Korg CX-3

Okay, right up front: Mine is the Original analog 1979-model CX-3, NOT the slick new 21st century reincarnation. It took me a year to talk my good friend from Ohio into selling me his, but baby was it worth it. . . . Now back to the regularly scheduled programming. Ease of use? Plug it in (regular A/C, no warts), turn it on, crank a few knobs to taste, and you're cookin'. The only thing I used the manual for was to figure out what the presets are (e-mail me if you need to know.) The drawbars are smooth and precise, no dead or sticky spots that I could find anywhere.

It's an organ. Period. Well, not period - - it's a darned convincing B-3 imitator organ, with the same types of sound creation features: One set of nine regulation Big-Hammond drawbars; percussion, including separate buttons for the 2nd and 3rd, with spin-able volume and decay; keyclick amount; bass and treble response knobs; overdrive knob and volume. Oh yeah, and a tuning knob to sync up to your tone-deaf band-mates. There are separte high and low gain outputs in back and even an effects loop. There is a built-in Leslie effect, with an "On/Off" button and "Fast/Slow" button. There are three presets plus the drawbar option. Five octaves, good response-keys, but they are pointy on the end, unlike those nice smooth Hammond "waterfall" keys, which is why I give it a "9" instead of a "10." But remember: it's an organ - - you want a synth, get a synth. And I have to mention that the exterior is real wood, and nicely done at that. So what if it weighs in at a hefty 23 lbs?

Ohhhh, man. I defy you to find a bigger, fatter sound in today's digitals. I play through a chopped Leslie set up (separate mystery-model rotor and 147 horn pieces) without the original amplification. I use a simple solid-state P/A head with a 5-band EQ and 50 watts of output. The result is a monster bottom end and a wonderfully Hammondy sound overall. The overdrive adds nice roundness or grind, depending on how you dial it up, but if you're using the drawbars, the drive fades up or down as you change each of the bars, which I think is pretty darn cool, rather than some flat response. Now, having said that, I have to add that the Leslie effect (remember, this is 1979) will fool absolutely nobody, especially on the fast speed, and the wind-up is abysmal. Solution? Use a Leslie, or find another simulator. But the front-end organ sound-generation is divine.

I've had it just a little while. The reputation on these is good, but I've been told that Goff Organs on the net is the place to go for repairs or replacements.

Haven't tried them yet - - I don't really expect that they throw a whole lot of effort into a model that was discontinued 18 years ago.

If it were stolen, I wouldn't be out buying another because my sole purpose in life would be to find the S.O.B. that dared to lay his foul mitts on it, and upon doing so, disemboweling him with a rusty exacto knife. This thing is priceless. B-3, schmee-three. I have enough stuff to schlepp around already. What I'd really like to do is save up for another one and have a second manual, but it will probably cost me even more. Good luck finding one on eBay, but if you do, please don't bid against me. Remember the exacto knife. (I'm kidding. I think.) Bottom line: These are terrific organs: Warm, strong, easy to use. I think it's the best of both worlds for the gigging musician: Great, rich, recognizable sound and back-saving portability. Thank you Fred; I'm forever in your debt.

The control setup is very B-3-like -- 4 percussion switches on the
right, vibrato on the left (switches for each keyboard), complete with V-C knob -- and this is the first clone I've used that puts the drawbars back above the keys, where they belong. (I've never had the opportunity to play an XB-3 or VK-77.) The presets cover a wide range of Hammond styles: You'll probably find 3 or 4 of your favorites in here right away. Editing the patches is pretty simple, and the preset buttons serve as quick scroll tabs to move around the different programming feature groups in Edit mode. I wish the drawbar readout was numeric, rather than graphic though, because it's not very tall, so small changes are tough to see. I skimmed the manual once at the start, and probably won't need to touch it very often from this point on. There are decicated knobs for reverb, bass, treble, volume, and overdrive -- knobs beat menus and scroll buttons on the job, any day. The CX-3 comes with a Korg-labeled version of the Yamaha FC-7, my personal favorite volume pedal. The pedal can be adjusted for sitting or standing use, and stays put without being hard to push.

The basic keyboard feel is great. Palm glisses are easy to do, and
there is very little black-key wiggle, a pet peeve of mine on newer
keyboards. Korg offers a very "hot" action which sets the keys off
at very little depression (1/8"?). This is great for "machine gun"
trills, but makes runs with percussion on a little tricky. For the
most part, I don't like it -- it was meant to mimic the fast action of the original Hammond keyboards, but it trades off key travel to do so. Luckily, there is a way to turn the feature off, although it requires a MIDI cable. (Maybe Korg will add a disable feature to the menus?)

The CX-3 mimics a lot of subtle features of the B-3 -- the percussion only works on the upper keyboard, and only on the right-hand set of drawbars; if you're holding down a key when the percussion is turned on, you get a ping from the held-down notes; the chorus vibrato adds some high end to the tone; etc. The dedicated bass, treble and reverb knobs have a "+/-" function: If you set them to 12-o'clock, they obey the settings of the individual patches; if you turn them from that point, they add or take away the effect from the patches nominal setting. The built-in reverb is a little bright, but useable, and can be put ahead or behind the Leslie simulator -- a nice touch. The two sets of drawbars can be used for either or both manuals. There is a mode where you can add the two sets of drawbars together to make a more X-77-like Hammond, but I don't have any use for it in my playing. One feature that I especially like is the ability to change patches without changing drawbars, percussion, vibrato, etc.: It essentially allows you to queue up a new sound in the preset, keep playing as you were, and then change to the preset at a certain point in the song. I don't use the internal Leslie simulator much, but it's decent, and very adjustable. (The stock settings are not the best ones, IMHO.) There are inputs for up to three pedals. The MIDI implementation is good, but this is NOT a replacement for your master keyboard in a complex MIDI setup. OTOH, the 2nd channel (below the split point) can have its own MIDI transmit channel, and can send either fixed or velocity-sensitive key data. It's good for adding in an extra synth pad part or something in mid-song. For whatever reasons, Korg left off the ability to connect a set of MIDI bass pedals to the CX-3; it doesn't bother me, but if you're in a jazz trio, it would be a drawback.

I love the sound of this thing! Played through a real Leslie, this
keyboard is VERY close to the real thing. I've only owned the CX-3 for about three weeks, but I've been playing Hammonds for over 35 years, and clones for the last 19, and I think I can tell a good copy when I see one. I mostly play rock, R&B, and blues, and this keyboard covers all of those genres well. I'd almost forgotten how good 888000000 can sound when the tone generator sound is right.

If I want to be extremely picky: The vibrato-chorus is a bit too shimmery for my liking -- more like an A-100 than a B-3 so I use C2 rather than C3 most of the time; the percussion is not quite perfect in the lowest octave (but much better than the percussion on my V3); and the overdrive is your typical digital simulation. All in all, though it mimics a B-3 extremely well. I've owned more Hammond clones than I care to admit, and they've always been close, but no cigar. We're lighting up with this one! As soon as I heard it through my Leslie 251, I could tell you exactly what was missing in my other clones.

I haven't owned it very long, so my comments here could change. In the past, my Korg gear has always been of workhorse quality. I hope the trend continues. During the first few days of use, another CX-3 reviewer and I found 3-4 software bugs in the MIDI implementation, which are aggrevating but not show-stopping. Since I'm using it through a patchbay, I was concerned that the basic MIDI operation of the CX-3 might be flawed, too. I tried to mess up the controller by doing a lot of two-handed palm glisses, fast trills, and such, all fed from MIDI Out to the patchbay and back through MIDI In -- this messes up my Voce V3 a lot -- and the Korg took the abuse without whimpering. That makes me feel a bit better.

One area of complaint: The top case is gorgeous, but the bottom side is ugly, unpainted particle board -- and mine had a small finishing nail sticking through the bottom a bit, which I had to clip off with cutters, so it wouldn't mess up the carrying case I use. (It fits like a glove in a Kaces Model #KKP-9KB.) I hope the cabinet holds up well over time.

I called Korg to let them know about the MIDI problems we found. They were friendly, and seemed genuinely interested in my comments. (I've called other music retailers to discuss flaws, and received nothing but an icy tone from the other end of the line.) OTOH, I emailed them a copy of the results of the tests, and asked them to let me know that they got them. My email program says they did (used a receipt), but I've heard nothing from Korg. Time will tell whether it was real interest, or lip service.

I've played Hammonds and clones for years, and I think this is by far the best merging of the feel and sound that is a Hamnmond B-3 that I've come across. I've owned a Voce V3 for several years, and I played a Roland VK-7 in a store for a couple of hours two days before buying the Korg, just to make sure I wasn't falling under the spell of the "hype machine." This keyboard seems to have the right blend of tone to capture the "B-3 sound". All the pieces are in the right place. Having said that, if I couldn't have found a way to turn off the "hot" keyboard action, I might have passed on the CX-3. I understand Korg's reasons for setting the action the way they did, but I still prefer the feel of a full-travel keyboard.

My overall rating is an 8.5, although the Harmony Central rating system doesn't allow .5's. So, I guess I'll have to round up ...

Just got this about a week ago. Very impressed with it. First, a little backround on my Hammond experience:

I owned a B-3 and Leslie 122 for several years, so I'm familiar with "the sound" this and other Hammond clones are after. Finally gave up the B-3 because of space and maintenance issues, and because cloning technology finally reached a tolerable level. I own a Voce V5. Before that I played a Roland VK-7, before that a Hammond XM-2, and before the, the original analog CX-3, which I played for a good 10 years. Yes, Korg was smart to use the same name for this keyboard -- plucks at the heartstrings of all us former CX-3 lovers. I've auditioned the Hammond XK-2, the EMU B-3, and the Oberheim OB3 and OB5. I take my Hammond sound very seriously, its been my #1 axe when playing in groups for almost 20 years.

The CX-3 is a piece of cake to use (sorry, I can't write with the provincial charm of the previous reviewer). If you understand Hammonds and Leslies, you may not even need the manual. But the manual is very good, if you do. The console is laid out exactly like a B-3. This is cool, adds to the feeling of authenticity. I wish they had broken with tradition by putting the percussion effects on the left with the other controls. Controls should never be on the right hand side of a keyboard. Same for the split button -- should be on the left. But fortunately, you can switch the split on and off with a footswitch. That's a feature I REALLY appreciate.

There are two sets of drawbars, which makes life SO much easier for us players who like to use two manuals. Or, as with a real Hammond, you can switch between drawbars (or the chosen preset) for a single manual. Again, everything about this keyboard seems designed to be as close to the original as they could get.

Weight is 30 pounds, which is nice. Well within my comfort range.

I like the action. Very much like a well-worn-in Hammond, which is to say, a little spongy. The keys have a nice feel and are rounded off so as to make sweeps more pleasurable. The XK-2 action, by contrast, is more crisp, keys a little bigger -- actual Hammond size. I like the XK-2 action better, except the Korg still wins out because of the scanner reading technology that triggers the note before the key hits bottom. The XK-2 lacks this, and the difference is noticeable. The OB5 keys feel similar to the CX-3, but the OB5 also lacks scanner reading. I think Korg really scored with this scanner reading thing. Some players may not like it. The first reviewer below describes how you can bypass it.

In general, the features are those of a Hammond and Leslie. Nuff said. No fancy add-ons, no new millenium effects. This is meant to look, sound, and feel like a Hammond.

Not designed to be a great controller keyboard. One cool thing is that, according to the manual, you can send midi data with each of the drawbars. Haven't tried this, but potentially its a very cool thing. The VK-7 does the same thing with its one set of drawbars. The VK-7 sends data in increments, not continuous. I don't know how the CX-3 does it.

The CX-3 sounds great. Korg obviously went to alot of effort to make the sound spot on just like a Hammond/Leslie pairing. You've got leakage (adjustable), key click (a very realistic "thunk"), and the sort of general scratchiness of the real Hammond. If you want a clean, pristine sound, this may not be what you're looking for. Hammond players will listen and say within 2 seconds, "that's the shit!"

Reacts very well to the touch. I really feel like I'm shaping the sound with my hands. Can't emphasize how important that is. A keyboard can have great sounds, but if you don't feel connected to them through the keys, it will be much harder to be expressive and personal in your playing.

Percussion, vibrato/chorus sound excellent.

The leslie effect is very good, in my opinion. I generally don't think much of the leslie simulators that come with these clones -- preferring a Motion Sound or H & K Rotosphere or Korg G4. But the CX-3's leslie simulator is very realistic. Does it sound like standing next to a real leslie? Of course not! What a stupid question! The only way to get anywhere near the experience of standing next to a real leslie is to do exactly that. In my opinion, when people criticize Hammond clones for falling short of the real thing, what they're really missing is the effect of running a signal into a tube amp housed in a big wooden cabinet with rotating speakers. There's simply no way to replicate that electronically. A better question is, does it sound like a recorded or mike'd leslie. The CX-3 comes pretty close. But digital distortion can't substitute for real tube distortion. When I run the CX-3 through a tube preamp to warm up the sound, round off the sharp digital edges, its much improved.

I think the CX-3 sounds better than most of the other clones. Much fatter and ballsier than the XK-2 and VK-7 (though the VK-7 is fairly close). The Voce V5 arguably has a warmer, fatter sound than the CX-3, but its not nearly as realistic for things like percussion and vibrato. I played the OB5 only briefly, not enough to really offer an informed comparison. It sounded very good, but probably not as good as the CX-3. If the CX-3 has a rival in sound quality, it might be the EMU. I love the way that thing sounds. The EMU is a rack unit, lacking drawbars. Its a different sort of beast in terms of implementation. But it sounds absolutely killer.

Its tough to say which of these clones really sounds best. Most of them are so good, they're really in the same league with each other. I'd put the CX-3, the EMU, and the V5 at or near the top together, the XK-2 and the OB3 at the bottom, and the VK-7 and OB5 in the middle. But hey, that's just one veteran Hammond player's opinion.

Korg is a company I trust for reliability. I almost never have a backup. I play clubs and parties. The world won't come to an end if my rig fails me (which has never happened).

Its a great keyboard. I love it. It allows me to be creative and expressive and, dammit, I feel like I'm playing the real thing. Being able to run it through a real leslie would be all I could ask for. Maybe that will be my next big acquisition.

Many keyboard players will say, yeah, its great, but is it worth the price? If you're very, very serious about your Hammond sound, then yes, I'd say so. The Hammond is an incredibly expressive instrument. If you appreciate that, and if you feel you can get that same level of expressiveness, or close to it, out of a clone, that ought to be worth 2 grand.

Again, the leslie component is so important. I think if you play a Voce V5 through a real leslie, or through the Motion Sound r3-147 rack unit, you'll have a sound that might be better than the CX-3, for probably around the same price. The point is, if you're objective is a great Hammond sound, there are alot of ways to get there. The CX-3 is not necessarily the best or only way. But the CX-3 does put a great sound into one keyboard, and it feels under your fingers. My recommendation to the prospective buyer is to try to listen to and play as many different clones as you can. Especially try to listen to the Voce V5 and the EMU, though you really have to run them through a good leslie simulator to get an idea of how good they can sound.

shit, dun easier than eatin fristed flakes.

features everything but the power to create life.(I beleive there comming up with that upgrade this summer)

this thing sounds like they stuffed a little midget inside the organ(a midget with the lungs michael crawford, and the heart of gunther gable williams.)

She's as reliable as a 25 year old girl.(notice the score)

say what!

She's the one for me, I new it the first time I saw her. Let us remember that the world that made you, will leave you cold and alone, with nothing left to hold on to but these reviews.

This thing is pretty easy. I do wish there were some sort of rotary entry thing, cause hitting the +/- keys 4000 times gets a little tiring. And the percussion is only engaged when drawbar set #2 is being used. This may be a characterisitc of the original B3, I don't know. They stopped making them well before I was born. I am an avid listener and learner of the instrument, however, and this sounds just incredible. A lot better than the XK-2, or any other simulator I've ever heard.

Full polyphony, just like the XK-2, VK-7, etc. Action is great, better feel than the XK-2. Again, I'm not a B3 player, so it may not be totally authentic. It sure feels great to me. Standard effects, leslie, reverb, and distortion. Reverb and distortion are both controlled by dedicated knobs, distortion can be controlled by INCLUDED expression pedal. My only complaint is that the distortion and expression are controlled at the same time, making any adding of distortion accompanied by an increase in volume. This is, of course, entirely realistic. But I'd rather not have my sound jump by 30 decibels when I want to go from comping to bad-ass full organ. I'm almost positive there's a midi workaround for this. I'll have to figure it out. My fault, not Korg's. And wow, TWO SETS OF DRAWBARS. God forbid any organ sim be slightly faithful to the original setup of the B3/C3/A100. (Roland VK-77 and Oberheim OB5 not included). And they actually have the percussion in the same place as on a real Hammond, unlike the XK-2/VK-7. And the vibrato/chorus is on a rotary wheel, with upper/lower manual select switches. You can also easily midi a second keyboard to it, acting as a second manual to be controlled by the second drawbar set. It even has an analog-looking display. Don't ask me what that means, I really don't know.

This is an organ clone, so it obviously is very versatile as long as you're playing organ. It can make any B3/C3/A100 sound you want. The fast key scanning method is great, and the leslie is very realistic to my ear.

I would definitely depend on it. And I have no backup. :)

I haven't actually dealt with them yet.

Oh wow. This just absolutely destroys the XK-2 and VK-7. It sounds so warm, the feel is so great, and it looks fantastic. If I had any problems using it, I quickly discovered it was my own inexperience. I wanted a B3 real bad, but given my upcoming college education, I figured it would not be a good idea to spend a LOT more money on a real organ and leslie only to have to leave them behind when I cram myself into a dorm room. If it were ever stolen, I would buy another one immediately. Any questions, feel free to ask me.

It's easy to use - 2 sets of drawbars. The lower drawbars can be used in a split on the keyboard or midi-ed into another keyboard for dual manual organ. Everything is layed out nicely. I wish the percussion controls were on the left side with everything else. Oh well. Manaul was very good from what I remember (i misplaced it a few weeks ago). Easy to edit patches and global settings.

The action is great, comparable to the XK-2, but a little spongier feel. I like it a lot. The keyboard has this scanning action which triggers the note at the initial contact, rather than at almost bottoming out the note. This makes for a faster action, which I like for the the most part. I know a few players who don't like that, and its easy to disable the initial contact note triggering. Just turn the local off, and take a midi cable and run it from the midi in to the nidi out and presto! different action. I don't know if Korg is aware of this.

As a controller, it's OK but a few more features would make it much more attractive. I use it to control a Virus B synth, I midi through into my RD-600 so I can use the pitch bend/mod wheel, which the Korg doesn't have. There are 2 choices for velocity curves; a fixed one which you can set, or this other one, which is pretty expressive. The fixed curve triggers the note at the initial contact, and the other one triggers it at the lower point when pressing the key. This is much more expressive for clav, synth, etc. I'm going to look into the midi solutions velocity converter which would give me 40 curves to choose from. It also doesn't transpose incoming midi signals, only the internal sounds; you have to transpose the sound from the source. No aftertouch. A line in would be nice, like on the Hammond XK-2 I just sold.

Overall though, it's a very cool expressive keyboard.

The organ sounds and percussion sound killer. Real fat ballsy sound. I also own a Voce V5 which sounds great too - I haven't A-B'd them yet. Good overdrive, key click, chorus, vibrato. I feel far more creative on it than I did on the XK-2; I didn't really care for the key response to its own sounds, though I did like midiing my V5 into it. Also few drawbars on the XK-2 when put through a leslie at fast speed, warbled. That drove me nuts. The XK-2 does have a few more features as a controller, but this Korg, in my opinion, far outclasses it. Especially since you can change the key response, and it sounds so damn good. 2 sets of drawbars is key for me.
I use a Motion Sound KBR-M and a Goff leslie 302 and a Hughs and Kettner Rotosphere, so I really haven't experimented with the internal lesie effect much. But there tons of parameters to edit for it, so you can tailor it to your liking.
Great for any and all organ sounds - rock, funk, r+b, blues, jazz

Don't know yet. I've always had good luck with Korg, but I've only had it for a month now. I always bring the V5, just in case.

It was supposed to come with an expression pedal, which it didn't. I am still waiting for one from Korg (about 3 weeks - 3 phone calls), but I'm being very patient; it is Christmas time. Customer support has been responsive, but the parts guy apparently hasn't.

Pricey, but I love it. Glad I bought it. I'm very picky about organ sounds, and it takes a hell of a keyboard to make me use my Voce V5 as a spare.
Any questions - drop me a line. The controller features I was talking about are the only reason I didn't give it a 10.