Hammond Organ Tone Generator

Unlocking the secrets of the Hammond Tone Generator. An inside look at a H series tone generator. PLEASE READ BEFORE DISLIKING!!!!!!! THIS TG WAS TAKEN FROM A SCRAPPED ORGAN Right after shooting this, the TG was ceremoniously dumped into a steel scrap recycling hopper. The purpose of the video is to show those who would otherwise not know what a TG looks like on the inside what makes their Hammond tick. The oiling system is shown, as is the mechanics of the TG. The TG was taken from an H that was parted out due to a massive amount of other problems. Most of the other functional parts from this organ were donated to people to make their own H operational again. Remember that these parts have not been made in 30 years, so what is out there is all there is. The harsh reality of life is that it takes several organ donors to keep a single organ working. The TG itself has no value other than the scrap value of the metal, unfortunately. A fully functional H is only worth a couple hundred bucks, at best. This was a good exercise to see “what if?“ There have been theories of what would happen if the magnet met the TW, now we know that it may not be all that traumatic. Point is that people should not be scared to make adjustments for fear of the magnet touching the TW. I would strongly advise you take caution to not allow contact of the magnet to TW, however, as one cannot be sure that damage will be done under certain circumstances. UPDATE: If a tonewheel gets a nick deep enough, a “tick“ will be heard in that tone, and there is nothing that can be done to correct it other than replace the tonewheel, which is a daunting task. In this case it would be easier to replace the entire TG. Same goes if the tip of the magnet pickup is broken off. Also, I have been advised that the paint is there to keep the tonewheel from rusting. I would imagine that enough rust will cause a degradation in sound. The reality, IMO, is that any TG that I have seen is pretty coated with oil. Painting would require degreasing. The oil itself may inhibit rust formation. In recalibrating a few dozen tone generators, I have unfortunately had a few crashes. In all cases, however, I have yet to have any tones with permanent unwanted that does not mean that it could not happen. BOTTOM careful and do not let the pickup make contact with the TW if at all possible.