From cwsg@sevush.com Wed Sep 08 14:16:30 2004
Subject:Re: electro disappointment

I love my electro, but I look at it like a swiss army knife. They don't have
the best screwdriver or tweezers, but having them all in one compact tool is
often worth it. I've got an electro, x-stand, two KT80s and gear bag in the
trunk, always ready to go. Great for spontaneous jams, situations where you
hear "too bad you don't have your keyboard" and then ten minutes later,
setting up.

The action on the Electro is a bit springy/hard for organ and way too
soft/undynamic for piano sounds. I'm better off using a P80 for piano
feel/sounds and something like the CX3 or XK3 for dedicated organ
touch/sounds. But that's a lot more weight to haul, and the P80 won't fit in
my trunk.

The Electro does a great job of solving most of my keyboard needs in one
20lb package. Using it in stereo is very easy and considering the overall
weight/bulk, very efficient.

I plan on trying the XK3 and possibly picking up an MS145 or Leslie 21 as a
dedicated speaker. (I own a lopro & pro3T and I suspect they don't sound as
good as the MS145) The Electro is a great compromise, but I think when you
have a rotating speaker there should be a dedicated organ hooked up to it.

Whatever I use as my "dedicated" Hammond sound generator - XK3 or V5+ - I
will definitely keep the Electro. It's just too much fun to get rid of. I
might even wind up using the Electro as the dedicated organ source.

> I just sold my Electro. I used it for over a year and a half and
> was generally happy with it as one of the best clones out there
> IMO. However, as a long time B3 lover I had to finally admit that
> the Electro doesn't sound like or respond like a real B3 at all. Or
> at least not a good B3. The vibrato/chorus is all wrong and the
> overall tone is flat and murky. Voice stealing, leakage, and key
> click are also all wrong and they make it sound like a B3 sample
> rather than a real electro/mechanical instrument. The Leslie is
> just ok. Overall the Electro had the best balance of good to bad
> tradeoffs. However, now I've sold it and am upgrading to an XK-3 :)