The C3 and A100 are B3s except for the furniture and the A100 internal speaker. Same tone generator and so on. The RT-3 is a B3 with the full pedal board. The M3 and its brothers are not quite B3s, but can be made to sound very much like them with a good 122. There are also some amazingly good digital simulations if you are into computer stuff.
So there were 3 main series. B, C. And RT
B is the four poster cabinet.
C is the same size as the B, but has "modesty panels" so the sides go right to the floor.
RT also goes to the floor, but is wider due to it having a 32 note pedal board (B and C have 25 note)
Now the suffix:
No suffix, tremulant.
C chorus generator (separate tonewheel genny detuned from the main one)
V suffix, vibrato/chorus.
2 suffix, split vibrato (on and off for each manual)
3 suffix, split vibrato and percussion.
Outliers:
There is no "CC", a C with chorus was named model "D".
RT series started with vibrato/chorus, but since it was first there was no need for a V suffix.
G was a government version used in the military, a D with hardware foe handles in the cabinet sides, and an "anti fungal treatment". (There was also a G2)
BA was a player, like a player piano.
AB was the original A in a B case which was larger than the A.
A was the very original, had a different voicing than the later organs.
Another minor detail is that each one had 2 pedal drawbars, but it wasn't until the 2 series that they became what most are familar with. Earlier models the 16' was more purely fundamental while the 8' was actually referred to as "harmonic" and had no fundamental.
A100 & D100 add internal speakers, A100=B3, D100=RT3
Drawbars went from "ratchet" to smooth mid way thru the 2 series. So some are smooth and some aren't.
That's all I can recall ATM, A100 would be my recommendation, followed by a LATE -2 (smooth drawbars)
Depends where you're at and how good of a deal you can find. I had a D152 basically given to me, with the caveat that it was entirely disassembled. A100, C2/3, D152, RT-3, etc can all sometimes be found cheaply and all get sounds that are *very* close to a B3.
I think you might be looking for a clone wheel or software organ at that price point.
You can probably find a T series for free or very cheap but they don’t really sound super close to a B3 because their solid state amps and other details. But they do have a tone wheel generator vibrato scanner and reverb tank.
I picked up an A100 + 145 Leslie two years ago locally, listed for $300. Paid 10x that for a B3 and 122RV a decade before that. Deals come up so have patience if the real thing is what your really after.
Sorry for doing the software and MIDI-thing but I have really searched a lot for things that aren't bad and UAD waterfall b3 is the recorded B3 sound that beats all but the real thing, at least if you want the best emulated overdrive. The Arturia keyboards, Keylab mkII 61 being the obvious choice for premium semi-weighted feel, but all having 9 draw bars, and connectable to Swell pedals. You'll get that best 61 2nd hand for \~250USD/euro and the licence near 50 on sale. I just wanted to say that for people who are just looking for that level of commitment. I'm a b3 geek but really must concentrate on guitar gear and a slim and not always loud setup.
What do you want to do with it? Gig, record, enjoy in your living room, etc? Different answers for each. Also - how serious of an organist are you?
I am a multi-instrumentalist guitarist who runs a studio, and I have a 1956 M3 with a 142 leslie. I built a breakout box to power the leslie and it takes a balanced input signal. I built a power soak box to take the organ’s amp hot signal, and also cut out the internal speaker, and I built a tube preamp. Also, the m3 needed some work, mostly oiling and cleaning, but also electronics work in the circuits.
It sounds killer, and is great for recordings. I add some organ to almost everything that comes through here.
The limitations of an m3 to real organists are the lack of preset drawbars, the missing “scream” foldback up top, and the bass pedals. These things don’t matter if you’re adding chords to the chorus and some licks on a recording, but if you are playing in a jazz combo or an experienced foot bass, left hand comp chords, right hand melody/soloing kind of organist, the m3 is a non starter.
I just had a skilled organist in for a session this weekend who was masterfully changing his drawbar settings a bunch and didn’t let it get in his way - but I was thinking how great he would have sounded if he was on a b3 with presets
If it came down to it, I would rather have a real 122/147/142/145 leslie and a good clonewheel than an m3 and a neo vent or another software leslie.
The C3 and A100 are B3s except for the furniture and the A100 internal speaker. Same tone generator and so on. The RT-3 is a B3 with the full pedal board. The M3 and its brothers are not quite B3s, but can be made to sound very much like them with a good 122. There are also some amazingly good digital simulations if you are into computer stuff.
Those rt's are too much. They have problems. It's not a desirable model.
So there were 3 main series. B, C. And RT B is the four poster cabinet. C is the same size as the B, but has "modesty panels" so the sides go right to the floor. RT also goes to the floor, but is wider due to it having a 32 note pedal board (B and C have 25 note) Now the suffix: No suffix, tremulant. C chorus generator (separate tonewheel genny detuned from the main one) V suffix, vibrato/chorus. 2 suffix, split vibrato (on and off for each manual) 3 suffix, split vibrato and percussion. Outliers: There is no "CC", a C with chorus was named model "D". RT series started with vibrato/chorus, but since it was first there was no need for a V suffix. G was a government version used in the military, a D with hardware foe handles in the cabinet sides, and an "anti fungal treatment". (There was also a G2) BA was a player, like a player piano. AB was the original A in a B case which was larger than the A. A was the very original, had a different voicing than the later organs. Another minor detail is that each one had 2 pedal drawbars, but it wasn't until the 2 series that they became what most are familar with. Earlier models the 16' was more purely fundamental while the 8' was actually referred to as "harmonic" and had no fundamental. A100 & D100 add internal speakers, A100=B3, D100=RT3 Drawbars went from "ratchet" to smooth mid way thru the 2 series. So some are smooth and some aren't. That's all I can recall ATM, A100 would be my recommendation, followed by a LATE -2 (smooth drawbars)
Depends where you're at and how good of a deal you can find. I had a D152 basically given to me, with the caveat that it was entirely disassembled. A100, C2/3, D152, RT-3, etc can all sometimes be found cheaply and all get sounds that are *very* close to a B3.
I think you might be looking for a clone wheel or software organ at that price point. You can probably find a T series for free or very cheap but they don’t really sound super close to a B3 because their solid state amps and other details. But they do have a tone wheel generator vibrato scanner and reverb tank.
If you are willing to check out clonewheels, Roland makes some very nice affordable ones. I enjoy my VR-09.
Yeah, try to find an A100, A102, or the very rare A105. That's gonna be what you want.
M-solo is designed to be a B3 emulator, but is about 1200 list. Might find a used one under 1000. I really dig mine.
I picked up an A100 + 145 Leslie two years ago locally, listed for $300. Paid 10x that for a B3 and 122RV a decade before that. Deals come up so have patience if the real thing is what your really after.
Sorry for doing the software and MIDI-thing but I have really searched a lot for things that aren't bad and UAD waterfall b3 is the recorded B3 sound that beats all but the real thing, at least if you want the best emulated overdrive. The Arturia keyboards, Keylab mkII 61 being the obvious choice for premium semi-weighted feel, but all having 9 draw bars, and connectable to Swell pedals. You'll get that best 61 2nd hand for \~250USD/euro and the licence near 50 on sale. I just wanted to say that for people who are just looking for that level of commitment. I'm a b3 geek but really must concentrate on guitar gear and a slim and not always loud setup.
What do you want to do with it? Gig, record, enjoy in your living room, etc? Different answers for each. Also - how serious of an organist are you? I am a multi-instrumentalist guitarist who runs a studio, and I have a 1956 M3 with a 142 leslie. I built a breakout box to power the leslie and it takes a balanced input signal. I built a power soak box to take the organ’s amp hot signal, and also cut out the internal speaker, and I built a tube preamp. Also, the m3 needed some work, mostly oiling and cleaning, but also electronics work in the circuits. It sounds killer, and is great for recordings. I add some organ to almost everything that comes through here. The limitations of an m3 to real organists are the lack of preset drawbars, the missing “scream” foldback up top, and the bass pedals. These things don’t matter if you’re adding chords to the chorus and some licks on a recording, but if you are playing in a jazz combo or an experienced foot bass, left hand comp chords, right hand melody/soloing kind of organist, the m3 is a non starter. I just had a skilled organist in for a session this weekend who was masterfully changing his drawbar settings a bunch and didn’t let it get in his way - but I was thinking how great he would have sounded if he was on a b3 with presets If it came down to it, I would rather have a real 122/147/142/145 leslie and a good clonewheel than an m3 and a neo vent or another software leslie.
A’s around 1200