Instruments and Effects

Chapter 22 EVB3 357
A Short Hammond Organ Story
Three inventions inspired Laurens Hammond (1895–1973), a manufacturer of electric
clocks, to construct and market a compact electro-mechanical organ with tone wheel
sound generation. The Telharmonium by Thaddeus Cahill was the musical inspiration,
Henry Ford’s mass production methods, and the domestic synchron clock motor were
the other factors.
The Telharmonium was the first musical instrument that made use of
electromechanical sound generation techniques. In the year 1900, its man-sized tone
wheel generators filled a two-story building in New York. For a short period around this
time, subscribers could order Telharmonium music over the New York telephone
network (the streaming audio system of the time). The only amplification tool was the
telephone’s mechanical diaphragm, as a proper tube amplifier and acceptable speakers
had not yet been invented. The Telharmonium was a commercial flop but its historical
status as the predecessor of modern electronic musical instruments is undeniable. The
Telharmonium also introduced the principles of electronic additive synthesis (see
“Additive Synthesis With Drawbars” on page 355).
Laurens Hammond began producing organs in 1935, in Chicago, Illinois, making use of
the same sound generation method. The differences were; much smaller tone
generators, and fewer registers. The patent for his model A organ dates from 1934.
Hammond also holds the patent for the electro-mechanical spring reverb, still found in
countless guitar amplifiers today!
The Hammond B3 was manufactured between 1955 and 1974. It is the Hammond
model preferred by jazz and rock organ players such as: Fats Waller, Wild Bill Davis,
Brother Jack McDuff, Jimmy Smith, Keith Emerson, Jon Lord, Brian Auger, Steve
Winwood, Joey DeFrancesco, and Barbara Dennerlein. In addition to the B3, there are a
number of smaller Hammond instruments, known as the spinet series (M3, M100, L100,
T100). Bigger console models, many of which were designed to suit the needs of
American (USA) churches or theatres (H100, X66, X77, E100, R100, G-100), were also
manufactured.
The production of electro-mechanical organs ceased in 1974. Thereafter, Hammond
built fully electronic organs. Today, people at Hammond-Suzuki are more conscious of
their glorious tradition and produce fine electronic drawbar organs. In 2002, they even
introduced a new digital B3 model which mimics the design and functions of the
classic B3 (except for the weight). The new B3 utilizes a real, mechanical, rotor speaker
cabinet.