From DAVIDO@LYNXFS.COM Tue Sep 28 14:35:15 2004
Subject:Re: Hammond XK-3...my two bobs worth.

Hi Mark,
I've tried my XK3 through the following
145 - the sound is spot on, even 888 C3 sounds dead right

860 - really screams at the top end without being shrill, but lacks
the big fat bass. I use a Speakeasy pre amp with this Leslie just to
warm things up a bit more. I find the internal XK3 tube just a tad to
harsh when you drive it through a transistor leslie.

760 - pretty much as above but for some reason my 860 sounds better?
The bass driver is a bit trashed though, so maybe that dont help.

Here's the suprising bit. Also tried it through a cruddy Roland
KC300, using the Speakeasy and the leslie sim and it
sounds 'useable'. This is the only 'clone' that i've owned that i
could even consider doing this with. All the others i've tried,
sounded thin and digital when run through this amp (even with a
Speakeasy), but the XK3 still sounds reasonable. I guess even a B3
would sound pretty naff through this thing though ?

I've read some posts on this list saying that the leslue sim is poor,
(arent they all?) maybe it is, but the XK3 still sounds more like a
B3/122 through this amp, than anything else i've owned? If the leslie
sim is inferior to others (and i'm sitting on the fence on this one),
the general improvement in drawbar tone more than compensates.

I know what you mean about the key click though, i find it a bit too
prominent with the 860 and the Roland, and even when it's adjusted
right off, there is a still a degree of click in the B3Type sound
which is more noticeable when not using a tube Leslie. I've
discovered that setting the drawbar attack a little higher, to say 5
or 6, reduces this noise, without noticeably effecting the feel or
shape of the drawbar tone. Out of the box it's set to 2. So what i do
now is keep a preset just for use with a 'hifi' or transistor type
amp, with no click and a slightly softer attack. Put the Leslie on
brake, wind up the Speakeasy and it's vintage Booker T sound, perfect.

I also like the Brite/Full Vox tonewheel set, does a great "house of
the rising sun" lol

Dave

--- In CloneWheel@yahoogroups.com, "Vintage Hammond Hire (Scotland)"
wrote: