I know some musicians will cringe when they read this, but this is how I destroyed a vintage Hammond organ in less than one hour. It's not that this Hammond spinet organ was ever worth a lot of money, but it's been in our family a long time. Manufactured in the s, this organ has been dwelling in my parent's house for the past 45 years, and it brings back some great memories of my mom playing the old hymns of the church.
I've even played a few hymns on that organ myself. My dad desperately wanted this organ to continue to live a productive and meaningful life, however, the years of wear and tear - and neglect had taken their toll. When you turn the organ on, the only sound it makes is a loud rumble - with the faint sound of a music note when you press a key.
Could the organ be repaired? Perhaps, but at what cost? And if it were to be repaired, who's really going to want it and deal with moving plus pounds of wood and metal?
We wanted the organ out of the house, but, holy cow, that thing is as heavy as a ton of bricks. I decided the easiest way to get it out of the house, was one piece at a time. And so, we took a screwdriver and wire cutters and gutted the inside of that organ. You wouldn't believe how heavy some of those internal components are.
One by one the pieces were removed and carried outside. I couldn't help but feel a little strange snipping the wires, like a vandal recklessly destroying some vintage property.
