Nord C2 vs Hammond XK3C

[BravoJr]

Hello,

There's been a couple testimonials of those who have owned Hammond and compared them to the Nord C1/C2. I've owned a Hammond M3, Hammond XK1, and XK3C. The M3 was connected to a Leslie 760, and the XK's went to a Leslie 860. I first bought the XK1, within a month, I had returned it to upgrade to the XK3C due to the ability to expand with a lower manual. The XK3C was great, loved the drawbars and and overdrive among other features. Didn't care so much for the leslie sim, but I just turned that off and ran it throught my 860. When the XK3C was stolen, I was left with some major choices. There was serious allure with the Nord C2, the obvious 2nd manual, built in transistor organs and a Hammond tone that put the XK3C to shame. The built in Leslie sim is REALLY good! I went on tour without the Leslie and ran the C2 into a Fender Deluxe Reverb, loved it. The Nord seemed to "Breath" and felt more alive and responsive that anything else (other than the real thing). And the weight! It seemed as though I simply got way more bang for my buck. For local shows and future tours, I connect the Nord via 11 pin cable to the Leslie 860 and connect the mono output to the Fender Deluxe Reverb and blend the two. The Deluxe brings out a bunch of the mids and highs and compliments the Leslie very well. I play in a rock band with a great bass player, so I have little need for booming bass out the organ.

If you're on the fence about either of these boards, go with the Nord, you will NOT be disappointed. I can honestly say that if it were stolen or damaged, I would buy another. The only down-sides I saw were the lack of drawbars ( you get over it and move on pretty quick) and the bright red colour. So I took mine apart and sanded down the pieces, masked off the controls and outputs and painted it black. I varathaned the whole thing once the paint dried. It looks deadly! After a few more tours, and a few more scratches, I'm going to have a custom wood shop make some nice end blocks and veneer the metal top and back panels. Whenever that happens, I upload some pictures.

Here's a shitty and dark cell phone picture that I "enhanced".

[BravoJr]

Looks very good in black!
"I see a red nord and I want it painted black"
Welcome to the forum

[oldtimecrank]

and a Hammond tone that put the XK3C to shame

Glad to hear you've found an organ that meets your needs. The fact that you run the tonewheel model on your C2 through a fender deluxe says a lot about your lack of credibility to make statements such as "the Nord C2 puts the hammond xk-3c to shame...." I suspect you have limited experience with an actual B3/C3/A100, so careful about what you post. If you ever do come across an actual B-3/C-3/A-100 play it straight out of the preamp and compare that tone with the tone of your "dry" (i.e. no amp sim) nord. Then, compare the dry xk-3c tone with the pre-leslie B-3/C-3/A-100. I'l just leave it at that... but in case you don't get a chance to AB the two, take it from me, the Nord's dry tonewheel is very, very different from a real B3/C3/A-100, wheras the hammond xk-3c is almost identical. Again, it's great that you've connected with the Nord C2. Nord has done much to add to the continuation of the organ in the grand spectrum, that being said, neither the C2, nor the C1, nor the organ models in the stage or electros are authentically hammondlike. They are authentically nord-like. I'm sure many years from now, as more and more kids forget what a real tonewheel organ looks and sounds like the Nord will become an instrument in it's own right just as the fender rhodes did trying to emulate a real piano. However, if you want the authentic experience of playing B3, playing an xk-3c will get you there more than playing a nord will, both in terms of tone, and in terms of interface. You have to understand that Nord deliberately markets their instruments at a certain type of musician: i.e. one who wants to carry as little as possible and get the best tone right out of the box with minimum effort required. Professionals usually have a crew, and usually spend hours, upon hours calibrating their instruments to achieve the sound they need. Compare the editing capabilities of the nord to the editing capabilities of the xk-3c and you kinda begin to understand that Nord is targetting a different demographic, one which you obviously fit into. Sorry if I'm ranting here, but I have a real passion for the B3, and it bugs me to no end when I keep running into kids with no real hammond experience telling people that the Nord C2 has a better hammond tone than an xk-3c. Sorry, but that is just plain false. These same kids would probably pick their Nord over an actual B3 in a blind test, and that's cool! Say you play a Nord, and be proud of it's original sound, but don't start making opinions about how "hammondlike" your Nord sounds if you don't have significant experience playing a B3/C3/A100 through a 122. A nord C2 sounds awesome, but it is not what a hammond sounds like...accept that you play a really cool sounding organ, but be careful about your comparisons. If you still don't "get" what I'm ranting about, try playing your C2 through and actual 122, and an xk-3c through an actual 122, and you will begin to understand why the dry C2 tone sounds different than a dry xk-3c tone. The raw tone of a nord is 'colored' to work better with their internal leslie sim. Nord made the intelligent assumption that their target market would not be bonnafide organ players. As such, they went with a less hammondlike tone that would sound better with their simulator knowing that the majority of their users would not be crating an actual 122. Hammond, on the other hand, went with a more authentic hammond tone that would sound more authentic through an actual 122 and slightly less through it's internal simulator. I wouldn't be suprised if the new sk models sound better through their internal simulators and worse through a real 122. Again, the SK is competing with the Nord C2 in terms of the kinda of user who would be into such an instrument, and guessing by the inclusion of real drawbars and some killer non-hammond tones, I think Hammond Suzuki will be taking a pretty big bite out the C2's market. Oh, here is an example of an xk-3c through a 122. Guess I'm just an old kook, but for a digital clone, this sounds pretty real to my ears

[BravoJr]

telling people that the Nord C2 has a better hammond tone than an xk-3c. Sorry, but that is just plain false.

Hello oldtimecrank,
everyone here is entitled to express their opinion, even you.

This thread will NOT become a flame.

[oldtimecrank]

no flames needed, notice how I never once dissed the nord (in fact I praised it..) if you want to talk about how great your axe is...cool, but don't disrespect someone else's. Not cool. Besides, I'm not trying to fan flames, I'm just trying to educate people who are promoting misinformation, not opinion. Isin't that the purpose of these forums? If someone would like to challenge anything I've said, please go ahead. I'm not trolling for arguments, I'm just trying to stop people from promoting misinformation-misinformation which may in fact disuade someone from buying an xk-3c. Buy a Nord if you want a great sounding organ that requires little or no organ technique to play, and sounds fantastic without the use of a leslie. Buy an XK-3c if you are serious about wanting an authentic B3 tone, and would like to learn how to play proper organ. If you are unable to shlep a 122, than buy a ventilator.

[BravoJr]

Wow. A bit sensitive...

I ran my Xk3-c through PA's and and recorded it direct as well as through Leslies (860 / 145 / 760). I loved that board, don't get me wrong. As far as it interface and set up goes, I spent roughly the same amount of time setting up presets in the XK as the C2. So they both just plugged in and played. You're right about my B3 flight time, none. I've recorded on a A100, and owned a '55 M3. So 'kinda' close. But the thing is with these organs, including the C2, is it depends on what kind of music you play. I play psych rock. So a crunchier, overdriven bite is what I'm into most of the time. Not all the time, but most of the time. And that's why I BLEND the Fender Deluxe tone with my Leslie 860.

I don't know. I don't want you to jump all over me, but I'm not promoting "misinformation" here. THIS IS PURELY OPINION. A matter of taste. I loved that you kept calling me a "kid'... It's funny, because I turn 29 today. And frankly, I don't see how how that has anything to do with anything. Here's another fact to scathe me about. My stage rig includes modern, digital and analog versions of classic keyboards, I'm not touring with a B3, Mellotron, Rhodes and Minimoog, and all required amps and Leslies. But to the ears of the people in the bars and venues, they can't tell. And I've put together a rig that is still practical and portable. That's a big factor for me.

Gotta love purists! I tip my hat to you for standing by what you believe in. This was just a comparison between clonewheels. The real thing still stands alone.

Cheers

[BravoJr]

"Proper organ technique"... requires two manuals.

[oldtimecrank]

if you want to get really technical, proper organ technique requires two sets of drawbars. I'm sure your rig kills. I'm not an analog purist, and I think people who are analog purists are like racists. It's just that I've spent countless hours comparing a real B3 to an xk-3c, and a Nord! I was one of the first to buy a C1, and I upgraded to a C2 for a while. I love playing a C2. It's internal simulator is the best, and it's so easy to play. The deeper I got into hammonds, the more I realized how unhammond the Nord actually is, but that is not a bad thing! If you aren't some crazy hammond purist, than absolutely you will get way, way more musicality out of a C2 than an xk-3c. You just kinda jarred me with the statement, "with hammond tones that put the xk-3c to shame..." I was convinced that the Nord sounded more like a B3 until I started researching pre-leslie signals, and the way that each of the respective clones interact with the poweramp in a 122 vs the internal modelling of the 122. For psyche, I'd run that farfisa model through your deluxe. It's spot on with early Floyd ("set the controls for the heart of the sun...") p.s. if you're born after Elvis died, you're a kid.

[Hanon_CTS]

p.s. if you're born after Elvis died, you're a kid.

Elvis isn't dead, many people, including myself have seen him
Thank you.....Thank you very much [/elvis impersonation]

[BravoJr]

p.s. if you're born after Elvis died, you're a kid.

Heheh, awesome!

Interesting feedback, stay passionate!