A Hammond organ is a very versatile musical instrument. A M3 model Hammond is a great starter organ, or if you need that Hammond sound in an instrument that isn't nearly as heavy as other Hammond models, it's the instrument you should purchase. However, in a stock configuration, the M3 has only one option of amplification: the speaker that is built in. This article will teach you how to install a line out box on the organ, so you can use a 1/4" patch cord to run it to anything: an amplifier, for more volume; a recording mixer, for recording the organ directly; or anything you can think of. The line-out box will also feature a switch that disables the organ's built-in speaker, so you can hear strictly what's coming out of the line-out jack, if you so wish.
Step 1
Go to an electronics store (Radio Shack) and buy these five items: a 4" X 2" X 1" plastic project box (or the closest size to that measurement); a 1/4" enclosed-frame output jack; a single-pole single-throw switch (SPST) [ask for a bat-handled toggle switch]; a length of heavy-gauge electrical connection wire; and a length of heavy-gauge dual-lead speaker wire. (Two or three feet of speaker wire should suffice; this gives you a lot of lead if you have a hard time stripping the wire.)
Step 2
Get your drill and drill four holes in the project box. The first two holes are on the short sides of the box, and these allow for entry and exit of the speaker wire leads. The other two holes are on the long side of the box, and these are for mounting the output jack and the switch. (If you're confused about drill-bit sizes, it should be a size larger than what it says the size is on the package. Just make sure that the jack and switch fit snugly.)
Step 3
Install the output jack and the switch into the holes you just drilled. Now you have the box itself completed!
- Note: If you look at the back of the organ, you should see that a length of speaker wire runs from the preamp (that thing with all the tubes on it) to the internal speaker. Snip that wire as close as the speaker as you can, and then remove the end of the wire from the speaker connections.
Step 4
Get your length of dual-lead speaker wire and solder it to the poles of the organ's internal speaker. The ground wire should be attached to the left contact, and the hot wire should be attached to the right contact.
Step 5
Strip the ends of both of the cables you have now. The stock Hammond wire might be harder to strip, because it's both thin and old. The new wire you just installed on the speaker should be a breeze.
Step 6
Cut a three-inch length of the electrical connection wire and strip the ends. Set it aside.
- Note:To the right of the preamp, there's a nice little clear area - perfect for working on the soldering of the speaker leads. Take the output box you just built and put it there.
Step 7
Run both sets of speaker wires through the holes you drilled in the sides of the box.
Step 8
Get your soldering iron and the stock Hammond wire that is running from the preamp. The green wire is the HOT, and the black wire is the GROUND. Solder the HOT wire to the top contact on the input jack, and then solder the GROUND to the contact on the side of the jack.
Step 9
Take the speaker wires running from the internal speaker and solder the HOT wire to the right-hand contact on the switch, and solder the GROUND wire onto the side contact of the output jack (where the preamp's GROUND wire is).
Step 10
Take the three-inch length of electrical connection wire you just cut and solder one end to the HOT contact of the output jack, and other end of the wire to the middle pole of the switch. The organ should now send signal through the 1/4" output jack, and the switch should turn the internal speaker on and off.
Step 11
Mount the box to the organ any way you like, using whatever materials you can think of (glue, velcro, brackets, screws, etc.) and you're done!
Tips
- Use this diagram if you get confused.
- This mod is easily reversed if you don't need it anymore. Just unsolder the leads of the preamp and speaker wires and connect them together, and your M3 will be stock once again.
- You might want to label the box above the switch, so you can tell whether the internal speaker is ON or OFF without having to play the organ.
- The sound of the 1/4" output is pretty hot. Many people prefer to have a little overdrive when the Hammond is fully maxed out, but if you don't, then adjust the organ's volume pedal to where you have the loudest volume without distortion, and then adjust the gain controls on your amp or mixer accordingly.
Warnings
- Be careful with electricity. To be safe, unplug the organ before you install the line-out box.
- Don't clip the speaker wire coming out of the preamp too short. If you do so, you won't have any option but to take apart the entire preamp and replace the wires coming out of it. Rather than involve yourself in a much more complicated Hammond project, leave plenty of lead of the preamp speaker wire.
Things You'll Need
- One 4" by 2" by 1" plastic project box.
- One 1/4" output jack.
- One two-pole, single-throw switch.
- Spool of heavy-gauge electrical connection wire.
- Three or four feet of heavy-gauge dual-lead speaker wire.
- Wire strippers (makes the job easier).
- Soldering iron and solder.
- Drill, with drill bit set.
