The resiliency of the Hammond B-3 amazes me. Here is an instrument whose basic form was developed in the 30's, honed into shape during the 40's, and produced by the tens of thousands in the 50's and 60's. It fell out of favor and was essentially scrapped in the mid-70's, when the Hammond Organ Company fell on hard times -- yet its sound is as popular as ever, nearly thirty years after the last production model left the assembly line! The organ has a tenth of the pure sonic versatility of a modern digital "workstation," yet even road-weary examples command high prices at sale. The instrument has the kind of universal recognition seen in items like the Fender Stratocaster and the Shure SM-58 -- no small feat for an instrument that was, and is, outside the purchasing power of many of its fans.
Along the way, a wide variety of B-3 clones arose, attempting to capture the organ's sound, but not its bulk. One of the best copies came from Korg, a (then) comparatively small Japanese musical instrument company whose claim to fame centered around a series of quirky synthesizers and other electronic keyboards with names like "Lambda" and "Mini-Korg." The Korg CX-3 -- and its bigger sibling, the BX-3 -- captured enough of the subtle nuances of the B-3 to develop a cult following among professional and amateur keyboard players. Unfortunately, the organ's popularity fell prey to the synthesizer craze of the 80's, and it was eventually discontinued.
Twenty years and change have passed since the original CX-3 made its debut, and working units are very hard to find these days, with spare parts being even worse. After listening to former owners reminisce about the CX-3 that they dumped to buy that FM synthesizer, or the one that wore out on the road, Korg finally released an updated version of their classic.
The following are facts and subjective impressions about the new Korg CX-3, which I have owned and used for a little over a year. I use the CX-3 in rock and R&B bands which play small to medium sized venues.
The CX-3 is a Hammond organ copy which simulates the sound created by rotating tone wheels in a Hammond console model organ, such as the B-3. It also provides a number of subtle nuances associated with the Hammond organ, all electronically. The CX-3 uses digital "modeling" technologies to produce and modify its sounds. It is very programmable, and includes Leslie Speaker and amplifier cabinet simulations. The relatively lightweight unit contains all the necessary components to play organ except an amplifier and speakers.
The CX-3 produces two manuals of output: an upper manual with percussion, which also controls the overall tone and character of the patch, and a lower manual, which can use its own set of drawbar controls. It also has an "Expanded" (EX) mode where the upper manual produces sound using thirteen drawbars and up to five percussion stops. The CX-3 is designed to use any and all of its 91 virtual oscillators at the same time, providing dual 61-note polyphony.
As with any Hammond clone, there are areas where the CX-3 comes up a little short from a perfect copy of the original, but I believe it is the best B-3 substitute made to date. This review criticizes the CX-3 on a few points, but it's a great choice for keyboard players who are looking for the B-3 sound, but not the B-3 size and weight.
The CX-3 actually has advantages over a real Hammond:
Compared to other Hammond clones, the CX-3 sounds more realistic and musical, and cuts through the mix like a real Hammond. It's not a perfect replacement for a B-3, but it's very close. The CX-3's programmability and MIDI support are first-rate.
Unlike many newer keyboards, the CX-3 has a built-in AC power supply, using no "wall wart" to power it. At around 35 pounds, the unit isn't exactly feather-weight, but it's light enough for one person to easily carry it.
At first glance, the CX-3 looks like most 61-key keyboards, albeit with a better looking cabinet, reminiscent of its heritage (both Hammond and Korg). The control setup above the keyboard is very B-3-like -- the standard four percussion switches on the right, vibrato controls on the left, complete with separate enables for each manual and the "V-C" knob. The organ provides two sets of Hammond-style drawbars, which can be used for either or both manuals -- and this is the first clone in this price range that puts the drawbars back above the keys, where they belong. Percussion is only available on the second set, just like a console Hammond. An Expression/Overdrive knob is added on the left to allow the volume and growl of the CX-3 to be changed without the use of a foot expression pedal.
To the right, the upper panel provides a large, easy to read fluorescent display, eight Program buttons, + and - buttons for bank selection, an EX mode selector, a set of Edit buttons and a dedicated Split button. The Program buttons serve as quick scroll tabs to move around the different programming feature groups when in Edit or Global modes. The display can be toggled to show the upper drawbar preset, the lower drawbar preset, or the patch name. I wish that the drawbar readout was numeric, rather than graphic though, because its resolution isn't tremendous, and small drawbar changes are sometimes tough to see clearly.
The panel to the right of the keyboard features four control knobs: Master Volume, Treble, Bass, and Reverb. The latter three are designed as "+/-" adjustments, adding or subtracting from the nominal setting of the current patch. The panel also contains switches for each manual to select either of the two drawbar sets, or the preset sounds, and switches to control the internal Leslie simulator: On, Stop, and Fast. The speed switching method is similar to the classic three-speed Leslie method, but with its own little quirk: Changing the Fast/Slow state automatically cancels the Stop setting -- although it doesn't send a MIDI "un-brake" command when it does so.
The rear panel of the CX-3 provides 1/4" jacks for output (mono or stereo), an expression pedal, and two programmable inputs, which can accept either on/off or continuous pedals, plus MIDI In, Out, and Thru DIN jacks. The use of Pedal 1 and Pedal 2 can be programmed on a per-patch basis, a nice touch. The removable power cord uses the 3-pin IEC-style AC connector popular on PCs and Macs, most mixing boards, and many rack-mount effects, making replacement simple.
The CX-3 comes with a Korg-labeled version of the venerable Yamaha FC-7, my personal favorite volume pedal. This pedal can be adjusted for sitting or standing use, and stays put without being hard to push.
The CX-3 provides 64 patches for each of the two operating modes, Normal and EX. The CX-3 is manufactured in Japan.
An additional MIDI keyboard, modules, etc. are plugged into standard DIN jacks in the CX-3's rear panel. The CX-3 provides stereo output sources.
The CX-3 allows continuous pedal control for expression, amp gain, and reverb. The minimum setting for the expression and the min/max settings for reverb can be adjusted. The expression pedal attenuates high frequencies more than low ones, simulating the human ear's audio response. (Hammond organs also use this method.)
The CX-3 does not have a built-in Leslie speaker interface. If you plan to use the organ with a Leslie, you'll need a combo pre-amp or some other means of both getting sound to the Leslie, and controlling its speed.
Although long-time organists may find the CX-3's programming menu a bit daunting at first, synth players will be right at home with its menu style. This is perhaps the most programmable Hammond clone ever made, with adjustments for tone wheel style -- "Clean," which is basically a pure sine wave, and "Vintage," with included overtones and leakage -- additional overtone and leakage (Vintage only) levels; amplifier type (preamp or two styles of tube amplifier); amp gain; 3-band EQ; keyclick (both on-click and off-click); reverb type, decay time, and amount; percussion level, decay time, Soft volume drop, and Normal drawbar volume drop; vibrato type; plus about a dozen Leslie adjustments, including horn/rotor balance, acceleration/deceleration times, microphone placement, and stereo separation. (Interestingly, the overtones that the Vintage setting provides are mostly second-harmonic, while the Overtone level control adds a bit of the third harmonic as well.)
Many of these adjustments can be changed per patch, and the user can choose to change only the internal (drawbar, amp, and EQ) settings when changing patches, or allow percussion, vibrato, and Leslie settings to change, too. Using Internal Only allows you to queue up a new sound in the preset, keep playing as you were, and then change to the preset at a certain point in the song. The function of the two non-dedicated pedals can also be programmed per patch. I use this to call up two-speed Leslie foot control on some patches, and one-speed (Tremolo/Brake) control on others.
The CX-3 provides an EX mode where the two drawbar sets are dedicated to the upper manual, and two-manual operation is disabled. The first set of drawbars acts in the normal manner, while the second set is split into four additional high-harmonic drawbars -- user-programmable, of course -- and five variable percussion sliders. I've played around with this mode a bit, and frankly, I can't see what the fuss is all about. Perhaps a current or former X-77 owner might see differently, but from my point of view, dedicating half the patches to this mode is not the best use of the memory. Then again, with all of the programming and real-time capabilities of the CX-3, 64 patches is plenty for most users.
Once you get used to the programming choices available, almost any classic Hammond sound can be called up on the CX-3 -- old, dark models; showroom-ready pieces; noisy "road warriors," you name it.
The CX-3's MIDI programming support is first rate. Virtually every programmable item in the CX-3's menu can be accessed by the user's choice of MIDI controller, all in real time. I spent a couple of hours just trying out various control combinations in my MIDI setup to find the ideal mix of functionality for my rig. The CX-3 is not a MIDI master controller, however. While it supports a number of simultaneous MIDI channels, the lack of pitch bend and modulation wheels keeps it from fully performing as a keyboard for a synthesizer module.
How does the CX-3 compare to the Hammond B-3? I've separated my comments about the keyboard, organ sounds, and Leslie simulator.
Although the keys are not "waterfall" style -- they are piano-like, but with a short but wide lip -- the basic keyboard feel is great. Palm glisses are easy to do, and there is very little black-key wiggle, a pet peeve of mine on newer keyboards. Korg provides a very "hot" action which plays keys after they are lightly pressed; i.e, at about 1/8" depression. This is designed to mimic the extremely fast action of Hammond keyboards, and it's great for "machine gun" trills, but makes runs with the percussion on a little tricky, and players who have a funky, hard-hitting style often find the keys re-trigger when quickly released. I didn't like it at all when I bought the organ. My first CX-3 had some problems, and Korg swapped it out for a new unit with a higher serial number. The new unit has the "final" keyboard, which Korg phased in at S/N000601. (It was actually phased in to correct the double-striking problem, but it also changes the feel slightly.) Although this new action is a little less responsive than the old version, it seems to mesh better with the hot keying action. I've grown fond of the action on my second CX-3, and it does mimic the feel of the Hammond keyboard pretty well.
If you don't like the hot action, there is a "hack" way to turn it off, although it requires adding a cable from MIDI Out to MIDI In. This makes using a second keyboard for the lower manual more difficult; you have to add a MIDI merger to the setup. (Korg has promised a firmware update which will add a disable feature to the menus in the near future.)
Used as a control keyboard, the features and MIDI implementation are good, but not a perfect replacement for your master keyboard in a complex MIDI setup. There are no pitch bend or modulation wheels -- even though the CX-3 responds to pitch bend commands -- and while multiple MIDI channels can be transmitted at one time -- both the upper and lower manual can send fixed-velocity data on one channel, and variable-velocity on another, even while the drawbars and switches are sent through yet another one -- transpose information applies only to the internal sounds.
One puzzling omission from the CX-3 is the ability to support a pedal channel. Simply put, it can't be done, unless you want to give up the lower manual. In the venues that I play, this is not a big drawback, but I have to think that Korg has alienated jazz trio organists by this missing feature.
I love the sound of this thing! Played through a real Leslie, this keyboard is very close to the real thing. I mostly play rock, R&B, and blues, and this keyboard covers all of those genres well. Does the CX-3 sound like a Hammond B-3? With a little adjustment, a definite "yes." The engineers at Korg have spent a lot of time working on the subtle details that separate many clones from the real thing. The drawbar foldback, key click, and tone generator leakage and overtones are dead on. The tuning of the CX-3 is chromatic rather than harmonic-related, so there is no phase-shifting when playing chords, regardless of the drawbar settings used. The overdrive simulation, while clearly digital, is useable in non-Leslie situations. It won't replace a tube amp or pre-amp, but it's close enough for pickup gigs.
If I want to be extremely picky: The vibrato-chorus is a little deeper than I remember, and the percussion in the lowest octave doesn't quite have that authoritative "mallet" sound that a real B-3 has (but it's much better than the percussion on the V3 I used to use). All in all, though, it mimics a B-3 extremely well. I've owned more Hammond clones than I care to admit, and they've always been close, but no cigar. We're lighting up with this one!
In particular, the tone of settings like 888000000 is more musical than on other clones. I've often shied away from that setting on clones, but not on the CX-3. As soon as I heard it through the Leslie, I could tell you exactly what was missing in the other Hammond wannabees I've owned. I can't really explain why, but the CX-3 also sounds fatter than some its competitors, fatter than anything but the Voce V3 and V5. It may not sound exactly like the Hammond you're used to, but it's probably as close as putting two Hammonds in the same room -- they won't sound exactly alike, either!
The built-in reverb is a little bright for my tastes, but useable, and can be put ahead or behind the Leslie simulator, a nice touch. Although the CX-3 is somewhat forgiving of its amplification source, it requires a real tube Leslie, or a high-fidelity stereo sound system with a good preamp, to perform at its best.
Korg provided a lot of little additions that make this organ a lot of fun to play: separate vibrato enables for each keyboard, the ability to put percussion on the preset sound of a patch, and even a wheel brake! (For those of you who aren't familiar with the term, it's the sound you get when you turn off the tone generator's motor, and allow the pitch to fall. Think: Smokin' by Boston or Hold Your Head Up by Argent. It's the kind of effect that shouldn't be overused, but once or twice a night ...) My only gripe about the wheel brake is that it takes a long time to recover, as if only the Run motor was turned back on in a real B-3. Everyone knows you should turn both motors back on, which pulls the pitch back in quickly -- and saves wear and tear on the Run motor.
The CX-3 contains a stereo rotating speaker effect. As mentioned previously, the circuitry has a number of adjustable parameters to allow the user to customize the sound for personal tastes. I found the factory settings to be a little off in certain areas, but it is possible to adjust the settings to better mimic a Leslie 122 or 147. I especially like the ability to set the accel/decel rates of the stopped rotors differently than when in two-speed mode; that's how a real Leslie works.
Does the simulator sound like a Leslie? Well, you won't be fooled in a blindfolded test next to a real Leslie on stage, but you might be fooled through the PA. It's pretty good, especially at Tremolo speed. A little EQ -- I settled on -6DB at 10-12KHz, +6DB at 2KHz, -2DB at 80-100Hz -- and stereo amplification improves the illusion. (Unfortunately, those EQ points don't seem to be the ones on the internal EQ, because I could get better results by setting the CX-3's EQ to 0/0/0 and adjusting my mixing board, than the other way around.) I don't use the internal simulator for gigs where a Leslie can be justified, but it comes in handy from time to time for smaller venues and practices.
Like most Hammond clones, the CX-3's advantages include portability and lack of oiling and other maintenance.
The CX-3 is no "bargain basement" product. It is possible to buy two of some of its competitors for the same price! Some prospective buyers will think that the cost is justified; others will not. When considering the cost of the CX-3 as a Hammond replacement, you need to factor in the entire MIDI system: second keyboard, pedals for switching, and amplification system. If you already own an amplification system or a Leslie, and have a second keyboard for piano or synth, the CX-3 may be extremely attractive. If you need to buy the whole setup from scratch, you should compare the CX-3/amp/speaker combo to a new or used Hammond and Leslie, put a figure of merit on the CX-3's portability, then decide what's best for your situation.
The unit retails for $2595US. Street prices vary quite a bit, but prices of around $1800US seem about right, as of 1Q2002.
Korg phone support is decent; a little better than most of the large musical companies. They have a tech support line, but it's really geared toward dealer support, not end user problems -- and it's on your dime, not theirs. Good companies, however, will stand behind their products and arrange for your gear to be repaired or updated, and based on my experience, Korg does follow through in this area.
My original unit had several problems, including bugs that seemed to be related to the programmed firmware, rather than hardware. Most of these issues have been eliminated in my second unit, with its updated firmware. Firmware updates are in the form of a very large MIDI SysEx file, so the organ will not have to be disassembled for updates, another nice feature on Korg's part. The early updates have not been very user-friendly, but Korg has promised to address this in the future.
The CX-3 is a superb product for those players who want a high quality Hammond sound in a portable package. As with any product, the CX-3 has its good and bad points, but the unit offers excellent organ tones. It's far from the cheapest Hammond solution out there, but I really think that this is a case of "you get what you pay for." After owning the CX-3 for over a year, I haven't changed my opinion, despite the release of some new competition from Clavia and Roland. If you're in the market for a tone wheel organ, you should definitely hold off your purchase until you check out the CX-3.
Reprinting of this document, in whole or in part, for commercial purposes is prohibited without expressed written consent from the author. Use for non-commercial purposes is freely allowed, with no express or implied warranties of suitability or accuracy.