From bruce@ashbysolutions.com Sat Oct 23 05:09:00 2004
Subject:Keyboard Clone Shootout

Hi All,

I just got my November issue of Keyboard, and read through the Clone "Shootout." Actually, it's the first Keyboard in six months or so that I haven't just skimmed; my subscription is up in January, and I'm going to let it lapse. Here's my take.

I put shootout in quotes because technically, it wasn't a fight -- more of a group hug. The only clone of any significance -- hardware or software -- that wasn't represented was the Key5, probably because these articles get written 3-6 months in advance of printing, and that was before the Key5 was readily available. (They did give a nod to the Key5 in the Diversi section.) They had nice articles on all the clones, and really didn't have anything bad to say about any of them. They also reviewed two MS products and the Leslie 771 and 142, but not the Leslie 21. They also reviewed the Speakeasy and Trek preamps. There's a lot of trivia and general information in the sidebars for those who are new to the Hammond Organ and Leslie Speaker, and as far as I could see, none of the glaring misinformation that Keyboard has been (in)famous for.

The seemed to really like a couple of clones, but they didn't dislike anything. They picked no winners or Key Buys. At first, this seemed like a disappointment, but I thought a little more about it. First off, I don't especially trust Keyboard to be objective any more. They're very manufacturer-oriented these days, and I find myself agreeing with them sometimes, and considering them idiots other times. I wouldn't dream of buying a Hammond clone without hearing it myself, and neither should you, IMHO.

Second, the state of clone design is such that it's mostly down to personal needs and tastes. You might not think that my BX-3 is the best way to go, but you can't really say it sucks. (OK, some of you can, but that's just because this list is prone to hyperbole.) If you showed up to a multi-band gig and your Roland/H-S/Korg/Clavia/whatever fell out of the van into a puddle, I'm sure that you could MORE than get by with whatever five-year-old-or-less clone was available from another player. You might even find that you LIKE the other clone. This is the same conclusion we came to at the original (1996) clone shootout at Goff Professional. The V3 won that one by a very slim margin, and all the Voce owners admitted that they would be OK with gigging on an XB-2, and vice versa. And today's crop of clones beats both of those instruments in terms of tone and flexibility.

And nothing -- including the New B-3 -- quite feels and sounds like the original!

Regards,

-BW
--
Bruce Wahler
Ashby Solutions™ http://music.ashbysolutions.com
978.386.7389 voice/fax
bruce@ashbysolutions.com