The XK3 is undoubtedly the most 'full on' Hammond single manual we have ever seen or heard. From turning on the power the organ delivers the most powerful and authentic sound imaginable. This is a Hammond for the most serious and demanding of players, and without a doubt it is the real deal.
This instrument is definitely the way forward for anyone who needs authentic B3 sound and feel. At just over 19 kilos, XK3 represents the ultimate compromise for the touring musician. Improved digital Leslie means your completely self contained and can just set up and play. Coupled with a Leslie 21 system it is the definitive Hammond setup.
Tone-Wheels
The new XK-3 contains (96) independent oscillating digital tonewheels for accurate reproduction of the B3 sound. Importantly, this keyboard has full polyphony.
Vacuum Tube preamplifier
The XK-3 is equipped with a vacuum tube preamplifier for warmth and rich overdrive. The overdrive circuit consists of two bands. Thus even if the sound is overdriven, you can still obtain purer harmonics.
Custom Tonewheel (and transistor) templates
There are a number of Custom Templates pre-loaded into the XK3 as follows:
B-Type
Real B3
This template is the classic B3 model. When purchasing a B3 you would maybe try three or four to find the best one of the bunch (they were all slightrly different from new- some great, some good, and some not so good)...well this is the best of the B3's
80s Clean
The 80s gave us sampling technology, and with it the 'clinically clean' 'Organ sound'. Basically take a Hammond B3, record it digitally, get rid of all of the grunge, noise and imperfections picked up in the sampled sound...hey presto... 1980s Hammond.
Noisy
Take an A100 and stick a couple of micrphones in front of the speakers..all that noise!, motor hum, leakeage..etc..etc. This is the sound most Hammond Clones try and replicate.
Mellow
Full Flats
Tonewheel generators are somewhat random, take out that 'randomness' and give each tonewheel a mathematical formula and this is the result. (Somewhat like a late 70s/early 80 Hammond Console/Spinet. e.g Concorde, Elegante, Aurora Classic.
Husky
Dropped Middle Ranges- accenting the high and low frequencies
Flute Lead
opposite to Husky- Bass and treble dropped.
Brite
Classic X5
Infamous Hammond X5- dull triangle waveforms and flat output levels on every frequency.
Vox Full
Very Brite- the manual says "suitable for surfin' music", amusing...but try it and you will soon realise Hammond dont mean surfin' the net.
Cheap Transistor ..or cheesy organ (italics ours)
The manual says 'junk transistor organ, it contains insufficient bass and treble'. What they mean is nasty..but incredibly cool late 60s/early 70s combo organ.."you beautiful stranger, light my fire before the sun rises over that house."
Hammond Pro XK System Folding Metal Keyboard Stand
The Hammond Pro XK System Lower Manual adds to the XK3 a full 61 note lower manual with 12 presets and built for the traveling Hammond B3 player who needs all the power of a B3 with easy and fast set up and transport.
The Hammond Pro XK System has at its heart, the Hammond XK3 Organ. The Lower Manual features 61 water fall keys and 12 reverse color presets - a Hammong Exclusive. The sturdy folding metal stand and bench can be easily assembled without any tools.
Hammond-Suzuki XK-3
Hammond-Suzuki's XK-2 earned a Key Buy in 1999, and was the first portable clone to feature waterfall keys, an all-important tactile aspect of the original. It had its devotees and detractors; I actually preferred the Roland VK-7 at the time. I'm happy to say the XK-3 should be approached with completely fresh ears. It picks up where its predecessor left off . . . but then runs a marathon.
The sound engine is completely new, it uses the same “long loop” sound sampling as the New B-3. But the XK-3 is digital only, whereas in the New B-3 and Porta B, there are analog elements introduced by the nine busbars and the key click mechanism. Control layout mimics a full-size B: drawbars above the manual, vibrato on the left, percussion on the right, and so on. A second set of drawbars has been added (so has a pair for the pedals); the sets can control upper and lower parts or follow the A# and B preset keys like on the real thing. Speaking of preset keys, they're here in all their reverse-color glory. Hold one down a second or so, and the drawbar settings revert to what's physically dialed up, but all other aspects of the now-loaded preset remain the same. Equally nifty is that lingering on any button calls up a relevant edit menu in the LCD: Sit on a percussion button, up come the decay parameters, and so on.
Even if this entire feature were devoted to the XK-3, there wouldn't be room to do justice to how deeply its sounds can be edited. This is the first B-3 clone ever where a graphic editor-librarian might come in handy. Most notably, the 96 virtual tone wheels are adjustable individually for volume and filter settings, making it possible to model any vintage tone generator you may have in your mind's ear. Variable leakage is offered, in the form of tone wheel sets like “Real B3,” “Clean,” and “Noisy.”
Pedal sustain is available for the string-bass feel that organists used to criticize the B-3 for lacking, there's a “muted” mode, even a squishy Moog-like pedal sound as a bonus. Two MIDI inputs accommodate a lower manual and pedals, but you can play all three parts from the XK's 61 keys. “Split” works as you'd expect, but the “Manual Bass” button is really ingenious: It couples the pedal part to the bottom two octaves, monophonically, with low-note priority. This means the pinky of your left hand can kick bass while the other fingers comp on a light, flutey sound, leaving the upper registration to your right hand.
The XK-3's naked sound, which worship-music veteran Don Bosco found “very convincing,” is voiced just right for real Leslies old and new. Leslies are supposed to roll off some high end and “smear” things a bit, but on some clones, this can mean loss of clarity between drawbar tones that you can't EQ back in, especially when heard next to a real B. The XK-3 and new B-3 led the pack in terms of avoiding this. Likewise, key click didn't need to be maxed out to stay articulate in the big wooden boxes.
Onboard Leslie emulation got mixed reactions. “It's definitely better than my XK-2,” observed Eppley, “which I've never used with the internal effect. I'd use this.” Roger Smith described it as “cool, with some depth to it. But you don't really get a sense of circular motion . . . it's more back-and-forth.” In the edit menus, slightly lowering the rotor speeds and widening the mic angle improved things, but not as dramatically as heaping on C3 chorus. “Wow, what a difference!” exclaimed Eppley. “That really gives you the . . . I want to say, ‘the ocean.'” Smith agreed: “Now I hear circles.” Working late one night, I had the demo songs playing as I paced around the Keyboard studio, and the rotary effect seemed sweeter than in my seat right between the speakers, as though it had more space to develop. Another detail: On many vintage Hammonds, the vibrato circuit boosts the treble more or less sharply depending on the model, year, and condition. On the XK, the V settings do this just a little, the C's noticeably more, with C3 the most in-your-face.
The final feature to cover (though we've left a few out) is the dual-tube output stage, which can be set to overdrive two frequency bands independently. Don Bosco felt that the default settings in the presets he tried were “great for that Jon Lord sound, but unless turned down, too grungy for what I do.” In its favor, the circuit is as programmable as everything else, so you can certainly get subtlety out of it.
There's no question that the XK-3 is the best single-manual clone ever from Hammond-Suzuki, but that's not saying enough. It's so well-thought-out and just plain musical that calling it a “real Hammond” is fully reverent of the name's legacy.
How To Choose a Digital Piano / Useful Information
Click a question to see the answer.
Why a Digital piano vs. an acoustic piano?
Digital pianos are never out of tune.
Electric pianos use headphones so you won't bother anyone when playing or practicing.
Piano keyboards won't break your back moving them and they take up less space in your home.
Most Electronic Pianos include songs like a player piano and a sequencer to record your performances.
Digital pianos include many other instrument sounds besides pianos .
Electronic Piano Keyboards have become extremely realistic in sound quality in recent years.
Whats the difference between a stage piano and a home piano?
The stage piano is built to better withstand
the rigors of the road but not necessarily to look good in a living room
What affects the price you will pay and what should you look for?
The level of realism of the piano sound
The number of simultaneous notes the digital piano will play (polyphony)
The quality of the cabinetry- is it simple and portable or a finished living room look
The 'feel' of the keyboard's keys- almost all digital pianos have 88 keys with graded hammer
action like a real piano but they are made differently to simulate the true wood hammers of an acoustic piano.
The feel can be lighter or heavier from model to model and from brand to brand. It is mostly asubjective issue which is better but more expensive models will have a better feel.
What should I get for my child who is just starting to play piano? Do I need to spend a lot?
The Casio CDP100 and the PX120 both start at $499. Yamaha's P85 starts at $599.
Where budget is the primary concern, we highly recommend any of these models for a beginning
student. They all meet the two basic requirements of an instrument suitable for the study of
piano -- a good sound and 88 weighted action keys.
How good do these digital pianos sound?
Please notice that almost every piano on our site has a sound file you can play on
your computer to hear for yourself
Why would I want to spend $2200 on a digital piano?
More expensive digital pianos normally sound more realistic than lower priced models. The feel and responsiveness of the keys will be much closer to that of an acoustic piano as well. More professional models often feature an expanded menu of sounds that can be played .Better digital pianos also have added features such as USB interfaces, expanded recording and playback functions, transposition, variable tunings and automated accompaniment.......you can be a virtual one person ochestra. Finally, higher priced digital pianos often have upgraded cabinetry and speaker systems which improves both the look and the sound of the instrument.
What about speakers?
All home pianos and a few stage electric pianos have built-in speakers loud enough for
home listening and headphone jacks if you prefer not to be heard. Keyboard amplifiers (powered studio monitors are best if for home
use only) are on the site if you like a model without speakers, play with other louder instruments, choirs, or some
less expensive digital pianos may not have the best frequency response you desire without more amplification.
What about pedals? Do I need 1 or 2 or 3?
For most of us, a sustain pedal is the most we will use. Piano teachers and those who are classically trained will prefer
3 pedals for soft/half pedaling (play one of 3 strings only for each note) and sostenuto (select only certain notes to sustain).
What other features do digital pianos have to consider?
Sequencer- a recorder to record midi notes which can have one or more tracks of instruments playing back at the same time.
The number of track scan be 1 or 2 with most digital pianos and up to 16 and 32 with other keyboards.
Auto accompaniment- drum patterns to pay along with, possibly a bass line based on what notes you left hand is
playing and more in many different song genres/styles
Metronome- a repeating click for staying in time or rhythm
Music rest- for holding sheet music, sheet music stands are available if a model does not have one
Non-piano sounds like electric pianos, bass, strings,..- can also often can be layered with the piano sound
Songs to practice with, library of songs to be played back (guest pianist in your home)
Sliding key cover- good for protecting keys and reducing dust
What accessories should I consider?
Stand- come in many shapes and styles- X style, Z style, manufacturer end legs (most sturdy).
Bench- consider a more sturdy 4 leg bench if you do not need portability, X style if you do, wider the better.
Headphones- full size will be more comfortable and quieter.
Pedals- most come with a sustain pedal, some have jacks to connect more pedals for sostenuto and half pedaling.
Bag or case- for portable models, we recommend the manufacturer bags and cases first, then Gator Cases.
Midi interface- as most computers now have a USB port, look for a midi to USB interface if the piano does not have a USB port already, like the UX16.
Dust cover.
Portable/arranger and Pro keyboards- how are these different?
Pro keyboards can have 88 key hammer action and excellent piano sound but have a multitude of other features
you may not need including audio recording, editing the sound to the most elemental part of the sound, a
16+ track sequencer with detailed editing, will run 4 to 18 simultaneous effects like reverb, etc.
Portable/arranger type keyboards are more for fast songwriting, for backing tracks when you play or
for one person band with drum patterns, bass, and other sounds with the accompaniment having different
song style genres (blues, swing, rock, etc.) with different patterns for the verse, chorus, etc. of the song.
Glossary
What is MIDI?
an
interface to connect a keyboard to the computer like USB port for printers. It
sends note and other data from the keyboard to the computer or vice versa.
Basically says play this note at this time at this volume level- it is not an
actual audio recording. It also makes it possible for one keyboard to play
another keyboard.
What is polyphony?
the number of
simultaneous notes that can be played, though if it's a stereo sample/recording
each note can use 2 notes at once. Its important for anyone who plays a lot of
notes at the same time and holds down the sustain pedal. The earliest notes
played will cut out when the limit is exceeded. This can happen with pianos
with 32 note polyphony especially.
What are those pedals for?
a sustain pedal
to hold all notes played as lomg as the pedal is held down. The soft/half
pedaling pedal plays one of 3 strings only for each note (softer sound) and
sostenuto (select only certain notes to sustain).
What is a sequencer?
a
recorder with 1 to 16 tracks usually so that multiple instruments can be played
back for fully orchestrated songs and can have elaborate editing capability.
Typically digital pianos have only 1 or 2 tracks for playing back a piano
performance and archiving another. These can be downloaded to the computer with
a midi interface
What is sampling/samples?
a short audio
recording of a note. For more realistic sound, digital pianos can be recorded
at different velocities so that when you strike a note harder, the timbre
changes for better realism
What are effects?
to modify and
enhance the sounds in the keyboard including non- piano sounds. e.g. - reverb
will put the piano in a small room or up to a large concert hall.
Don't see the answer to your question?
Call us toll-free at 1 877 778 7845 and speak to our
piano experts
This item is not currently available under this SKU. Call Toll Free 1-877-778-7845 for information about this item #XK3PACKKIT. You'll be glad you did! or check Keyboards|Organs|Hammond| for related items, or try SEARCH on XK3PACK.
Unfreakin believable. Best B3 sound ever. No extras-no pianos, etc. But if you want that FAT sound, there is NO comparison. Simulated Leslie is also best i've ever heard, but you still want real Leslies to get the full effect. Really. No question. If you want a NO compromise B3 sound, this and only this is it. XK2, XB2 is nice but not even close!!!
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