Members pelleyoo Posted April 5, 2005 Members Share Posted April 5, 2005 Could someone please make sense of this? I think there are two versions of Korg CX-3. One from 1979 and one from 2001. I know that the new one has a display but this one doesn't, but it's got those knobs and buttons that only digital synths have right? So what kind of CX-3 is this? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members suitandtieguy Posted April 5, 2005 Members Share Posted April 5, 2005 looks like an original CX-3 to me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members pelleyoo Posted April 5, 2005 Author Members Share Posted April 5, 2005 then how's the original one? Can't sound too good can it? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members jchas Posted April 5, 2005 Members Share Posted April 5, 2005 That's the original model which came out around '82 or so. Up untill a few years ago it was THE Hammond emulator to have and only recently was surpased by a few others including the 'new' CX-3 (and why they gave the same name is anybody's guess).I owned one of the first ones and played it on the road for over 10 years and it never let me down. It sounds damn good and translates well on recordings. In my opinion it cuts through a heavy live mix better than the newer ones but doesn't have the 'balls', MIDI, or as good of Lelsie simulator. If the price is right I think it would be a wise investment. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members pelleyoo Posted April 5, 2005 Author Members Share Posted April 5, 2005 Could it be compared with a Viscount DB-3? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members GigMan Posted April 5, 2005 Members Share Posted April 5, 2005 Originally posted by jchas That's the original model which came out around '82 or so. Up untill a few years ago it was THE Hammond emulator to have and only recently was surpased by a few others including the 'new' CX-3 (and why they gave the same name is anybody's guess). I owned one of the first ones and played it on the road for over 10 years and it never let me down. It sounds damn good and translates well on recordings. In my opinion it cuts through a heavy live mix better than the newer ones but doesn't have the 'balls', MIDI, or as good of Lelsie simulator. If the price is right I think it would be a wise investment. jchas - Interesting that you say the original CX-3 "cuts through" the live mix better, yet doesn't have "balls"... please explain. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members eric Posted April 5, 2005 Members Share Posted April 5, 2005 I owned the original CX3 for a few years until the Hammond XB2 came out and trumped it. The original CX3 was a very nice instrument, especially considering the era in which it was released. There were very few other clonewheel options at that time, save for Crumar and maybe another random organ I can't remember. The original CX3 was first released in either 1979 or 1980 and there was also a dual manual BX3 around this same time. I have a Korg catalog from 1982 with both models shown. They have a respectable organ sound, but a fairly dismal Leslie simulation. I used mine through a Leslie 145 and also a Dynacord CLS222 - it sounded excellent when played through these external solutions. One benefit the old CX3 has that is uncommon is the knob for keyclick volume. This was very handy for real-time tweaking vs. being buried in software. One thing to know about the old CX3 is that it had proprietary one-off circuit boards that would fail over time. There are some companies that make replacements now, but they are not cheap. The new edition CX3 circa 2001 is a completely different animal. I owned one for a year before switching exclusively to the Nord Electro. The new CX3 is a startlingly realistic clone with mega editing capabilities and a sweet Leslie simulation. The UI was improved with 2 sets of drawbars, authentic Hammond-like placement of controls (chorus, percussion), waterfall-style square-front keyboard, MIDI and a nice display for edits and patch naming. This organ can completely stand on its own with no real need for external Leslie processing. The current used price on the old CX3 is around $500-700 range, so it held its value well. The new CX3 is MAP at around $1795 or $1895. It can be found used in the $1100-1300 range. If I were going to buy a Korg now, I would go with the new one. If you get a good deal on the old one, you need to spring for some type of external Leslie processor, whether it be Motion Sound, Dynacord, other sim or a real Leslie. Hope this helps. Regards,Eric Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members jchas Posted April 5, 2005 Members Share Posted April 5, 2005 Originally posted by GigMan jchas - Interesting that you say the original CX-3 "cuts through" the live mix better, yet doesn't have "balls"... please explain. Just that the original doesn't have the fuller, rounder bottom end to it that the newer model has. Kinda like micing up a portable Motionsound leslie cabinet vs. a 147 with a 12" cone - you can e.q. the low end up but it's just not the same - the lower overtones are missing. Similar to how a Strat can cut through better than a Gibson 335 - but the 335's rich tone is wonderfull to listen to. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members GigMan Posted April 6, 2005 Members Share Posted April 6, 2005 Originally posted by jchas Just that the original doesn't have the fuller, rounder bottom end to it that the newer model has. Kinda like micing up a portable Motionsound leslie cabinet vs. a 147 with a 12" cone - you can e.q. the low end up but it's just not the same - the lower overtones are missing. Similar to how a Strat can cut through better than a Gibson 335 - but the 335's rich tone is wonderfull to listen to. Oh, ok - I gotz it: good analogies Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Miket156 Posted April 6, 2005 Members Share Posted April 6, 2005 Keep in mind that you can't split the KB on the original CX-3. Other than that, it is a nice clone for the time period it was made, as Eric mentioned. I agree that if you can get a decent deal on the original, and you don't need to spilt the KB, it will fill the role of a clone that is played for a number of songs with a player that has multiple KB's in his rig. But if you're a Hammond player, or organ is the featured board in your rig, you'll want the split KB and have all the additional features of the newer model, provided you can afford one. Mike T. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Outkaster Posted December 2, 2014 Members Share Posted December 2, 2014 Just picked one of these up. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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