It had a great sound, I should have taken it to full organ and played some rock music up loud :3

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"I'd rather have a CRT than nothing" - me
"people just throw working CRTs out, it is NOT FUNNY!" -me

If you want big and loud, aspire to play the Grand Organ at the Sydney Town Hall. It was the largest organ in the world and is still the largest of it's type, with just over 8,000 pipes and it still has the largest stop in the world at 64 foot.

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A valve a day keeps the transistor away...

Is that the pipe organ in the Uniting Church at Maitland? I've been fascinated by that organ since I was a kid.The keyboard is on one side of the church with most of the pipes on the other side. I've got a lot of family connections with Maitland and still travel up there regularly.

The last time I was there a couple of years ago I asked the guy that looks afer the organ how it works. All solenoids, relays and switches which knowing absolutely nothing about pipe organs, I thought was quite amazing in something so old.

We have a pipe organ where I work. There's a group of pipes on each side of the chapel. When it is all said and done, they are quite complex beasts and highly susceptible to being detuned when subject to rough treatment.

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A valve a day keeps the transistor away...

Scraps no it wasn't that one, it was the St. Marys Anglican Church of Maitland organ which has 944 pipes, it doesn't work the same as the Uniting Church organ, but hey it sounded nice, Here is the video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IN0HvWZJe3c It sounded good on my hands, When I pulled out a few more stops some people were looking up at the pipes hehe playing pirates of the carribean on it but my mate said to keep it quiet, I wanted to let the church know my presence at the organ hehe I enjoyed playing it was fun and they rarely ever let people play it so I took the opportunity I should have taken it to full organ and started playing some hymn I wrote in the style of All Along The Watchtower by Hendrix

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"I'd rather have a CRT than nothing" - me
"people just throw working CRTs out, it is NOT FUNNY!" -me

From what I know of church organs, the resident organists are very possessive of "their" organs, so you're lucky to get the chance to play one.

Cranking out non-liturgical stuff often results in hellfire and brimstone and a stern order to never again darken their console.

Well it was a secular music allowing church so I played some very recognisable songs, amazingly the priest allowed me to mess around on the organ with the lady organist's permission, Now I want one at home! What is the cost or should I get an electric organ?

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"I'd rather have a CRT than nothing" - me
"people just throw working CRTs out, it is NOT FUNNY!" -me

Now I want one at home! What is the cost or should I get an electric organ?

Unless you're quite wealthy and own a home which has room for one, then owning even a small pipe organ is -- well -- a pipe dream.

For the rest of us, a modern electronic keyboard with sampled pipes is the closest thing.

Kronos on Korg is one approach:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BJub8u-gQzQ

However, if you're a serious organist, and can scrape up the cash, then the Allen range is very popular replacement for traditional pipes:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=67jGUXsbDAA

On the other hand, if you're a fan of the classic Hammond organ jazz/rock sound (made famous by the iconic B3 model, now commanding very big dollars in Oz), then Hammond-Suzuki have the answer in the XK3:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ueiay9P6-fM

And there's also the Nord:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=foJSXAR9r5c

So, those are just some ideas.

Update:

Sitting in the resto queue my workshop at the moment is a 1965 Hammond M-102 and a 1970 Leslie 147. The M-102 is the closest I'll come to a B3.

I also have a 1959 Hammond S-4 chord organ which I've restored.

All of these use valve electronics.

The thing is I love getting free organs I once got a Yamaha for free So do you know of any alternatives for a organ at home since I don't have the cash ? I like older organs because they were made to last The local church said I had their permission to practice on the pipe organ when I want to,So I am going back to try and do a Preacher Chord arrangement on the organ, with very low volume and then running into the Star Spangled Banner, since our national anthem sucks on the organ, i'll even do it at high volume

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"I'd rather have a CRT than nothing" - me
"people just throw working CRTs out, it is NOT FUNNY!" -me

The thing is I love getting free organs

You should live in America where old organs are often left on the kerb as hard rubbish, or advertised for pennies in Craigslist, but you'd be very lucky to get a classic this way before an organ-spotter grabbed it.

The usual deal is "come and pick it up" before we dump it.

Here, keep your eye on Gumtree and eBay for bargains.

I like older organs because they were made to last

Yep, see my updated post above.

What is wrong with the M-102? If you happily restore it I can have it for free right? I've always wanted a Classic Hammond to rent or play, but Its hard to find one with drawbars around here, so where are you located? I can actually test the M-102 for you and try and connect the Leslie to it and if it works fine, then i'll happily take it and maybe trade you my 1967 HMV Trent Television, which is the rarest of my valve TVs

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"I'd rather have a CRT than nothing" - me
"people just throw working CRTs out, it is NOT FUNNY!" -me

Tho if I get the Hammond it will be used for that Spencer Davis Group song Gimme Some Lovin, with the leslie on fast for the intro then slowing down at the breakdown, I have GarageBand on my iPad and it has a great hammond sim though I can't resort to sims for the great hammond sound D: Maybe if I trade you my HMV Trent I'll be happy with the M series Hammond, with the 1970 Leslie 147, I've never had the opportunity to play a real Hammond organ so I could hopefully help you fix it, I could buy some tone generator oil for you

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"I'd rather have a CRT than nothing" - me
"people just throw working CRTs out, it is NOT FUNNY!" -me

What is wrong with the M-102?

Not much. It's playable, and otherwise in very good condition, but it needs electrical restoration as it's in original condition.

I also have to check it for the dreaded foam disease. I'm hoping that it was built when Hammond used felt instead of 1960s synthetic foam which by now turns to tar and corrodes the fine hairlike wiring.

If you happily restore it I can have it for free right?

There's no such thing as a free M102 -- unless it's a wreck and on the side of the road in America.

I bought the M102 and Leslie as a working pair. The Leslie needs re-capping, the belts are old and the cabinet could do with some work. I will probably buy a resto kit for it. There's a fair demand for Leslies in Oz. The 147 is worth more than the M102.

Neither are for sale.

PS: the M102 came with a new bottle of Hammond oil, and the original bench. For some reason organ benches go missing.

I can't resort to sims for the great hammond sound

Most people these days do just that.

Apart from the initial cost and ongoing maintenance of a tonewheel organ, there's the size and weight. These are not gig organs unless you have a beefy road crew and even then they get knocked around.

A modern lightweight keyboard with a good Hammond and Leslie simulator does the job.

The M012 was used by Matthew Fisher of Procul Harum for many classic tracks including Whiter Shade of Pale.

Ive always wanted to play and hear a tonewheel Hammond organ up close, I can have fun with the Leslie if I am in the mood for Gospel or Deep Purple stuff hehe, I like my Leslies half clean a bit dirty so I can get a screaming tone out of the keyboards hehe, maybe you can let me have some fun on the Leslie/Hammond combo you got so maybe I can rent it to play? Id be playing it occassionally for some organ practice, I havent got a organ at the moment I saw a m3 hammond for $500 on gumtree, if I had $500 I would have snapped it up in a heartbeat I would have gotten a Motion Sound pro V3 for a Leslie sim and gigged that organ until the tonewheels needed oiling I prefer a Tonewheel Hammond to anything else :3

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"I'd rather have a CRT than nothing" - me
"people just throw working CRTs out, it is NOT FUNNY!" -me