Hammond S-6 Chord Organ

This organ has two primary sounds, with various tone tablets to create a sound to your liking. Just like most old keyboards/organs/synths their job of emulating real sounds are laughable. The strings sounds like moog horns, the flutes sound like bells. The solo woodwinds feature just makes things sound very hollow or echo chamber-esque. But it has a slight attack that creates a very eerie feel. A nice "transistor" buzz. The original manual had a 45 record displaying the Hammond S-6 and it's sounds.

The S-6 is completely polyphony and has very good bass/treble control, if adjusted right you can get very bassy dark sounds. The keyboard only has 3 octaves, which to some can hinder playability. The auto chords are cheesy and not very bright, most serious organ players avoid those anyways. There are a series of voices that add alot of warmth, and with different combinations can sounds really cool. I'm not sure whether or not it has speaker expansion capabilities for example adding a Leslie, but for a little chord organ like this it's not necessary.

The realism of the instruments is something to be desired, but this in no way is a bad thing. The tones the organ create are very expressive and distinct. They create outta-sight recordings. And with an organ section balancer and a solo section balancer, it makes it easier to get the sound you want.

This instrument is defiantly a studio or fun at home instrument. It is very heavy, and I wouldn't recommend taking it on tour. But back when it was made in 1957 I wouldn't doubt if it was. Such old instruments aren't capable of moving around much and I don't recommend it. Otherwise like most Hammonds quality has always been key. 40+ years and no problems is a good run.

I have no idea whether or not parts are still available for this product, support for this old product is likely slim.

This Hammond is unique to the entire Hammond family and for that reason alone I would most certainly consider searching for another if ever lost, but not before I purchase a B3. I've just started seriously taking up piano in the passing two months, so this organ is getting alot more use. I believe it is equipped with a Jennings Speaker and produces very warm tones and therefore there is no need to filter it externally(No Leslie for this badboy). One thing I really adore about this organ is the eccentric sounds it produces, it sets it apart from not only the Hammond family but other organs. This organ actually belongs in the synthesizer family and does not rely on tone wheels or drawbars to produce sounds, but a series of valves. So it has a distinctive but unorthodox engineering for it's time. This does have it's downsides though(and I stress) it does not sound like a Hammond and for that reason alone it can discourage some from purchasing it. Yet from my understanding it is sought after by collectors and admired by some, considered one of the first "synthesizers". So the con would be dependent on personal preference. Overall this is an excellent organ and if you find one I suggest not to pass it up.