Nord Electro 3 or Hammond XK-1??

[raekwon]

hey there,

I'm looking to step up to my first 'real' keyboard. Tired of all the el cheapo sounds I'm used too. I know enough that I want that B3 sound and want something that I can gig around with and also have to record. Besides that, i'm pretty much in the dark other than watching vids of both of these and thinking that's the sound I'd like to have. The Hammond is about $500 cheaper, but is the leslie cab a must? Is all that replicated w/in the electro.?

 

Any opinions are appreciated. Thanks.

[Nillerbabs]

It sounds to me as if you're not 100% settled on what kind of instrument you want - also counting that this will be your first 'real' keyboard. The Hammond focuses on that particular sound only, whereas the Electro many different organs and electric + acoustic pianos, all pristine quality - and you can load samples. That way, when recording you'll have a wide array of sounds at your disposal. For purists, particularly on the organ side, the Electro interface is crippled, but I doubt this will mean anything to you.

[raekwon]

thanks for the reply.

I can't say I'll never be interested in getting piano 'sounds' out of the board,

but now I'm trying to get close to that B-3/organ sound. Big fan of early gospel, soul, organ jazz and since we lost our bassist in our band, we figured we'd go a different route. Due to costs on the keyboard alone, I'd be playing it through my musicman 2x10 amp for a while...

[Tomkeen]

I'd say the NE3 has a better leslie sim and a great hammond sound, probably on par with the XK1, though many will disagree. If you're not going to use a real leslie with it, go for the NE3. You get so much more than just the hammonds, and imo, it's worth it's price.

[McHale]

The XK-1 (and XK-3) is OK, the XK-3C has a much better organ sound and leslie (than the XK-1 or XK-3). I think the E3 has a better Leslie as well. Given the two choices you asked about, I'd take the Nord hands down. Great organ sounds with a good Leslie but it also has other sounds (and organs) as well.

 

My vote is an easy one for the Nord E3.

[Outkaster]

A leslie effect is second to getting a clone. First consideration should be tone.

[raekwon]

thanks again for the replies.

 

Is there a big difference in the Electro 2 and Electro 3? I'm seeing some deals on ebay for the Electro 2 that wouldn't hurt my wallet as bad as a new electro 3.

[eric]

You have not stated what sounds or user interface you need. Are you an organ purist? Just Hammond organ sounds? Or do you need the Rhodes, Wurly, CP80, Clav, Piano, synth, samples, etc.? The NE3 is much more versatile and its organ sound out of the box will completely kill the XK1, but at the expense of not having true drawbars. That is balanced by the variety of other AWESOME electro-mechanical and sampled sounds it provides.

[AnotherScott]

 

thanks again for the replies. Is there a big difference in the Electro 2 and Electro 3? I'm seeing some deals on ebay for the Electro 2 that wouldn't hurt my wallet as bad as a new electro 3.

 

 

The Electro 3 organ sounds much better than the Electro 2. It also has better sounding piano (choice of different pianos you can download), and a lot of other sample-based sounds (you can download more, or add your own), so it can also cover strings, brass, mellotrons, etc.

 

For organ alone, either the XK1 or the E3 will be much better than the E2.

[Miket156]

 

by Eric: The NE3 is much more versatile and its organ sound out of the box will completely kill the XK1, but at the expense of not having true drawbars

 

 

Wow Eric, tell us how you REALLY feel! :poke:

 

I've been debating the same issue for a long time. The XK-1 or the NE3. I would prefer having drawbars as on the XK1, but that clonewheel has them on the left side of the KB which makes it a little wider than would fit neatly on the second tier of my KB stand. And as Eric so passively mentioned in his post, the Nord is a lot more versatile than the XK-1. The NE3 can load an play samples from the ever growing library they have on their website. Tons of great sounds in addition to organ, Rhodes, Clavs that come with the NE3 out of the box.

 

Besides not having real drawbars, many people don't care for the Nord keyboard action. Whether its better or worse than the XK-1, I don't know. Can't beat the Nord for sound and features for the price, as well as the nice compact size and weight.

 

By the way, you can get if for less than the advertised price. Don't pay anymore than you have too. Shop around when you have the money in your hands and are ready to buy, it makes a difference.

 

 

Cheers,

 

 

Mike T.

[kwyn]

I have an NE3. Bought it just for the Hammonds sounds and then fell in love with the Rhodes sounds and am using the clavs and acoustic pianos a lot too (Just make sure to use the onboard equalizer).

 

I have no regrets. LOVE ME SOME ELECTRO 3!!!! Expensive...yes! but money well spent. Get the NORD!!! IMHO

[pinkfloydcramer61]

Besides not having real drawbars, many people don't care for the Nord keyboard action.

 

I'm one of them. I hate keyboard actions that have too much "pushback"- due to being too stiffly sprung. It messes with my technique- makes my playing too choppy. I know a real Hammond is somewhat like this (owned an A100 for a couple years) but with lighter springs.

 

It has nothing to do with finger strength, either. For years I have been playing Yamaha P-series pianos (the P200/early P120 is the "Medsun Ball" of keyboard actions) and gig on grand pianos.

 

AFAIK, the Korg CX3 II has the same Fatar action as the Electro- but with lighter springs, also. As a result it plays like a dream.

 

I realize the Nord action is a "compromise" action. For me, not a very good one. IMO the Roland VK7 had the perfect "compromise" action with it's metal strips on the underside of each key. Mine worked great for controlling a piano module- did not make me cringe to play 2-handed piano parts on it. Duplicate that with waterfall keys and I would be deleriously happy. But I vastly prefer the Nord organ sound- it's "hyped" in a way that works great for playing live. So I have a Nord Electro II rack. I think the NE3 would be the perfect gig board for me- but AFAIK is identical to the NE2 action-wise (none around to try out).

 

But I admit most are fine with the Electro action. Well then, how special. Glad you're happy..

[New Trail]

I went thru this discussion two years ago before I bought my NE2, and I think what can be learned is that ALL of the major keyboard players (maybe except for Yamaha) make a great Hammond Clone, but that NONE of them are perfect. You just have to decide what your trade-offs are. My decision was based on the fact that I, and two more members of the band, thought the NE2 organ sound sounded better than the Hammond XK-1 at that time.

[AnotherScott]

 

My decision was based on the fact that I, and two more members of the band, thought the NE2 organ sound sounded better than the Hammond XK-1 at that time.

 

 

It's not an easy comparison to make unless you really put some time into it. The NE2 basically sounds like the NE2, there aren't many ways to alter the organ sound. The only things you can tweak are key click level, overdrive level (which doesn't sound so great to begin with), treble/bass, and 3 available settings for the acceleration speed of the Leslie.

 

OTOH, the XK-1 is *extremely* tweakable. Four different B3 basic tonewheel timbres to choose from (plus 6 other organ timbres). Not just click level, but click tone and click release level. Adjustable percussion level and decay for each of the settings (i.e. you can vary the how loud "normal" and "soft" are, and how quick a decay "fast" and "slow" are). Tons of ways to tweak the Leslie effect, etc.

 

So if you just plug them in and play them, you can get a good idea of what the E2 sounds like, but you're just getting one sample of a range of XK1 possibilities.

 

The XK1 vs. the E3 is a tougher call to me, I need to spend a bit more time with both to decide which organ sound I really prefer, they're both good. But compared to either of those, the E2 has, to my ears, pretty bad sounding percussion, wimpy low end, okay but unspectacular leslie effect, and too clean a sound (no "leakage" or other similar artifacts that give real Hammonds so much of their character).

[mate_stubb]

I owned an Electro2 and currently have a Stage.

 

I find I have grown tired of the Nord organ sound, although the Stage is much better than the E2 (but apparently not as advanced as the E3 or C1/C2).

 

The sound is "wooly" to me and kind of like it has a blanket over it. And the chorus vib is not quite right.

 

I've gone to software organs and am currently very happy with VB3.

[New Trail]

Another factor that comes into play as well, at least for me, is that while I love my NE2 and I get compliments on the sound all the time, there is still a desire in me to own a 'real' Hammond, even if it's just a clonewheel itself.

[Aanalogaddict]

 

I owned an Electro2 and currently have a Stage. I find I have grown tired of the Nord organ sound, although the Stage is much better than the E2 (but apparently not as advanced as the E3 or C1/C2). The sound is "wooly" to me and kind of like it has a blanket over it. And the chorus vib is not quite right. I've gone to software organs and am currently very happy with VB3.

 

 

My path exactly. I still have my XK3c, but I'll probably sell it (to finance my B3P:cool:). VB3 sounds better to me than both the Electro and the XK1.

[Iamthesky]

I've been messing around trying out a few of these, and if I was going for pure organ I must say I very much like the XK-3c. The feel, the drawbars, and the sound are really nice, a great tone. I was much more impressed than I expected.

 

But personally I'm going to go for the Electro 3. I want epiano too, and it's just going to be a left-side instrument to my synths. I didn't really like much at all about the Roland VR700, and the Korg SV-1 isn't the sound I want and has a piano rather than organ key action (although it does have great string-synth sounds). I just like the way the NE3 sounds and plays, and the effects too.

 

Take this with a grain of salt though, because all I look for in Leslie effects is an OFF switch. I'm more interested in a ring modulator or even a phaser/flanger.

[theGman]

I had an XK1 and loved it; bought an Electro 3 and like the versatility of the many sounds, plus wtf I bought a Ventilator to mess with also.

 

To be honest, in my band, which is I believe an average + local 6 piece group (1 is just a singer), you canNOT tell the difference between the E3 and the XK1. I also like the lighter touch of the E3 and as I mentioned the piano sounds are a bonus.

 

While in a room with the XK1 and E3 hooked up through same amp, etc. the XK1 might have sounded two hairs better, but being pragmatic you can't tell the difference when playing a gig.

 

Plus the weight: the E3/73 weighs about 20 lbs, the XK1 was I believe in the mid to high 30# range...doesn't sound like much unless you're over 60 years old!

 

Just one guy's opinion.

[pinkfloydcramer61]

I also like the lighter touch of the E3 and as I mentioned the piano sounds are a bonus.

 

I think that qualifies as a clue as to the action of the E3. Thank you!

 

Now please, would someone confirm that the E3 action is same as the E2? And then, I promise to get off the subject, which I admit noone cares about but me.

 

G-man: How does your Ventilator work with the XK1 vs the E3?

[raekwon]

wow...thanks again for all the info/responses.

Think I'm going to pull the trigger on an Electro 3, when I find the right price.

[Miket156]

 

by another scott: OTOH, the XK-1 is *extremely* tweakable. Four different B3 basic tonewheel timbres to choose from (plus 6 other organ timbres). Not just click level, but click tone and click release level. Adjustable percussion level and decay for each of the settings (i.e. you can vary the how loud "normal" and "soft" are, and how quick a decay "fast" and "slow" are). Tons of ways to tweak the Leslie effect, etc.

 

 

These features are mission critical for Hammond players. It can be very frustrating when you have a different clone and you can't get these little nuances to sound right because they can't be edited. I've heard youtube demos by "real" organists playing an XK-1 and its the real deal.

 

The Nord is appealing if you need a bigger variety of sounds than just a true Hammond organ sound. The Nord can load and play the sounds from the Clavia sample library, so if you need Mellotron sounds, and other great sounds in the Clavia sample library, the NE3 is a lot more versatile. So it depends on what you are going to use it for and what sounds are the most important.

 

 

Mike T.

[Goofball Jones]

Wouldn't a comparison between the Nord Electro 3 and the Hammond XK-3c be more in order since they're around the same price-point? Or can you get an Electro 3 for the price of a XK-1 somewhere?

[AnotherScott]

 

Wouldn't a comparison between the Nord Electro 3 and the Hammond XK-3c be more in order since they're around the same price-point? Or can you get an Electro 3 for the price of a XK-1 somewhere?

 

 

It's always possible to find demos or whatever, but typically, street price is $1500 for the XK1, $2000 for the E3 (61 key), and $2300 for the XK-3C.

 

I never considered the XK-3C because it topped 40 pounds. So for me, the comparison would be between the XK1 (still heavy for my taste, but maybe tolerable) and the E3. Price isn't as much the issue as finding the right piece.

[Outkaster]

Its not that heavy.