From frederick.somerville@gmail.com Sun Sep 13 22:59:42 2015
Subject:Re: The New Crumar Mojo Action

I tested a friends Mojo - the black keys seemed wider to me than on a
Hammond - or the top part was flatter which gives the impression of the key
being flatter.

I will check the throw of my hammond BC this even to check the travel of
the key.

The Nord C1 had lighter springs than the C2/C2d.

/Frederick

2015-09-14 5:47 GMT+02:00 groovecake@yahoo.com [CloneWheel] <
CloneWheel@yahoogroups.com>:

>
> I have been using a Crumar Mojo from almost the day it was released. I
> have played just about every clone out there and the Mojo is the one that
> gets me "there." My only complaint about the instrument has been how it
> feels. I have posted many times on this board about how the last frontier
> for clones is the feel of the keybed.
>
> Clone manufactures used to make their own keybeds with varying degrees of
> success (Hammond XK3 - insanely high triggering and way too stiff of
> springs, Korg CX3 - too light and suffered from double triggering). Since
> Fatar makes the only waterfall keybed on the market, all the clones ended
> up using it (SK, Nord, Crumar, KeyB, Numa). From what I understand, some
> manufacturers make slight adjustments to the base Fatar action, but for the
> most part, they have all felt the same to me - quite a bit stiffer than the
> real thing.
>
> A note about why I find this to be important: We all make compromises when
> we chose to play clones. Some fantastic music has happened on clones. This
> isn't a case of a "bad craftsman blaming his tools." The action of an
> instrument is a vitally important part of the ability one has to express
> themselves. That doesn't mean we can't play great music on a clone. Joey D,
> for example, burns on a Nord C2D. However, if you are as familiar with his
> playing as I am, you can tell he doesn't quite play the same way on a
> clone. Why? I suggest it is because of the action. Even though all Hammond
> organs play just a little different, with the exception of a few later 70's
> models that haven't been played and are very stiff, most Hammond actions
> are in the same magical ballpark - quick, but not too quick. Light, but not
> too light. For me, when I sit down at an instrument, after a few test runs,
> my brain seems to imprint what is possible and not possible on that
> keyboard, both physically and sonically. For instance, if I sat down at a
> brand new Vintage Vibe electric piano, I would feel how wonderfully
> balanced the action is and how accurately each pickup is balanced. The
> sound combined with the feel would be inspiring to me. Conversely, if I sat
> down at a beat up pawn shop Rhodes that had seen better days and was heavy
> as hell, I would know that there were certain lines that I couldn't play.
> That doesn't mean someone with better chops couldn't play those kind of
> fast lines, it just means that I would subconsciously adjust to what I
> thought the instrument would allow me to do. To put it another way, the
> physical state of the instrument influences what I end up hearing. I would
> guess that it is the same way for guitarists and string gauge or
> saxophonists and mouthpieces. When I am playing a Hammond organ, the
> response of the keys and the sound of the instrument greatly effect what
> happens during the creative process in my head, both melodically and
> rhythmically. That doesn't mean I can't play well on a clone. That just
> means that my creative process is definitely effected by the physical
> limitations of the instrument. The Mojo has always satisfied me sonically
> but not physically.
>
> (Ok. Still with me?)
>
> In January at NAMM, I played a Numa 2. The keybed felt different than any
> of the other clones I had played. It seemed lighter and more shallow. In
> other words, more like the real thing. However, the sound engine was blah
> and its use as a controller for another sound engine, the HX3 for example,
> was hamstrung by the fact that, in controller mode, the Numa 2 only uses
> the low trigger point. Unfortunate over site on the part of Studiologic.
>
> A couple months ago, Crumar announced they were using a new, customized
> action in the Mojo. It was still made by Fatar but used lighter springs and
> had a higher trigger point. Needless to say, I was intrigued. I ended up
> getting one to try out. It is definitely a GREAT improvement over the
> normal Fatar waterfall action! I could tell it was different by how if felt
> even before I plugged it in. Like the Numa 2, it felt easier to play and
> the key throw was more shallow, as if it bottomed out quicker. The sound
> and the action are far more responsive and, as a result, are much more
> inspiring to play. When I first read that the trigger point was higher, I
> was concerned, based on how an extremely high trigger point on the XK3 was
> counter-productive. However, the trigger point combined with the lighter
> springs is extremely pleasing and creates a more Hammond-like feel. At my
> gigs this weekend, the lines I played were more like the lines I play on my
> real Hammonds and, as a result, those lines built upon themselves
> organically (no pun intended). Another place that the new action is
> noticeable is on how much easier it is to play baselines that are grooving
> and in the pocket. I don't have to work as hard to play. On a real Hammond,
> you don't have to press that hard. On this new Mojo keybed, it is much
> closer to the real thing than the original Fatar action was. Is it exactly
> like the real thing? No. Where the normal Fatar action is at 70%, I would
> say this new action is closer to 90%.
>
> The bottom line is that I always wanted a Mojo that felt more like the
> real thing. Now, I have one.
>
>
>

--
MVH Frederick Somerville