Hello,
I am interested in either a used Hammond xk-2 or new xk-1. Can someone tell me the major differences between the two models?

Thanks very much!

------------------
Scott S.
Gilbert, AZ

The XK1 have the newest sound generator Vase3 on board,just like the New B3 an XK3.
Real Hammond emulation and a much improved leslie simulation.
I using the XK1 for allmost a year and it is
the best Hammond portable for this price
Look for details at the Hammond page's http://www.hammondsuzuki.com/

Impuls

i've never had the opportunity to use the new xk-1, but i own an xk-2 that kicks. i'm always surprised by the presence of tone this thing has, even up against two half stacks and full bass rig.

it is, however, very bulky and heavy. if i had to get it all over again, i would seriously look at the xk-1 or xk-3 (the 3 has a tube preamp, im fairly certain)

Drawbar Organ
Hammond XK-1

By Stephen Fortner

Clonewheels. Wanna-Bs. Virtual B-3s. Combo organs. There are almost as many names for this genre of keyboards as there are models in it, but the mission is singular: Re-create the sound of the legendary Hammond B-3 organ and rotating Leslie speaker. Hammond�s new XK-1 is meant as a more compact, less expensive alternative to their flagship single-manual organ, the XK-3, which we reviewed in Nov. �04 and will revisit in this issue, as it�s the core of the Pro-XK system reviewed on p. 58. Though the more modest XK-1 connects neither physically nor electronically to the XK system and has fewer controls on it than the XK-3, Hammond didn�t cut back on anything to do with sound quality. Competition is keen in this area, though. Does the Hammond name buy you the Hammond mojo?

Overview

If you�re familiar with clonewheel organs from the past several years, the XK-1�s size is right between their discontinued XB-2 and current XK-3, and smaller than a Roland VK-8 or new Korg CX-3. As with most organs that put the drawbars to the left of the keyboard, the unit is just a hair too wide for standard 61-key cases made by companies like Gator and SKB.
The XK-1 is capable of upper, lower, and pedal parts, with an adjustable split point and a cool �manual bass� function that makes the pedal part playable at the bottom end of the keyboard. Though it won�t work with the XLK-3 lower manual (see p. 58), its two MIDI in jacks let you plug in a MIDI controller for the lower manual, and/or a pedalboard such as Hammond�s XPK-100. Full polyphony means you can lay a couple of weiner dogs across the keyboard with all drawbars out and not lose any notes.

The Raw Sound

There�s no question about it. This is Hammond�s best-sounding clonewheel yet, except perhaps for the full-on New B-3 Portable, which is an altogether different beast in too many ways to get into here. Though modeling has been a big buzzword in B-3 simulation, the core drawbar tones on the XK-1 are sample-based. Don�t think that�s a step backward, though. The XK-1 uses the same �long loop� sampling method as the five-figure New B-3, and the resulting sound is warm, rich, and full. The drawbar tones interact with one another musically and pleasantly, the way they would on a vintage B. I pulled different drawbar combinations as I held various intervals, octaves, and close-voiced chords, and heard no phase weirdness, harmonic beating, or any other sonic undesirables known to show up in earlier generations of clonewheels.
Alongside a Clavia Nord Electro 2, with effects turned off and EQ set flat on both, the XK-1 was brighter, with more defined drawbar frequencies. For example, if I started with all drawbars out (i.e. at full volume), then removed one of the top four, it was easier to tell which tone was missing on the XK-1. By contrast, the Electro has a way of smearing the tones together. It�s difficult to qualify one of these footprints as �better.� Unscientifically, I�d liken the Electro to playing the already-recorded and produced sound of a Hammond B-3 from one of your favorite songs, and the XK-1 to playing a �raw� B-3.
On a real B, harmonic percussion � that all-important jazz �ping� � sounds very organic, almost like somebody tapping a mostly-full glass with a spoon. The XK-1 nails this, especially in the lower registers, which is where many clonewheels show a synthetic quality that reminds me of those organ hits that seem so ubiquitous in house music. The percussion also does two things not possible on a real B-3. First, you can select a mode where key velocity affects percussion volume, which I thought was a nice expressive touch. Second, you can have the second and third harmonics sounding at the same time.
Foldback � the re-cycling of very high or very low drawbar tones as you move up or down the extreme ends of the keyboard � is adjustable, and though the XK-1 lacks the individually tweakable virtual tonewheels of the XK-3, ten tonewheel sets offer more than enough variety when it comes to leakage, frequency response, and other character details. There�s even a �Cheap Transistor� set for that Vox/Farfisa sound made famous by bands like The Doors.

Leslie and Other Effects

I was initially puzzled that the XK-1�s Leslie effect sounded clearly better than it�s bigger brother, the XK-3. There was a deeper Doppler effect and a more discernible sense of circular motion and of two virtual rotors moving independently. Fast speed with high drawbars out is my acid test for Leslie sims � it�s where many of them get squirrelly. Not so here. In fact, I compared it with the rotary effect in Apple�s EVB3 organ plug-in for Logic, about which we said, �It�s hard to imagine an electronic effect getting any closer to perfect� in Nov. �04. Both editor-in-chief Ernie Rideout and I had a hard time telling EVB3 and the XK-1 apart. I contacted Hammond, who confirmed that they had indeed improved the XK-1�s Leslie effect, and that this will be part of a future software upgrade for the XK-3.
How does it sound next to the real thing? I played it alternately through my reference Leslie, a vintage 142 restored by Keyboard Specialties, and its own simulation through Genelec studio monitors. I could tell the difference, and so could anyone. There�s no substitute for being in a room next to the real thing. But if the standard is duplicating a miked Leslie as heard through a PA or in a recording � the only fair standard for any electronic simulation, in my opinion � it�s good enough to please even critical listeners.
I have nothing but praise for the vibrato and chorus. They sound just like the real thing. I did notice that cutting vibrato in while holding keys down causes a little break in the sound, moreso than on the XK-3, but this is not that big a deal. Overdrive is warm and tubey up until the knob hit about 2 o� clock, where it gets buzzier. Onboard reverb is perfectly adequate to put some space around your organ sounds.

In Use

The XK-1 performed superbly at two live gigs I brought it to, one in a 200-person club, the other in a large hotel banquet room. Whether I wanted a percussive but laid-back sound for my attempted Chester Thompson imitation on �What is Hip,� or full-out scream for my 15 seconds of limelight on �Dance to the Music� by Sly and the Family Stone (�Ya might like to hear my organ . . . �), my first guess at a drawbar registration always brought up just the sound I had in mind � and I�m giving the XK-1 some credit for this. With some clonewheels I�ve played, there�s a bit more tweaking of drawbars and EQ after the fact to get the character I thought I�d already dialed in. In other words, the XK�s sound interacts with a room in the way I�ve come to expect from a real B. Speaking of EQ, it sounds quite natural when you do need it. You select the band you want to boost or cut (bass, midrange, or treble) with the �Tone Type� button, then turn the dedicated knob.
At the first gig, I also discovered I really liked turning the overdrive on, but with the knob all or almost all the way down. This added presence and even seemed to enhance the Leslie simulation a bit, so I did it when soloing as well as notching the volume up.
My one significant criticism is about sequencing the XK-1 with a computer, which may not be a high priority for some hardware clonewheel buyers. Upper, pedal, and lower parts default to MIDI channels 1, 2, and 3, respectively, but to hear the correct part play back what I�d recorded, I had to toggle from the �Seq.Record� to the �Seq.Play� template in the XK-1�s MIDI menu. Otherwise, the pedal sound would play back the part, no matter how I had channels assigned on the computer. This is because �Seq.Record� merges signals from both MIDI in ports, as well as the XK�s own keyboard, on the assumption you have a second manual and pedalboard connected. If you don�t, a workaround is to turn MIDI thru or echo-back on in your sequencer app, set up three MIDI tracks for upper, lower, and pedal parts, and just leave the XK in �Seq.Play� mode. This disables local control, so remember to re-enable it (most easily done by re-selecting �Seq.Record�) before going to the gig, or you�ll wonder why the keyboard isn�t making any sound!
Kudos to Hammond for including pitch and mod wheels, and up to three-zone velocity-sensitive control of external sound modules. I wouldn�t recommend the XK-1 as the sole MIDI controller for all your soft synths, but with some programming, you could conceivably take just it and, say, a little half-rack ROMpler to your next casual for a really easy load-in. Budget-minded buyers will also appreciate that the XK-1 uses a standard 1/4" input for the expression pedal, not the custom job found on the XK-3, which requires Hammond�s EXP-100 pedal.

Conclusions

A few short years ago, I considered Hammond less adept at duplicating �the Hammond sound� in a portable, affordable package than keyboard giants such as Korg and Roland. I stand corrected, and quite happily so. This is a world-class clonewheel. If you need a single axe to cover Clav and electric piano as well as it does organ, the XK�s extra voices won�t blow you away � they�re in the �supplemental but cool� category. For that reason, it�s not the full-on �Electro killer� we�ve seen some people speculating about online. But if it�s all about ballsy, rockin� B-3 sound, great keyboard feel, Leslie simulation that runs with the best of �em, and a fistful of real drawbars to grab instead of MIDI faders or increment buttons, the XK-1 steps up to the plate and slams one into the stands. Not only has Hammond taken their name back; they�ve taken home a Key Buy award for this excellent piece of work.
http://www.hammondorgan.co.uk/xk1.htm

Hi Taike
This report looks like it�s from a magazine, and most magazines state that under no circumstances must it be reproduced in any other format, without the express permission of the magazine, or copyright holder.
I would therefore double check, as while they probably don�t read this site, it could get back to them through others.
If it is an article off the web, then the best way is to post a link to it, as otherwise copyright issues still remain.
Always better to be safe then sorry

Bill

Thanks everyone for the replies. I think I'll be looking for an XK-1.