[HAM] Hammond(Everett)pianos

[Doug Irvine]

Luther did indeed and so did I in Canada. The Everett Piano Company was 
sold to Hammond Organ Company, so the Hammond Organ Studio franchises 
would have pianos to sell. They were expressly forbidden under their 
H.O.S. franchise to sell anything else at all, and when I started in 
Ottawa Canada the H.O.Studio was owned by the Willis Piano Company of 
Montreal. We could not even have a new Willis piano on the floor, which 
annoyed Monty Willis exceedingly! However, as we got monthly visits from 
the Hammond Rep, he decided that the safer route was to only have Willis 
Piano brochures, and have a used Willis in a back studio! We had the 
papers to prove that it was a used piano(although it was as new)that had 
been taken in trade on an M-3!
Having the Everett piano, also included having the Everett organs, which 
were really Hammond tube electronic organs re-badged. They did not sell 
well and so were discontinued in the late 60s early 70s. Only advantage 
of this chord organ was the fact that it had a regular expression pedal 
rather than the leg operated one. I personally have a lot of respect for 
the S-6 and S-100, which were the brain child of John Hanert, who died 
far too soon and had he remained alive would have changed the fate of 
the company. His inventions were far superior sound wise to other 
electronic organs of the day, and contrary to some opinions, were very 
solid in their ability to stay in tune. Perhaps now, they are slipping 
given their age and worn out components, but I can recall only ever 
having to tune one that was badly out. Did it with a hammer and a screw 
driver! NO! Not a tuning hammer, a HAMMER hammer, as in nails!! And at 
that I used a tone wheel organ for reference:-))!
Cheers, old Doug on Vancouver Island BC