The Hammond Mini-B (Discontinued)
Within a year following the introduction of the Hammond New B-3 back in 2003, we began to see the need for a second, more economical alternative to the New B-3 for those individuals and churches struggling with an old, failing vintage Hammond Organ of yesteryear. Since budget concerns have a way of coloring one's options when it comes to major purchases, we began having serious discussions with Hammond USA about the need for an instrument that could compete in price with the very best of the vintage B-3's out there yet offer the dependability and factory warranty our customers demand. What we got is the result of numerous conversations and conference calls and I'm happy to say that Hammond Central had a hand in this organ's development.
Proven, Time Tested Technology
Based
on the technology of the ever-popular Hammond XK-3C, the Hammond
Mini B is a two manual organ in a furniture-grade cabinet. The
bench is essentially identical, except for wood and finish, to that
of the New B-3, as are the legs of the organ. Players will
appreciate the fact that the Mini B's menu defaults to the
transposition page (6 half-steps up or down) and that the entire
menu can be locked out (a Hammond Central contribution to the
design) to keep non-players with "heat seeking fingers" from
inadvertently changing the instrument's parameters. Like the
New B-3, the music rack is detachable and stores inside the bench
and the heel rest is integral to the bass pedalboard.
Specially Packaged by Hammond USA
The Mini-B is offered by Hammond USA only through its full-line organ dealer network and comes fully assembled by the factory with a full three-year warranty. In addition, Hammond USA has announced that the Mini B will be sold together with a matching 981SE Leslie Speaker with a second 981SE available as an option, of course.
MIDI
The Mini-B has one of the most powerful MIDI implementations to be found anywhere on a church organ, offering 6-channel MIDI keyboard control capability on the organ's front panel.
Leslie Ready
In addition to the special edition Leslie 981, the Mini-B can function without an external Leslie by utilizing quality self-powered speakers or a quality sound reinforcement system. On board the Mini-B is a state-of-the-art Leslie simulation system that is available in the stereophonic line outputs as well as the headphone jack; a nice feature for private practice and recording without microphones.