Hammond-Suzuki XK-3

Had problem with the expression pedal
More than one month to repair by dealer.
The new Leslie 122 had problem.

Slow service.

With good support would be a great instrument

really just got this unit. haven't dug into deep yet. but it seems really pretty easy to get great sound from

this thing has alot going on. just love it

sounds are just awesome this thing blows me away everytime i turn it on. just love that traditional hammond sound and the leslie sims are great really.

don't know yet no probs so far

would definately buy again. no doubt even though i got it for about 500 under musicians frien avertised price. i would pay full pop if it were stolen. it is that good.

I guess it's easy enough to understand. If you get into the menu screen to try to tweek some of the parameters, it's a bit of a pain!

On paper it sounds great, all those digital tone wheels, and tubes, and waterfall keys, vibrato, chorus, leslie simulation, and very light, these are good features!

Now I get to rant! Look, maybe I'm the wrong guy for this review, but here's the Gospel according to John! The key click sounds like someone is tapping on an 8.5 x 11 piece of paper everytime you push a key. The tube distortion is nearly unusable, and sounds more like a cheesey distortion pedal. The Vibrato and Chorus functions are much more pronounced than on my old C3, and makes the fake leslie very hard to hear. It won't scream like my C3!! And doesn't have the warmth of my 1940s BC/21H set up. I record Hammond tracks every week at my studio for one client or another, and have used the xk-3 one time only, when the client was in a huge hurry, and didn't have time for me to mike up my C3/ Leslie set up. I would NEVER substitute the digital for the old analog, except for live situations, where there isn't enough man power to pack one of my analog monsters on stage!

Very trust worthy.

Picked it up from Goff Professional. They are great!!

I'd not replace it! Be more inclined to find an old M-3, add fold back to the top manual, then chop it!

Hello. Back with an update. Now three days with my new XK3 as of 3/24/07. Had a last-minute gig last night so I'm writing again.

Software version is 1.203, which is supposedly the latest. Would be nice to have a user way to update software when updates come out; perhaps on a memory card. A USB PORT would be a Godsend. Also easier user-oriented way to change internal battery.

Good manual but very formal-speak. Could be more conversational. Most of us are old-line B3 players and will use the XK3 as a replacement.

Show us in lay terms how to program presets; also have a way to completely CLEAR preset banks so we can fill up our own without missing one and end up using the Shirley Scott preset in the middle of a gig by mistake...

Otherwise; it seems pretty easy to use. I did program one bank for myself and found it extremely convenient.

Leslie sim is the best yet but still not perfect. Only a real Leslie can do the job--although the simulator is accurate enough one can take a good keyboard amp to a gig and few will notice difference. I have a 3300 on order so that issue will be resolved shortly. But it sounds great thru my Roland 550 and I wouldn't hesitate to take that combination onstage anytime. I Leslies do more than animate; they also diffuse the sound to naturally roll-off highs and keep down the brackish top-end of a straight amp. I tweaked the horn rise time to give it more of a ProLine start up time (changed from default 2.2 to 1.8 and that seems to make a big difference). Sped up brake time to give it more of a 21H brake. Again; put the XK3 with a Leslie and I believe it's tough to beat. I look forward to getting my 3300!

When I ordered the Leslie; I also got the expression pedal. Right now I'm just using the volume pot.

Nice, firm key feel. Not overly stiff. I play a little bit of everything; most of the gigs I do are pickup jobs with fake books and it seems to handle everything well as a B3 would. Bought it Wednesday; gigged with it last night for the first time at local country club after getting call yesterday afternoon. Guitar player I worked with had seen one but hadn't heard one live. Now he wants to buy one for himself.

Haven't really cranked it up yet. Didn't get amp past 4 and didn't get master volume past 9-10 o'clock. But I was quite impressed. It was me, drummer, guitar and tenor/alto/flute player. We rocked (lol).

Honestly; only die-hards would really know the difference. I've played organ for 15 years and have had several B3/Leslie combinations. There ARE subtle differences but not enough to go into minutae about it. I'll just say the difference between the XK2 (I had one and sold it six months later--declaring it crap) and the XK3 is, to me, like comparing a B3 to a Farfisa. It's obvious Hammond/Suzuki did a lot of homework on this.

I haven't heard of anyone having an XK3 go down during a gig. I bought a nice flight case with it, which makes it heavy to lug but at least I don't have to worry about it being crushed. Yes--I would use it without a backup.

Haven't dealt with customer service yet, but I hear they're very easy to get along with and if you explain your plight they will bend over backwards to help.

I would absolutely buy another one. Am seriously thinking about getting insurance rider to cover this and the Leslie. It's a night-and-day difference compared to the XK2...and, frankly, having played the Korg, Roland and Kurzweil--I think the aforementioned are apples and the Hammond is an orange. None are lemons, but this is the closest clone I've ever heard.

I don't play pedals well but will get the 13 note MIDI pedalboard in the near future to help with low end.

Manufacturers have spent years trying to duplicate the Hammond/Leslie sound. I held off buying a clone until the XK2--then sold that because it sounded more like a Kawai than a Hammond. The XK3 will not disappoint you. It's a well-built, pro keyboard that, after years of frustration--has convinced me it's so close only the really discerning ear can tell the difference. As a long-time Hammond player--it's tough for me to tell...and I'm sure, once driven through a Leslie--it's pretty much unbeatable.

I wouldn't hesitate to recommend it--but I have a feeling the XK3 does a good job of selling itself.

I believe it's the current version--1.3? I just bought it 3/22/07, NIB from Guitar Center (very good price, too, but you gotta talk them down and have a couple of other quotes in hand). Also ordered a Leslie 3300...not from GC...that won't be here for a couple of weeks. Meantime; I bought a Roland 550 keyboard amp to go along with it.

--Sold an A102 and two Leslie 45s to buy it. Have a 56 mint-out-of-living-room B3 and two 21Hs in LR. My church's band wants me to play with them but refused to move the A102 rig over there, hence my deciding to buy the XK3. I'm a former pro who got out of music 20 years ago but now think I'd like to gig again. Okay, enough of that.

--Have had it nearly two days and have practically slept with it. I love it. I believe it's the latest software, since I just bought it new in box from GC (good price, too, but you gotta haggle).

--Once you get the learning curve; it seems setting everything as you like is quite easy. Never used an editing patch. Manual is great but could be a little more plain-speak. Those Japanese...

Keyboard action is firm but not too hard; about the same as a B3 after new felts and springs.

Presets are infinitely variable within the confines of the instrument, IMO.

Reverb is surprisingly good.

Leslie Simulator is eons better than XK2, but there's nothing like the real thing. Average Joe might not notice, but musicians do. However; it seems the louder you run it--the better the Leslie effect is. I understand stereo amplification doesn't hurt when running it without a Leslie, but haven't tried that. I do think it sounds terrific through a bigger amp with some headroom.

Have not tried the MIDI yet. Am old-school and have yet to learn much about it.

It's the best B3 simulator yet...and coming from someone who plays B3s, it's pretty darned close. Problem with building a simulator is real Hammonds vary organ-to-organ due to the technology at the time they were built. One capacitor either way can make or break their sound. I had an XK2 and sold it after six months. Wasn't that thrilled with it. But I think I'll keep the XK3.

I've heard the XK3 is pretty much bulletproof. It's a pro instrument and I haven't heard of many squawks; certainly never heard of a player who lost one during a gig. I'll get back to you after playing out for a few months. Time will tell.

Worth what I paid--so far.

Played professionally since age 13. Now 52. Originally a jazz guitar player, formally trained. Lost the guitar chops due to day job and, years later, wanted to try something else so I switched to B3 in 1995.

Didn't compare to other products. No need to.

I just purchased a new Hammond XK3 for my 1st organ and simply love it! I have played the Korg CX3 a couple times and really liked it, but the XK3 seems to have a warmer more B3 like sound. I also increased the mic angle in the on board Leslie up to 180?? which made for a more stereophonic and realistic Leslie sound through my old EMF solid state twin 12" woofer amplifier. With the tubes burning on high, I pretty much nailed that sound in Green Eyed Lady by Sugarloaf, especially that dramatic incredible ending, now that's a feat only a Hammond can do.

As I understand no software revisions have been done..Although I've heard that it may happen one day...Presets cover all the bread and butter sounds out there..Editing is easy once you learn the system...The manual is not realy clear in the midi department.

I never ran out of notes..Keyboard action is very useable although I would prefer it to be a little stiffer...What happed to the old spring reverb you can get with A100's...The internal reverbs in the Xk-3 do the job anyhow...Great way of saving set ups on the cards although the memory size of cards keeps on going up and so does the price... Midi...I set mine up to run a piano module in one of the banks...I found I had to fool the keyboard in the zonal department to get it working properly...It does now but it's a bit of a mind twister.

Velocity and after touch is adequite for a piano module...Of course it doesn't have the same key assembly as the new B3 so it triggers all drawbars at once...This is fine but you do loose a bit of the playability of a real Hammond tonewheel organ.
Now for the crunch...Sound..Its probably as good as it's going to get re tonewheel generator sound using the samples that are in it for the digital tonewheels...To my ear Hammond Suzuki have used a later model C or B3 to sample with...Why didn't they use a late 50's or early 60's one. They do sound better...The adjustable internal tonewheels are easy to use and I managed to set up an internal tonewheel set bench marking it against My early 60's model A100 + 2 122 leslies...Run the XK-3 through a 122 and in alive situation it does the job beautifully...
The valve overdrive is better if you replace the valves with some old ones...The chorus is useable to my ears on the 6.85 mode...Pitty you can't adjust the intensity as its not quite right to my ears..Percussion ..Useable but not in the same leage as my A100...The xk-3 sounds a bit plasticy..
The leslie simulation still doesn't do it and is the weakest part of the organ...But then again nothing replaces a real one...

Never had a problem..Build quality is up their with top manufacturers.
Used it live for 2 years ..no gliches

Never had to use it.

I have just sold mine and as its getting to heavy to lug + a 122 leslie ...I've compromised some on the size and weight by using a Kurzweil K2600...To my surprise the K2600 does the job in a live situation..I've been playing Organ, Piano and synths for 35+ years ..Played and lugged just about everything...The XK-3 is the closest organ simulator that I've ever come across ,but it does lack in areas where the competition like CX3's leslie simulator and the K2600's overall package better suit my applications now...I did have a new Korg CX-3 ( loved its size and weight )prior to buying the XK-3...Overall it's personal taste and application...Put the XK-3 through a Speakeasy pre-amp into a 122 Leslie and you have currently the best option for a portable rig out there...In the meantime I'll wait to see what other offerings Hammond Suzuki come up with in the future. Who knows I may get a XK_3a !!!

As of this writing, the latest software version is 1.203. The Hammond XK-3 is an excellent tonewheel Hammond organ. Two big pluses the XK-3 can offer. First, it's about 400lbs lighter, and second, very low maintenance. The presets sound awesome. I actually haven't even made my own yet because I've been having fun playing with the presets already included (over 100 of them). Spend some time browsing thru the menu system and you won't have a a problem editing parameters. I see no need to simplify it. There is quite a bit of info in the manual, sometimes hard to follow, but that's about it.

The XK-3 has full polyphony and the keyboard action is very authentic. A tad stiffer than a real Hammond B3, but it doesn't affect my playing skills at all. It has the original C/V with a rotary knob (looks just like the original knob that was used on Hammond's in later years). You also have reverb which is very tweakable. And lastly the Leslie simulator. It leaves a little to be desired still. I play the XK-3 thru my Leslie 142 and it's just like having a Hammond B3, no joke. All effects are tweakable. I was a little disappointed that you can't increase/decrease the C/V depth. I think C1 is a little strong. If you're happy with the XK-3, you can stick the lower manual and pedals under it and you're ready to go. No sacrifices are being made with the XK-3. You can also stick a CompactFlash card in the back of the keyboard and save all your settings to that card.

A very useful feature is you can edit almost every parameter on the fly. Instead of browsing thru the menu, just hold down the button of the parameter you can to change (ie: louder percussion) and use the value knob to increase/decrease the value of that parameter. Hit the Play button to return to the main screen.

Another great feature I really like is the ability to control what parameters change when going from preset to preset. This is called Preset Load. You can set it up so your Leslie speed isn't affected when you change to a different preset. You can also set it up so your overdrive, C/V, split zones, etc all stay the same when you change presets. Some of these parameters are grouped into one preset load option. Overdrive, C/V, and Leslie are all one preset load category. It's still a very cool feature though.

Tonewise, I don't think there's anything you can do to make it sound better. I honestly believe the tone is as authentic as the original B3. Technology has brought us to the point where analogue tonewheels are no longer required to reproduce the little nuances that digital technology could never reproduce until now. The only thing I might desire is multi-contact keys, but that would also up the price quite a bit. As long as you play the XK-3 thru a real Leslie, I don't think you'll have any complaints about the sound. Everything but the Leslie simulator sounds just like it should.

Oh yeah, this thing was built to last, no doubt about it. If I ever need a portable Hammond organ, the XK-3 is what I'm using. The only thing I can compromise with is a Leslie. There's no such thing as a Leslie simulator that sounds just like a physical rotating speaker, and never will be, at least in this life time. If you're buying with intentions of using the internal simulator, go with the Nord Electro or Roland VK-8. Both have excellent internal simulators that even I wouldn't mind using from time to time. Or, you can wait for the new XK-3. I don't know if it's going to be called an XK-3, but for now that's what they're calling it. The new XK-3 is supposed to have some hardware updates as well as a new OS version to bring it up to par with the current XK-1. Improved C/V with the ability to control depth, a much improved Leslie simulator, and I'm sure some other things.

I have never dealt with Hammond-Suzuki support, but I've heard they'll do whatever it takes to make sure you are 101% satisfied. Hopefully I'll never have to call them, but if I do, I hope that holds true.

If it were lost or stolen, I'd be buying another one. I've been playing for over 7 years, but I only started on the organ a couple of years ago. Other than the Leslie simulator and no way to edit the C/V depth, I'm very happy with it, and unless someone offers me a free Hammond B3 or New B3, I'll be keeping the XK-3. I previously owned a VK-8 and before that a VK-8m. The problem I had with the VK was the tone did not interact with the Leslie very well. The tone was pretty close, I'd give it an 8, but the pedal tones sucked terribly. No depth at all. An equalizer kind of took care of that problem, but it also affected the bass depth when I would playing left hand bass. There was too much and it was overpowering. The tone from VK wasn't very warm and mellow like it should be. The XK-3 takes care of all my needs tonewise.

An old cat could most likely operate the XK-3 without a problem because all the basic features are laid out like the original. Sixty-one waterfall keys, 12 inverse preset keys to your left, Leslie switching to your left, Percussion on your upper right, C/V on the upper left, 3 sets of drawbars (upper, pedal, lower) right in the middle.

The sound on this unit is really stellar. It uses the same software as it sister the new B3, except for analog features added to the B it is identicle. Patches are extremely easy to edit. I am used to very difficult editing techniques and have seen them all. This one adds a feature that by holding down certain keys for an extended period of time (2-3 seconds) you can 'short cut' to make changes. And then by holding down 2 buttons you can make those changes perminent. This can be done on the fly on stage! Very nice feature. The keyboard is layed out like the B and the waterfall keys are sensational, although I do prefer the heavier feel of the old B's but the action is quite fast and responsive.

I covered the action in last section. It is quite good but could be a bit heavier, again that is only preference, not a judgment. You will not be disappointed with the reponsiveness and speed of the key return. The Midi function is very nice and well thought through. You can add a generic keyboard and double it as your 2nd keyboard. If you are looking for a synthesizer, you will be disappointed. This baby is dedicated to pure Hammond sound, although it does offer a bank of the old 60's Cheezy organs (ie. "Warm California Sun" sound. They are neat too. It will produce almost every wonderful Hammond rich sound you can think of.

They have added a velocity touch for your percussion that is really nice. It takes a bit of relearning your touch to use it but I have found that thinking "piano" helps. The sounds as I say are really really close to the original. I have tried the Roland, Korg, and own an Xb-2 which I have "tweaked" and have to say that the drawbars have a noticeable improvement from the xb. The high's are more shrill and offer that neat "throaty sound" that one enjoys about the B3 through a Leslie. The Chorals and vibrados are absoultely incredible. The only draw back that I can see is that when the you put in your 16 and 8 drawbars with a band, you lose alot of volume more than with the xb or roland.

Have not had it long enough to judge. Some say that Hammond-Suzki products are trouble free but my xb has been into them 2x now for repairs and going again. I hope after spending a couple thousand this has inproved.

work hard to please you

I would buy this again

The XK3 is easy to use. I didn't have much problems. A software editor would be nice though. Two minor points
1) the "Rec/Jump" and "Bank" are next each other. On stage I accicently pressed the Rec button instead of Bank for a preset selection.
2) It seems that the XK3 is reset if one plays the demo. Thus first save to memory card and then play demo.

The XK3 is very easy to use in live situations because of all the buttons. Midi is sufficient (i use it together with a motif es and roland xp80). The keyboard feels good.

The XK3 has wooden panels (although i think it is wood). Unfortunate, althoug i'm very carefull, scratches already appear on these panels. I wonder what i will look like in a year.

First of all, i have been playing synths for most of my musical life. I owned bit99, korg poly800, roland xp80, yamaha motif es 7 and i played many other types. I never owned a hammond (except for the XM1/XMc-1 which I burned after a few months). I never owned any of the good hammond clones like the korg cx. I have played in a number of bands in which I normally played organ sound from my synths. Now i know: these really sounded bad in contrast to the XK3 (which i play without external leslie). The xk3 is a huge improvement and even after months I still like the sound (which is not often the case with most of the synths sounds that look impressive on first listening but are rather disappointing once you get used to them). I like the leslie of the xk3 but again i cannot compare to the real thing; but i don't care.

When i decided to buy a hammond or a good clone I went to the music shop and played both the XK3 and nord electro next to each other. First of, the xk3 looks much better (although i also like the red color for a synth and the nord is much more transportable). Secondly, the keys of the XK3 are much better playable. Thirdly, and most importantly, I think the nord sounded like trash. After reading some reviews about the nord, i had much higher expectations. THus i bought the xk3 and did not regret it.

I did not have problems yet (except from the scratches on the wooden panels). It seems reliable but I think one needs a good case or carying bag to protect the drawbars.

Not needed yet.

If it were lost of stolen I would buy it again. It is a great machine. However, Hammond may consider the construction of a XK4 which is as light weight as the nord.

I use it with the Motif es 7 and midi to play two manuals of hammond (maybe i will buy a pedal board). I use a swell pedal and additinal leslie switch.