From bruce@ashbysolutions.com Tue Feb 29 21:22:57 2000
Subject:RE: [Voce] Digest Number 18

Re: [Voce] Digest Number 18All,

The entire text of the Hammond Clone Wars shootout can be viewed at:

http://theatreorgans.com/hammond/faq/files/shootout.html

for those who want to read it. Since I was a participant, let me synopsize
the events:
In 1996, several members of the Hammond Technical List (HAMTECH) began
discussing the pros and cons of our personal choices for a B-3 replacement.
It became obvious that none of us had heard all three of the reigning
clones, so most of our comparison was based on hearsay and subjective
points. Mark Longo, the (then) moderator of HAMTECH suggested that we bring
our units to one place, and compare them one-on-one. I brought my V3, and
Al Goff generously donated a brand new XM-1, a rental XB-2 (with some
adjustments), plus a well-maintained B-3 as a reference. (For those of you
who do not recognize the name, Al Goff is the owner of Goff Professional,
Inc. in Connecticut. GoffProf sells and maintains Hammonds and Leslies for
many touring acts including Gregg Allman, Phish, and Keith Emerson.)

In order to keep everything on an equal footing, we sent a line level
signal from the B-3, plus the outputs of all the clones (Out1 for the V3) to
my Mackie 1202 mixer, then into a Trek II combo pedal, into a Leslie 122
from the GoffProf rental stock. We tried out several sounds on each unit,
including 888000000 without vibrato-chorus or percussion, and 888500850 with
C3 vibrato.

Afterwards, we listened to the SPIN and the built-in Leslie clone in the
XM-1, and then ran the B-3 through Mark's PRO-3 and my RPM-1.

Mark collected comments from the 8-10 participants. Overall, the V3
placed first of all the clones, with the XB-2 not far behind. Most
reviewers felt that for Rock and Jazz sounds like 888000000 and 888800000,
the V3 was closest to the original. For fuller sounds like 888844447, the
XB-2 had a brightness and individuality of the drawbar tones that was better
suited for certain sounds. [NOTE: I later learned that I had set the
treble on the V3 to -6 to minimize the hiss, and forgot to turn it off for
the tests. That may have had something to do with the results.]

We also tested percussion and vibrato separately. Percussion preferences
were mixed: A lot of folks like the V3 in the low to mid octaves, but felt
it dropped out at the high end; most people thought the XM-1's percussion
sounded too artificial; overall, the XB-2 had the best balance.

Most reviewers rated the XM-1 best in the chorus-vibrato department, with
the XB-2 coming in second, and the V3 bringing up the rear.

The Leslie clone testing was less conclusive -- partially because we were
beginning to tire from the extended listening, and several testers dropped
out at that point -- but we generally agreed that ALL of the candidates
lost, when compared to the Leslie. (I went out and purchased my Leslie 251
two weeks later.)
As this test was run almost four years ago, it's important to note that none
of the following were yet in production: Roland's VK-7, Hammond's XK-2,
Voce's V5, Oberheim's XB-3**2, H&K's Rotosphere, Motion Sound's PRO-3T and
R3-147. We also didn't have a G4 or CLS-222/223 available for the tests. I
have, however heard and played the VK-7 and XK-2 since that time, and will
provide my subjective opinions:
a.. The VK-7 would have won in both the vibrato chorus and built-in Leslie
sim departments;
b.. The Rotosphere would have probably beat the RPM-1 and the VK-7, but
everybody would have still left the tests wanting a real Leslie;
c.. The V3 would still hold up well compared to the VK-7 and XK-2, as
would the V5;
d.. None of the vibrato simulations comes close to the latest results I've
pulled from my Alesis Quadraverb2, which is still only about 95% as good as
a real scanner vibrato;
e.. Nobody's percussion sound -- including the new contenders -- has that
'clunk' that you get from a real B-3.
As to the question about clones with and without "sonic defects": ALL of
the clones have them; they just have DIFFERENT ones. The VK-7 is a good
clone, but it has a mushy-ness to the attack that comes through on staccato
riffs, you have to pay $400-500 extra for string and brass sounds you'll
probably never use, and the volume control is on the far right. The XK-2
has the keyboard feel down, but the basic tone sounds a little thin and
lifeless to my ears, it's hard to program, and the volume control is also on
the right. (Coincidence?) The OB-3**2 isn't bad, if you can ignore the
overly bright last octave timbre of settings like 888000058, and you really
liked the Korg CX-3's Leslie simulator. The V3 is fat and natural
sounding, but has the hiss problem, and the vibrato is weak. "Ya pays your
money, ya takes your choice," as they say. I'll put my V3's Effect Out
sound through the Quadraverb2 up against any other clone.

Is a Fender guitar better than a Gibson or a B.C. Rich? Is a Korg piano
better than a Kurzweil or an Alesis? Yeah, if you find the sound right for
your style, and can live with the instrument's weak points. But it's sooo
subjective ...

Stepping down of his soapbox,
-BW

--
Bruce Wahler
Electrical/Computer engineer
Keyboard player
Voce Support Group moderator
bruce@ashbysolutions.com

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-----Original Message-----
From: Randall Gafner [mailto:rgafner@pressroom.com]