Korg CX-3

Extremely easy to use. Presets are in 8 banks of 8, standard fare. I'll get to the sounds further down. The keyboard is laid out like a B3 in that the percussion tabs are on the forward right section above the keys, the drawbars in the middle, chorus/vibrato controls to the left. This makes it easy if you are used to that arrangement on the real thing. This was one of the reasons I chose this over the Hammond XK-1. The manual is very well written, and of course it's only 30 pages because there really isn't all that much to deal with as compared to your typical workstation synth of today. You really don't need the presets if you know your way around a drawbar organ, which is nice. The experience in terms of controls is intuitive and organic like a Hammond.

Polyphony is full... there's no way you could max it out with normal organ playing. Built in effects are good, but I did notice a high signal-noise ratio on the Leslie simulator. Although for live performance or using in a heavy mix this would not be an issue, were you recording it direct and it was all by itself, the level of the effect in dead spaces would be a problem. In terms of flexibility of controls and parameters, I can't imagine a Leslie SIM having or needing more parameters. You can control top/bottom rotor balance, ramp up and down speeds on both, etc. etc. Very nice, but of course it's not a Leslie. Running it stereo helps. Action - well, this is where the main difference between a real Hammond and clone comes to bear. Real Hammonds have 9 key contacts, so that the drawbars engage one at a time in succession as you depress the key. This adds nuance to your playing that is lacking here, since there is only one active key contact. You can't get the "chucking" sounds like on a real Hammond, but it comes close. The keys also seem just a tad smaller (as is everything).

Taking it out of the box, I was upset... thinking what a waste of money. The presets, in my opinion, are useless. But after breaking out the manual and reading through, I went back to it again, made my own tweaks both globally and per a few patches, and found that it really does deliver. The leakage sound is pretty darn close, and as a global parameter can be increased to match your speaker setup (sound system is a factor, so you need these parameters). The foldback in both top and bottom seem right, and quite frankly I was pleasantly surprised with what a couple hours of tweaking produced. The overdrive is digital (sucks). Sorry, Korg... back to the drawing board on that. I found it was slightly better running through a Pre-Sonus BlueTube preamp. Overall, it cranks. Not a B3, but for most applications good enough. For rock/prog/blues, plenty good. Jazz, no way. Sorry.

Haven't owned it long enough, but based on the other Korg products I've owned over the past 20 years I'm not concerned - except for the case. Pressboard. Come on guys. Give us real wood. I bought it used, and it already has a sizeable crack in the front rail... this would not be the case if even thin plywood were used. I'm wondering how the original price of 1700.00 justifies particle board. Plastic would be better to be perfectly honest.

I anticipate none, since it was purchased used.

It's a very nice combo organ. If you want screaming B3 sound and you have wattage to back it up (and good bass response from your speakers) it will stand up to any guitarist's assault. It gets the leakage sounds when the drawbars are pulled back - a very important nuance, and for me it will be a nice change from the physical injuries my joints have sustained from hauling a Hammond/Leslie combo around for the last several years. It really does demand powerful amp and speakers though, so if you think you are going to just run this through the house sound and get a Hammond sound, sorry, not possible. I am glad I purchased it.

I???m reviewing the new CX-3 with the 2.0 OS upgrade. Have had it for 12 hours. I can already tell enough to review it, but perhaps I???ll offer another one later too. For starters ??? I am a former Hammond/Leslie owner. I bought the CX-3 because of all of the clones, the controls seemed to me the most logically laid out to cater to B3 artists. The instrument delivers, although I had to laugh at first, it???s like a little toy compared to a real Hammond organ! Getting past that took about 2 hour.
The manual is good, actually the instrument is very simple, so it???s only like 30 pages or something. 64 presets (128 if you include ???EX??? mode ??? useless in my opinion). Editing is a snap. If you can???t figure this out, well, I guess buy a real Hammond. Drawbars have a tad bit of a short throw as compared to the real thing (again ??? toylike), but they work just fine. Everything is positioned well for realtime control. I like that. On a real Hammond, you pretty much use the drawbars constantly, and you only have 12 presets, so this is plenty good with 64 presets.

Features ??? the only notable feature here is the midi in capability which allows you to use the lower manual (a virtual second manual for splitting the keyboard) on an external midi controller, thereby turning it into a dual manual organ. I believe the Hammonds have this capability too, so nothing really amazing there. Korg seems to make a big deal out of the EX mode, I frankly think if you are buying this thing to get Hammond sounds, EX is irrelevant. No offense, Korg.

Sounds ??? right out of the box, a Hammond / Leslie this is not. Anyone who has played the real deal will know how truly amazing Hammond organs really are (there just too darn heavy though ??? ahhhhh!) Well let???s talk about the presets. Less than ideal. But that???s ok, because if you know what you are looking for, you can get very nice settings with some quick edits. What I found is that if I just setup 4 presets in a general way, real-time editing is virtually the same as on the real deal ??? I???m already used to that, therefore I don???t see using the presets to be honest, at least not more than 1 bank. That???s just me??? I???m a tweaker. But honestly, most of the presets are absolutely useless??? I can???t imagine playing them and not drawing some laughter. If you want the real sound, you have to take the time to adjust some settings since your amp and speakers are going to be different than a Leslie (which has a very predictable sound), and most likely different than what the engineers at Korg were using. I can tell you this ??? you need a system with really powerful bass, because otherwise this thing will sound pretty cheesy. I tried it on a single 15???/mid/piezzo setup and it was pretty weak, but adding a dual 15??? sub and mid/treble horn to that, it cranks. So what I am saying is the entire effect is bigger than the Korg itself. You knew that already, so what the heck. The drawbars do a decent job of creating the basic tones, although in my opinion the higher drawbars are kind of stale. Good enough though. The processing is where the sound really takes shape. The distortion is alright. I???m running it also through a blue tube preamp which helps slightly (nothing like pumping it through 2 12AX7s on the organ preamp and 1 more 12AX7 on the Leslie, then outputting through the 2 6550 valves). The Leslie sim??? sounds OK, but there is an obnoxious signal to noise ratio there which Korg really needs to solve. I???m not sure what my soundman is going to say when he hears the hiss. (I foresee an argument!). But at least they put the effort into adding as many rotary effect parameters as possible. I appreciate that. You can adjust the rate of the ramp up on both upper and lower rotors, the slow (Chorus) speed on both rotors, levels, etc. etc. Very workable. However, a Leslie it is not. What I found though is that running it stereo in the room helps, because after all, a Leslie???s main effect is how it throws the sound around the room. So stereo is very helpful here. Mono just sounds ridiculous. In the context of a band on stage of course, mono, because after all, you mic up a Leslie and run it through a PA mono. I???m talking only about how it sounds in the practice space. At the end of the day (literally today), I was able to really crank a good Hammond/Leslie sound and played some music with a drummer and it sounder better than I expected. I???m happy with it.

Haven't had it long enough to say

I have never had to call Korg, and I've owned Korg products since '93, so I anticipate this will be an unknown here.

I like the keyboard. I'm usually skeptical at first and then find ways to like what I bought. I understand this is not a hammond organ, and quite frankly, that's ok. I think were I to pair this up with a Leslie 145 it would actually be really nice. Since I just sold my 122 and bought something else, it's going to be a long time before that happens. Oh Well. Until then I'll be using this and enjoying it for what it is.

I'm writing a review for the old (first) edition of the Korg CX-3 from around 1979

Backside : High mono out, low mono out, FX in, FX out, leslie speed jack, no midi
Knobs : volume, key click level, overdrive level, high & low eq, pitch fine tune, percussion level, percussion decay
Buttons : 2 percussions types, leslie on/off, leslie fast/slow, drawbar presets 1 2 3 & manual (real time)
And the actual drawbars.

I bought this one very cheap a couple weeks ago, more for fun and toying around rather than actual use with the band (I'm using a Roland XP50/XP80 romplers for 99% of my work). However I was pleasantly surprised when I took it to rehearsal last time as it sat REALLY well in the band mix.

I was even more surprised as it didn't sound very good on its own in the basement, nor through headphones, just a really dated, flat and lifeless organ sound. Almost cheesy when compared to organ emulations in modern keyboards (and I have a few). But I suppose this is precisely where it all comes down to : modern keyboards are probably trying to emulate the sound of recordings rather than the actual thing. IMO they're also tuned at the factory for immediate (and individual) satisfaction rather than live use with a band.
Frankly, how many keyboards or synths have you encountered that came with factory presets made for live playing rather than for studio work ?
Me ? None ... not even the Nords
At least this one doesn't cheat with effects and gizmos ...

Anyway the other guys were drooling and complimenting on my Hammond sounds (of course this is a one trick pony and I used the XP80 for all the rest). We're all grown ups in the band, I've been playing guitar and keys in rock bands for almost 20 years.

Leslie : the effect is shy and closer to a chorus than to a real leslie. If anything it sounds like a distantly mic'ed leslie rather than close mic'ing. That's not a bad thing though ...
The Korg is mono out so don't ask about mic spread.
It ramps up quick and nicely but no ramp down here. Actually that's not bad either as I like to ramp down as fast as possible.
I can't hear a distinct horn and woofer acceleration but who cares beside the cork sniffing keyboard purists ?

Overdrive : The CX-3 overdrive is pretty shy too and you only really hear it on the percussions. I've used the CX-3 with and without a Korg G4 leslie sim. I prefer the CX-3 alone as the G4 takes away a lot of high frequencies. On the other side I'm able to add some more grit with the G4 as well as a better leslie sim.

Decisions decisions ...

Well it's 30 years old and everything works 100% ...

I'm still waiting on the user manual I mailed Korg about.
Hope I won't have to wait 30 years ...

I hate the idea of lugging one more piece of gear to the gigs (two actually including the G4) but looks like it'll be worth it ...

On the other side, the coolness factor of showing off a real dinosaur on stage is absolutely priceless haha.

super easy to use....

this is one of the best parts of this instrument---if there is 'something' about the sound you don't care for (i.e. too much of this, too little of this. etc.) editing is powerful, versatile. and super intuitative...

Here is where the debate ends....I've had every clonewheel possible (electro, clavia c-1, vk-7, vk-8, hammond xk-1, hammond xk-3 ) This one is the best. Why? Because it has all of the essential hammond qualities and features one needs (i.e. draw bars ONTOP, not to the side...electro does not even hit the radar here....) PLUS it has a little bit of it's own personality. There is no one around who is going to argue that they would not rather play a real b-3/leslie combo. No clone wheel will ever match the real deal...this is not because of sound quality, but it's because of the whole overall organic 'experience' you get when you sit at a b-3 is something only a real b-3 can generate. (a porsche and a ferrari are both fine cars, but they generate different feelings...) In that same sense, the cx-3 has a unique organic 'feeling' all of it's own that makes the player feel very connected and at one with the instrument. The ability to edit is so hugely important with this instrument. This is where the cx-3 leaves the others, particularly the nord electro, in the dust. Everybody has a unique preference to how they like their hammond....with the cx-3 you can shape the sound you want quickly and easily. You can't do that with the nord. If my career gets to the point where I have a road crew, a hammond technician, and a b-3 plus TWO leslies....than I will leave my cx-3 at home. Until then, I really don't care how many new generations of clonewheel's come along, this one has proven itself to be a worthy part of any serious keyboard player's rig. Go to any pro show, and you'll see for yourself how many cx-3's are on stage.

never a problem

I have purchased another CX-3 after selling my previous one to buy a Hammond XK3. The CX3 has "it" over the XK3, in my opinion. Also, the XK3 is way overpriced and harder to lug around. They didn't need to include the black presets. The CX3 is intuitive to use, especially if you grew up a B3 player - piece of cake!

The features are laid out very much like a B-3. I could do without the EX mode for the weird non-B3 settings. Korg didn't need these to include these.

The thing that makes this is the Leslie simulator which is incredible. The sim on the Hammond XK3 is just plain mediocre compared to it. The CX3 comes loaded with some very useable presets, all of which are very easy to edit.

I used my first CX3 for about three years straight without issue - even dropped it once (without issue). Personally, if I were touring, I'd take two of any main axe (including the CX3). For local gigs,however, one is quite sufficient.

Again, this is my second CX3. After being duped by hype about the XK3 "system" I bought one - even bought a Leslie 2101. Even with the Leslie, the XK3 has nothing over the CX3. I also own a 1974 B-3 and two Leslie 122's, so I think I have a realistic sense of my Hammonds. In the end, the choice of a Hammond clone is subjective and I respect each player's choice. For me the CX3 is the next best thing to a real B-3 and Leslie 122.I will not part with mine this time. Nor will I attempt to improve upon it with the XK3 or Nord electro. By the way, the electric pianos are incredible on the Nord but the organs are not going to satisfy a die hard Hammond player.

I played the CX-3 version 2.0 for about a year. I myself own a Hammond XK-2 and now a Hammond C3 with a tube Leslie since last year. If you have the real thing and if you played on original tonewheel console organs, then you are able to rate this product and compare it to a console! Before the Hammond XK-3 system came out
the Korg CX-3/BX-3 was the thing to go for when using a clone.
Beginners will be pleased to first own such clone before they are advanced enough for changing to a Hammond organ. Although everything on the CX-3 looks like organ the editing is quite synthe-like which is ok in most cases. For the CX-3 you don't really need a service manual, everything like on all the other clones is intuitive. You simply need to know how to save a setting if necessary, for midi, and if something doesn't work. Edit your key click, the leslie sim if there's no leslie in your rig, the percussion and maybe the chorus/vibrato. After that everything should be ready.

To my mind you might be able to edit everything you wanna do, there's full polyphony. The keyboard action is even better than on the XK-3. The leslie sim sounds full in comparison to other sims. The XK-3's leslie sim sounds more like real leslie but it lacks because it's much too thin. A mix of both would be attractive. Using a leslie sim depends on the room you have on stage. If there's enough room in your car too a tube leslie will do much to the sound. In live-situations there's always a compromise. If you carried your leslie(s) on stage there'll be the mics. A good tone technician will deliver your audience goosebumps all over but I even heard real bad mixes where the low mids and bass where not there ("Hammond growl" impossible). In such situations a leslie sim does a quite good and solid job if well edited. In fact it is not too important to the audience if there's a real leslie or not when it sounds good with the band. For yourself and myself as a Hammond-gourmet an organ needs a real leslie without a question. The transport of a chopped Hammond tonewheel console often becomes very tough after a few times on the road. Since the CX-3 II, for the first time those light clones became a quite good alternative and backup line to the heavy consoles. The Harmonic Drawbars (2 sets) sound quite good, but as just mentioned there's to much bass in the lower section of the manual - be careful not to forget about editing the lower manual and use the split function. The chorus/vibrato is far away from a console but better than on the XK-2 - same with the purcussion. The distortion comes with the increasing volume like with tube amps and together with the leslie sim it sounds quite good for a clone.
At the CX-3 the multi pin output is missing, you'll need an adapter if you wanted to connect it to an original leslie. Before buying a Korg BX-3 with it's nice wood cabinet, better have two CX-3's (maybe built into a self-made-cabinet) like Keith Emerson had for percussion on both manuals, which is indeed very nice...

I'll rate it 6 because it's made to only repruduce the tonewheel sound -the Hammond XK-3 does it better except for the leslie sim.

Although the keys have another form than the original Hammond waterfall keys, the feel of this keyboard isn't reached till now by other clones. Everything else is already said. All in all it sounds good enough to my ears but it's certainly not a Hammond organ. A real Hammond has a lot better expression in every single way. It's completly different and you have to train your dynamics a lot more on a tonewheel console. If you have a tube leslie and a real Hammond next to the Korg BX-3 with a Leslie you'll hear the big, big difference.

Digital keyboards are often quite reliable since there are no mechanical parts inside which could cause a brake-down after a few years. On the other hand mechanical parts are a lot easier to maintain and repair than digital technique.
But you'll be satisfied with the CX-3 for years without a singe repair or service, I guess, if you don't use knives to hold down a note like Keith Emerson did with the cheap L100. The price for a new Korg CX-3 II is not to bad in comparison to other non-organ keyboards. But about 2000 bucks are not too far away from a good Hammond A100. I would never buy a BX-3 for 4000 bucks when I could effort a tonewheel console for the same money.

Nice. Except for the Hammond XK-3 the Korg CX-3 II the best clone out there.

I updated to software version 2.0 almost right after opening the case. The update was due to the key bounceback that triggered multiple notes. The bounceback was to be helped w. S/W 2.0. Partially, it did help, too, as the triggering point of notes got deeper.
Although the organ had very closely the same design knobs and was a functionality-wannabe-of-B3, I had some trouble finding a decent Hammond sound to come from it. But modifying preset D-3 (Carpet Magic) sufficed for my own use. All the time I had this organ, as I browse through my organ registrations notebook, I seem to have preferred evenly harmonized tones to oddly harmonized ones. My theory about this later. Leslie sim was good and well configurable.

Echo was ok, and also the leslie. But the organ was somehow miswired and the whole setup misfired, so I fired the organ. The keyboard had a bouncy feeling to it and I had to delete the resulting key bounceback notes in fast playing. 'Deep trigger' of S/W version 2.0 setting didn't help, either. But as I have read later after getting rid of the device, that this feature might be due to low serial #, as I had serial #10.
I liked the leslie miking simulator where you can adjust the proximity and angle of mikes.

Ironically, modifying the preset H-3 'Voxinental' with even harmonics gives you the best approximation of a VOX organ I've ever heard. It might be even better VOX than the real VOX. Thus, this organ might have certain value after all for long-haired wide-sleeve-hosed hippy potty flowery powery garage musicians.
The other harmonics 3 & 5 overlap esp. in chords in a buzz of a thousand bees manner too familiar from other clones to me. Thus I had trouble believing CX-3 had only 91 output frequencies like the original B3 from its tone generator. Is everybody serious in their review(s) or haven't you heard a real B3 next to CX-3?
I've already retraded the unit, but I can return to being a Korg's customer if they compare closely to a Hammond and can have their tone generator sounding right. I disliked the overdrive with exp. pedal which was a lousy 1980's type digital buzz. An overdrive sound that mimics 1980's type Hammond digital clone gone hay-wired.

No problems in terms of reliability.

No comment as I've never had to deal with Korg's customer support, ever. They might be hiring monkeys from the jungle there and an average musician wouldn't know. Don't be upset guys as I know your coffee breaks keep on prolonging.
As for design department Korg has had so far the right stuff for building roadworthy gear.
Does the Korg have a support department?

I've already bought another brand and submitted this review to share my point of view. I've been playing for my personal interest for 15 years among other work I do for living. You considering this unit should try Clavia's Nord Electro 2 '73 before buying this beast as both are relatively closely priced. NE 2 lacks string reverb and real drawbars, but you can compensate and hook a set of real ones instead. NE's latest SW 2.1 has crashed on me which Korg never did. Perhaps more about NE 2 in an another review, some day.
DISCLAIMER. You can't model an analog computer well with digital technology. It's like trying to digitize a woman. You can come close and perhaps get one part right and that's all.

I have version 2 software, the latest. The presets are a little boring for me, but I love playing with the drawbars anyway. The beauty of the board is changing the presets and saving sounds you like is a snap. Editing is so simple, I never even cracked open the manual. Hmmmm....where did I put it?

Polyphony is unlimited, it is an organ opure and simple. The keyboard action is perfect when compared with a traditional Hammond. It is very quick. Effects, now it gets interesting. First of all, you have to hear the leslie sim on this thing, it is brilliant! It soulds as good as the real thing and I was able to even enhance the doppler effect, creating an even "thicker" effect than a real leslie. This is all in the "mic" placement. There is no expandability, but who cares, this is a first-class organ. The distortion (overdrive) is very good, although I wish it had a more gutsy sound, it is a little buzzy, but very good in a mix. The reverb is great, I didn't even have this on my A-100 years ago.

This organ is a Hammond for all intents and purposes. It sounds like one from the tonewheel sound right on down to the rotary speaker effect. It is lightweight, and handsome as can be. I hate carrying three boards around (I have a Triton and a Roland RD-170 too), but I will not be able to leave this baby home. This organ would be great in church, or on a rock gig, blues, jazz, you name it. Everything on it is very editable, and you can get it very mellow, or very bright. Keyboard action is brilliant.

Depend on it? Are you kidding, this is a KORG! I would take it without back-up, but I love how it sounds with the Triton and RD-170.

Gee, in 35 years of playing, I've never dealt with the company. I have had everything from a Poly-six (love at first sight!) to a DW-8000, Triton Classic and now this wooden gem. KORG website is brilliant, check it out!

If it were lost or stolen, I'd have to get another. I had another one a few months back, thought I didn't need it, sold it on eBay, and I was miserable. Had to get another one, and they will be burying me with this one! I've been playing semi-pro for 35 years, and this is worth every bit what is costs if the old Hammond/leslie sound is as important to you as it is to me. I love the portability of it (37 lbs, and most of that is the weight of the wooden cabinet I'm sure). I know there are some great "do it all " boards out there, Fantom, etc, but this nails the tonewheel/leslie sound, had to have it. My Triton, for example does horns like the "wrath of God", but the organs sound bland and static next to the CX-3. The RD-170 does good pianos, but again the organs...BO-ring! Compared with KORG's competition, the Hammond clone from Hammond is great, but more costly, and heavier. The Nord is very good, but no real drawbars (digital simulations). The Rolands are very cool, but the leslie sim can't touch the CX-3. So, to sum up my legnthy verbage here, I recommend the CX-3 to anyone who loves the old 60-70's Hammond/Leslie sound. This board is perfect for anything from church to jazz club, to straight-ahead rock, distorted "leslie" and all! In my performance, I'll do everything from soft blues to Steppenwolf on this thing. Don't buy a Hammond clone until you try this one first, and then decide for yourself.

its more practical than other combo organs.the most important parts have their own knobs.so you can easly use them even you play live.i used to have vk-7.and worst thing with it was i couldnt use vibratos and chorus easy.korg made the knobs just like a b3 so its perfect.

it has every thing to be need in an hammond sound.

i had a roland vk-7 before korg.the mid tones were good but if you play solo the difference is too much with an original hammond.i never get that feeling with the korg cx-3.before i buy it i tried roland vk-8,hammond xk-3,nord electro 2 and non of them felt like i am playing a real organ.but i feel that solo organ sound with korg cx-3.like every combo organ has a digital sound so has korg too.even they made the leslie simulation so good u know that something wrong with the sound.as every one knows no amp with transistor has a great sound than a amplifier with lambs.the original hammond also has amp with lamb.that gives the soft and hot sound.but for the perfect hammond sound with a combo organ i had a solution.i am using my korg with a hughes&kettner tube rotosphere.u cant even imagine that small pedal gives the exact sound with an original leslie. i suggest you to use that pedal with your korg.

i am always using it in live performances.i am still keeping my vk-7 for a back-up but i never had to use vk-7 since i bought korg cx-3.

i didnt need support yet..

the only thing wrong with the korg is its output.if you want a soft tone without overdrive u cant get a powerfull volume.cause the main volume is not high enough.u can only get a powerfull sound if you turn on the overdrive too.but even with that problem i can still say the best organ!! i dont give a 10 even i love it but its a digital world and i am sure in a few years i'll find a better organ sound.but i guess its going to be a new model of korg..

This is the latest version of this keyboard (version 2.0). At this point, I've only owner the KB for a week. In general, the keyboard is a "10" in ease of use. However, there's a lot of editing I'll have to do to produce the exact sounds I'm looking for. Many of the presets are close to what I want but the key click is over emphasized for my tastes and takes some editing to change. Therfore, I'll rate it a "8" in this catagory. Otherwise, it's very easy, straight forward and intituitive to use. It's nice having real drawbars, overdrive controls, reverb level and everything else at your fingertips.

I looked at numerous keyboards and emulators looking for the best B3 sound I could find. I looked at the Roland VK-8 and the VR-760, Voce, Nord Electro 2, and Hammond XK3. My second choice was the Hammond. On this keyboard, having real drawbars are a big plus for me. The keyboard feel is great. The keyboard also has reverb which is missing on the Nord.

The keyboard can be split to operate two manuals with two sets of drawbars. Via MIDI, you can alternativily, attach a seperate keyboard to operate as the lower manual. Again, you have two sets of drawbars for this. In EX mode, the drawbars are combined to give you a large ranges of tone controls. Control location's on this keyboard are very player friendly and function well.

The Korg will give you just about any sound you desire from the lineage of the B3. The built in leslie emulation sounds very good to my ears. I'm not a B3 expert or purist however the recording engineer in me makes me finicky about sound quality. Is it the real thing?... no. But it's so close that unless your a B3 purist (no offense intended) about the leslie sound and your intending on using this as a primary featured solo instrument, you won't be able to tell the difference in the mix (live or studio). In many recording situations, I'd rather run this direct into the board rather than miking up a leslie cab anyhow. Not because of laziness but due to recording situations with other musicians laying down basic tracks at the same time, in the same room. (Meaning: no keyboard sound leaking into drum or rhythm guitar mics.) However, you can still run the Korg into a leslie if you want via it's 1/4" line outs. **Note - there's no direct leslie multipin connector on this keyboard.

I chose this keyboard over the Hammond XK3 due to the fact that I don't see a big difference in the sound between the two and yet the Korg is priced significantly enough less than the Hammond that I couldn't justify the additional cost just to have the Hammond. The Nord is a decent KB as well. It gets rave reviews for it's B3 sound/leslie emulation. It's well know for its other keyboard tones that it offers, Rhodes, Wurly, etc... all VERY good sounding. However, I found it's range of B3 sounds to be somewhat limited and the overdrive poor. When trying to obtain a good overdriven, rock Deap Purple, Boston, edgy kind of sound, the Nord's overdrive implementation went from a very nice sounding bluesy, jazz tone and with just a bit more overdirve broke up into a horible raspy and harsh sound. Maybe I needed to work with it more? I don't know, but I don't think so either. If the overdrive sounded better on the Nord and it had reverb I would have bought it over the Korg for the additional keyboards it emulates.

As I mentioned earlier, many of the presets on the Korg are close to what I want but the key click is over emphasized for my tastes and will take editing to change. The fast leslie spin up time is a little slow for my tastes as well but this too can be adjusted via additional editing. Like any new instrument, you'll need to invest some time into it to tweek the sound to your tastes. At least this keyboard has the ability.

While I haven't owned it long enough to determine it's reliability, I know this keyboard has a good reliability reputation and it's road worthy even though mine will sit in my home studio.

I've never had to deal with Korg. I do like the fact that their web site is decent and offer downloadable updates online for those that own old versions of this keyboard. They also have a few different mp3 sounds of this keyboard to give a person a little bit of a preview into what it's capable of producing in terms of sound. I'm not slamming Hammond here, they make a great product. however, if they want to try to compete with the competition in this class of keyboard, they could take a few lessons by looking at Korg and Clavia's web sites. I'm sure it would help to boost sales. The new XK1 that will be coming out around March of 2006 will likely be positioned to compete more directly with the Rolands, Korg, and Nord.

I don't normally do these user ratings, but I did for this product becuase I felt this purchase decision was a bit more difficult for me than some others. Sometimes a person can get too worked up with the minor differences between different makes and models. i.e. "Which one should I buy?" I feel I bought the best keyboard for my needs and I'm sure I'd buy it again after deciding on the Korg.

So here's where the truth comes out... While I play keyboards, I wouldn't call myself a keyboardist either. Thus many might ask "How do you know what a real B3 should sound like?" I think that would be hard for many of the B3 experts to answer as well. Consider the wide range of tones a B3 can produce and the fact that people have different tastes in what they like in a B3 sound. Also, no two B3's sound exactly the same and over the years, the overall sound of the B3 went though a couple changes in overall sound. So the best answer for me is: I don't do cover tunes so I'm not looking to perfectly emulate any specific artists B3 sound. I just know the overall B3 type of sounds I'm looking for and the Korg delivers it to my satisfaction. My primary instrument is guitar and I record most of my own original material which, I guess could be classified as a classic rock type of sound. (My ears are alraedy burning... "Oh great! A guitarist reviewing a keyboard/organ!) But hey, it's a review from maybe a slightly different viewpoint. I've been missing that big B3 sound for several songs I'm working on and thus the CX-3 purchase. I do own a Roland keyboard and some software based keyboards. This combination gives me most of what else I need for keyboard sounds. I've been a musician and recording engineer for 20 some odd years so I guess I've got a certain amount of experiance to know what I need and like.

I bought my CX-3 new for $1480. The standard going price on the web is about $1,799. My local music store would have sold it to me for $1580. They discounted it another $100 for me due to a very slight ding in the top wood panel.

If your a CX-3 owner, and would like to share some hot patches/register settings etc, I'd love to hear from you. Thanks

1.0, it was the store model at a big retailer. I took it home while they ordered me a new one. I fell in love with it playing it at home. I don't normally play keys but just LOVED the sounds and was eagerly anticipating the new one with v2.0. The new one came in, I plugged it in and sounded absolutely HORRIBLE compared with the store model. I ended up taking the floor model, it's serial number is in the 400's so I think it's a pretty early model, the new one they shipped to me was in the 4,000's.

Unless there was a physical defect with the new v2.0 keyboard which I doubt because I compared them side by side at the store with 2 keyboard players. They thought it was the software also. I just can't believe that more people here praise v2.0.

I guess I'm using the OS v2.0, as I bought the unit about six months ago, and I seem to get the drawbar animations etc. Not that I really get into the presets or anything, but that's judging by other reviews down below. The presets are, well, just presets, and I definitely didn't buy a clonewheel for the presets. However, the sheer amount of the parameters sometimes require that you use the presets as a basic sound and build the tone that you want based on that particular sound. It was fairly easy to get used to, and I was editing patches in no time. I use this board live, so I have basically played around with a few presets and set up the tones that I like, mainly based on the amp and reverbs. All other stuff I play around on the fly, and an organ player who doesn't use the drawbars, percussion or C/V knob shouldn't be calling himself an organ player in any case. The manual was quite good, the parameter names are easy to understand, without a lot of unintelligible acronyms that most synth manufacturers love to use. (Actually I have a theory that they are in a secret race amongst themselves so as to develop the most incomprehensible manual.) Having said that, you have to be familiar with leslie miking, amplifying and general Hammond organ concepts to fully understand what the manual is talking about.

The beast has full polyphony, as expected from a clonewheel. Waterfall keyboard makes the palm smears and glissandos feel like the real thing. The built-in effects are quite good, especially the leslie simulator is almost perfect. What one would expect from a clonewheel are all there, the chorus and vibratos, overdrive, reverb and percussion... The thing that I really like was the tone controls, as I hate the sound check stage, so I just tell the engineer to get everything flat, and I play around with my tone when I'm playing. No complaints yet, so I guess I'm doing a good enough job on that front.

One thing that shines on the CX3 is the double drawbar set, and I use it extensively. I usually split the board when I'm not in a solo, and use the lower two octaves for the "pad" with something like 044433333 and the upper three for licks, trills and frills.

Yes, there are MIDI in and outs, and I will possibly use something for the lower manual in near future, but haven't tried it yet. Sequencer? Get outta my face!!!

For what a clonewheel should be doing, Korg has done a very good job. I play the blues, and it does everything expected from an organ. One thing I'm slightly annoyed with (with an emphasis on slightly) is the volume level when the chorus / vibrato setting is changed. It's not that much of a problem, but it requires some manual intervention. Velocity and aftertouch on an organ? Get outta my face!!!

Built like a tank, and I mean it. I hate to lug 100 lbs of keyboards, stands and cables, but I usually have to do that when I'm gigging. This baby is around 40 lbs, but I shouldn't be complaining when I compare this to the real thing. Last week, the organ dropped from the Ultimate Apex keyboard stand from 3 ft to the floor, with my feet as the only damping factor, during a solo! I just took it and lifted it onto the stand and apart from the drawbars dropping to 888888888, there were no problems whatsoever with the sound, cables or anything. Need I say anything more?

As a principle, I try not to gig without backup, but if I had to, I probably would do it with the CX3.

Never used it, I hope I never will.

I'd definitely buy this again if it was lost or stolen, it's made for what I do, playing live blues on a relatively small stage with an 8-piece band. I've been playing the piano for about 35 years, and I've been on synths and keybs for tha last 20 in various bands. My stage rig consists of the CX3 and a Roland Fantom with Keyboards of the 60s and 70s expansion board (SR-JV80-08). I compared it with Hammond XK2 and XK3, and Roland VK8 when I was around shopping, the XK2 sounded a bit thin, XK3 was too pricey and Roland's leslie sim wasn't as good as the CX3. I need to say that this a matter of personal taste, and I definitely don't condone musicians who have opted for other clonewheels.

Using version 2 software, and I never use presets, they are boreing next to the sounds I can create on this machine! I bought used on eBay without manual, and don't even need it. For what little info I need, I can get the info from the KORG website.

The polyphony is unlimited, it is an organ. The effects are incredible, and infinately editable. The keyboard action is just like the old tonewheel organs, easy and snappy fast. It has midi in/out/thru.

This is a completely realistic tonewheel-sounding unit. It looks like a classic instrument, is laid out like an old Hammond, but has all the flexibility of a new digital instrument. You can adjust everything about its sound and operation! This board is good for blues, rock, church, jazz....you name it. It can sound like the sweetest church organ, or the grungiest rock organ. The rotating speaker on this is what puts it over the top when compared with its clone competitors. Korg, Roland, Hammond, Nord, even Viscount make good Hammond clones, but only the KORG CX3 needs no external Leslie. In fact, my experience has been that if you spend some time "tweaking" the leslie parameters in the organ, you can create an even thicker doppler effect than a real Leslie would give you. From the audience, it sounds like a mic'd Leslie screaming at you.

Backup? Are you kidding, this is a KORG....I will always use it with another board anyway for piano and other sounds, but this is THE organ!

Gee, don't know yet, haven't had to call or write.

If it were lost or stolen, I'd have to get another. I've been playing for 30+ years, and used a Hammond A100 and 2 Leslie 147's for a long time. TRULY, it had nothing on this sound. I also have a Roland RD-170 and a Korg Triton Classic 61. I love that this sounds like I remember a tonewheel unit should sound like!

V 1.0. Presets sound great. Much depends on your amp. What little editing I've done has been easy. Had to read through some sections a few times before I got it.

Polyphony is fine for my purposes. Action is very close to a B-3. All the effects are easy to use.

CX-3 is easy to use right out of box. I play jazz and standards and the CX-3 is great for what I'm doing.

I've had it for almost 5 years and have had no problems. I use the CX-3 and a digital piano on most gigs.

N/A

I would buy another one.
I've been playing for about 45 years. I also have:
Roland RD-600 and a Roland RD-150.
The CX-3 has a great sound for jazz purposes. I don't use it on country club gigs though.

First: this is for the old analog CX-3, NOT the new digital one.

Lay-out of the controls is fine, only the overdrive adjustment is too small and too far in the back. I would have preferred the overdrive pot where the keyclick is. The fact that the 3 presets are fixed makes me not use them.

9 drawbars, tune, overdrive, eq (bass/treble) percussion (4', 2 2/3', volume and decay), keyclick, rotary (on/speed) 3 fixed presets of the drawbars.

Analog, so fully polyphonic. No MIDI.

I'm comparing this to my 70-s Cordovox White Elephant organ (CDX-0652), not realy a hammond simulater but a nice organ with flute voices. I used an ELKAtone 700 leslie (no tubes).

The CX-3 is a rocker. Overdrive sounds great. The keyboard has a growl with a sound of it's own; it definately has character. The keys feel fine.

It seems not designed for jazzy, clean sounds. In comparison to my cordovox thye cx-3 sounds a little muffled and the highs sound a little harsher, especially in the highest octave. Chords played on the cordovox sound more open and defined. Even thoug the cordovox only has 6 flute voices the sound is more versitile than the CX-3 with 9 voices. When it comes to (hard) rock sounds and screaming solo's the CX-3 wins, but overall I prefer the cordovox for it's dynamic and open sound.

The rotary effect on the CX-3 is usable, but sounds like a subtle chorus to me. The fast setting is unusable. The CX-3 sounds very good without any leslie effect, where the cordovox will sound too direct (almost irritating) and a bit boring. But this is why they invented the leslie in the first place.

I've only had this keyboard for a few weeks and have not gigged with it yet (but I will). I play Fender Rhodes and use a Roland Juno-60 or the mentioned cordovox (modified).

What I like about this keyboard is that it has character; a sound of it's own. I'm not hearing a classic hammond, but bands like Pink Floyd and Emmerson, Lake and Palmer come to mind. I wouldn't be surprised if they actually used the CX-3.

Also the design, size and weight are very good. (the cdx weighs a ton). Good keyboard for the price I payed. I'm curious how the sound is compared to the new CX-3.

I own and played a few shows with the Korg CX-3 Version 2.
I also own and currently play shows with a hammond Xk-2. I Think the CX-3 Is very easy to use and program. The presets sound good and are labeled nicely. The patch editing is a snap to use, and is very handy. I thought the Manuel was very Specific .

The korg CX-3 Version 2 Has alot of the B-3's charcteristics like leakage tonewheel overtone levels,key clicks right down to noise simulation. The CX-3 has a great Key response and waterfall action.
The actual sound of the organ Is kind of harsh even when played through a real leslie. I also felt that the sound was slightly thin and very compressed. I never had that problem with the Hammond Xk-2 this to being used with the same real leslie. The CX-3 has better feel and characteristics Than the xk-2. The Xk-2 has a fatter smoother drawbar sound and mixes well in live gig situations. Maybee it has to do with the version 2 upgrade!!!!!!!

I feel for the money that the new Korg CX-3 is built rather flimsy and not that strong. You always should carry a backup cause ya never know what might happen.

I have played shows with a real Hammond C-3 and leslie. I also played shows with The Hammond XB-3 and XK-2 running them through a leslie. All those instruments blended very well with the bands that I have played with over the years. When the new CX-3 came out I've
purchased one and gigged with it. It is not really a road worthy combo organ. The Hammond combo organs and Roland Combo Organs are built stronger And Sounds much Fatter and smoother. The korg CX-3 has more B-3 Character and Better Key Response.

I've been clone shopping for a while. I mainly use the Native Instruments B4 in the studio, but I've been looking for something that sounds like a B3 with a Leslie for live use. I've owned two Roland VK-8s, a VK-8M, and a VK-7. In my opinion, the tone, C/V, and leakage coming out of the Rolands is better and more tweakable. However, the VK's Leslie simulation leaves much to be desired (even version 2). Korg gets much closer to the real deal. The VK-8 with a real Leslie (or Motion Sound) would probably be the better choice, but who wants to carry that extra equipment around??? Not me.

I returned all of my Roland purchases, and settled on a B-Stock CX-3 (for the same price as the VK-8). It had a few dings, but worked perfectly out of the box. I had to install OS v2, which took about 15 minutes and went off without a hitch (AMD 2600 running Windows XP Pro w/Steinberg Unitor-8 MIDI interface). Korg provides software which you install and run on your computer to do the update. It's really nice!!! It runs some tests first to see if your system is capable of sustaining transfer rates, etc. The only shortcoming was that I didn't know quite what to do once the program was finished updating the CX-3. It left the CX-3 with a message on its display (I think it was supposed to be the word "received" but it was not spelled correctly). Anyway, I powered the CX-3 off and back on, and got the V2 drawbar animations! V2 adds a number of features that make the upgrade worth it:

- improvements in sound
- improvemed Leslie sim
- new "mellow" drawbar setting which takes some of that digital harshness out of the sound that other reviewers have complained about
- a new reverb type (dark)
- the ability to use a pedal to control the Leslie speed in "momentary" mode as opposed to alternating between fast & slow (and having to press and release it for each speed change).

After owning a VK-8 (which is impossible to edit accurately, and very frustrating to even attempt), the Korg CX-3 is a dream come true!!! It has a nice display that shows you EXACTLY what value each parameter is set to. Another nice thing about the CX-3 is that EACH patch has its own settings for the Leslie sim. With the Roland, you get one global setting.

The CX-3 has full polyphony. The keyboard action is a nice, but takes a little getting used to if you're coming from synths & piano. The keys themselves are a little wider and squatter than any of my other synths. It's something I'll get used to quickly, but they all feel a little looser than any other keyboard I've played.

One area where the CX-3 shines is in its MIDI implementation. All of the drawbars and most of the switches send programmable CC messages. This means that the CX-3 can manipulate most of the B4's controls via MIDI! This is a huge plus over the Roland. Roland transmits & receives drawbar & controller info, but the CC numbers are fixed values.

The CX-3 does a fine job of emulating a Hammond, but it's not exactly the same thing. Would most people notice...no. Is it easier than lugging a 500 pound organ around...yes!

One thing about these clones is that it takes a lot of time & effort to set them up. I write/record progressive rock, and play in a classic rock band (Genesis, Kansas, Yes, Boston, Rush, Triumph, Deep Purple, etc). It takes a lot of experimentation and patience to get things just right.

The onboard effects are pretty good. There's basically reverb, chorus/vibrato, distortion, leakage, and the Leslie sim. Here's a rundown:

-- There are a few types of reverbs, and a couple of parameters you can adjust (such as time and depth). The onboard reverb will get the job done!

-- The chorus/vibrato are not as good as the Roland, but they'll get you by. One thing I don't like about them is the way they increase or decrease the volume of the sound your playing. I think the effect is too drastic, and the chorus (especially) might be a bit too invasive. The Roland VK-8 does this WAY better.

-- The distortion is pretty good. I suspect Korg will introduce a new Organ soon that includes the tube that they've put into the Triton Extreme. It would do wonders for the sound!!! Of course, it'll probably be announced at the 2005 winter NAMM because I JUST WENT OUT AND BOUGHT A CX-3! Such is my luck...

-- Leakage is there, but not as good as Rolands. The CX-3 doesn't quite sound like a vintage Hammond because of this. It's too clean sometimes.

-- The Leslie sim is what sold me on the Korg. It might not be as good as the Nord, but it leaves the VK-8 in the dust. Lots of adjustable parameters that can be saved with each patch...nice feature!!

No problems yet! I hope it holds up. I suspect that it will be fine mechanically and electronically. My big concern is for the crappy case it's built in. Is that wood? I have my doubts. Some advice...be very carefull with that wood-looking layer on the outside of the keyboard. It will actually start peeling off. Mine was a b-stock with light use, but there was already a section peeling up from the bottom in the back. I'm trying to find a way to make sure it doesn't keep peeling.

Never dealt with them, but the website is pretty good. They offer PDF manuals, and the upgrade software for the CX-3 was lightyears beyond what I've seen from other manufacturers.

If lost or stolen, today I'd replace it with another CX-3. If lost or stolen 6 months from now, I'd look at what was available at the time. Right now, this is the best thing for me. I'm glad I tried the b-stock model. It was about $300 cheaper than a new one, comes with the same warranty, and was in really good shape.

I love the flexibility of the MIDI implementation and the detail in the Leslie sim. It becomes less convincing with the C3 setting, but it's still better than average. I hate the "wood" casing...it just doesn't hold up well.

I've been playing about 35 years. Other gear owned: Roland Fantom-S88 & Fantom X6, Yamaha Motif ES6, Korg Karma, Alesis ION, lots of software synths.

pretty darn easy. good performance keyboard (patches to drawbars and back). i'm kinda concerned about breaking the leslie switch, though.

great features overall. too many in fact to sit around and hit buttons all day. i just use the basic patches and modify 'em as need be (often in real-time)

sounds fine to me. i just need to recreate that classic sound in a band for people drinking beer. the audiences doesn't know a tonewheel from a bicycle wheel. they just want to hear a good band. the cx mixes well in a rock context. not sure about jazz or blues but assume it'll work just fine

it's worked so far although one key is stuck at the top of the velocity range when i use a sound module. could be the moisture that built up one cool summer night...

haven't called 'em

probably would buy another one even if it did cost too much. excellent board.

I love this board.

It has the feel and the sound of a Hammond organ and the Leslie sim is 5 stars.

To the guy that gave his opinion (the one below me...Fred?), dude, stop snorting cocaine.

You gave prospective buyers a lot of NONSENSE s*it.No one is interested in your BIASED and UNHELPFUL opinion.I'm also 50 and I give a damn s*hit about what you did or not. WHO CARES?

I found this "Hammond 3 SERIES "clone/simulator/emulator" very easy to use. I powered it up..played it..it sucked..and I shut it off...Easy.

There is the Rolls Royce...There WAS the "Rolls- Wagon" It's not a B3...but will fit in a Volks-wagen. No argument...it's greatest feature is portability. And Balsa wood is light.

Well...by reading my previous reviews..you won't have to be a John Edwards to predict my verdict in this catagory. I rebuild/restore/ customize Hammonds/Leslies in Ct. USA. I'm an old dude...50 years old. I started playing the same week of the Cuban Missile Crisis. I'm so old, that when I was a kid.. Richard Groove Holmes' version of Misty was at the top of the charts in 1965. I watched a black and white tube powered TV..with antennae and a 3 channel capability...and I was the remote. I was dazed by the beautiful Hammond sound that most people took for granted then. And I'm still in a daze today. When I went to the 64' Worlds fair, there was a guy flying around with a rocket pack strapped to his ass..and my father told me I'd be flying to work like that in the future. Well..? Also at the fair there was a little Japanese made robot..coasting around, that scientists said, 40 years in the future.. would be taking out my trash. Where the F--k is he?
I was also told 40 years ago...that in the future.. somebody would invent a small portable organ that would sound like a 400lb. B3....Well the future is here..
I'm still driving to work.. I still have to take out the gargage... And there's still nothing that sounds like a real B3.
Well.. my final conclusion: After 40 years of playing, and 34 years of owning, transporting and working on Hammonds..my opinion is simple. The whole "clone" controversey, all stems from needing serious Healthcare Reform in this country. I know that all you reviewers deep down would rather play a real Hammond, and would risk body parts moving one, but are neither covered by health insurance..or have one of those crappy HMO high deductable plans. So instead of paying the $2000.00 deductable...chose to buy a clone instead. We all drink from the same river...Denial.

It worked fine until I sold it.

In all fairness...I've owned a lot of Korg products over the years..and still do...and never had to deal with them because nothing died to the degree of having to talk to them.

I never owned a new CX-3. But have played one for a few days..on a tryout basis. I know many of you will disagree with my opinions...and I'm not saying I am totally right. But I am bias'd in my opinions because I am around the old Hammonds every day...know their sound. their individual habits and attitudes. They are individuals. And electricity shoots life into them. I own and have re-built 2 of my old Hammonds, and have played numerous others.The new organ clones are not clones at all. A clone is an exactly engineered copy of the original. That would be Dolly the Sheep...not a CX-3 XK-2 VK-7 or VK-8...etc. The new digital organ clones are actually copies of themselves...all the same, no individual identity Which makes them Double Secret Probation clones. To make a B3 clone..a tonewheel would have to be extracted from it's original B3 parent..and implanted into a surrogate host,..you know the rest.

I just bought this instrument brand new and it has the latest software version as of this writing, 2.0. I played a lot of them including previous software versions in music stores before buying it, though. If you are used to the Hammond drawdar system, you can just turn on the unit and start playing, making sure the drawbar selectors are set for manual use. If you are a synth player, you can skip the drawbar usage (for now) and go right to the preset patches. Best of both worlds.

It might be a good idea to read the manual before patch editing because the relationship of patches to manual drawbar settings is not readily apparent. The patches affect internal parameters such as EQ and amp settings even when manual drawbars settings are being used, and I don't think this is stressed in the manual. Also, unlike most synth patch edits where the front panel settings are all saved when 'write' is pressed, the drawbar settings will only be saved when the 'drawbar' section of the edit menu has been selected, and then only drawbars that are physically moved will have their settings changed in the save. If starting a patch from scratch, it might be a good idea to just push all the drawbars in and start fresh, but this is a pain if you have just developed a sound, have it set up, and want to save it. You gotta pull 'em out all over again. There may be a way around this, but I haven't found it yet. The manual is otherwise very informative as I have found all Korg manuals to be. The factory patches are fairly representative of mainstream Hammond sounds, but there are too many rehashes of the traditional Jimmy Smith '3 bars out and third harmonic percussion' sound. Even the 'harder' sounds lack the 'guts' that I have found this instrument to have. One nice touch in the programming is that all the patches are not rock oriented. Believe it or not, some people play music other than rock on this instrument.

One nice touch to add in the manuals would be ssuggested registrations beyond the factory patches. Cover more styles than rock, please. Hammond used to do this with literature supplied with their organs, but these registrations were all aimed at church use andthe pop music of the day (30's 40's 50's) and of course did not cover use of the instrument when jazz and rock artists took the organ over by storm. Interesting to note is that it is possible to use these older style registrations on the CX-3, and they come out just like the Hammond. There a good book on Hammond playing and registration ffor rock and jazz that is put out by the person who teaches it at Berkeley in California. Can't remember the guy's name, but this is available in some music stores, and might be something good to get if you want registration help.

In short: Very easy to use as is, and if you care to go further, WATCH OUT, this thing's a monster!

The polyphony on this instrument is simply all 79 oscillators able to run at once. Other reviews state that there are 91 oscillators, an extra octave, but this is not true. It must be thought that the 16' low octave is actually a set of oscillators and this is not true. The 8' octave doubles back. Note that on Hammond pedals (sorry, no provision here) the 16' octave was 'synthesized' by using the 8' and 5 1/3' together. In pipe organ terms, this is called a resultant. EArly Allen organs used this technique, too. I wish this was on the lowest octave of the 16' drawbar. You can come close by drawing the 16', 8' and 5 1/3' for bass.

The built in effects are basically what the larger console Hammonds had: Three chorus vibratos, three vibratos, percussion and Leslie (simulator). This is what you see at the front panel, but it sure doesn't end there. There are a variety or settings for amp types, EQ, amp gain, percussion overall volume, and everything about the Leslie except the color of the cabinet. The effects overall are great. I put the Leslie through its paces with some vintage Vanilla Fudge, Deep Purple and Lee Michaels. A torture test for other Hammond imitators, but the Cx-3 comes through shining. With all the effects and programmable perameters available, the organs of each of these artists, and many more, can be effectively simulated.

Although this is not the type of board that you would normally think of as a controller (more of a controll-ee) the MIDI capabilities are more than adequate. Upper and lower manuals can send both constant velocity and velocity sensitive data, even though the organ itself is of course not by its nature touch sensitive. Good for linking to a piano patch for doing Nickey Hopkins and other similar styles. In short, on the outside there are all the features of a high end console Hammond of the "B" and "C" series. Go beyond and you find a load of synth-like programability, but all aimed towards creating a Hammond sound.

The 'feel' of the instrument is simply elegant. The wood cabinet combined with quality controls such as the drawbars and the Hammond-like keyboard feel with programmable key depth response makes you feel you are playing a quality instrument. The sound that comes out confirms it.

The instrument itself is very realistic. It is intended to do one thing, imitate a Hamond organ, and that it does better than any other attempt yet made. It does something every good instrument should do, inspires the player. I sat for hours with this instrument just improvising in every style I know, playing covers from a variety of 'Old School' organists, and reliving my gigging days. (I had an Organ-Bass-Drums hard rock trio two years before there was an ELP) The CX-3 captures every mood of the player, probably more easily than the original Hammond did. It just seems that you don't have to work as hard to get the good sounds out of it as you did with the old monsters. The CX-3 does NOT react to velocity and aftertouch (or more properly SECOND touch) nor does it have a pitch bender. That's a GOOD thing. Many young keyboardists, including those that publish in national mags, think that eveything has to play like a guitar. The CX-3 is an organ, not a guitar, and it responds to those things that an organ responds to. If you want a bend, there is a great wheel brake, and the CX-3 responds like a Hammond did to that. The wheel brake bend was not recommended by the Hammond factory, but go ahead and do it on the CX-3 as much as you want. Ain't technology great?

I just got the instrument, so it hasn't had a chance to break down. Korg backup on my other products has been great, but these (Two 01W/FD's used together and an 01R/W) have also never needed service. As far as a backup goes, all my 01's have organ patches I've developed over the years, so that backup would automatically be there.

I haven't had to deal with Korg concerning this instrument, but as I said before, they have been just great on other customer inquiries. I understand that software upgrades are gladly given. Get 2.0 if you hae a n older instrument, Korg listened tomost all of the concerns I have heard voiced in other reviews, and did something about them.

If this organ was lost, replacement would be quick. If it were stolen, a life would be lost, the thief's!

I have been playing over 40 years and have played everywhere from a roadhouse blues band to the Vatican. I have owned actual Hammonds with 145 Leslies, a 2 manual Vox Continental before that, the original Korg CX-3 which I used with a 145, Three Korg 01's, an Akai sampler, and Theater Pipe Organs. Currently have a three manual Theater Organ. 3/15.

Things I love about the CX-3 are the overall sound and expressiveness as well as the programmability, which of course contributes to this. The idea that through programming I can create virtually any style or era Hammond organ I want to use is just great. The re-thinking from the original CX-3 is amazing, these guys really did their homework. There is really no real comparison to any other similar product. I gave them all the acid test (more like the Lee Michaels, Deep Purple, Vanilla Fudge, ELP test) and the CX-3 came out way on top. As far as helping me make music, the CX-3 is part of the solution, not at all part of the problem.

The only real gripes I have are the lack of provision for pedals, the method of foldback in the 16' octave, and the way drawbar data is entered into a patch write. Very little to yip about with such a fine product.

Finally it seems with the CX-3 we have gone full circle. The Hammond organ which was originally intended to be an imitator of pipe organs now itself has many imitators. The Hammond admittedly did not do a credible job of imitating either a classical or theater pipe organ. Don Leslie's breakthrough speaker invention was originally intended to make the Hammond sound more like a theater pipe organ. In its later years gospel, pop, jazz and rock musicians made The Hammond a separate instrument unto itself, not an imitator of anything. Although the Hammond did not do a great job of imitating pipe organs, the CX-3 does a KILLER job of imitating a Hammond. This is probably the LAST Hammond clone I will ever buy. It satisfies me completely. You pay comparitively big bucks, but all you want in this type of instrument is there. Save your pennies, kids.

I'm using version 1.0 (I think). I don't need the Leslie sim upgrade because I use a motion sound. I would like to see how they "smoothed out" the drawbar settings in the new version.
Editing is not easy on the fly, but 30 minutes at home will set you up nicely for the road. Also, live basic editing is just as easy as a B3.

Keyboard action is great (but mine does not have the new waterfall keys). I like the fast and light attack. Just like my B3.

I agree with Chuck Leavall -- this sounds very muck like my B3. I play it back through a Speakeasy Vintage Music preamp (with the 'Barker' setting, giving it a higher output, and all that tube warmth of SVM's beautiful preamps. My amp is a Motion Sound KBR 3D. It is just fine. (I tried the new MS Pro 145, and hated it - too dark and unimpressive) Also, I play a Nord Electro 2 (only for rhodes, wurly, and D6 clavs), so I need an amo that gived me a non-rotary stereo input. (I also run the Nord through SVM preamp, giving it the necessary analog warmth, contour and overdrive). This is the BEST combo I have ever had -- CX3 and Nord Electro 2 through Speakeasy Vintage Music preamps to a Motion Sound KBR 3D. It is a great groove based authentic system. (The piano on the Nord is 'acceptable,' but for more piano based gigs, I use a Kurzweil PC1X.

CX3 is totally reliable now for 3 years.

No support needed so far. I am looking forward to installing the upgrade to version 2.0. We will see how good Korg's support is once I screw up that install.. Anyway, I am pleased Korg is kind enough to provide FREE software upgrades to their loyal customers

If lost/stolen, I would either replace it with the new version 2.0 (or the double manual version), OR I might wait and try the new Hammond XK3 when it comes out.... (I previously had EVERY B3 clone --Hammond XB2/Voce V5/Roland VK7/Hammond XK2/Korg CX3/Nord Electro 2. I think the Hammond XK2 had superior B3 'sound' but not the B3 emotional presence of the Cx3. Still, I have a warm place in my heart for the XK2.
No B3 clone does it all -- I just think the CX3 is the best all around clone (especially when you use Speakeasy Vintage Music preamps, and Motion Sound KBR 3D to make it real....

I'm reviewing the version 2.0 keyboard. Physically, the 2.0 version has "improved" lipless waterfall keys and some, for the most part subtle, sound and software improvements over 1.0. I've been playing keyboards since the late 70's, have owned a few different B-3 clones (including, for many years, the original CX-3), have owned a real B-3/Leslie combination. I've compared the CX-3 to all the current crop of clones, and I also own a Nord Electro. And yet I've never been to Timbuktu. Now to the review . . .

Ease of use: yes. Very short learning curve. Its certainly a hell of a lot easier than landing a robotic probe on Mars and trying to wheel that thing around from umpty-million miles away. Not that I've done that myself, but I can easily imagine what a bitch that must be. The CX-3, by comparison, is a walk in the park.

One thing I love about the CX-3 is how customizable the sound is. Chuck Leavell has an interview posted on the Korg website where he talks about how every Hammond B-3/Leslie combination has its own unique sound, more key click, leakeage, grit, etc . . . and the CX-3 essentially allows you to edit virtually each one of these B-3 variables to create your own "quirky, unique" B-3 instrument. I think that comment nails it on the head. I think that comment is right on. Hey, speaking of Chuck L., isn't that his post a few doors down? I'd say he's working OT for Korg. No matter, I'll always love Chuck for his Allman Bro days not to mention Sea Level.

I could really bore myself here by marching through the list of features, but instead I'll just mention a few things I really dig about the CX-3. 2 drawbars, obviously.

If you're using 2 manuals in real time, you want to be able to adjust either one without some interim button pushing. For me, 2 manuals are critical.

Another cool feature, though a small one, is that you can trigger the slow/fast leslie effect with a momentary pedal. This is unlike any real B-3 or Leslie operation, but its something I find very useful. To speed up, my foot hits the pedal, and to slow down, I just take it away. I've always used the fast Leslie only in spots, not leaving it on for any long stretch. Moreover, I'm very busy with it. I like having the Leslie in transition mode speeding up or slowing down. Its a useful dimension for expressiveness. All of this is much easier when you don't have to think about whether you are clicking the leslie on or off. Essentially it allows you to manipulate the slow/fast function without taking alot of brain capacity away from thinking about what notes you are playing. OK, whew! Enough about that. Oh, wait, I should mention that the Roland VK-8 allows you to vary leslie speed with a pedal. That's pretty cool, I must say.

The last think I'll comment on here is the action. A subjective thing, to be sure. What I like may not be what you like, and so on . . . I like the CX-3 keys, the shape, size, and texture, very much. Obviously, they are designed to be close to the original. The larger size of the Hammond keys was a deliberate design to accomodate the playing style one tends to use on the organ. Or so it seems to me. The larger black keys on the CX-3 are very helpful. The VK-8, by comparison, has those smaller black keys and its just beyond my comprehension why they did that. Its not unplayable, but its harder to play. I go back and forth on whether I like the "shallow" versus "deeper" trigger mode of the CX-3. The shallow mode is very cool. I think my trouble with it might be because its different than other keyboards I play, going between shallow trigger on the CX-3 and normal trigger on other keyboards (Electro, for instance) leaves my fingers temporarily disoriented. Oh well, that's my problem to solve. Korg gives you the choice.

B-3 afficianados can get extremely geeky in comparing the sounds of the different clones. And every B-3 player eventually falls into existential dread thinking about whether it is better to have the authentic sounds of a real B-3/Leslie versus the convenience of a clone. Using a clone in combination with a real Leslie, or a Motion Sound product, is the reasonable compromise that alot of players settle on. But then, which clone? Which Leslie or Motion Sound? To pre-amp or not preamp. You could waste the flower of your youth, middle age, and septagenarian years wondering about all this. At least it will keep you off the streets . . .

To me, all of the modern-day clones sound pretty good. They have their stronger and weaker points, and all of those differences are worth considering very carefully (with your hands and ears) before you decide what's best for you. But when I go to a show and hear the keyboard twirling off some very synthetic sounding organ riffs from an Alesis or Kurzweil or any jack of all trades keyboard, the difference between that and any of these dedicated clones is so dramatic, it really puts it in perspective. A real leslie is a thing of beauty when you have the luxury of hearing it directly, without sound reinforcement. But it its miked and coming through a PA, the difference between that and a good leslie simulation will not matter to 99.8% of the audience. Of course, it still matters to the person playing the keys, and that may be the critical difference if it helps him/her play better.

I like the sound of the CX-3. The chorus/vibrato is fabulous. The leslie sim is quite good, and stands up well when compared to the other soy-based meat substitutes. The onboard distortion doesn't do much for me. The sound of the CX-3, in general, has a very digital edge to it. But there are countless ways you can round off that edge, with tube amps, tube preamps, or even just an analog guitar pedal. To the extent the digital edge is a flaw, its a very fixable one.

As I said, I own a Nord Electro. Mostly I'm using it for rhodes, wurli, or clav. (Its fabulous for that, but that's another review). The Electro has a great B-3 sound, but its not exactly the sound I want most of the time, and its not editable. With the CX-3, I dial in a smoother textured sound that to my ears works better for jazz and jazzfunk. That's why the CX-3 is my main B-3 axe rather than the Electro. That said, there's some really funky and cool things you can do with the Electro organ sound. You can dial in distortion, effects, wah-wah, to get some sounds that fit in very well in certain situations. And I do that quite a bit.

No reliability issues have arisen. As far as backup, I'm often taking the CX-3 and the Electro to a gig. With 2 keyboards, you will (somehow) get through any gig if one of them fails. It can be an interesting challenge to try to use an organ to fill in for parts that people expect to hear played on a piano or horn or something else. That was part of the design concept of the B-3 -- that it could copy the harmonics of other instruments. Not that my Electro has ever failed me. But my CX-3 is more reliable than most horn players I have known.

My profound musical thought for the day: find a B-3 clone that you like and stick with it. Practice on it, develop a relationship with it. Find your voice inside that instrument. Being able to cart around your keyboard into every situation means you will always have your hands on the same keyboard, a keyboard that is familiar to you, that you have an intimate relationship with, maybe even that feels like an extension of you if you've been playing it long enough. This is one of advantages of having a clone, so use that advantage. Just a thought . . .

First, I'm reviewing the OLD ("vintage") version [circa 1979?], not the modern MIDI digital sampler.

Extremely easy to use. Anyone with any hammond familiarity will have no trouble figuring this out, and for the rest, all you need to do is experiment a little bit to find out--audibly--what's going on. The ultimate in simplicity.

Compared to a modern digital synthesizer or workstation, this is pretty sparse. You have 9 drawbars, bass/treble, keyclick volume, percussion volume/sustain, and that's about it. You can't adjust the leslie simulator (which is decent on slow speed but pretty cheesy on high speed). I found the keyboard feel to be a little lacking, I'd like to have something a little lighter and a little spongier. This feels ok, but a little on the heavy side and the keys tend to bottom out with a hard thunk.

I'd say the sounds are perfect for most rock applications, good for most blues applications, and passable for jazz. It's surprisingly good, however, when you compare it to the modern sampled organ sounds. A good leslie simulator is all this needs to fool most people in typical live situations.

The model I have is about 20 years old and nothing has gone wrong with it. It seems to be a solid unit, and I'd bet it lasts another 20 years no problem.

There are places who will repair these things, but I doubt Korg would be of much help.

I bought this because I didn't want to carry around a (still heavy) chopped b3 and I didn't want to take an expensive korg/roland/hammond into the local bars and spill beer or cigarette ashes into it. This is definitely worth the street price of $400-500 you'll probably pay, since I think it sounds great and you're not risking a huge sum of money on a road instrument.

Just bought a demo unit that was on sale (SN 0000082!) and i did the MIDI upgrade to 2.0 firmware (on a PC with a MIDIMAN USBSport 2X2) and it went fine. It did take 10 to 15 minutes and i was crossing my fingers that we wouldn't have a power interruption. We didn't and it took the new firmware fine. (If power or your computer should fail during the firmware program, apparently you have no choice but to send it in for a new motherboard so only attempt this on stable systems!)

As serial number 82, it's definitely got the old style keyboard and yes, it does have re-triggeing problems if you whack the keys the right way. For now i'm not finding this much of a problem, i've even been using it to effect.

Sounds great to me, though i bought it for the drawbars and light touch keyboard more than the sound (apparently this model doesn't have true waterfall keys like the new, dual manual, BX-3 does - but it's definitely more organy than the XP-80 keyboard i used for organ before) I've been using Native Instrument's B4 for sound up util now, and it's very similar to this. One thing B4 will newver be able to do though is have the responsiveness of the hardware unit. The KORG is designed to trigger the notes when the key's top contact is closed. Velocity sensitive notes come out a fraction of a second later when the 2nd contact closes. Then there's the MIDI delay and the audio system's latency - adds up to several milliseconds. With the KORG however, it's immediately responsive. Really feels like you're playing a real instrument.

One of the new features on 2.0 is a noise parameter - just adds constant untriggered noise o the signal, which is nice for hearing that leslie woosh even when you're not playing... but i find even the lowest setting above zero, 1, to sometimes be too much. Needs a finer adjustment at the low end I'd say.

Lots of ability to change tonal character. Note that leakage and overtone parameters are only effective on the "Vintage" tonewheel set. The "Clean" tonweheels ignore these settings. App model 2 sounds alittle rounder, more tubey than 1, which as several state does have a harsh grainy digital characteristic to it.

Someone complained about the expression pedal causing distoriong as well as volume; well that's by design. A real Hammond would distort that way. What you need to do, is turn down the amp gain parameter, so when the expression is maxed, you get a clean, or ust very slightly distorted sound. Much more useful that way and you won't get the feeling you're stepping on a stomp-box. However for those who want it, the ability to distort on the padal is there.

I'm using a BOSS expression pedal with it and, after i discovered the callibration feature, its working fine with the CX-3 as an expression pedal (i didn't get the included pedal...part of the sale price no doubt. No manual either, but Korg have their manuals online for free, unlike Roland who need to give their heads a shake and realize manuals are free advertising, not the latest Tom Clancy novel.)

I've had it for 2 days now so can't really comment. But someone below mentions they're concerned that it's wood...well, it's a really tough particleboard (with nice fake veneer finish). Nothing is going to hurt this baby unless you snap off a drawbar, key or knob. Even those items are nicely recessed beheath the the wood. Compared to the metal/plastic frames of my other boards, it seems a lot more substantial -- and thankfully, isn't THAT heavy, you can carry it under one arm. It's not fun, but do-able.

I'm hooked. With the addition of another keyboard to for a lower manual, the dual drawbar sets complete the illusion. You really can run this like a genuine Hammond. All the controls are there.

I'll be needing one of these forever now. If I lost it, i'd probably get a BX-3, i'm so hooked. Shame it doesn't support pedals, as they use the exace same tonewheels, I hope it's something that might be addressabe in fuure firmware revs.