Where once trucks, crews, and plenty of stage space were needed to use a Hammond, these roadblocks are smashed by the Sk stage keyboard series; plus, you won’t need to move a collection of keyboards to handle the repertoire of most any gig. The Sk series includes all the essentials — Grand Piano, Electric Piano, Clavs, and other basic sounds. Of course, a full-featured Hammond Organ with Digital Leslie is front and center in the 15-pound Sk1. It’s a working musician’s dream.
For the serious organist/musician, the SKX’s double keyboard, three sets of Drawbars, and twin Extra Voice generators provide a palette unmatched in the industry. Ten banks of quick-access favorites make wrangling the 200 onboard patches a simple task. Your energy flow goes to your creativity, not to the navigation of a control panel. It’s a real Hammond Organ, plus all the Extra Voices a comprehensive keyboard rig needs — in one compact unit.
The Vintage B-3 holds a mystical allure for all keyboard players. The distinct feel of the keyboards allows for special techniques, and no modern keyboard has a similar mechanism. Except the Hammond Xk-5! Its proprietary/patented multi-contact keybed provides the exact feel of vintage models, and the brand-new engine boasts 108 virtual tonewheels that complete the package. Five sets of drawbars, reverse color presets, and the essential controls are right where your hands glide to, as they do on the vintage beasts. The experience is uncanny.
If you desire a full-size instrument, you’re covered. The Xk-5 Pro System (shown) is a double manual organ with the exact proportion/profile of a B-3, only this one breaks down into pieces easy to move and set up. The A-3 features a beautiful hardwood 4-poster cabinet, in the precise image of the Classic B-3. You can add a matching 25-note pedalboard to either system. At the heart of each is the Xk-5. You can’t get any closer to a Vintage B-3 than these two instruments.
If the absolute top is your choice, then look no further than the Portable B-3. It’s the B-3 as you’ve always known and loved, minus a few hundred pounds, wrapped in a cabinet that’s incredibly easy to move. The moving parts of the antique organ have been replaced with digital magic, but playing the 9 bus-bar multi-contact keyboard (designed from the original blueprints) brings you to the sweet playing spot only a Hammond can. It’s the real deal.
The Hammond B-3 and Leslie. You can’t think of one without the other. Whether swinging with Jimmy Smith, scaling the prog heights with Keith Emerson, rocking out with Jon Lord, or kicking back with Earl Grant, the sound is unmistakable. The Leslie speaker is the natural partner for a Hammond, and there is a full line of Leslie cabinets, from the light and easy-to-move Model 2101 to the brand-new old-school Model 122. Check out the Model 3300, which has the classic sound with modern mobile convenience.
