HAMMOND C3

Overview

The Hammond C3 is one of the most well-known models of the Hammond organ, produced from 1954 to 1974.

Key Features

• Manuals: Two 61-note keyboards
• Pedalboard: 25-note
• Drawbars: 2 x 9 drawbars per manual, 2 pedal drawbars
• Presets: 9 presets per manual
• Effects: Vibrato and percussion
• Sound Generation: Tonewheel-based

Sound Characteristics

• Tone Generation: 91 tonewheels producing quasi-sinusoidal signals
• Key Click: Distinctive transient at note onset due to contact bounces
• Touch Sensitivity: Subtle variations in sound based on key press velocity and technique

Design

• Cabinet Style: Tudor-style “closed” cabinet, different from the B-3 model
• Mechanical Components: Includes an AC-motor driven tonewheel system

Historical Significance

The C3 is considered the second most famous Hammond organ model after the B-3, widely used in various music genres including jazz, rock, and gospel.