Gimme Some Lovin'
The Spencer Davis Group · 1966
- Credited as
- Hammond organ
- Performer
- played by Steve Winwood
- Role
- Riff and lead
- Reference quality
- 4 out of 5 as a listening reference
HIGHInstrument confirmed, model not specified
Instrument
Hammond organ
Organ · Hammond Organ Company · Introduced 1935
The family of tonewheel organs built by the Hammond Organ Company from 1935. Most recording credits name a Hammond without naming a model, and this is the entity for those: where a source establishes only that a Hammond was used, the claim belongs here rather than on a model page.
product photograph — Hammond organ
What it sounds like
Sustained and built from stacked harmonics rather than a single waveform, with drawbars setting the balance between them. Models differ in what they add: harmonic percussion on the B-3 and C-3, a smaller two-manual layout on the spinets, built-in amplification on the A-100.
Hear it
Recordings featuring the Hammond organ
Soul Sacrifice
Santana · 1969
- Credited as
- organ
- Performer
- played by Gregg Rolie
- Role
- Organ solo
- Reference quality
- 3 out of 5 as a listening reference
MEDIUMInstrument confirmed, model not specified
Imagine this sound
Getting the Hammond organ sound
Historical instrument ≠ modern equivalent. These are editorial suggestions for getting close, not claims about what was used on any recording.
Dedicated emulation
Hammond B-3X
IK Multimedia
Officially licensed virtual Hammond B-3, developed in cooperation with the Hammond Organ Company and Suzuki Musical Instruments. Models the tonewheel generator, the drawbars and a Leslie rotary cabinet.
Models the B-3 specifically, which is the most recorded member of the range.
Dedicated emulation
B-3 V
Arturia
Software emulation of the tonewheel organ and its Leslie rotary speaker, with modelled tonewheel leakage, drawbar leakage and key click.
Models the B-3 specifically. Not licensed by the Hammond Organ Company.
How it works
All tonewheel Hammonds share one method of making sound. Metal tonewheels turn on a shaft driven by a synchronous motor, each passing an electromagnetic pickup, and drawbars set how much of each harmonic reaches the output.
The models differ in cabinet, keyboard and features rather than in that core design. The B-3 and C-3 are internally identical and introduced harmonic percussion; the C-3 differs only in its enclosed cabinet. The M-3 is a spinet with 44-note manuals rather than 61 and a shorter pedalboard. The A-100 is effectively a self-contained B-3 with its own amplifier and speakers.
Those differences matter when chasing a specific recorded sound, which is why a credit naming only "Hammond organ" is not evidence for any one of them.