Hammond XK-3c Drawbar Organ 

Comments about Hammond XK-3c Drawbar Organ:

I could ramble forever about thie board. The short version is if you ever wanted the sound of the B-3 without having to hire a moving company to haul it to every gig. This boards for you (no punn intended :). The only difficulty has been locating the recommended HFC 32 compact flash card for backing up created or preset editing. I was told by a Hammond rep that a San Disk CF card of 1G or less would suffice. Any larger memory might confuse the units formatting/initialization. Had I been in better financial position i would have purchased the pro line or the lower manual as well. Definitely get the expression pedal, a leslie, the foot pedals, and and and .....ooohhh snap Im rambling. Just buy it and treat yourself as only the best for the best. Enjoy!

Comments about Hammond XK-3c Drawbar Organ:

I've been playing funk and jazz for the last 12 years and love the sound of the Hammond organ. My biggest pet peeve w/ music is moving equipment and I would never lugg around a full size B3. The XK3 is the best of both worlds. You get the sound w/o needing a moving van and 3 guys to move it. You can take that thing to a gig, plug it up to any amp, and wail. I get goose bumps playing the XK3 and can't tell the difference between it and a 300lb B3 on stage or on a recording. Get this thang man and play it!

Comments about Hammond XK-3c Drawbar Organ:

It is really amazing how great this machine is. I've had mine for 2 years and have had no regrets. Leslie is spot on and the tube od is NASTY. When the band i'm in (Hundred Yard Smash) was ready to record an album i found that this organ is flawless in the studio. Listening to it on record you can really appreciate how smoothe the leslie sounds while switching speeds. And did i mention how nice it is to have physical drawbars to play with!

Comments about Hammond XK-3c Drawbar Organ:

Been wanting this keyboard for a long time. Love it but love it more with the 3300 Leslie I purchased with it which really brings the organ out as it should sound. I've played Hammonds for many years and this is a great alternative to the heavier organs and can be tweaked to your desire of sounds. I'm still new with mine and learning but so far I am totally impressed. The Hammond 20 note foot pedals will be here in a couple days and am really looking forward in that. I like this keyboard to because I can split the left and right hand with the drawbars. A Great little machine and Leslie.

Comments about Hammond XK-3c Drawbar Organ:

This is an amazing and "inspirational" piece of equipment that is so far advanced from the original mothership that I would be hard-pressed to find anyone who would not purchase the XK3c, after playing it, rather than an original Hammond of choice. My background is an owner of two B 2's with Trek percussion added as well as spring reverb. Both were tweeked by a professional teckie, however when I couldn't get the last one into the living room of our last home I was moved with compassion, due to it having to "B" in the garage, and sold it.
I went thru a back surgery a year and a half ago, and during my recovery time purchased the XK3c . . . . . . . . . .. I believe that it helped speed up my recovery, and I know it has stirred up the creative juices in my song writing, and has encouraged my technical skills as well. Oh, where was this 35 yr's ago when I lugged the ol' "B" up -n- down -n- in -n- out of all performance situations?????? God for the advanced technologies of the 21'st century. There is every conceivable, programmable, Hammond sound senario possible. And you can make a few of your own, as well as the Leslie type's, it just gets crazy good!
I still have a Leslie that I use periodically, but with my EV -SaX100 powered monitors (x 4) you can't tell I'm not using the real thing. Go ahead and BUY ONE~~~~~~~~!

Comments about Hammond XK-3c Drawbar Organ:

There is something magical about the XK3c. I've been a B3/C3/C2 player for more than 40 years and swore that the sound of the B3 could never be reproduced electronically. Since the B3 is electro-mechanical, there are mechanical sounds present such as the tone wheels and the bleeding of tones because the pickups transmit the noise as well as the tone. Key clicks and tone bleeding. It's what is discernable to the human ear that makes clones sound as though there is 'something' missing. That, and the genuine Leslie speaker. In a real Leslie, the organist can 'feel' the air moving when the rotors spin. It's pushing air towards you and it's a unique sensation that is missing in most clones. Not so for the XK3c. This is the closest I've ever come to the real deal. You can tune each tonewheel and adjust the amount of tone bleeding and key click to your taste. The percussion is awesome and the Leslie simulator is the best I've heard. The reverb is so-so, but I can live with that; especially in a live performance setting. I'm glad I won't be breaking my back moving a Leslie 145 anymore. Not needed with a good PA system and if I were to use it, I'd have a mic on it anyway. No more waiting for help loading a B3 at almost 400lbs. AND............I don't have to worry about tilting the organ and spilling oil.
I just can't say enough about this product and would buy it again in a heartbeat. This thing really floats my boat.
I'm also using the Hammond EXP100f expression pedal for swelling the volume. I suggest that if you're buying the organ, then get the expression pedal as well. Even though this model has a kick switch on the left side of the pedal, it's very awkward. I intend to buy the Hammond half moon switch which mounts on the front just like the B3 Leslie and persussion switches do. It's habit.
I'm considering buying the lower manual in the future but I have a Kawai MP6 that has such good tonewheel/drawbar sounds that I'm currently using that as the lower manual.
Ah.......the drawbars! The XK3c has a set for the main manual, the lower manual, and two bars for the optional bass foot pedals. I'm trying to find out if I can MIDI out the lower manual drawbars to the Kawai MP6.
If you are serious about a B3 sound for a fraction of the cost and the weight, don't hesitate. Just buy it!
Tech support is also available directly from Hammond/Suzuki.

Comments about Hammond XK-3c Drawbar Organ:

One of the best purchases I made.
After owning a B3 and a C3 with a 122 Leslie, I find the XK3C a precious gift to the working musician. I own 2 of them, including 2 lower manuals. In my opinion they perform as well as the B3, and carting them around is extremely easy. I don't even use a Leslie, I get a killer upper manual sound, and more left hand bass than I really need. I'm finding them reliable, they're constantly being moved, and unlike other clonewheels I have drawbars!!! You can tweak the hell out them. I use the XK for Jazz and Blues, the variety of sounds could fit any genre. Thank you Hammonf Susuki!
Some folks complain abou the "wood", I guess they never moved the real B around and got scratches and dents.
Well worth the money! Same guts as the new B3 at a much lower price.

Comments about Hammond XK-3c Drawbar Organ:

The sound is nothing short of incerdible. The Leslie simulator is the most realistic sounding on the market. The two tube preamp is killer!
I have played keys for a very long time and have owned a number of Hammonds and B3 clones of various manufacturers, including Hammond Suzuki. Simply put, the Hammond XK3c is so close to the real deal that the difference is virtually indiscernible. Ive taken mine out on several gigs thus far and in each case several musicians approached me during break to inquire about the great sounding organ. But hey, dont take my word for it. Go to youtube and check out the 1958 B3 and XK3C comparison by Jim Alfredson of the jazz trio Organissimo & Root Doctor. Close your eyes and try to tell the difference. I bet you cant!
Would have liked to see a better quality wood finish given the price.
There is no better clone.

Comments about Hammond XK-3c Drawbar Organ:

I use to have a Hammond C3 for several years but sold it to buy the hammond Xk3c.
Lets start with Reverb its very bad.It has an ondulation sounds without rotating the leslie simulator.The percussion on lower notes are different with the B3 because on B3 percussion on lower notes are bigger and fatter. The chorus on slow rotor sounds good but not perfect as the B3. The rest wonderfull. I have heard and played the korg x3 which at his time was very good, and have seen new roland VR 700 and it sounds good on all sounds. Reverb sounds good, but in organ, The chorus is not as good as Xk3c. I am happy with my Xk3c and waiting for the new model SK1 and SK2 that dosent weight as Xk3c and piano and other sounds are nice. I hope this review will help you

Comments about Hammond XK-3c Drawbar Organ:

I own a 1963 Hammond A100(B3) and Leslie 251. I compared the XK3c to my A100. This is as close as you can get. I use the XK3c at church with the internal Leslie through the sound system. We are a loud Pentecostal band, and the XK3c has that Hammond growl and bass just like my A100. Worth every penny.