About to buy M3- Kind of a Newby

[Piano&Drums]

Hey so Ive been looking for an M3 and had a lot of replies and i finally got one near me. What kind of questions should I ask? and what should i check for when i go check it out? I recently started to become interested in Hammonds. Ive pretty much just been doin stuff with Rhodes. Ive been restoring a Rhodes Mark II stage 73 and i dig it. But now I want a Hammond. A B3 is way out of my monetary range and I always play with a bass player so i guess the shorter manuals wont bother me too much. I just want a B3 kind of sound, so i figure the M3 is right for me. Thanks in advance.

-Juan Z.

[Soulstation1]

my understanding

The m3 will not sound like a b3 at all

[Soul Stream]

Good thing about the M3 is that I think it has the same percussion and vibrato/chorus sections as a B3 (am i right Jim?). Also, keys and drawbars are the same. Yeah, you can't get the bass like a B3, but it's an affordable place to start.

Problem with buying a Hammond Organ is you kind of have to know about them a bit. Otherwise you might end up with several hundred dollars of just maintenence-type of repairs right off the bat.

First, you have to know how to turn it on properly and see if it runs. You'll need to check all the drawbars, keys, percussion/vibrato sections. Make sure it all works and SOUNDs like it's running well (not too jalopy sounding)

Anyway, at a good price ($200-$300 bucks) you ought to be fine.

[Jim Alfredson]

And M3 will sound like a B3. Same generator, just less tonewheels (ie, no bass on the lower manuals and wimpy bass pedal sound). I played an M3 with a synth on top for left-hand bass for years. That's actually how I learned. It does help to pair it with a real Leslie.

[Jim Alfredson]

The following article refers to a B3, but it is a pretty good guide for an M3 as well.

http://theatreorgans.com/hammond/faq/hammond-faq.html#SEC12

Good luck!

[Piano&Drums]

Thanks for the replies guys.