Am I a fool for considering a Hammond xk3c?

[JeffLearman]

XK3c kicks ass. However, also consider the Crumar Mojo. It's dual-manual, which might mean it's bulkier than you might want. But it has most of the controls and both manuals, and sounds at least as good as the XK3c.

I have an NE2 and like it a lot, but I'd recommend an NE only if you need the other sounds. The XK3c beats the NE3 in all other ways except size & weight.

[delaware dave]

 

Originally Posted by TIMKEYS

True ,, the XK's are the gold standard for clone wheels,,

 

...was ...

[Bozak]

The price of the XK's dropped like a rock for a reason- they weigh a ton and need a lot of tweaking to sound great, and if you're not adding the lower manual I would say it may not be a great choice, but then again the price is good, and it does sound good, so if you

[Outkaster]

That

[Piano Whore]

I can't see why the OP shouldn't take a closer look at the Hammond SK1. I seriously doubt that any other organ clone has a better built-in Leslie sim- I have never AB'd it to the XK3c but word has it that it is significantly improved. I also own the Ventilator leslie sim pedal, which does better grind and overdrive, but as far as the rotary effect itself I prefer that of the SK1- clearer and more defined. Also, the SK1 action is lighter and (for me) much more playable than Nords- very smooth and fast, not nearly as much springy "push-back" against your fingers. Hammond-Suzuki has a new update for the SK to give the option of a shallower trigger point (when not layering organ with other sounds) and although I haven't yet tried it, it seems to be well-received by clone freaks. Also clavs and EP's and some misc. sounds are very good, ac. pianos perfectly useable also IMO.

For me, the only downside to the SK1 is the tiny size. I stack mine on top of a digital piano so that isn't much of an issue. The time I gigged it by itself, the band kidded me about how it looked like a toy- but they noticed the BIG sound, for sure.

[Iamthesky]

Originally Posted by Bozak

But for me, every time I grabbed that 80 lb. case to go up two flights of stairs

Oh, good, it's lighter than my Taurus 3.

Actually there is one nice thing about cases weighing over 60lbs -- the rest of the band doesn't feel put out when you ask for help with the big stuff. In my experience, the lower limit of the friendly answer to "can you help me with this?" seems to be slightly above the weight of a Minimoog plus case.

[JeffLearman]

 

Originally Posted by Outkaster

I have never had to really tweak and XK-3C. In fact I kept it stock and had recordings where people couldn

[Devnor]

Def worth the $$$$. I've never looked back. Good luck!

[JeffLearman]

There's another thing about the XK3c. It just *feels* good, and looks good. If you put the same controls and sounds into a nondescript black keyboard, it wouldn't be quite as much fun. I'm generally more into function than form, and it surprised me the first time I played one.