Hammond M-2

Drawbars, keys, pedals, pretty straight forward. Starting is the same as a B3, you have to spin up the tonewheel generator before flipping the switch.

Identical waterfall keys to a B3, but no foldback or percussion. M2s have no reverb either. The keyboard size is the same as a B3, and foldback can be added to get the same sound (sans percussion). Vibrato, chorus, loud/soft switch, pedal controls (sustain, attack, etc.). Uses a 12w all vaccuum tube power amplifier with integrated preamp. Has a line in for phonograph which can be used as a line out for sound reinforcement. Weighs very, very much. It took 4-6 able bodied adults to take it up a flight of stairs.

Sounds tonewheel great! the lack of foldback in stock models is a little different, but it still sounds amazing. You should definitely use a rotary speaker with this beast, it has *the* sound.

It's 60 years old, and it only needed one resistor replaced in the power amp. That's good engineering! I am amazed at how durable the design is.

Hammond is gone, I recommend learning to do your own repairs or finding a competent tech. Schematics which are still around from the actual Hammond days are very detailed and useful.

It's definitely a beautiful and amazing sounding instrument. Essentially a perfect as a poor man's b3. It can be upgraded to sound identical, but it has that hammond sound already. I wish it didn't weigh as much, but wow, it sounds beautiful!

Very straight forward. If you've never used it before, it can take a while to come up with cool drawbar combinations.

Simple, but it creates classic sounds and has all the effects you need. No percussion unfortunately on M-2s(I'm working on that on mine). Hammonds have full polyphony. Action varies from model to model depending on how heavily its been used. If you replace felts it's great. M-2 has the 50s waterfall keys which are just like B3s, C3s... Normal/Soft volume. Cool pedal sustain feature(i wonder if this can me modified, so it sustains keyboards?). Separate vibrato combinations for each manual. My vibrato is flawed in a good way. When engaged it increases volume so I can play lead on one manual and comp on the other.

Stock M-2s lack foldback. It is expensive to have a technician rewire drawbars so sound quality is consistent all the way up keyboard. However, its worth it. I spent about $700 to have this an a few other things done and it sounds great. I'm planning to change out the amp and install percussion and foldback is necessary for this. As long as you know how to set up the drawbars, you can get great sounds out of a hammond. A leslie is crucial for this.

Hammonds are solid. I take mine to every show I play with no backup besides my Rhodes. I've taken it around in open bed pickups, but minivans are perfect. You have to oil it quarterly. It doesn't hurt to lock down the tone generator when its moved but I don't always get around to this, but I've never had any problems.

Its best to just learn to repair it yourself. The hammond company has been effectively out of business for 30+ years.

I keep my M-2 because it has the B3 sound for about 200 lbs less. I've spent a lot to get it up to the sound quality of console hammonds, but it's definitely worth it. I can easily transport my M2, Leslie 125, rhodes, and amps etc in a minivan with only one other persons help. You have to be committed to the sound to carry this around, but if you are its worth it.