How to Make a Guitar Sound Like a Hammond Organ

You can re-create a Hammond Organ with one guitar pedal.

The Hammond Organ sound is a classic sound integral to numerous recordings over the years. Hammond Organs are also quite large and cumbersome, and hard to recreate. Luckily for guitarists, Electro-Harmonix produces a pedal that replicates the sound of the classic Hammond Organ, and many other organ-like tones in a pedal the size of a paperback novel.

Difficulty:

Moderately Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need

• Electro-Harmonix POG guitar pedal

1. Electro-Harmonix manufactures a classic guitar effect pedal called the POG, or Polyphonic Octave Generator. The pedal recreates the classic sound of the Hammond Organ by changing the tonality of the guitar signal, adding octave tones 1 and 2 steps higher in pitch, and 1 step lower in pitch. This generates the classic throaty and soulful sound of the Hammond Organ.

2. Adding a few various effects pedals into the chain will further increase the tonal range of the signal, allowing the guitarist to further shape and mold the tone in the direction he chooses. By adding simple reverb, delay or echo to the signal, the tone generated by the POG pedal becomes even more dynamic.

3. Experimentation with signal chain, different guitar models and tones will allow the player to not only emulate a Hammond organ with the POG pedal, but also place his own stamp on the tone, creating something unique for the player's individual musical needs and tastes.

Tips & Warnings

• The POG pedal is available through online retailers as well as in various music shops; locate and sample a POG pedal to make sure it provides the tone, feel and sound you are interested in. Try adding various other effects into the signal chain to shape the abilities of the POG pedal to best fit your needs.

References

• Musicians Friend: Electro-Harmonix POG
• YouTube: Micro POG Demonstration