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.

Very easy to use. Sounds great.

Sounds best with a real Leslie. The Leslie is tweakable but will never ever begin to do what machanical horn in a Leslie will do- not in this lifetime.

I wanted to address a statement that a person writing a review named "THE PROFESSOR" wrote. He stated a Hammond B2- in fact his B2 sounds better than a B3. I personally think you should be drug tested. Here's a little Hammond Organ 101 for you DUDE. B3's and B2's as does C2's, C3's, A100's etc.......are all absolutlely Identical mechanical engines except for the "3" meaning it has percusion- a 2 does not unless you add something like a TREK Kit or Edwards- which the latter blows Trek away- but that discussion for another time. I have owned at least 4 B3', 1 B2 ad 2 A100's in my life and they all ARE THE SAME Period. Don't listen to that review- be your own judge.

Okay, the NEW XK3's sound great. I've played one for hours-its great. Does it sound like a B3- sort of- all the clones actually sound way too nice unless you use their artificial ODrive and then it sounds canned. What makes a Hammond sound great is a Leslie- a real Leslie. Now if you have a Leslie 147 or 122- then any of the clones will sound killer. I own a CX3 and think the $$$$ difference is absured. Its (CX3) close enough as is the XK3, XK2, XB2, and the Voce and Roland stuff. How close does it need to be? Go lug 400 lbs around and then you'll figure it out. Is it worth 2K- I think not. Get over it.

Don't know. I'm sure tey are real good-I had an XK2 for 3 years and was excellent.

Nope

The big question is- how good does it have to be? You can buy a used B2- add percussion for $250 so haul a real one and discussion is over. The clones just make our lives and vertabrae easier to deal with when we get older- so grow up ya'll. Enjoy life and kick but.

Quite simple

reverse colour preset keys are great and bring a vintage touch,
great look,BUT IS A SHAME THAT VIB/CHORUS DOESN'T WORK ON LOWER MANUAL!!!
MORE,HERE(ITALY)IT'S TOO EXPENSIVE!!!!

This is,in my opinion,the best Hammond B3 clone,with a fat,dirty valve sound,great percussion,Vib/Chorus (but only on upper manual,
shame!),the only thing to be improved in a next release is the Leslie effect:PLEASE,HAMMOND/SUZUKY ENGINEERS, LISTEN TO THE NI B4 AND NEW CX3 LESLIE EFFECT!!! the XK3's leslie effect is quite unconvincing and sounds artificial,with poor doppler and less "air moving" effect than the competitors:NEEDS ENERGIC IMPROVEMENT!!if this baby had
the same leslie effect of NewCX3 or NI B4 it would be unbeatable.

This is a great clone,I've played it for hours in great musical instr shop.I'll buy it when they improve the def features

Unrelated to the xk3, the cx3 does do midi out. or at least mine does(so does my xk3). it does have midi in/out/thru, and I have had a jv1010 hooked to it for a real quick 1 set gig I did a few months back. And you're not the only one who transposes so don't sweat it, sure beats playing a ripping rock tune in A# doesn't it? as for the xk3

the preset keys and tube overdrive are nice, keys feel a little on the small side for me, even from my b-3, but I guess thats a matter of taste whether or not it makes any difference.

the sounds sound like a b-3, but defintely one without a leslie. my studios' 2 leslies are rigged"hot"(that's an old term that's too involved to get into the specifics) to get the great sound they get, that was a trick my father did to them before he took them out on tour in the late 70's, and that is what made our b-3 smoke. So to get that sound an xk3 with a real leslie is what's gonna do the trick to rock the sound. I'm not overly impressed with the internal leslie, and definetly not with hammonds leslie 21 system, but we're talking about the sounds of the xk3.

xk3 with a real leslie is the way to go, no leslie in a quick gig situation the korg is hotter out of the box due to amp type and bright-mellow sound modeling and a great leslie sim.

I still see xb2's floating around so I guess we'll see xk3's stand up to wear and tear.

Hammond-suzuki people are very nice, they send me great demo stuff and paperwork.

like the idea of being able to put together the whole system piece by piece to build a double manual organ, just wish without a leslie it had more balls so I could just take 1 board out and use it stand alone on small gigs without carting a leslie.guess i'll keep the korg for that and lug the compact hammond system with my leslie on bigger gigs.

Just a mention of about the Cx3v.2 Thats what I use on the job...but if you like to sing in some weird keys and wanna transpose to an easier key to play in..Ie Key F# to say physically play it in F...the CX3 does not send midi info out to a module...so if you have needs for other sounds while your transposed...you better stay on the organ keyboard only!!! Thats right the CX3 does not send midi info out the midi out jack and control a piano module!It is an internal transpose only...I am not sure if th XK3 send this info out or not?...I would be intersted to know...I would probably buy one..I called Korg and they first said yes it does...they checked and then said no it does not send midi out!I mention this only because some other weirdo transposer like me may run into this problem..or maybe I am the only guy who transposes??? but I doubt it!No disrespect to Hammond or Korg..I actually love the sound of the Cx3 and I'm sure the new xk3 is great.....but I have to use the RD170 as the controller to do what I want...drag a CX3 to a job like a big module is what I end up with!!!"some days you eat the bar and some days the bar eats you"

Very easy and intuitive to use. All the controls are most hammond-like. No switch to get the wheels turning on start-up, though. This thing about plays itself. The manual is very comprehensive and thorough. Bottom line it is much less trouble than the venerable and honored old girl, and sounds just as good!

This is the same sound engine as the 'new B3' that is digitized tone wheels - 61 key polyphony + percussion. It has a built-in, two 12au7 or 12ax7, tube circuit for overdrive/distortion controlled at the console, reverb, leslie simulation (programmable by leslie type, rise and fall times, speeds, etc.), tone adjustment [bass to treble], midi capable, pre-sets by banks (programable), keyboard just like a B3. Type of B3 is a programmable entry. The cabinetry is beautiful, and of course, it says "Hammond" across the back.

Fabulous sound - that old B3 sound. There's nothing better. I have used it with Motion Sound amps to very good effect, with and without a speakeasy pre-amp. My favorite set up now is with a pro3-t with right and left outputs to stereo amplifiers for better bass control. It sounds good through a KBR-M, too, although I prefer my jury-rigged set up of late. Throwing the air around makes this sound come alive. Chorus, vibrato and percussion are spot-on.

I use it all the time w/o back-up. It is dependable

Dealing with Young Music Co. our local dealer is a pleasure. Great customer service.

In my humble opinion, this is the best instrument I ever bought. I am on edge waiting for the rest of the xk3 system to come out so I can expand this beauty to a proper "chopped", two manual, no legs, xk3. I was a loyal Voce owner for years: v3, micro-b, v5, and until this came along, nothin' beat 'em. But the xk3 is the best I ever owned. period. I really do not believe it has a peer in the clone ranks.

This is an update since I have had my XK-3 since October.
Beware the Korg CX-3 owners who bash it or the so-called Hammond experts. None of them were man enough to leave contact info so that I could confront them.
There is a lot of misinformation on this website about the XK-3. First of all , you should not use it with a Motion Sound amp. It is made for a Leslie. The vintage tube pre-amps may be overkill. Unlike the rest of the clones , it does not need to be "warmed" up.
The sound is far superior to any Korg or Roland. The CX-3 has too much bass and has an artificial sound. Guys who buy the CX-3 , probably buy it because want to save money. The keys feel cheap and do not respond like real Hammond keys do. The Leslie simulation of the CX-3 is not as clean as the XK-3 thru a good system. Good system meaning subwoofer , not guitar amp.

I have a B2 , which sounds much better than a B3. It has more bass in for jazz trio gigs. So those that tell you that they are jazz players , have not played a good B2. My Xk-3 has an even better bottom end. I wind up playing it more than I do my B2.
As far as the separate vibrato, that is not an issue. Who uses vibrato on the lower chorus anyway in jazz. Jazz is the pedals and the left hand. Again, some of these guys can only dream they play jazz. I do.
One guy claims to be a salesperson. Maybe he makes more of a commission on the CX-3. But a true Hammond lover will love the XK-3.
I hang out with some of the most famous names on the Hammond and they are amazed at the Xk-3 sound. None of them play Korg Cx-3's. It is strictly a rock players organ.
This is the real deal. The Hammond sound without all the quirks of the vintage Hammond.

I have come to prefer the sound of my Xk-3 to that of my vintage Hammond which is in great shape and keep well-maintained. I am very critical about the sound. I will pay extra to have the real sound. You can A/B this with any of the clones and it beats them hands down. I did before I bought it months ago. I did the research. I had to wait for them to have it in the stores. Speaking of which , do not listen to anyone who just played it in the store. Listen to the owners. Find me one that is dissatisfied.
Hammond knew what they were doing. These are the same sounds as in the $25K Hammond. The only difference is the single manual and the absence of the other contact points. Played the $25K . They sound the same.
Those who compare it to the XK-2 are also bogus. This sound is completely new. A different technology. What Roland started , perfected to the nth degree.

I am a touring pro. I can't have things breaking down on me. That is why I don't use or own any Korg keyboards. Only Roland, Yamaha and now Hammond.
You don't need a backup, only a good road case. No fabric bags. Get the Hammond expression pedal . It's part of the Hammond technique. The Hammond needs to breathe.

Customer support has been great . I have not needed them , but when I contact them , they always are helpful.

There are a lot of Haters on this webpage. Believe them and you will find that misery loves company. Many claim to be experts , but they never have the guts to leave their name. They are just frustrated guys who couldn't pay the extra premium for the best.
I tried all of the clones and I am a nationally known Hammond player. The Korg was OK until the Nord and the Hammond came out. Everytime I play a Korg now, I realize how bad it was. Especially the overpowering bass. Bass with no way to control the volume. The XK-3 controls the pedal bass like the real one does. Try that with a Korg.
Send all the Hammond XK-3 haters to me. I will show they are bogus. And check out all the gospel groups and jazz pros that use the new Hammonds now. And don't hool it up to a keyboard amp or Motion Sound. If you don't have a Leslie , hook it up to a good PA system . The bass alone will show the limitations of an amp, even a bass amp. You need a subwoofer. I use the Mackie 18 inch, 900 watts.
Try that with a 40 watt vintage Leslie.
If you don't have a Hammond , you wasted your money. You deserve to play in those dingy clubs the rest of your life. Invest in your career.
You can scroll down and read my intial review when I first got it. I love it even more now. Only a BMW can make you love it more.

Please! let's not kid ourselves by using terms such as "exactly like a b-3". No clonewheel is ever gonna replace a b-3, only do a good job of emulating. This guy sounds like a Hammond Rep!

I do agree that the hammond action is good, the korg is also(you must of had an early model, 1st 1,400 had double trigger issues and did not have waterfall keys.)As for the tube it's not about being in the "proper place", it's about quality. I've saved the money you've been charged extra for name and tube gimmick and bought a vintage speakeasy preamp. Which do you think is gonna do a better job? Now I won't just knock hammond on this because korg is just as guilty with the triton extreme, but that's another review. As someone who get's paid to sell this gear, and also get's paid to play it 5 days a week for the past 17 years,and having a real B and leslie, I feel qualified to make good"objective" observations on both organs. The hammond will be a huge upgrade from any synth organ patches, it just lacks in some areas where the korg excels, and vice versa.I too like the sound of my B-3 and my leslie, so anytime someone wants to offer to transport it, carry it, and set it all up for me 5 days a week, then i'll drag it out. For now my motion-sound does a great job, but if stuck without it the cx-3 leslie is tops for a sim. Let's not forget the point of clonewheels in the first place. Or forget the fact that 99% of the people in the crowd at a live gig (a)wouldn't know the sound of a real leslie to save their lives, and (b)don't care anyway!

better than the average organ patch, better than the roland vk, splitting hairs between korg cx-3 and hammond-suzuki xk3. Now I know that hammond"purists" are always gonna be loyal to the hammond name but I guess that's just the way it is. My loyalty lies with the best product. If yamaha or kurzweil came out with a better organ clonewheel tommorrow, It'd replace my cx3 by the end of the week. If the hammond was better, it'd be in my rig already. That's why other pro-keyboardists come to see me when they want advice on what to buy for their keyboard set-ups, I'm objective, It's not about brand but about quality, and they know I only use the best portable equipment on the market in my set-up. So if it's in my rig it's the top in it's class.Someday if that's a hammond-suzuki, i'll have it.

check previous review

Overall it gets a 7, cx3 a 7.5, no one gets a 10, hopefully someday we'll see 9, but they're not there yet.

exactly like a B3...hello!

This is the way it should be, perfect action (VK8 quite nice too). You CX3 fans, please... I had one, the action was like a bad synth -- not an organ -- and I was suddenly stumbling over riffs I played perfectly on a B3 for 20 years. The XK3 feels exactly right (considering it's HAMMOND -- duh!).

I love this guy who says wait for the next one. He's kind of funny: he can't understand why Hammond put a tube in the XK3 (the purist is offended), then proceeds to tell us how fond he is of the Leslie sim in the CX3 (who needs a Leslie?). He objects to an actual REAL tube (AX7) solely because he doesn't think a keyboard is the "proper" place for a tube...But he doesn't miss a real Leslie at all, for that he's just fine with a sim in his CX3.

The XK3 is simply the best sounding B3 clone available. Subjective opinions will vary, but anyone who gives this thing anything less than a 9 simply doesn't know their stuff, sorry. H/S nailed it here, big time.

Don't know yet

Ditto

Love it

It's an organ! How hard can it be?

Tube overdrive is pretty cool, it actually works! On the other hand a tube pre-amp built in a clonewheel or synth for that matter is a waste of all of our money, and in insult to boot. Reverse preset keys are cool too, this board looks great, but that don't mean squat.

Here's where the problem is. The sounds aren't much different than the xk2, which were never great to begin with. The leslie sim is just as bad too! It's dissappointing to think that a company named hammond can't do a great hammond b-3. I grew up playing b-3's and have seen all copies and wannabees come and go, done this pro gig for 17 years straight, and also work for a music equipment dealer(hammond dealer too!),and I think run with a leslie it'd do ok. On it's own with the package it's got in it, it's just a second place clonewheel.

I'm sure if you take care of it it'll last you UNTIL THE NEXT ONE COMES OUT.

People at H-S have been real nice in my dealings.

Save the extra cash and buy a cx-3, nice thing is it's easy to use and still has some nice editing capabilities. And leslie sim is hands down the best(though I use a motion sound kbr 3-d). Just add a nice vintage tube pre-amp and you'll go nuts.

I used to own an XB-2, traded it in towards the XK3.

The XK3 is much easier to use. Any B3 or console user will feel right at home on the XK3. You select presets using the reverse color keys, which is easy to do on the fly. Hold down the BANK button and you use the same keys to select different banks of presets. Unlike the original these preset keys don't latch, but an LED shows you which preset is active. The low C cancels and silences the organ, but hold it down for a few seconds and you get an initial organ patch - nice touch. If you hold down a preset key for a few seconds, the preset registration is replaced with the current drawbar settings while all other settings (vibrato, reverb, etc) remain unchanged.

Three sets of drawbars give you control over upper, lower, and pedal manual registrations. No other single manual clonewheel has three sets of drawbars. You get the full nine drawbars for each keyboard manual, and 16'/8' pedal drawbars. They are always live, if you punch a preset you can change the drawbars immediately. The XB-2 didn't do that. Although the XK3 is single manual, you can split/layer from its manual or use external MIDI controllers for lower/pedal - there are two MIDI inputs for each. The XK3 is multitimbral as upper and lower manuals can dial their separate presets.

Plenty of buttons for real time performance, and laid out in the same order of the original. Even the rotary vibrato/chorus dial is there. All the buttons have LEDs to indicate their state. A 40x2 LCD display and navigation buttons give you access to the internal settings. The navigation buttons are page up/down, left/right, increment/decrement, and a rotary encoder is included for varying parameters. The left/right/inc/dec buttons do double duty, they are context sensitive like Windows menus.

The OS is v1.20. The menu system is very intuitive, I found my way around before I even opened the manual. Hold down the VIBRATO ON/OFF button (or any button) for a few seconds and the relevant menu appears in the LCD. This is way cool, something I'd like to see implemented as standard. The manual is the engrish version, too much grammar and spelling errors (no surprise it is not on the website). It does explain enough detail for the Hammond connoisseur.

Full polyphony, waterfall keys but not same action as an old Hammond. But to be realistic, one single manual from a vintage Hammond weighed in excess of 100 lbs so I'll forgive this for a compact clonewheel. You can split the keyboard and play either lower manual or pedal manual parts.

Percussion has that classic wooden thunk, which I haven't heard on any other clonewheel. There are buttons for slow/fast, soft, and second/third harmonic. Unlike the original, you can combine both harmonics. You can fine tune the percussion in the menu system, it even has an option to attenuate the drawbars when percussion is not set to soft, just like the original. Key click is variable in both down and up stroke.

The vibrato/chorus is dead on, it nails that scanner vibrato purr. It also gets a little brighter with the vibrato engaged, which I like. You get the traditional V1/C1/V2/C2/V3/C3 varieties plus an on/off switch, and the vibrato speed can be changed in the menu (needed this to impersonate a Vox Continental, more later). However the vibrato affects both upper/lower manual - the classic B3 let you apply vibrato to either/both manuals. MIDI control doesn't fix this, if I use a split on a MIDI controller and select a preset for upper with vibrato and another for lower without vibrato, both manuals have vibrato. If you're a traditional jazz/gospel organist this could be significant, but for other styles on a single manual I myself don't find it negative. Fortunately the pedal manual does not have vibrato processing, crucial for bass parts.

The XK3 includes a dual tube preamp which can be configured in parallel or in series. Parallel mode means each tube processes a different frequency spectrum, so you can have independent control of tube overdrive in the bass and treble region. Very nice if you want bottom end crunch but clear highs. You can specify the crossover frequency that splits the frequency band, and yes 800hz is there for simulating Leslie grunge. An overdrive knob varies the grunge amount, and a tricolor LED tells you how hard you're overdriving. There is an option in the menu to vary overdrive with volume pedal amount, so you can back off overdrive when you let up on volume. Hammond-Suzuki really did their homework. No other clonewheel has a tube preamp.

A three band EQ with sweepable mid (discrete, not continous) helps you tailor the sound. Combined with the custom tonewheels and the drawbars, the EQ is effective.

Hammond-Suzuki implemented a better Leslie simulator than any other clonewheel. There are two processors for each horn, which is the way the Dynacord CLS-222 did it. They included models for 122, 147, 760, and 830 Leslies. There are fast/on/brake buttons right under the mod/pitch wheels. You can vary speed, ramp times, upper horn response (flat or honky), mic distance and separation (two mics x degrees apart). You can dial up your custom Leslie configuration (up to three) which can be used in the presets. Unlike earlier clonewheels, the vibrato and leslie simulator can be used simultaneously. Reverb/delay effects - halls, rooms, plate, church, mono and ping-pong delays are included. The reverb decay time and level are adjustable, but not much else - no need, they sound quite good.

An 11-pin Leslie socket connects to the real deal, and the internal Leslie simulator is bypassed on the Leslie socket - nice touch, I don't have to reset all the presets to turn off the internal Leslie. An effects loop lets you use any processor of choice, and is pre-EQ/Leslie/reverb.

Now we get to the selling point for me - custom tonewheels. The XK3 has 96 virtual "tonewheels" that produce the Hammond voice and they can be user calibrated. I read of this feature in Keyboard mag and I bought an XK3 without trying one in a store. The XK3 has different tonewheel sets, and you can make your own customize set. Vintage Hammonds are calibrated at the factory and they all sound different from one a

This is the BALLSIEST clonewheel I have ever played. It has that warm flute tone, and the tube overdrive adds some crunch to the sound. Hammond-Suzuki nailed the authenticity, everything is there - the scanner vibrato purr, the percussive wooden thunk, the key click. While the keyboard action isn't authentic, it isn't that featherlight spring action like cheaper clonewheels. Staccato playing is easy to pull off. The waterfall keys make palm glissandos easy.

The reverb/delay effects are very useful, clear lush and not at all muddy. The delay settings are optimized for short delays - the delay times are fine for short delays, but REALLY coarse for longer delay times.

I'm a stickler about Leslie simulation, and the XK3 is better than clonewheel I've heard. It's convincing in stereo, but when I tried it in mono with my stage amp it lost its authenticity. I've got a real 760 Leslie and a Dynacord CLS-222 simulator here. The CLS blew away the XK3 simulation. Leslies do not have flat frequency response. The CLS got the animation and the frequency response down pat. The XK3 missed out on the frequency response. But it's still good enough in a pinch, the separate processing of both horns does a lot to duplicating the animation of a real Leslie.

If you play rock, fusion, blues, R&B, gospel, or popular then the XK3 will do the job very nicely. Jazz organ purists will find the lack of separate vibrato processing on the manuals annoying.

The custom tonewheels were the reason I bought this organ without trying one in a store. I had the service manual for the Porta-B which included a chart showing tonewheels related to drawbars and keys.

Here is how you calibrate the XK3 to your favorite tonewheel organ. You need the chart and a dual channel scope (DO NOT probe inside a vintage Hammond organ unless you are a qualified tech - there are lethal voltages inside). Turn off the tube overdrive and set the EQ flat.

DO NOT use the XK3's 16' drawbar for calibration. The tonewheel for high C on 16' is the same for low F (spinet organ) on the 1-1/3' drawbar. If you alternate both keys/drawbars on a vintage Hammond, the amplitude is the same - repeat it on the XK3 and the 16' is slightly hotter. The rest of the XK3 drawbars do not exhibit this fault though.

I identified the loudest tonewheel and used that as my "0dB reference point", because it is much easier to attenuate XK3 tonewheels. I played the "0dB reference point" and normalized both vintage and new Hammond waveforms on my scope, then stepped one key at a time to match the XK3 to the Porta-B. With the arrangement of the rotary encoder and the menu buttons, it was easy to advance through the tonewheels without turning away from the scope.

When I finished, I duplicated the drawbars - and the XK3 sounded like my Porta-B (although the "fault" of the XK3 16' drawbar didn't seem to affect the sound). Both were going through my Leslie 760 (via stompbox preamp) and there was NO A/B DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THE ORGANS. That was the single feature that sold me on the XK3 sight unseen, as I have been looking for a clonewheel that could impersonate my screaming Porta-B. Clonewheels can nail the percussion, the vibrato , the flute tone, the leslie - but the missing gap to duplicating your favorite vintage Hammond drawbar registrations was the custom tonewheels. No other clonewheel offers this kind of customization.

Among the factory tonewheel sets are voices for combo organs - Hammond X-5, Vox Continental, and "junky organ". I have a real Vox Continental here and the A/B test (listening test and scope viewing) showed a match for 16'/8'/4' drawbars. Then there is the IV drawbar. It is the 2-2/3', 2', 1-3/5' and 1' drawbars combined. In the upper half of the real Connie, the IV drawbar really pierces while the XK3 is still flutish. I tried attenuating the 16'/8'/4' drawbars but that didn't make any difference. The Vox waveforms a

Seems to be sensitive to flaky power, had a couple of mysterious changes in settings. I found that the wall outlet was loose, once I changed to a better one it was fine. The XB-2 held up well for gigging, time will tell how the XK3 fares on stage. I did get a flight case for the XK3.

Bought it from Goff Professional - I did have a couple of services calls and they were very supportive. They are a professional Hammond organ service center and Hammond-Suzuki dealer/service center, and they are very knowledgeable.

I have tried many clonewheels - NI B4, Voce, Korg, Roland. While the Roland VR-760 was the better clonewheel running, I was turned off by the fact that there are no separate outputs for piano and synth sounds - I don't want them running through a Leslie. The B4 is a very good Hammond softsynth but I like drawbars and controls right under my hands, not a mouse.

The XK3 blew them all away in authenticity, balls, and simulation of the classic Hammond vibrato and percussion. It was a complete OS redesign from the ground up, and Hammond-Suzuki really did their homework. It was far better than my XB-2 and the predecessor XK2. I did buy the optional EXP-100F, which is an optical volume pedal with integrated Leslie fast/slow speed footswitch - it's a spring loaded lever right next to your foot, all you do is twist your foot to switch speeds.

The best Hammond clonewheel yet, and essentially the complete package. Others miss out on the leslie simulation, the vibrato, the FX, the warmth, etc. None of them have customized tonewheels. The XK3 has it all. Well worth the price I paid.

It came in a box ! Open the box and sit the Instrument on a sturdy stand and start playing ! Its that simple, anyone who has knowledge of the Hammond Organ will be right at home with this baby. Nothing really complicated at the outset. However I would say that a qucik read of the manual will soon have you exploring the inner depths of this instrument. The Manual is poorly written and it should be rewritten and proofed before being released as the descriptions and spellings leave at lot to be desired and the manual reminds me of the vey early efforts of the Japanese manufacturers .

Polyphony is unrestricted,

Keyboard Action is a pleasure and comparing it to that of my C3 & A100 it is different but not to the point where swapping between then would be a problem.

Effects are standard, Reverbs, Rooms, Plate, Halls & delays, again very good quality for wetting the organ sounds.

There are at this time no voice expansion options available and why would you ever require them !

Midi control is there but is limited and It would not be my choice as a controller keyboard except for simple jobs.

No onbaord sequencer.

Having spent over 40 years playing Hammonds and ALL of the tonewheel clones that have come and gone and in addition comparing the XK# alongside my real tonewheels and leslies I can say this.

I never thought that this sound would be nailed by any electronic means sampled or reproduced by another tone generation system.

I was wrong . You may have noticed that I refer to the XK3 as an instrument and that it is without compormise. The Hammond sound is there no mistake and its highly playable and totally convincing and I do not say this lightly, I am the worse sceptic and this passes my ears, couple it through a real leslie for the finsihing touches and shut your eyes and its the perfect combination.

I have to small gripes, 1. The keyclick is too pronounced with the onboard presets but this can be adjusted to taste as can many parameteres. 2. The Leslie Simulation, well it works just fine and is the best I have heard and is again very useable in situations where either you dont have a real leslie or space is a consideration or quick set up is an issue. However for full effect just like the real thing use a leslie whenever you can.

The sound of the Hammond is here in its full glory and I would say that you should not be put of by some of the negative comments elsewhere. It Sounds right, It looks right, It plays right, and it is right from the ground up. HS have done a real ggod job on the build quality and it puts the Korg CX3. Roland VX8 and all the other stuff right into the shade.

From the way this instrument is built I would say that with a flightcase and good handling it will last for years. The technolgy is the same as its big brother the New B3 save for the Keyboard contact arrangement and I would hope it will be realiable. Time will tell !

Having dealt with my country distributor prior to purchase they were extremely helpful and I would not envisage any problems on this score

If it was stolen I would hunt the thief down and tie oiling wicks around there testicles. Yes I would get another one without question.

Yes I compared it with the other manufacturers offerings,This is the best !!!!! Go get one.

if not editing things like the leslie simulation or assigning bass pedals to the keyboard manual, it's very easy. tinkering w/ aforementioned items is not as quick to understand.

full polyphony, loads of Hammond/Leslie type features.

Hammond tone is dead on due to the analog tube which takes the digital edge off of the notes, especially on the upper register (give this a 10).

Leslie, still not there. Korg CX-3 still the winner in this category. How hard can it be to get this right when there are two companies out there (KORG, Motion Sound w/ the drum simulation) doing it right already? Steal their technology for god sake! Keep trying to reinvent the wheel in this area and not getting it. (Give this a 7)

Chorus/Vibrato, not Hammond authentic. C3 too heavy. This can be tweaked in registration, but why should i have to tweak it to get it right? Why isn't it delivered correctly out of the box? (Give it an 8 due to the fact that it can be tweaked to sound better, points off for the frustation of having to waste time tweaking it in the 1st place).

Just to show you i'm not being subjective, you can compare the CX-3, the Electro and the XK3 here.

http://www.drjohomusic.com/clonecompare.html
http://www.drjohomusic.com/clonecompare2.html

You'll notice the CX-3 is the brightest of the 3, the XK3 the warmest of the 3 in terms of tone (a good thing). You'll also notice that the chorus is not as good as the Korg nor Electro and the Leslie simulation is last among the 3.

Through a Leslie 145, it sounds fantastic.

n/a

try finding some info on this; difficult. hammond-suzuki website doesn't give you much; you can't even get an online owner's manual. most information about the keyboard comes from 3 parties.

It sounds great, don't get me wrong. Tone-wise the best yet; leslie simulation still not the best. Why is it the most expensive then, because it's new and has a tube in it? When you go to the above websites i previously mentioned and listen to all three (hammond, cx3 and electro) they all pretty much sound the same. Small differences don't warrant the price. This makes the Electro the best buy since it also provides topnotch rhodes as well. If you just want a clone, i think i'd still go w/ the CX3, simply because it sounds very close to the hammond is at least $500 cheaper if you find a used one. Hammond not worth the additional $500, even w/ the tube. If you run the CX-3 through a speakeasy pre-amp (or any tube for that matter) it sounds even better than the hammond.

I only checked it at a music store yesterday, so I don't know about software version and manual.
preset sounds are okay, editing "patches" is of course very simple:
drawbars, knobs for vibrato/chorus, volume and overdrive, buttons for percussion and leslie-simulation

i'm not sure but i think it has full polyphony.
keyboard action is nice, feels good for glissandos etc.

it has a delay and overdrive effect built in. very simple

no expansion afaik

there is midi in it, but i wasn't able to check it out

no sequencer of course

this is what disappointed me.
i started playing on this thing and, well, it sounded "ok"
but do you expect from a HAMMOND to sound "ok"? i don't.
while fumbling around with this thing, i realized that it was not the whole sound i didn't like, but especially the leslie simulation

i own a nord electro II and really know its sound, and all i can say is that the electro's leslie sim is a LOT better than the hammonds.
in the electro, you can hear the sound go round in the room (even in mono!) or your headphones, but the hammond is somehow different...
it's of course "moving", but it lacks the "!!!WOW!!!"-effect if you know what i mean.

when i disabled the leslie simulation (the sound of course got worse), i realized that it sounds almost exactly like my NE2 when disabling its leslie-sim.

as said above, i only checked it out at a store

as said above, i only checked it out at a store

finally i can only compare it to my nord electro. and the hammond definately loses.
it's much more expensive but doesn't sound any better.
i think when driven through a real leslie, both will sound very similar, but why pay for this thing when you can have a better one for less money?
and it's not just the hammond sound: the electro features a keyboard i like much more (and you can get the 73-note model for even more keys) and it contains incredibly good rhodes and wurly simulations.
and if you think "i don't need those" now, just check the electro out at your store. i promise you will "need" them afterwards.
but to come back to the hammond: there are better things on the market, not being produced by hammond itself.
too bad. but i don't buy instruments for the name, but for the sound...

I am using version 1.20. I didn't buy the XK-3 for the presets. For a Hammond player , the drawbars in real time are the real payoff. The presets I did hear sounded good and are probably useful to someone who is not familiar with the different registrations Hammond players use.
Editing the patches is why I didn't give it a 10. It is not something you can do without going thru a lot of menu choices.
The manual is pretty basic. It only describes the functions of the different options you have. Playing a sound on a Hammond is done by ear. You have to know the sounds in order to know what choices to make. I did modify some of the default factory presets.

As with a real Hammond , it is fully polyphonic. The action is actually better than many Hammonds that I have played on. It is the closest so far to my favorite, my own Hammond B2. Mush better than the Korg CX-3 and more realistic than the Roland VK 8 or VR-760.
The effects are good. The Leslie sim is good. The effect of the Leslie is only as good as the people in the immediate area. And Leslies are underpowered. I also play it thru a PA system with a sub-woofer and it sounds great.
It accepts a Compact Flash card. It has velocity , but I already have plenty MIDI keyboards. I bought the XK-3 solely for the Hammond sound. The only use MIDI has for me , is to add second keyboard for a dual manual. It is setup to make that painless.
There is no sequencer in it. Get the EXP-100F pedal , it is an essential part of the Hammond sound.

I have a 1953 vintage Hammond B2 with the percusiion added. I am not a fan of B3's, they lack the bass end of the earlier Hammonds. This is the first Hammond that makes me not want to get back to my B2. The bass end is even better than the pedals on the vintage. the XK-3 sounds better than most B3's I have played.
I use it for jazz and R&B. It should be great for gospel and rock. I listened to and played every B3 clone out there and this is the real deal. Gospel choirs will love it. I also have heard almost every fake Hammond patch. The thing that does it for me is the drawbars. You can change the sound in real time.
I love the reverb. The chorus/vibrato is better than the rest , but still not as good as a vintage. The keyclick and leakage are there , but you can get rid of the keyclick if you like.
The Hammond sound is an acquired taste. It is not pristine or clean. There are little noises that make it unique.
I don't care about velocity or aftertouch on a Hammond. I want the sound and the feel of the waterfall keys. If you need other sounds, don't buy the XK-3. It is solely for that Hammond sound.

I have used Hammonds for years. I have never had trouble with them. I used the XK-2 and the XB-2 and never had trouble with them. My B2 was made in 1953 and is still working. I know guys with XB3-M's and they never have trouble with them. They are trading up to the new B3 and new B3 portable.
I usually bring another keyboard for the other sounds , but I would have no problem using it alone. I have never heard anyone complain about it being unreliable.

No experience with the company except ordering the demo CD for the XK-3. They send it out the same day. I doubt if I will have to get it repaired. I have good SKB cases and I don't bang my keyboards around.

If it were lost or stolen, I would buy another. I love it. I have been playing pro since 1972. I have 10 other keyboards. Lots of vintage stuff.
I chose this keyboard from the reviews on this website and word of mouth from Hammond techs. What I love about it is that now I can do small clubs and I don't have to worry about a Hammond being there. The XK-3 is a real Hammond.
I tried the Korg CX-3, Clavia Nord Electro 2 73 and Roland VR and VK-8. I had to buy the XK-3 to try it out. Now I am glad I did. If you play a real Hammond , you will know the difference right away in the others. This is the only one that sounds like a Hammond.
Of course, I wish it was cheaper. I wish they made a dual manual for twice the price.
The XK-3 allows you to play the pedals in your left-hand. This will be all the keyboard you need for a organ trio gig. You need a serious amp for it though. The low end is deep.
Believe it or not , I play it more than my B2 now. It really feels like home for me as a bona-fide Hammond player. If you play rock, you could get away with using any clone. You won't be as critical as I am about the sound and the quirks of a Hammond.
I haven't hooked it up to my Leslies yet. I am enjoying hearing it thru a 900w Mackie subwoofer.
I wrote this review because this website was invaluable to me in making the choice to buy it. I want everyone to know that the reviews, except one a CX-3 lover, were right on the money.
If you need all those other sounds or MIDI, this is not the keyboard for you. If you want the best Hammond sound in a 43 pound package, this is as good as it gets.

I just purchased the Version 1.20, I was rather dissapointed. Most all of the presets have way too much Key Click on them. It's a shame because the reproduction of the Tone Generator is great. I turned the Key Click all the way down to 0, and felt it still was artificial sounding. There was no manual in the box (which certainly didn't impress me), so I had to wing it with the editing. It wasn't that hard to figure out though. The display is too small though.

It is fully polyphonic, like playing a real Hammond. It has a nice action which is vety responsive and smooth feeling. Very easy to play the thumb and finger machine gun licks with. The reverb is good on it, I think they should of had a spring reverb like some old Hammonds or Leslies had. All the efects and controls are very easy to manipulate. It's nice that they have a memory card for it if you're into that. I mean how many patches do you need when you have drawbars? I prefer the old syle drawbars like my 1956 B3 or my choped 1940 BC. It's midi is less than adequate,I don't know why they wasted their time having pitch bend and modulation wheels with such limited midi control. That was one of the reasons I bought it over the Korg CX3, I didn't realize it's midi was so bleak until I got it. I also wanted the Leslie output, it's an 11 pin connector so I would need a adapter kit. It has a little recorder in it which I don't care about. With the midi you can't even use the footswitch as a sustain pedal. It has bass pedal drawbars wich you can assign to the left half of the keyboard or pedals which is a very nice feature.
I can't believe they didn't put seperate on/off switches for the Chorus/Vigrato after how much they seemed to copy the Hammond so well. This is the main reason I'm sending it back and going to get the Korg CX3! That's a very crucial part of the Hammond Organ, especially for color and texture differences between the manuals.

Like I said before it leaves allot to be desired!

Just got it and going to send it back. Was not impressed with them forgetting to put a manual in the box.

Same as above!

I think it's overpriced, for what you get. They would have been better off to not have so many useless features and priced it lower. The tube overdrive can't even compare to my 56 B3 which screams like a Tiger when need be! It's very well built and sturdy, it's a very pretty looking keyboard. Like I said earlier I'm sending back and going to get Korg CX3, I think it will accomodate my needs much better.

The interface to the XK-3 is better than any other Clonewheel organs I've played (noted above). It is the most natural of all. It took the native layout of the old analog Hammond (including the reverse keys-you can't tell me it's easier to press a tiny button than a reverse key). It also has the native vibrato knob, along with prominent buttons for all the other stuff. I use my Alesis sustain pedal as a Leslie switch and my Roland pedal for volume (I set the overdrive before the expression, but you can put expression first). To this solid foundation for the Hammond, they added digital features that made it better. The LCD readout is pretty inclusive. It shows you the values of each drawbar so you can catch up with the preset
by looking at the screen (i.e. when you change to a different one and the physical drawbars are not aligned). It's all ergonomics!

Most notable is the fact that you can change tonewheel sets. The organ comes with a completely different tonewheel set that does a pretty damn good job of reproducing the Vox organ. I've always been a huge Doors fan, and this bonus was one that I was pleasantly surprised to find. The Vox had drawbars too. However, the XK3 has overtones that the Vox doesn't, so you now have yet another dimension (in addition to overdrive and reverb). The reverb includes stuff like delay, reverse delay, and pan delay. Pretty cool.

I felt the need to buy a real Leslie. The onboard is as good as any other, but i liked the added overdrive of the Leslie 2101, as well as the sound of a REAL leslie. Nothing quite like the sound bouncing off different walls as the horn rotates.

No problems in the short few months i've had it. However, i can't say the same for the Leslie 2101. No problems with the XK-3 though!

I sent the Leslie in for repair to Hammond and they were really on top of things. I was never out of touch with Ray, the Hammond service manager. When i had a second set of problems when i got the Leslie back, they sent me a brand new one as an excahange.

Overall, i'd say it is worth it. I wish you could optionally turn off the vibrato off on the lower manual (probably only at this point cuz some dude keeps pounding this in people's heads). Also, i wish the mod wheel had a use besides leslie speed control. Overall, i'm convinved that i got what i wanted (the sound of the original Hammond + some extra goodies).

This new XK3 is easy to understand if you know Vintage Hammond organs. Everything works pretty much the same way. Editing allow you to create almost any organ sound.

Outstanding action for organ playing.

The Hammond tone is the best feature of this keyboard. Sounds better than sone real tonewheel organs that I've played. Really great sound. Same sound engine as the New B3. Leslies kick butt to. Choose from 122,147,760, and other cabnet types. Distortion is fantastic because of the onboard tube. This is the best Hammond Clone so far.

This board is solidly built. Very strong wood of good quality. I can't find any faults with this board. Very pretty.

H/S is very supportive although I haven't had to contact them about a problem. This is a winner!

The XK3 is an outstanding recreation of the orginal B3 organ. It's worth every penny that you could spend on it. If it were stolen or lost, I would buy another one right away. I play gospel music and I can't wait to get the bass pedals to go with it. I've owned a Roland Vk8 and Korg CX3. The Xk3 outshines any clone that I've heard. I'm very happy with it and highly recommend it to thoes wanting a true B3 sound in a single manuel transportabe keyboard.

I won't waste time with redundant critiques here. But if you've played a Hammond organ, this will feel like home to you; if you haven't, you'll be moving in. Playing presets is easy, programming your own is not more more involved. You might refer to the manual periodically, but you'll find it's not too necessary.

The keyboard feels incredible, and very Hammond-like. Triggering is fast and smooth across the keybed, and can even be programmed to be a little sluggish if you're into that kind of thing. It plays fast without feeling like a toy.

The leslie sims are not bad and are very programmable. I'm a stickler for the real thing and use a leslie all the time, so I'm guessing for most keyboardists, the leslie sim will qualify as very good to excellent. All the artifacts of Hammond are here in spades and are programmable: Keyclick, percussion, grind, mellow tones, even reverb and chorus. The chorus/vibrato unit, the thing nobody gets right, sounds incredible!!! I own and love my Electro, but this thing spanks it. This keyboard will sound different in everyone's hands, because like a real instrument, it responds to the player unlike a Rompler. This organ will sound incredible to rockers, jazzbos, blueshounds or gospel players. No lie!

I had an XK2 for years and an XM1 even longer and neither gave me a lick of trouble. This thing weighs almost 50 lbs, and is built like a tank. I'd be surprised if there were any troubles.

Customer support is easy to reach via phone or email.

If this thing were lost or stolen, I'd buy another one right away. It's worth every penny I paid for it. Through a Leslie, this thing is a monster. I dare say it sounds better than a lot of vintage b3s. I've owned a VK7, VK8m, Voce V5, Nord Electro, XK2 and XM1, and the old CX3, and none of them, NONE OF THEM, come close to this instrument. Not only is the layout true to the ergonomics of the B3 (only the new CX3 nails it more), but its sound leaves all competition behind. Nobody's C/V unit sounds as good as this (and this thing sounds RIGHT!), nobody's percussion has the woody thunk this has, and unlike some other clones, a registration of 888888888 played at High C won't shred your ears. This thing is IT.

If you know the old B-3, or in my case C-3, you can play this organ right out of the box. Everything is where you remember it being. Vibrato to the left. Percussion to the right. Also, a new twist for clones, a master volume control and other controls on the left. Why did it take so long to master this simple idea? Organists always have their right hands occupied with making music. The left was for the leslie switch and kicking on presents (and maybe holding a beer). Ah yes, presets, where they should be, and in a welcome modern touch equipped with light indicators. They don't lock down but who cares? They are easy to get to and you don't have to read an LED screen (unless you want to) to find out where you are. Again, if you are a B-3 person, you'll love this ax. If not, you will get an education as to how clasic music used to be made.

The only real "bells and whistles" here are concerned with maximizing the options one could have with the old Hammonds. There are no orchestral sounds or strange controls you will never use. On the other hand, you will get 9 (count 'em) virtual leslies to play around with or your choice of clean or dirty tone wheels etc. About the only "modern" thing here is pitch bend and even that can be done the "old fashioned" way by vitually speeding or stopping the motor. If you prefer you can get the synth version too which just raises or lowers the pitch without the motor's idiosyncratic sound. Not a feature you will use often but an indicator of the level of control detail on this instrument. Yes, it will do MIDI too.

Since this is the same system in use on the "new" B-3 transplanted into a single manual, the overall sound is identical. If you like the new B-3 (and I do) you will like this instrument. The thing that most impressed me was the sense one gets of playing the vintage real thing with all its little imperfections like key click, motor hum, tube distortion and the like. This is stuff that an audience member would be unlikely to hear or pay attention to, but an experienced player will find it comforting. Yes, it has waterfall keys for those that care about such things. I think too much is made about this feature in product reviews in that many us us "old guys" played on early Hammond L models before we could afford our B's and C's and somehow didn't mind the "diving board" keys. More important in my book is the feel and it is there. You can do your best Jimmy Smith machine gun on one note with style here.

I can't speak to this in that this is my first Hammond Suzuki although it is not my first digital emulator. I owned a Roland VK-7 which was reliable. I own a 1960 vintage C-3 which never let me down and could be fixed with spare tubes (always kept in a handy tool kit which went to the gig). If Hammond Suzuki can recreate this level of reliabilty as well as playability, I'll be happy. For now though, I carry a second keyboard both for the additional sounds and for redundancy. Somehow, I don't think on-the-job repairs are going to be part of the experience with this new breed of digital gear.

I bought this instrument online and was very happy with the company I dealt with but have no knowledge of either their, or Hammond Suzuki's, support if things go wrong.

If this were stolen and I ever found the perp, there would be blood. At this stage, there is no other clone I have tried, and that includes Roland (which I liked enough to own for three years), Clavia, and Korg, which even comes close to this instrument. Price is always relative. Is 2 grand too much? Compared to the new B-3 at 25,000 or even the portable version at 15,000, this thing is a steal. I suspect in a year or so it will be down to 1500 and while I might feel some regret, I'll also know I had an extra year playing this thing. I think in this case being an early adopter is worth the price difference.

This ain't a clone, friends, it's the real deal. The Hammond guys took the engine out of the "NEW B3" and dropped into this keyboard. It's very much like transplanting a Dodge Viper engine into a PT cruiser. God must be an organist, beacuse the prayers have been answered. (especially the ones from those who have played the 'NEW B3' and did a spit-take when they saw the 5-figure price tag)

Ease of use? If you've ever played a B-3 you know how to play this organ. Any organist with any experience at all will find the traditional controls...traditional. You could take it to a gig, remove it from the box 2 minutes before the downbeat, and you wouldn't be lost. The reverse key presets don't latch like the big brother, but they DO have nifty LCD's which even make MORE sense on a dark stage. There are two sets of drawbars, a rotary Chorus/vibrato knob, and the percussion switches are up on the right hand side right where they belong. The presets are great, but who uses presets on a real b3? Refer to everything you like about the b3 and that's what is in play here. An added bonus though, is the fact that you can use the percussion on either the A# or B preset--The XK-3 will "remember" your percussion and vibrato setting between the two "drawbar" presets. Unlike the big boy, you can program a bunch of different banks of the "octave" of presets for your convenience. There is a regulation LCD display for patch names and menu functions, but you can ignore it if you're a purist.
Getting into the editing is pretty easy, and the choices you have are submarine deep. You can make this organ as sweet as a gospel sunday, or as dirty as Jon Lord's jeans after a 3 day bender in New Orleans. All of the mods that the stars pay customizers huge bucks for are available here for the asking. You can voice each "tone wheel" to your liking. Hell, you can even give the thing a "bad note" if you have a mind to. All of the percussion, chorus, vibrato, attack, and tone is up for your touch. And the whole shebang can be saved on a flash memory card. And you can make almost all of these mods PATCH SPECIFIC. meaning you can have a bank of presets that are a silky jazz B3, and another that are Stonking Rock.
If you use a Leslie (and you really should with this much organ) the internal controls will run it, and all of that is saved with presets, too. I hear HamSuz is going to bring out a "half moon" trad Leslie switch for this thing like they do on the "New B3". Whoa!

I was half expecting to have to "run up the motor" with a start switch to get this baby purring--but it has a regular on-off switch.

The XK-3 has one and only feature:
It physically plays like a Hammond B3 and has an identical sound. The feature is that you ALREADY KNOW EVERYTHING ABOUT THIS ORGAN.

OK, two features
An onboard tube preamp--Pure genius--This is where the XK-3 leaves the pretenders in the dust.

No piano/strings/synth voices. No sequencer, No cheesy "alternate" organ voices, and No "D-beam" controller (And what the fuck is that anyway?-Is Roland tripping? Did Jimmy Smith need to wave his arms in the air to turn on the Leslie? I didn't think so)

Yeah, there's full MIDI implementation, Reverb, Delay, all of the usual boilerplate if you want to go under the hood, but I must keep reiterating that you DONT HAVE TO IF YOU DONT WANT TO. This thing is one manual of a B3. Period. If you want a synth, go buy a synth, if you want an organ, this is your only choice.

Just like the big box, you've got to have a Leslie speaker. The on-board Simulator is way good, and actually will suffice for most applications, especially if you run this box in Stereo. But to make the thing bloom, you've got to have something spinning and pushing air. I use the new Leslie 21 system, and it's perfect. If you've got a bigbox Leslie, you're in for a REAL treat. Go into the menus and dial up the tone setting for "dirty b3" and listen to that glorious "hash" and leakage. Pull up your favorite drawbar setting and then dial in the tube preamp. No, it doesn't necessarily have to mean "overdrive and distortion". It means "Warmth" as well, and what is a B3, if not "Warm"?
Unlike the clones-The XK-3 nails ALL the different types of Hammond organs--The vintage models aged and grew into their characteristics--like Martin guitars or Les Pauls, Marshall amps or Selmer Saxes. Each has its own personalities. The XK-3 can summon up any b3 at will. Jazz, blues, Rock, gospel. Even the Pop stuff like Lenny Dee and Earl Grant. They all had their individual sound. You can't get those nuances out of the other clones. I hear tell that there are people that still work for Hammond who were there during the glory days. Who knows better? I said it before and I'll say it again--THIS ISN'T A CLONE-IT'S THE REAL THING

Just got it--time will tell--My XB-2 and XK-2 worked flawlessly

HamSuz has always given great and prompt customer service when needed.

This is not a clone-it's the real deal. End of story.