hammond xk2 vs roland vk7

[kevinendres]

I'm looking for a Hammond clone (why did I ever sell my B 13 years ago).

Considering the hammond xk2 and vk7. Looking for a ligthly used or demo model.

I see a lot of xk2s on the used forums here and elsewhere.

Is there something wrong with the hammonds?

How come everybody's getting rid of them?

Is it the new CX3?

Kevin

[ODARELLMC]

Bottom line, the KORG CX-3 ROCKS!

[michaelhoddy]

I agree. Having played all three of them (VK7, Hammond, CX3), I definitely was impressed with the "balls" of the CX3. But it is more expensive...

[BobKeirstead]

Hi;

I wanted to offer some comments on the Hammond XK-2. I have ownded one for 2 years and enjoy playing it. If you play a jazz style I like the way it reproduces the 888-0000-00 Registration with Percussion and Chorus. It has wonderful percussion. And the basic 3 *'s sound is warm and full. On the negative side - the Leslie Simlator is terrible and as you add drawbars it has a beating problem with the samples. I don't understand it but it's there and to me kills any feelin gof authentic sound.

You should make sure you one and set the drawbars to 88-8844-28 or almost anyting but the standard 3 8's. I later acquired the Voce V5 and use it for moare of a rock sound.

Hope this helps

[Bob]

and roland just announced the VK-8 at NAMM. Same sounds, new "waterfall" style keyboard, as well as rotary speaker modeling and the mighty d-beam controller.

[steinwaym]

If I had unlimited money, I would wait and go for one of the new units that feature the dual keyboards like the BX3. There is no substitute for being able to comp on one keyboard and solo on the other. Also, I think that the biggest difference in the sound when performing on stage is using an external leslie simulator that utilizes a tube such as the Motion Sound Pro 3T or if you want a stompbox the Hughes and Kettner Tube Rotosphere.
I also agree about how important the "waterfall" keys are. If you can't do the key slides, it is about impossible to get the hammond sound.

[tonejac]

Regarding the XK-2 not holding up to the Voce, Roland, or Korg...

What if you exclude the aspects of Leslie simulation; what if you take into account the waterfall keys and get a Prostar 3 rotating speaker rig? Would the XK-2 still not stack up on all fronts with the other options out there?

(just curious, I'm looking to buy a XK-2 but want to make sure I'm buying the best thing).

Please advise.

tonejac

[Buddtopps89]

Sorry I can't answer your question 'tonejac'. I agree, the C/BX-3 is the best one out there right now. But I'm thinking about buying an organ module for my XP-80. Has anyone here seen the VK-8M? It's a module of the VK-8. Here: http://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/VK8M/. Would anyone recommend this to me over other organ modules? Thanx.

[jsepeta]

I own a VK8 and think that it's got the most expressive ability for adding "balls" to your sound. the COSM amp modeller really sets it apart from the Korg and Hammond. I also found it to be more expressive than the Electro, which handles the stops with a funky new-fangled mechanism. And since it handles 2 MIDI inputs, it's the only digital organ on the market that's built with pedal support.

My first organ was the original Korg CX3. The leslie was weak by modern standards, but it had easy control of key-click. My next organ was the Hammond XB2; while it sounded more authentic, it didn't have the balls of the Korg -- the sound was too clean. Also it had a terrible tendency to freak out whenever I sent MIDI to another device via a sequencer (vision, dp, logic).