, you
can imagine what this
organ sounded like.
Anyway, it all came
back like new and
that’s why I love
working on
Hammond organs.
Vibrato/Chorus Gear Box
Continued from page 80. Getting that last screw in...
Stand up the drawbar base and attach some clamps to the wooden sides on
either side to stabilize it. Remove the cover from the gearbox. You may find
screws :-) or clips :-( This one happens to have screws :-) Now, from the
back, reach over and lift up the box (on the end opposite the gears) until the
screw finds it’s place and screw it in. DONE ! So, now that the box is open,
lets clean the contacts and grease the gears.
fig.238
At left, the cover has

been removed and the
clamps are in place to
keep the base from
falling over backwards
while you work. Vise
grips also work well
for this.
While turning the Vibrato/Chorus

knob, watch how those finger contacts
open and close. Apply DeoxIT with a
pipe cleaner and be careful not to fig.239
bend the contacts. Make a hook in
the end of the pipe cleaner as shown
in fig.239. When you get to closed
contacts, turn the knob until they
open. Make sure you don’t leave any
little fibers from the pipe cleaner in
there. Also, don’t use Q-Tips as
they’re a bit to big for this job and
they can catch and do damage. If you
look closely, you’ll see that there are
palladium wires attached to the part
of the contacts mounted to the wall.
If your eyes are as bad as mine for
close-up work, use a magnifying glass.
(See fig.240 on the next page).
fig.240 fig.241
I use a hand held magnifying glass with a built-in light for some jobs. But best
of all is a visor (Hobby Shops) with a light on each side with different flip
down magnifications. If you have GREAT! close-up vision, never mind. Put
some fresh grease on those gears as shown in fig.241.
fig.242
Put the cover

back and don’t
forget to put
that ground
wire back “after
cleaning with
DeoxIT.
Vibrato/Chorus Switch Box
fig.243 fig.244
In fig.243, remove the switch box cover and remove the three little springs to
which the red arrows are pointing. There’s a better picture of one in fig.248.
Then with a pair of pliers, slide out the bar (fig.244) and remove the plastic
rocker switches with their springs. Take some 0000 steel wool to the bar and
apply DeoxIT. Look around the inside of the metal frame for metal hairs and
clean it. Clean the rocker switches with “Fantastic” (fig.246). Remove the
four screws on the top side to free up and remove the felt for detailing. Clean
all the finger contacts with a pipe cleaner and DeoxIT.
fig.245 fig.246
fig.247 fig.248
This is a great opportunity to clean that felt (fig.247). Detailing makes a big
difference. Now the fun of putting back those springs (fig.248). I find it
easier to insert the bottom hook of the spring first. Then insert the top of the
hook on to the rocker switch. In fig.249 the switches are done but notice how
dirty the white painted values are. V-2 is the only one that even shows a bit. I
take a soft tooth brush, which won’t scratch the paint out, and “Fantastic” to
clean that up. Example of clean knob and plate is shown in fig.250
fig.249 fig.250
Percussion Switch Box
fig.251
Remove the screws on each side of the switch box cover and lift off the cover.
Working on this box is a little more complicated than the vibrato/Chorus box
in that there are more of those little springs and an extra bar at the top to
remove. The red arrows are pointing to 5 of the springs at the top and one at
the bottom, marked with a red X which had obviously dislodged at some time
and fell into the box. I remounted it into switch #one, the on/off switch since
it seemed to need it more than the others. I’ve never seen a box which had all
8 springs even though there are notches for 8. I don’t know if they ever put
all 8 in and no one else I’ve asked seems to know either. If a spring falls out
of place, it ends up in the box and when you open it, it’s there to be found.
Another possibility is that they were lost upon opening the box by someone so
they just put it back together short a couple. Whatever the case may be, it
remains a mystery to me. They seem to work fine with one spring so if you
find that you are a couple short, don’t worry. Just take note as to where they
were and put them back in the same order.
fig.252 fig.253
The easiest way to remove those springs is to unhook them from the metal
spring clip first and slide it along the bar until you’re clear of the plastic
rocker switch and it comes right out. After you’ve removed the springs you
have to slide out the bar (fig.254). Don’t forget to grab those spacers with a
thin pair of pliers first. See arrows in fig.253. You don’t want to lose them.
fig.254 fig.255
Slide out the top bar as in fig.254. Remove the plastic rocker switches.
Remove the four mounting screws for the contact board and slide it out from
the sides by the rubber O ring guides and tilt it forward. (fig.255) Clean and
DeoxIT the frame and the contacts as in fig.256.
fig.256 fig.257
As shown in fig.256, take a pipe cleaner and bend it in half to clean the
contacts. Again, watch out for those palladium wires. Just use lots of light
and go slowly and if you feel resistance when removing the pipe cleaner, use
a little screw driver to lift the contact fingers to free it up. You don’t want to
tug on the palladium wires and break a contact. They’re pretty strong though!
As before, use steel wool and DeoxIT on the two bars. Clean the rocker
switches and cover. Reinstall the contact board and make sure all the finger
contacts are seated properly. As with the Vibrato/Chorus box, clean the felt,
install the rocker switches and slide in the top bar. Slide back the larger bar
and don’t forget those spacers. The bar goes behind the springs, refer to
fig.257. Now for the big fun, putting back those little springs ;-( If you follow
these instructions, you can put each one back on the first try. There is no
picture for this. The springs sort of look like a “U” with a hook on each side.
Look at the hooks at each end of the spring. One will be a bit more open than
the other. This one goes around the bar. With a pair of needle nose pliers,
grab the spring from the bottom of the “U” and the open part of the hook at
the top. Enter from an open spot left or right of the T spring, hook the bar
and with the other hand, take a small screw driver and push the bottom of the
spring up and slide the whole thing over into position. I hope I made that
clear because any other attempt will bring to mind all the swear words in your
vocabulary not to mention deforming or losing the spring in flight. Put back
the cover, you’re done.
Putting the Keys Back
fig.258
With the manuals still separated, install the cheek blocks and lay in the keys.
When you get to the preset keys, put some fresh grease on the key springs.
(fig.259) Install the face plates before you tighten the key channel screws.
When putting the key channels in, be sure not to get the channel spring
between the nut and washer. When tightening the screws, reach over and hold
the spring top with one hand as you tighten with the other. This way you can
rock the channel side to side in order to seat the pins, then tighten and double
check it. After all the screws are tight you can check the spaces between the
keys and if there are any adjustments you wish to make, loosen the key in
question. (there is still a bit of play even with the pins in place). Adjust while
holding, and retighten.
fig.259 fig.260
Please note the fresh grease on the springs in fig.259. After the upper manual
is done you can put the screws back for that bar holding the dust felt
(fig.260). If the hole doesn’t line up, you must loosen the bolt (with the red
check mark beside it.) Now you can reinstall the oil cups instruction plate (if
you have them) and the resistor panel (fig.80 page 28). Lay down the drawbar
base when you’re done. For the lower manuals, you have to get in the back
and reach in with a finger on top of the channel in order to adjust as you
tighten. It’s awkward but, do what you gotta’ do! After everything is done,
check the preset keys by pressing them down to make sure they lock down
properly and that the release key works. If they don’t, the adjustment for this
is in the action bar (fig.143 page 48). Once the keys are all adjusted and
you’re happy with the way you swapped the keycombs, if you did, then you’re
ready to move on.
Reinstalling the Matching Transformer
First, put back the two wood screws that mount the transformer. Before
replacing the cover, make sure the area illustrated by the red dotted line, as
shown in fig. 261, is free of zinc hairs. When I was working on my organ, the
volume dropped by half, on one manual only. So I backtracked to where I had
just been, the matching transformer. I removed the cover and the volume
came back. On closer inspection, I could find nothing wrong in there, but
every time I put the cover back, the volume would drop. This time I cleaned
the metal hairs where the cover meets the frame and sure enough, that was it.
It was shorting out one keyboard. Go figure! Clean as much of the surface as
you can access.
fig.261 fig.262
That finish on the cover, in fig.262, was accomplished with some 0000 steel
wool and some regular paint thinner. Sometimes I paint it, but as a bare
minimum, you have to put DeoxIT around the perimeter where the cover
meets the frame. By the way, just to note that DeoxIT leaves a residue film
that stays for quite some time.
Installing the Preset Panel
This is a job that definitely goes better with an extra pair of hands, although
I have managed to do it on my own first thing in the morning. It’s one of my
least favorite jobs to do on a Hammond. Before you go ahead, clean all the
bars on the backside of the panel with DeoxIT. With that long thin screw
driver, put in the top two screws first. In case you didn’t take note, the two
long screws are the ones you’re looking for. The one with the larger extra
washer goes on the right. The brass insulator goes on the left between the
panel and the keyboard wall. The two short screws go on the bottom. Get
the person who’s holding the panel to tilt the bottom out a bit, push the
screw driver through the slots till you can reach the screw. The rest is all
swear words. I get mad just writing about it. Get the top right screw in, then
the one with the insulator, then the bottom two are a breeze. I would love to
know how they did that at the Hammond factory, but the only thing I can
think of is that they had a special tool for this. I can’t even imagine what that
tool might look like. Anyway, have fun. You might even get it on the first try!
fig.263
There are two sides to the panel. One
for each keyboard. That wire you see
marked in red is like a bridge
between the two. Make sure the
screws are tight. If you have more
than normal cross talk, tighten the
rest of the screws on the preset
panel also. If they’re coated with
crud, remove the screws one at a
time and sand paper the contact
surface, DeoxIT and put them back.
Usually just tightening is enough.
fig.264
In fig.264, see the vertical row of screws in the middle and down the right
side? You can remove the whole row, clean and replace from the bottom up,
one at a time. I’ve also used an emery board for this. Contacts are contacts
and wherever you have a weak link in the chain, it can affect everything. Well!
unless you have a gooey foam job ahead of you, you’re done with the manuals.
Remove the 2”x3”’s, put back the long bolts and the wood screws that go
beside them and put back the two plastic wiring harnesses behind the preset
panel and arrange the wires neatly. Leave the others for later because there
are still some wires to put back from the scanner. Do some preliminary
adjustments to the drawbar wires and make sure the drawbars all slide in and
out without the wires getting caught by each other. Cover up the manuals.
Gooey Foam. Do you have it? Here’s how to find out.
I haven’t been able to find out exactly when Hammond unwittingly made the
change from felt to foam. But it was sometime in the mid 60’s so I’ve heard,
however, my 1964 B3 had it and NO, my keyboards had not been changed. I
knew the one and only owner and nothing major had ever been done to that
organ. In any case, if you have it, you should get it out of there before it
destroys your manuals. It’s just a matter of time and weather conditions
before the foam breaks down and eats through those angel hair contact
wires. There are 549 of them (See fig.269).
fig.265 fig.266
Look on the back wall of your manuals. If you see small rivets, as in figs 265
and 266, (7 per manual) although you may not see all of them because of
obstacles in the way, then heave a big sigh of relief ‘cause you don’t have
foam. If you see holes with no rivets, or no holes at all, then you do have
foam. If your organ has lived mostly in a hot, humid climate, start worrying.
This 1963 B3 that I’m working on, as an example for this manual, has felts so
I can’t take you through it step by step like I do with everything else in this
manual. But I can help somewhat from the pictures that were taken from my
own organ. The process involves getting the manuals down on the floor, for
ease of manipulation, and removing the back panels of your manuals. They
slide out under the wires. First remove the big pieces of foam, then check
that none of it is stuck to the wires. My organ (1964) lived in the northern
U.S.A. where it wasn’t too hot or humid so you’d think it would be ok, but it
was already breaking down and if you touched it with your finger, it would
leave a dent that would not spring back as foam should. Instead it would stay
on your finger.
fig.267
At left, you can see

the row of screw
holes just under the
key channel screws.
It is these screws
you must remove in
order to slide out
the panel to expose
the contact wires
and the foam.
I hope you can get an understanding of the problem from these pictures.
They were not originally intended for instructional purposes, so if you do
have foam and you intend on removing it, maybe call to a friend or technician
to assist you with this. The job can be done in an afternoon and that includes
putting it all back together.
Here you can see those fig.268

angel hair wires, 549 of
them. They’re so tiny and
delicate, that when the
chemicals from the foam
break down, they can eat
right through the wires.
If that happens to only a
couple of them, a tech
with great eye sight and
a steady hand could splice
them and make contact.
The foam affects the
section of the wires
found in the harness.
fig.269
Here is the harness
channel where all the
wires are bunched
together and as you
can see, “the foam”
is making contact
with the wires. In the
case of my 1964, the
foam hadn't
completely broken
down enough to melt
into the harness but
was sticking to the
wires on the edge.
fig.270
Some of the foam in its

original form, before you
touch it that is.
fig.271
Here, just left of the

yellow arrow , you can
see where large sections
of the foam had already
fallen apart just from
removing the cover.
fig.272
In fig.272, the yellow

arrow on the left is
showing where the foam
was originally mounted.
The yellow arrow on the
right is showing a long
strip of foam that stuck
and stayed with the
wires when the cover
was removed. Get rid
of all of it. By the way,
you don’t have to
replace this foam with
anything. A bit of dust
isn’t going to hurt
anything like this stuff
will.
fig.273
And these are some

of the larger pieces!
Once you’ve removed the foam from the cover and the big pieces from the
wire harness channel, the rest can be done with Q-TIPS. Go slowly and notice
as you clean if any of the wires have been damaged. Use dry Q-Tips. Any
chemical cleaner could possibly eat through the wires. I personally would try
“Goo Gone” but that’s your choice to make.
The yellow arrow is fig.274

pointing to the channel
guides where the foam
has been successfully
removed. On this
organ, only surface
contact was made by
the foam so serious
damage was not done.
No wires had been
eaten through and the
goo was easily removed
from the wires. If you
do have a foam
problem, I hope you’re
as fortunate as I was.
Removing The Generator
fig.275
Preparing the generator for removal. Before you unsolder the generator wire
harnesses, it’s a good idea to mark the unused holes. I use paper clips
indicated by the red arrow in fig.275. I’ve also used little pieces of copper
wire. I mark them because I don’t want to depend on memory or have to
consult with the Hammond manual for this. Unsolder the AC wires from the
fourth and fifth terminals (yellow arrows). Unwind and label the wires that go
to the pre amp because some go and some stay. Tuck in all the wires at the
scanner end that are leaving with the generator as shown. Remove the springs
as shown in fig.276. Remove the generator lock down bolts and it’s ready.
fig.276
Remove the springs. Two

on each end. Just use a
pair of needle nose pliers
and lift them out of their
mounting holes. I also
remove the eye hooks and
soak all of it in DeoxIT. If
the rails are in bad shape,
I clean those also.
In fig.277, I purposely crumbled up that AC cord in order to demonstrate a

point. Unless someone has already changed the AC cord, I’ve never seen one
that wasn’t petrified. Although they may not appear to be damaged at first
glance, this is how many churches have burned down, so I’ve been told. But it
doesn’t take a genius to figure out how this situation could start a fire. Later
in this manual, we’ll put a new one in before we fire up this organ. ;-)
fig.277
Please remember that
the AC cable runs down
the wiring tubes, along
the pedal base to the
power box, and there’s
much of the cable that
can’t be inspected. Just
in case you’re thinking
of not replacing it, test
it. Even if it’s pliable
and it seems that
someone has replaced
it, then still give it the
squeeze test. If it’s
brittle, then you must
change it.
fig.278
The red arrows are pointing
to the 4 holes where the
generator lock down bolts
go, although you can only
see one of them in the
picture. I’ve lifted the
generator out of the holes
and set it down to one side
before attempting to lift it
out, which makes it a bit
easier to grab. Lifting the
generator out must be done
by two people and I’d suggest
that you wear gloves. Lots of
sharp edges. I’d also suggest
that you remove it from the
front, as shown in fig.278,
and have a work table ready
to sit it on once you get it
out. Don’t pick it up by the
scanner, it’s heavy.
Scanner Rebuild
It’s always a good idea to read a section through before starting the work, in
this case especially. If, when you turn on your chorus, you have an unnatural
thud thud thud sound otherwise known as motorboating, then it’s time to
rebuild the scanner. If you don’t have that problem yet, and you are following
this manual and overhauling your organ, you should do the scanner anyway
while you have the organ apart. That is unless you know for sure that your
scanner has been rebuilt recently.
Whether you have removed the generator or not, the process for removing
the scanner is basically the same. If you’re just going to rebuild the scanner
and you haven’t removed the keyboards, you will have to unsolder the seven
black wires which go to the vibrato switch and the red and blue wires at the
vibrato line box. Just follow the instructions for removal starting on page 14
fig.29. In this case I have removed the generator. I put a quilted blanket on
the closed organ cab then put a couple of boards on that as a base. I like the
height it gives me for working with the scanner.
fig.279 fig.280
First, remove the springs from the coupling (fig.279).
Then remove the 4 nuts and lock washers from the

run motor using a 5/16” ratchet (fig.280).
Remove the scanner motor from the mounting

bars and sit it down right there for now.
Next, remove the spring clip from the oil cup, (fig.281) and
carefully lift out the felt wick and unwind and separate the threads
(fig 282). Take note as to where those threads go
and how they were wound together.
fig.281 fig.282
fig.283 fig.284
Remove the 3 screws which attach the scanner to the

motor (fig 283). Then separate them.
Remove the small cover from the scanner. Two screws (fig.284).
Unsolder the wire that the red arrow is pointing to in fig.285.
Remove the two screws shown in fig.286, and carefully lift the brushes off the
pin. There are three of them including the one on the top spring arm itself.
Notice how they go back. The one on the right goes on first when you’re
reassembling. Be very careful with that pin.
If you bend it, you’re not going to be happy.
fig.285 fig.286
fig.287
Fig.287 is showing the brushes.
They can now be set aside. The
next page has a close up of that
pin (fig.291). Next, take a couple
of 2”x2”s, fig.288, and turn the
scanner over and lay it on them.
This will protect the pin while
you mark the edge of the
scanner. Find the red wire and
make an indexing mark, fig.289.
Consider this the starting point
when you reassemble the wiring
fig.288 harness. Remove the 4 screws
from the perimeter of the
scanner and remove the cover.
Now in order to protect that pin
and for ease of removing the
cover, take a pair of needle nose
vise grips and clamp them on one
of the 3 brass screw mounts and
with the other hand use a screw
driver on the edge of the cover.
when it moves a bit, rotate the
vise grips to an other mount
and ease it off a little at a time.
See (fig.290).
fig.290
fig.289
fig.291 If that rotor pin gets bent even
the slightest, getting it straight
again is damn near impossible.
It’s always a good idea to take
the time to think about how a
job should be done in advance,
especially if you’re doing this
for the first time. In this case
it’s easy to forget about that pin
while you’re concentrating on
other things and that’s usually
when it happens.
fig.292 fig.293
Turn the scanner end plate back over on the 2”x2”s (fig.292) and remove the
wiring harness and put the screws, washers, lock washers, round insulators,
stators and square insulators into a container of denatured alcohol, and soak
them overnight (fig.293). fig.294
With a small allen key (sorry, I

don’t know the size), remove the
two screws from the rotor shaft.
(two red arrows in fig.294)
fig.295 fig.296
The red arrows in fig.295 are showing the two flat sides of the shaft where the
screws are seated. Just make a mental note for when the screws go back. Put
the rotor somewhere safe. In fig.296, make a scratch mark at the two red
arrows before removing that cup (clutch housing). It will help with reassembly
even though there are guide pins.
fig.297 fig.298
Remove the 4 screws shown in fig.297. When you remove the clutch housing,
go slowly and look to see if there are any spacers being used and where they
are. This scanner only has one and it’s marked in fig.298 with the green
arrow. This spacer must go back at the same location. The spacers are used
for balance and if the cup is not balanced, the rotor may not spin freely. The
red arrow is pointing to the hole where the thread goes through.
fig.299 fig.300
Take some paint thinner and some 0000 steel wool and clean all the body
parts. Then use soap and water. The most critical is the inside of the scanner
end plate shown in fig.299. The arrows are pointing to the little seating pins
where the zinc hairs grow through the holes in the insulators and touch the
stators causing a short which results in the motorboating effect. With all the
parts cleaned and dried, take some compressed air and blow out the bearings
to dry. Put fresh Hammond oil in the bearings and on the threads.
fig.301 fig.302
Next, mask the scanner end plate to prepare for spraying with Krylon Clear
lacquer. In fig.301, the tape is masking the bearing and in fig.302, the brass
posts and center where I covered the thread with some tissue paper before
masking so the thread wouldn’t stick to the tape when removing.
fig.303 fig.304
Put two or three light coats of Krylon clear lacquer on the scanner end plate.
I did both sides but most important is the inside. Let the first coat dry for
about 45 minutes and after the last coat, let it dry overnight. Now Crazy glue
the rectangular insulators (fig.303). Just a drop on each corner opposite the
seating pins will do. It’s just to hold it all together while you’re reinstalling
the wiring harness and stators. When you’re finished, turn it over and do the
same with the round insulators, then the flat washers. When you’re gluing the
washers, quickly place a screw in until the washer is centered then pull it out
and apply a bit of pressure for a good contact (fig.304). When this is all done,
take your wiring harness and apply DeoxIT to both sides of all the connectors.
Oil the bearing and thread and you’re ready to go on. I suggest you install the
clutch and cover next, I usually do it in that order but this time I wanted to
try it differently by installing the stators and harness first and it worked out
ok but, I’ll go back to the old way from now on. The only awkward part
about the order I did it in, was when it came time to put the cover screws in I
had to slide the harness wires over a bit to get at the screws. No big deal
really but, for you, put the thread through the hole, put in that spacer if you
have one, put the clutch in the end plate bearing, use your cover mark as a
guide then slip the cover on and screw it in. There are also seating pins so
you can’t go wrong. Don’t install the rotor until everything else is done. If
you have broken or worn out threads, put new ones. Cotton is what
Hammond used. The pictures that follow are of the way I did it.
I hope it’s not confusing.
fig.305 fig.306
Just pretend that the clutch cover is already on in fig.305 ;-) Find your scratch
mark on the harness side and start there with the red wire. Make sure the
harness is oriented correctly. To do this, the brass harness clip screws into the
cover between the 4th and 5th screws. If it doesn’t, flip the harness over.
Next; in this order, put the lock washer, harness connector, then screw it into
the stator which you’re holding on the opposite side. Make sure it’s seated in
its guide pins. Do them all but one then install the rotor (fig.306). Then put
in the final stator. Make sure the rotor spins freely. If it doesn’t, give the end
of the rotor shaft a couple of taps with your screw driver handle to realign the
bearings. Do a final tightening and adjusting of the harness and this part is
done.
fig.307
As you can see here, I’ve cleaned

up the covers but did not paint
them. Painting the covers is a
nice touch and does keep them
from oxidizing, but not
necessary. I’ve included some
pictures from my archives below.
You can get rust spray paint in
many colors and I’ve tried a
few of them. They’re all good
for this. Put three or four light
coats. At center left, I didn’t
paint the run motor cover but
cleaned and polished it, that’s
all. The others speak for
themselves. If you decide to
paint them, do it now , then
continue on with reassembly.
fig.308
In fig.308, the red arrow is pointing
to the brushes. Right = bottom.
After you’ve installed them, solder
the wire back, put on the cover and
the scanner is ready to put back on
the generator. If you want to either
clean or paint the run motor cover,
two screws removes it. You may
also want to clean up the area at
the end of the generator while you
can, before installing the scanner.
Next, attach the scanner to the run motor with the 3 screws leaving the oil cup
until last. Thread the cup first. Take the center threads x2, one from the
scanner and one from the motor shaft. Twist them together and apply some
oil, then pass them through the short tube (fig.309 red arrow). The thread
that comes out of the hole (center scanner), through the long tube
(green arrow) and the thread coming from the front of the motor shaft goes
in the front tube (yellow arrow).
fig.309
fig.310 fig.311
Install the oil cup (fig.310), then wrap the threads neatly around the felt in
such a way that it can lie flat on the floor of the oil cup. Put in the spring clip
(fig.311). The center of the clip is the low point in the cup and it’s the
pressure of the spring that keeps it against the sides of the cup that keep it in
place. The edges of the clip are sharp and can cut the threads so be careful.
Put about 10 drops of Hammond oil on the felt, install the scanner/motor unit
to its brackets. Put back the two coupling springs and you’re done (fig.312).
fig.312
The Generator
fig.313
On the generator at the opposite end to the scanner, you’ll find the start
motor. We’re not rebuilding it here. If the bearings are shot, you need to
replace it. If it’s an electrical thing, then the problem will likely be found
in the start/run switch wiring. If it’s seized or winds up slowly, it either
needs oil or the generator is gummed up or both. Look it over closely and
check that the oil threads are in place. The pictures to follow are showing
the threads and oiling procedures. If the motor is seized, use WD-40.
fig.314 fig.315
In fig.314, the green arrow is pointing to the shaft pin. Push it in. It should
bounce back when you let it go. The 3 blue arrows are indicating where to oil
the shafts. The red line is following the oil thread as it’s hard to see it in the
picture. Make sure the thread is not broken and is in place. Put a drop of oil
on it also. In fig.315 the blue arrow is showing the exposed shaft with the
pinion gear moved aside. Oil the shaft. The red arrow is pointing to the oil
trough.
Some people doubt that WD-40 is a good idea for use in the generator, so here
are my thoughts on the subject. WD-40 is not the best penetrator out there
but considering all, it’s the best I’ve found for use in a Hammond organ.
It also lubricates and cleans and, it will not eat or break down the oil threads.
If anything, it would act as a preservative since cotton is a natural fiber. On
the outer rim of each tone wheel you have a lacquered surface and likewise on
the inner end of the magnet. This coating was put there to prevent oxidation.
If the coating were to be damaged and oxidation were to take place, it would
alter the frequency. WD-40 does not have any properties that would break
down the lacquer coating. Its use as a lubricant in Hammond organs is not
recommended but is good for cleaning or un-seizing a tone wheel or motor
shaft for instance. It is always advisable to run it in then re-oil wherever
you’ve used it. The other point I’d like to make is on the subject of nylon
thread. There are people who have done wicking tests or flow tests with
nylon thread and it works as a replacement for cotton but... don’t use
WD-40 on nylon, it may dissolve in time. For me, I’ll stick with cotton.
Working on the Generator
If your generator was starting ok, in other words, not sluggish, and you have
no missing tone, you may wish to skip this next procedure. If that is the case,
at least make sure that all the screws are tight on the capacitor mounting
board which is under the green felt. Otherwise, read through this section, in
order to decide whether or not this is for you, before continuing. It involves
building a wooden stand and possibly acquiring an air pressure tank. In order
to clean the grime out of the tone wheels, you must gain access to them and
since you can’t lay the generator on its sides because of the magnets, or the
top for obvious reasons, you must build something for this purpose. First I
designed a stand that would hold the generator on its side but it turned out
to be more work and materials than was necessary. The other thought was
simply to stand it up on its end, but I was informed that it probably wouldn’t
run well in this position. I didn’t bother to try it because it puts the generator
in an awkward position to work on considering the job at hand. My choice
was a simple stand mounted to a board that would sit on a table. It’s portable
and can be stored easily. The pictures that follow give the dimensions and
materials used. You can vary the design to suit your own needs but some of
the dimensions should be followed exactly.
fig.316
The table that sits under the

stand is the same width as the
top. The material for the board
can be anything you want but I
used 5/8”th press board that
has arborite laminated on each
side. It’s cheap and you can
find stuff like that in pieces at
the lumber store. Then have it
trimmed to your specs. The
2”x4”s are oak. I chose oak
because of the clean edges,
strength and weight. The
stabilizer crosspiece can be
whatever you have on hand.
I glued all pieces after
pre-drilling. If you don’t pre-
drill the holes in oak you’ll split
it. I used 3 1/2” long screws
from the base to the uprights
and they must be counter sunk
so it fits flush on the table. The
fig.317 width on mine is 18 1/2” but
can be any size you wish
(fig.316). The outside distance
of the uprights, 9 1/4”, is most
important. It’s also a good idea
to mock it up and check
everything before going ahead.
The height of my uprights are
also 6” but could be higher if
you wish but I wouldn’t make
them shorter (fig.317).
fig.318
The length of the board doesn’t

matter. Mine is 44”. What does
matter is the inside dimensions,
36 1/4” (fig.318). When I put the
stabilizer cross pieces, (the piece
of wood that covers the end of
the scanner) I left an open space
of 2 3/4” in order to bring the
start/run switches, scanner and
AC wires through just to get
them out of the way. Don’t
forget to remove the green felt
capacitor cover from the
generator before placing it in
the stand.
fig.319
fig.320
Screw on the start/run

switch plate. It makes
it easier to hold and
keeps the switches
from touching each
other while starting.
fig.321
fig.322
Call a certified electrician to come

and hook up the AC (fig.321) to
terminals #4 and #5. Right to left,
remember it’s upside down. As
you know, Hammonds do not
use the ground. Have the tech
temporarily solder the two wires
to the terminals. Fig.322 is
showing one of my lights
clipped to a mic stand.
fig.323
Before you start the generator, find the threads. Every second bin has two
threads, see the red arrow in fig.323. There’s one on the other side in the
same place but I couldn’t catch both with my camera because of the angle.
Make sure there are no broken threads. If there are, you should contact a
specialist. Take the time to inspect the insides for anything that shouldn’t
be there. I’ll show you a screw (below) that I found that could have been
lost in there right from the factory. Start the generator and first, spray the
spring clutches (yellow arrows). I don’t use the compressed WD-40 spray
cans, because you can’t really control how much is coming out and I don’t
want everything covered in it. If you’re careful there’s no need to get
WD-40 on the tone wheels and threads. Fig.325, is showing the refillable
bottle I use. You can adjust the flow from drops to a light spray. After
you’ve sprayed all of the clutches, use the air compressor on them, but I
would suggest staying clear of those threads. If a thread is weak you could
possibly finish it off with a strong direct blast from an air compressor.
When you’re done with that, shut down the generator. Next, follow the
drive shaft and tone wheel shaft and do all the bearings (green arrows
fig.323). Fill a syringe with WD-40 and with the generator turned off, do
all of those places on both sides of the bin wall.
fig.324
I built this kit years ago

from my days of working
with Plexiglas and now it
comes in handy. The glass
syringes come from a
hospital supply store
but you can get the plastic
ones at your local drug
store and they will do fine.
WD-40 won’t gum up a
plastic syringe. Again, it’s
just so you’re not spraying
WD-40 all over the place
for no reason. Get the
long needles and the
longest syringe you
can find.
When you’ve finished applying

the WD-40, you can restart the fig.325
generator and let it run for a day.
If there was a lot of funk in there,
you may want to do the whole
process again.
Tip from Bill Brown of

BB Organ
With the generator running, stop

each tone wheel with your finger.
This will change the position of the
wheel on the clutch and will quiet
down the chatter in many cases.
fig.326
If one of your tone
wheels is not turning,
check to see if it’s
being stopped by the
magnet (red arrows
fig.326). It happens
sometimes where the
magnet gets knocked
in from the other
side (fig.327) and
jams the wheel. It
can also do damage.
If that is the case, it’s
time to call Trek II
for a note
replacement kit. (See
Resources Section )
fig.327
fig.328-A fig.328-B
These magnets work the same as an electric guitar and if you were to move
them closer, the sound would be stronger but please don’t do this yourself
unless you really know what you’re doing. You can do serious damage. The
little screw in fig.328-B is from one of the magnets but there were none
missing. I found it inside the generator while inspecting it before turning it
over to place in the stand. Either a tech lost it or it has been there right from
the factory. If you absolutely have to adjust one of these because it’s touching
or stopping a tone wheel, loosen it and move it out a bit while the generator is
stopped. Mark the rod, (a mark not to go past kind of thing), then when the
organ is all back together and playing, if this magnet needs adjusting you can
do it by ear but just make sure you don’t push it in past your mark.
fig.329
When you’re finished

cleaning, flip the generator
over and examine the top.
Make sure that the screws
on the capacitor mounting
board are tight. There are
four on each side. Look
everything over and check
for dull solder joints =
(cold solder joints) loose
wires etc.
fig.330
As you can see, in fig.330, I
built the generator stand to
be longer than the table it sits
on so it can be flipped over
for use as a worktable when
the generator is right side up.
When you’re finished looking
things over and all is well, put
your green felt back and start
up the generator. Fill the oil
cups with Hammond oil and
let it run all day. You cannot
over oil a generator so fill
those cups many times. Any
excess will just drip on your
table. If your green felt is in
bad shape, make a new one.
The one pictured below was
made on a regular sewing
machine. The felt on the 1963
was in good shape so it wasn’t
replaced but I’ve seen some
really bad ones. It’s up to you.
fig.331
Bass Pedal Contact Unit
The pedal unit also has buss bars and contacts that should be cleaned. You
may also have some felts to be replaced and we’ll install a new AC cable.
“Read through the section before starting.”
fig.332 fig.333
Fig.332 is an upside-down view

of the latches that keep the
wiring tubes in place. Remove
one screw and push the bar to
one side. Put the screws back
for safe keeping.
Remove the 4 screws from the base cover, then block it up. The red arrows
are pointing to a pair of 4”x4” blocks covered with material to protect the
wood. Use something like this at first to make things easier to access. The
yellow arrows are pointing to the two long bolts that get removed from either
side to free up the base. The two green arrows are showing two spacers
(washers) sitting on top of the brass mounting posts. There are 4 posts, but in
this case, only two spacers, one on each end. When you lift the base cover,
they will probably fall so take note as to if and where they were. If they’re not
there, put the cover in place and see if it’s level. You can add your own
spacers if you wish. The blue arrow under the volume pedal is showing the
location of a 1/4” bolt (one of the 4 cover screws actually). Pull the wires out
of the wiring tubes then pull out the tubes from the bottom.
fig.334 fig.335
Fig.334 is showing a closer look at one of those spacers and the felts I was
referring to, that may or may not need changing. Next, on the other side of
the board, where you see the nut driver in fig.335, you’ll see 3 screws. Find
them and while holding with a screw driver on the other side, remove the nut
on this side and the unit is almost ready to come out.
fig.336 fig.337
Remove the volume linkage receptacle, fig.336, and pull the rod through the
hole. It’s still attached to the volume pedal but now the whole cover can be
removed. Alternatively you can remove the rod from the pedal itself. Last,
remove the three screws from the AC box, lift the organ at that end and
remove the base.
fig.338
The red arrows in fig.338 are
showing the nuts that hold the
two long bolts which hold the
unit in. You may not even see
these because they’re
underneath the wooden cross
piece at floor level and if
they’re stuck they won’t fall
and show themselves. You
should get down there and pry
them out just so they don’t get
lost when they do decide to fall.
It wouldn’t hurt to spray them
with some WD-40 either.
fig.339
In fig.339, the red arrows are

pointing to the three mounting
screw holes. Mark them with a
permanent black marker. If you
forget to do this, the order
counting from the AC box end is
#2, #7 and #12. Next, remove
all the rest of the screws then do
the bottom row. (Also seen in
fig.339)
fig.340
The red arrow

in fig.340 is
showing the
location of the
bus bars. There
are 4 bus bars.
Unlike the manuals, there are wires attached to the bus bars and
they must be unsoldered. Make your own notes or follow the green
numbers shown in fig.341. Unsolder the black wires above the
colored wires from the terminals on the right.
fig.341
fig.342 fig.343
In fig.342, loosen the screws, (do not remove) and slide back the cover.
Fig.343 is showing the first bus bar partially removed. Again, only remove
one bus bar at a time and put it back before removing another. If you
haven’t done the bus bar lube on the manuals and have skipped directly to
this part, please refer to the bus bar cleaning procedure starting from page
62 for details.
fig.344
In fig.344 the red arrow is pointing

to the bus bar shifter. The factory
setting is full clockwise. You can
adjust this when you’re finished with
the bus bar lube. Turn to completely
clockwise then counter clockwise 1
1/2 turns. When the organ is all back
together you can test this setting when
you play the pedals. The shifter can
always be accessed easily, so
adjustments can be changed later if
you wish.
fig.345 fig.346
When you put back the cover, use a little double-sided tape, as shown in
fig.345, at each end and a piece in the middle to hold it in position until you
get some screws in. Put only a couple of screws in at first, then install the end
plates, as shown in fig.346, (4 screws at each end). Don’t tighten them all the
way until the 4 are in place. Then finish tightening those. Now put back the
rest of the cover screws.
Installing a New AC Cable
fig.347
To change the AC cable, remove the
three little screws and open the AC
box. Loosen the wire clamps (red
arrow), then unscrew the two screws
(green arrows) and pull out the old
wire. For now, cut a 63” length of
new wire and bare the ends of one
end only. Lightly tin the ends with
solder, make a small hook on each
wire, wrap around the screw posts
and tighten. I’m not sure of the
gauge but I use a little bit heavier
wire than Hammond as you can see.
Close the box and clamp down all
the wires. There are two clamps.
fig.348 fig.349
Remove all the felts, then put the screws back in the holes so no dirt, rust or
chemicals can go inside. Red arrows = screws and washers. The green arrows
are pointing to the contact pushers. In fig.349, the green outline is showing
the worst part of the rust. Take a sharp chisel and get the big pieces first,
then take a wire brush to it. Next, spray the surface with “Rust Check” or
something similar and go over it with steel wool. Wipe the surface clean, then
apply more “Rust Check” with a brush and leave a thin coating on the surface.
This will stop the rust from getting worse. Be careful not to get any spray in
the contact pushers. You can brush a light coat on the whole surface.
fig.350 fig.351
“Rust Check” will leave a

protective coating and inhibits
rust. You will see a stain from
the rust, unless you wire wheel
brush it out, however, this is not
necessary. Just remove the worst
parts and apply Rust Check. In
fig.351, the green arrows are
pointing to the contact pushers.
Spray lots of “DeoxIT” in there
and work them with your fingers
a few times.
fig.352
Unscrew the ground wire
and sand the connector
on both sides until it’s
down to bare metal.
Then do the same with
the surface of the metal
under the screw as shown
in fig.352. Spray it all
with “DeoxIT” and put it
back.
fig.353
In fig.353, the red arrow is pointing to
a hole in the felt. This felt has to be
changed. You can get felt at the fabric
store. Take a felt with you to match
the thickness. The small hole can be
punched with a leather hole punch but
the big hole has to be made with
something else.
fig.354
fig.355
In fig.354, the red arrow is

showing the hole in the old felt
and the green arrow is the felt I
cut. The blue arrow is showing
an arrow tip (as used in archery)
(5/16th field point). Lay the felt
on a board and use whatever
gives you the correct size hole
as a punch tool. Make new felts
wherever needed. In fig.355,
everything is back together and
ready to be put back in the
organ.
fig.356
Pedal Box Cover and Expression Pedal
In this case the mat on the pedal did not need to be replaced as you can see in
the pictures, but many do. The mat material usually comes in black today and
can be ordered through Bill Brown of BB Organ. The red arrow is pointing to
the new material. You must cut it to fit and glue it down. I like “Seal All” but
you could use contact cement or what ever works for you. Also pictured are
a couple of Howard's products I really like.
fig.357
Restor-A-Finish, comes in many

colors. The one used on this organ is
mahogany. It’s very thin and
penetrates well and also does
wonders with Leslie cabinets.
The Pedals
fig.358 fig.359
First, remove the rear cover (4 screws) then the footrest. Set those aside and
with a 7/16” nut driver, remove all the bolts as shown in fig.359, and soak
them in a bottle of WD-40.
fig.360 fig.361
Pull out all the pedals and be

sure to keep them in order
then, separate them as
shown in figs.360 and 361
fig.362 fig.363
Next, disassemble the frame, starting with the 8 screws shown in fig.362. At
the front there are two double purpose screw/feet on either side. These “feet”
fall into the holes in the metal frame of the bass pedal unit when installing the
bass pedals. To remove them, use vise grips to hold while unscrewing them.
fig.364 fig.365
Here is a closer look at the feet, (being held by the vise grips in fig.364, and
remember where that large brass spacer goes. The other two screws should
just come out but I had trouble with one of them so I had to remove the felt
in order to access the 3/8” nut. It wasn’t holding on it’s own as they usually
do so I had to grab it. A little WD-40 is also good for this before you try to
loosen the screw.
fig.366 fig.367
Keep the order of the frame

supports. As you can see in
fig.366 (red arrows), they are
different lengths for a reason.
Remove the black pedal pushers
(fig.367). Then take some 0000
steel wool, “Fantastic” and hot
water to the pedals and support
pieces, then dry with a towel.
Next, apply some dark walnut “Restor-A-Finish”, then wax them. Clean the
pedal pushers with “Goo Gone”, put them back on and put the pedals aside.
fig.368
The front comb piece of the frame has two layers of felt (fig.368). With a
chisel or the like, slip off the felts and separate them, then brush them. Take
the bottom felt and put it on top and you’ll have a new surface. The pedals
will make their own new grooves. Put them back exactly as they were on the
pins except for reversing the order.
fig.369
Clean the box and combs part of the frame and apply “Restor-A-Finish”, in this
case, mahogany, then wax the pieces and reassemble the frame (fig.369).
fig.370
If you use a power
drill and it has a
clutch, use the
lowest setting to put
the pedal screws
back. When all the
pedals have been
installed you can
adjust the tension by
hand. It’s safer that
way as you could
bend the bar if the
drill is set to high.
fig.371
Fig.371 is showing a couple of things. The red arrows are pointing to the
rubber bumpers which can be purchased through BB Organ. They’re just
tacked on. I sometimes receive pedals where the foot rest is missing and have
had to have new ones made. You have to try and borrow the whole top part,
cover and all, and take it to a cabinet maker to copy. He can make the feet
and bar. The bar is maple and the feet should be walnut as shown in the
picture. These examples are unfinished. The pedals of the 1963 were not
missing the foot rest, but I wanted to cover this in case yours are. The newer
organs use plastic feet, but no matter, a good carpenter can match up a set
for you if you can’t do it yourself.
fig.372 fig.373
Fig.372 is a before and after picture. I just had to show how even an organ as
clean as this one can get after 41 years. These pedals only had one broken
tine to replace. These can be purchased from BB Organ. Two screws and
you’re done. You should also check all the felts that are stapled to the sides
and bottom of each pedal. You may have to make your own felts but
sometimes Bill Brown has stuff like this lying around, so just ask him. He has
helped me out of a few jams with used parts in the past.
fig.374
It’s hard to believe what a bit

of water and wax can do, but this
is the easy stuff. Sometimes the
pedals are so worn that they need
to be replaced. Sometimes I take
a belt sander to them, then
have to completely refinish them.
You’re always going to run into
something different on each
individual organ, but I’m trying to
cover the basics here. In fig.374,
the blonds, as I like to call them,
are waxed and ready to go back.
fig.375
When things end up looking this good, it makes

all the work worth while.
The Cabinet
All organ cabinets are in different condition so you’ll have to judge for
yourself as to what to do with yours. I’ve had to have cabinet parts made,
totally re-veneered, totally refinished and so on. On the other hand, if your
cabinet is in fair condition and you just want to clean it up and wax it, then I
have some suggestions. First of all, the Hammond company, way back when,
recommended using a good grade furniture wax or polish either in aerosol or
liquid form and to avoid the use of paste waxes or oil type polishes. I’ve tried
many products over the years of wood working and can speak from
experience when it comes to the results. After 40 odd years, wood gets dry
and I personally don’t see any harm in feeding it with oil. Because Hammond
used very heavy coats of lacquer, not much oil is going to get past the finish
anyway. So oil just wipes off and doesn’t get to do the job. Paste wax is very
hard work and the results are ok, but not if you want to end up with a high
gloss finish. This is assuming that you do have some lacquer left on your
organ. This is what I do no matter what the condition is. First, go over the
entire cabinet with Howard's “Restor-A-Finish”. This will clean off any leftover
coatings of whatever was previously used. Choose the right color for your
organ and it will cover scratches, sun faded areas and even out the finish.
After that really depends on what your needs and tastes are. If you work on
the road, then your finish probably takes a beating anyway, so you might as
well do what Hammond said not to do and apply 4 or 5 coats of paste wax.
That will at least protect the cabinet from moisture. If you have a home
organ, and you like high gloss, not much labor etc. then do what I have done
to this cabinet. Use “Pledge with orange oil”. When I was learning about wood
work and finishes, I was told never to use this type of product because it
contains silicone which goes into the pores of the wood. If you ever want to
change that finish, you would have to basically sand it out, because with
silicone in the grain of the wood, it would not take a new finish. With
Hammonds, the lacquer is so thick that you’re not going to get much of
anything past it except for where the lacquer has cracked. For me, I don’t care
about this. If a finish is so bad that it has to be redone, then a little sanding is
not so bad. The silicone in Pledge builds up the surface, the more coats you
apply, leaving a protective coating that’s easy to maintain. I never thought I’d
hear myself talking about Pledge after all I’ve learned about natural waxes and
oils, but for this organ’s finish, this was my choice. You be the judge.
fig.376 fig.377
After vacuuming the inside of the cabinet, I used Restor-A-Finish on the whole
surface. If you don’t want to do the whole surface, at least do the sides where
you see the red arrows. That’s where the manuals meet the sides. After you
have the manuals installed, it won’t be so easy to access. I also waxed those
areas. Below is a picture of the results.
fig.378
fig.379 fig.380
fig.381
Putting it Back Together
fig.382 fig.383
If you’ve followed the procedure in the manual and did it all, then this would
be the natural order of putting things back. If not, then you must scan the
pages for relevant installation notes. There won’t be as many pictures but I
will add them if I think it would help. Instead I will use references to fig. and
page numbers where needed, incase you have to look back for any reason.
First, put back the bass pedal contact unit. I put back the 3 screws first, then
the end bolts. The easiest way to do the end bolts is by blocking the end of
the organ up to get the nut started, then use vise grips and a large head
screwdriver as in fig.382. Once that’s done, put the wiring tubes through the
holes from the bottom (fig.383). Don’t forget to place the latch slots at the
top end of the tube when you put them back. Pass the wiring harness through
the tubes, then drop the tubes down and latch them. Now pass the volume
pedal rod through the hole unless you’ve removed it from the pedal end, in
which case you can screw the bass cover on. Then attach the volume pedal
rod later.
The Generator
Lay the generator in place and screw in the 4 lock-down screws. (page 10
fig.16 = locked) Don’t screw them in all the way until the springs are in
place. Put back the eye hooks and springs, (page99 fig.276) then tighten
down the generator in the locked down position. Unsolder and remove the
temporary AC cable from the generator if you haven’t already done so. Solder
up all the generator wires, then remove the paper clips or whatever you used.
AC Cable
Bare the ends of your new AC cable and lightly tin the ends. Place them
through the holes in the rear of the generator AC box (page 98 fig.275),
then solder them to terminals 4 and 5 (from left to right). At this point it may
be a good idea to test your wiring job and soldering connections by starting
the generator. First make sure that all of the wires are clear of the scanner
area and that none of the wires are touching each other. Plug in the Hammond
AC cable and start up the generator. If all is well, shut down the generator and
remove the AC plug from the organ before doing anything else.
The Manuals
It’s time to install the manuals. If you put them in through the front, use
something to protect the wooden sides from scratches. You can purchase
expensive organ side protectors, but instead, I use thin plastic place mats from
the dollar store. First use a thin piece of drawing paper to make a template. It
may take a couple of times to get it right but once it is, you can trace the cuts
onto the plastic. These are smooth on one side and that’s the side you place
next to the wood. See fig.384 showing one set installed and an extra set
laying on the manuals.
fig.384
After doing it both ways I still

prefer putting the manuals in
through the back. Refer to
pages21 & 22 figs.54 &56.
If you do put them in through
the back, make sure you keep
the manuals high enough to
clear the scanner. Also, push
the volume pedal down so the
rod is at its lowest position.
fig.385
Before you solder the wires for
the manuals to the generator
(page 18 fig.43), you might
want to use a solder sucker to
remove all the old solder from
the tabs. Fig.385 is showing two
types, one electric and one that
you use with your regular gun.
I prefer the second one for
ease of use and cleaning. When
you’re done with that, you can
solder the wires.
Next, solder the wires to the resistor panel and coil.

Follow the pictures and text on pages 16 & 17 /fig’s 39, 40, and 41.
Solder back the scanner harness wires

to the vibrato switch terminal.
See page 14 figs.29 & 30
Because it’s an awkward place to work, I soldered back the wires before
installing the music desk but it’s not necessary if you’ve already put the music
desk in. Clean up the contacts by removing the old solder and do the same
with the wires. Straighten the ends of the wires. Heat the terminal and push
the wire through from the bottom up and fold it with the iron then put some
solder. Last, pass the red and blue wires through the wire holder and solder
them. See fig.30 Red to #1 Blue to #2
Next, put back the music desk and install the start/run switches and light.
(If you have a light) Page 8 and 9. Figs 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9 and 10.
Put Back the Plastic Wire Harnesses
Refer to page 24 and fig. #’s 61, 62, 63, and 64. Then route the silver
shielded scanner wire. You can route it the way it is in this manual (page’s
15 & 16) fig’s 33, 34, 36, 37 and 38 or, you can change that route to
anything you like as long as it reaches the pre-amp.
Install the Pre-Amp.
Refer to pages 11, 12 and 13 and follow the color codes for soldering.
Clean all of the tube sockets and test the tubes. Once the pre-amp is hooked
up, you can then hook up the Leslie and turn on the organ and try everything
out. Then refer to “Things to check Before disassembly” (page 6) to
make sure all is well. (Play all notes on each drawbar). At this point there may
still be some kinks to work out and adjustments to make but basically the job
is done. The 1963 B3 that was used to write this manual had no missing
frequencies before I started the job but when the job was finished had
developed one. It showed up as follows: 2nd drawbar out =high A key. 4th
drawbar =high E key. 5th drawbar = A key one octave below high A. 6th
drawbar = E one octave below high E key. 7th drawbar = C key one octave
above middle C. 8th drawbar = A key one octave above middle C. 9th
drawbar = first E above middle C. It was the same pattern on both manuals.
The frequency note was an E on all the keys mentioned. It was frequency #77.
I checked the soldering joint and it was ok and it wasn’t in the manuals. I just
touched the capacitor on the generator and the frequency came back. Upon
closer inspection by a great local Hammond tech, Richard Vernon, it turned
out to be a coil wire. It had broken but was still touching which explains why
it would work just by breathing on it. I’ll never know whether it was always
like that because it was intermittent. It turns out well that it showed up
because now it’s fixed.
NOTE: The frequency chart can be found in the Hammond service manual.
Optional Modification to Pre-amp.
Inline Fuse
The late Bill Beer suggested annual replacement of the rectifier tube (6X4) to
protect the power transformer. The reason for this is, that if the rectifier tube
shorts out, (heater-to-cathode short), the power transformer's high voltage
secondary winding is shorted to ground in the process. It will fry your
transformer. It happened to me once. Since transformers are expensive and
it’s not so easy to find an original, the solution is to install a fuse. Some
technicians install one, two or even three fuses inside the pre-amp. If the fuse
or fuses blow, you’ll have to tip up the pre-amp and do some soldering. This
is not fun in the middle of a gig. The modification shown here is simple and if
the fuse blows, you must first change the rectifier tube, then the fuse. But
since this is an inline fuse outside of the pre-amp, it’s as simple as untwisting
the casing and changing the fuse as you would in a guitar amp. If you are not
a qualified electronics technician, you should call one in to do this job.
fig.386 fig.387
Installing an inline fuse isolates the pre-amp from all other electrical devices.
ie: The fuse is not inline with the Leslie or Tone cabs. First, as shown in
fig.386, unsolder the two blue wires inside the AC box on the pre-amp. The
red arrows are showing the blue wires separated and cut. The middle arrow is
showing where they came from. The blue on the left is coming from the
generator AC distribution panel. The one on the right is coming from the AC
and Leslie connector box on the floor and up through the wiring tubes. The
blue wire on the left is the one to the fuse. Inline fuse housings usually come
with wires attached, so you can remove the blue wire from terminal #7 and
replace it with the inline wire. In this case, RED. If there wasn’t any wire with
your fuse housing, then just splice it into the blue wire and leave the blue
soldered up. Fig.387 is showing the red wire replacing the blue on terminal #7
of the AC panel.
fig.388 fig.389
Fig.388 is showing that the two blue wires have now been replaced with one
red wire in the pre-amp AC box. From now on it is important to remember
that nothing else (like reverbs etc.) may share that terminal with the red wire.
Hooking up anything else must now come from the main AC terminal. Please
call your local qualified electrician for this. Fig.389 is showing where to put
the other blue wire that you removed from the pre-amp AC box. It now goes
to the remaining empty hole (RED ARROW) between the red and blue. It feeds
the Leslie/Tone cabs.
fig.390
The red arrow in fig.390
is showing the fuse housing.
All you have to do to change
a fuse is twist the housing
and separate it. Insert the
fuse and twist it back
together, but remember to
call a qualified electronics
technician to do it for you.
;-)
Resources:
NOTE: I do not sell parts but I would like to recommend a few good places to
get them. Here I’ll post some resources that have proven to be note worthy
plus a few other helpful links and addresses.
<><><>
Over these last few years, Bill Brown of BB Organ has become a valuable
source of Hammond parts, new and used. Bill has never let me down and
has always been willing to help out over the phone. When having something
shipped sight unseen, it's good to be able to trust the source. Bill was an
organ player first and like many of us, it's the love of the Hammond that got
him into the business. I'd like to list a few of Bill's products here but you
really should visit his site and take a look for yourself. He also has things
that are not listed on his site so I highly recommend contacting him if
you need something. So! go look around Bill's site,
you won't be sorry.
Thanks Bill
You contact Bill at:
<><><>
Sales and Service
133 - 76th Way N.E., Fridley, MN 55432
office: (763) 571-8284 fax: (763) 574-7585
info@bborgan.com
<><><>
Some others who have helped me out.
<><><>
Vintage Hammond (Texas)

713-271-1244
Jerry Kautz
jkautz@vintagehammond.com
Jerry went out into the snow once to literally dig up (out of a scrapped organ)
a part that I really needed. Then he only charged me $5.00 for it. That’s what
I call service. Jerry’s web site also provides other helpful services as well.
Place a FREE Classified Ad http://barton.theatreorgans.com/placead.asp
Or visit web-site: http://vintagehammond.com/ Phone 713-271-1244
7800 Bissonnet Suites 420-425 Houston, Texas, 77074 USA and an
outlet in Atlanta Georgia. Jerry also sells and services
Hammond organs. Check him out.
Captain Foldback's
Hammond & Leslie page!
http://www.captain-foldback.com/
The mighty Leslie 31H / Pro-line Leslie speakers and much more
Hammond Sounds for your listening pleasure
Decorator Leslies - the 'lowboys
Hammond and Leslie links
Leslie pin-outs - the comprehensive guide
Hammond and Leslie schematics for the people
<><><>
The Hammond/Leslie Age Determination List

Mission Statement
To help determine the manufacturing date of
Hammond organs and Leslie speakers.
Hammond Age List Administrator

http://users.solve.net/~rickp/Hammond/AgeList.HTML
<><><>
The Hammond Technical List is an e-mail distribution list of

people interested in the technical aspects of the Hammond organ,
Leslie Speaker, their clones, accessories, organ playing, and other
closely related issues.
To subscribe, send mail to listserv@mail.hamtech.org with only the following
text in the message body : subscribe hamtech
To unsubscribe, simply send unsubscribe hamtech

to the same address.
http://www.hamtech.org/list.htm
HammondWiki is a WikiWikiWeb dedicated to the exchange of knowledge
regarding HammondOrgans (primarily the ToneWheel models),
and related topics.
As this is a WikiWikiWeb, these pages are editable by anyone.

(Yes, you could delete the whole thing if you wanted to!) (Please don't.)
At present, HammondWiki is an ongoing experiment. If it ever reaches

critical mass, it will probably move to a different (faster) server. Even if it
never catches on, at this point I don't plan on abandoning
HammondWiki any time soon.
HammondWiki is intended to be a supplement to

(rather than a replacement for) the HamTech and TheHammondForum
e-mail lists, and the HammondFaq.
<><><>
I put this HammondWiki together.

JeffDairiki
If you want to send e-mail, the number is:
<dairiki@dairiki.org>
http://www.dairiki.org/HammondWiki
<><><>
ACCESSORIES AND REPLACEMENT PARTS
FOR HAMMOND ORGANS
AND LESLIE SPEAKERS
TREK II PRODUCTS
400 JERSEY AVENUE
NEW BRUNSWICK, NJ 08901 USA

Tel: 732-214-9200
Fax: 732-214-9257
E-mail: Contact@TrekII.com
http://www.trekii.com/
GENERAL INFORMATION
INTRODUCTI0N:
For over twenty years, Trek II Products has designed and manufactured a
wide array of quality products for the repair, rebuilding and upgrading of
classic Hammond organs. During that time it has been our privilege to
help preserve and restore thousands of these remarkable instruments.
Our commitment is to provide consistent, reliable products and maintain
our distinction for integrity in the industry.
<><><>
ORGAN ized SERVICE s Inc
I believe: Excellence is its own reward.
Electronic organs and musical keyboards since 1952.
Hammond Organ Service Manuals, Schematic Diagrams,
and Owner's Manuals.
To Buy Organ Service Manuals &

Owners Manuals.
Ordering is as easy as 1, 2, 3.
http://www.organizedservices.com/
http://www.organizedservices.com/email.htm
<><><>
B ... ?
... ?
Benton Electronics
1817 Concord St.
Deer Park, Texas 77536
<><><>
george@bentonelectronics.com
cindy@bentonelectronics.com
http://www.bentonelectronics.com/index2frame.html
GOFF Professional
175 Costello Road
Newington, CT 06111 USA
PHONE: (860) 667-2358

FAX: (860) 667-3523
http://www.goffprof.com/
web@goffprof.com
We Specialize in:
Custom HAMMOND Organs and Leslie Speakers

For Professional, Church, Institutional and Home
Use
Shop Repairs, Rebuilding & Modification
Mail Order Parts & Accessories
Mail Order Repairs and Amplifier Rebuilding
Worldwide Technical Tour Support
ORGAN SERVICE COMPANY, INC
1210 West 55th Place
Countryside, IL 60525 U.S.A.
PHONE ORDERS: 708-352-8011
FAX ORDERS: 708-352-4975
E-mail ORDERS: jjwelch@TheRamp.net

http://www.mitatechs.com/hammond.html
Hammond and Leslie Production Models
http://www.jackhollow.pwp.blueyonder.
co.uk/hammond/modellist/models.html
You can use this list to identify your Hammond by looking through it all.
Life too slow? Try the US mirror instead.
Hammond and Leslie Production Models (US mirror site)

http://theatreorgans.com/hammond/faq/models.html
If anyone feels that I should ackowledge them then please email me.
:ucapbpe@ucl.ac.uk
<><><>
The Hammond Organ "Beauty in the B"

The story of the B-3 and other great Hammond organs, plus the Leslie
speaker, and much more. By Mark Vail. First released in 1997/ Can
be purchased in Canada at Chapters. There is much about the music
and those who play the B3 including must-hear Hammond
recordings. $38.95 (Miller Freeman Books-
Publishers of KEYBOARD)
<><><>
There is obviously not enough room to list all the Hammond sites
out there but when you find the people listed here,
you will find the rest.
WebRing: We Bring the Internet Together!

http://dir.webring.com/rw
MARYLAND ORGAN SERVICE
Quality - Innovation - Craftsmanship
513 Carlsbad Court - Baltimore, MD 21227 - (410) 737-4717
Provider of maintenance and restoration services for most brands of

electronic organs, electro-pianos, digital pianos, keyboards,
player pianos, acoustic pianos, and Leslie tone cabinets.
Serving the Baltimore, Washington D.C., Annapolis and surrounding areas

since 1972.
Call 410-737-4717 6pm - 9pm EST, Mon-Fri
Welcome to MOSweb Online!
Hammond WebRing Issues - ringleader@mosweb.com

Website Issues - webmaster@mosweb.com
Ted Thompson - ted@mosweb.com
http://www.mosweb.com/
The Only Authorized Hammond Dealer serving San Diego,
Orange, & Imperial Counties
New and Vintage Hammonds and Leslies
7840 El Cajon Blvd, Suite #100

La Mesa, CA, 91941 (Directions)
toll-free: 1-800-426-5322
local: (619) 460-9855
fax: (619) 460-3866
Shop hours by appointment

(please call ahead)
George Fish
Authorized Hammond Dealer
George@FishOrgans.com
http://www.fishorgans.com/index.html
Shop address:
The Hammond Clinic
2548 MacArthur Blvd, Oakland, CA 94602
(corner of Wilson and MacArthur, ring at gate for entry)
Shipping of parcels only:

4345 Detroit Avenue, Oakland, CA 94619
Hammond Clinic: (510) 336-1678
Alternate shop: (510) 530-0112
Cell: (510) 409-0428
FAX: (510) 530-3228
E-mail Bob Schleicher at:

bob@tonewheel.com
http://www.tonewheel.com/
Steve has some helpful
Hammond information
on his site and I
recommend giving him
a visit. W. Prue
ProKeys rebuilds vintage Hammond console organs, particularly B3, C3, and
A100 series, and tube Leslies, such as 122 and 147 series.
<><><>
Our client friends include professional working players, backline suppliers,
and recording studios.
<><><>
We love getting Hammonds and Leslies to sound and work great.
<><><>
If this web site gives the impression that we're doing full time Hammond
rebuild work, that's incorrect.
<><><>
Our work with Hammonds is more of a part time hobby, a joy, frustration,
and an extension of the loyalty and respect that we feel for our own
Hammonds and Leslies.
At ProKeys, we're perfectionists. All work is done on a custom basis
<><><>
prokeys@sl-prokeys.com
http://www.sl-prokeys.com/prokeys/pro.htm
“I provide rentals, sales and service ofHammond tonewheel organs
exclusively including spinets and consoles as well as most Leslie models.
My service covers eastern Ontario and western Quebec from Montreal to
Toronto*. To inquire about rates and rental equipment available please call...
*Rates vary depending on distance from Ottawa, Ontario.”
Contact: Richard Vernon.

richard.vernon@sympatico.ca
I was recently introduced to Richard

Vernon. Since then he has been
doing the tech work on my organs.
He has a great knowledge and love of
Hammonds and I would recommend
him to anyone who’s in need of a
tech. Thanks Richard.
Wayne Prue
1963 B3 finished
The subject of this manual.
Dimensions for the B3, Leslie, Bench and Pedals

Hammond B3: Manual Non-Technicians

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The

Introduction ~ 3 Reinstalling the Matching

All rights reserved. No part of this

So! Why this Manual?

What is Actually Effected by Zinc Oxide?

Matching Transformer: I’ve seen problems disappear from simply cleaning

Vibrato Scanner: The word Motorboating is commonly used to describe the

Vibrato/Chorus and Percussion Switches: Your percussion can

Also covered in this manual...

Good luck! Have fun..... and please take your time!

IMPORTANT NOTE : Go to page 42 and read about testing the

Remove the music stand

I recommend using small containers

You can leave the start/run switch

Get down where the pedals

While you’re under the

Removing the Pre-Amp

First, remove the volume arm spring. (See fig.18)

After the pre-amp is stripped, as There are two chassis screws

If you think the pre-amp

Harness with red & blue free Vibrato/chorus scanner

Resistor Panel and Coil

This is the coil and you

Unsoldering the Wires from the Generator

I have two of these clamp-on You’ll need to push these wires

Removing the Manuals

Disassembling the Keyboards

The actual size of the

These are the screws and one Please! do this ...

The lower red arrow in fig.77 is

The last thing you need to do before

Removing the Keys

Now it’s time to do a bit of

Remove the cheek blocks then put

The organ I’m using

Fill the tank with

Ah! one set of clean

fig.109 Happy! Keys

Go slowly and don’t

These keys have been

Take a scratch awl or nail and

Use “Goo Gone” and steel wool

My steel rule is 3/32” thick and

Please read this before disassembly.

This is how the key contact pusher

This little compressor works fine.

Lay the combs out on a board that

Only the white felt needs to be

Fig.149 = cleaned. Figs 150 and 151

The sandwich sign

Above, my best friend, the power

The manuals are at the point where you can

This one had a similar

Fig.176 is showing the

If the rust isn’t too

There are aspects of this job which will be

At left, remove the end covers and

Loosen the screws but don’t remove

So now we get into the trick of

Putting back the Key Contact Covers and Key Combs

Take your brush as seen in fig.201, and put a coat of

The plastic drawbar knob colors

Oxidation on the screws! I have