EXCELLENT CONDITION

Hammond’s XK-1 is a more compact, less expensive alternative to the flagship single-manual organ, the XK-3.

Number of Presets: 120
Virtual Tonewheel Sets: Real B-3, ’80s Clean, Noisy, Noisy 60, Full Flats, Husky, Flute Lead, Classic X-5, Voxy Full, Cheap Transistor.
Leslie Models Simulated: 122, 147, 760, 710, and 825.

Waterfall keys: have a square shape and slightly rounded front edge with no “lip,” are a must for serious B-3 simulation. Hammond put them on the original B-3 and other vintage models for cost reasons. Classical organists accustomed to overhanging, wedge-shaped pipe organ keys complained, but jazz and rock players loved ’em, especially for playing “wipes” — glissandi with the palm of the hand. The XK-1’s waterfall keyboard doesn’t have quite the heft of a real B-3; it’s a bit springier but it’s still excellent. I’d rate it as a little smoother than the Clavia Nord Electro 2’s action, but a hair less silky and quiet than Hammond’s own XK-3.

An 8-pin jack: lets you connect the organ directly to a Leslie 2101 system, and Hammond sells an adaptor for hooking up 11-pin models like the Leslie 771.

“Manual Bass” brings the pedal part to the keyboard’s bottom two octaves, ideal for gigs where you kick left-hand bass.

“Adjust” preset button instantly switches to the current physical drawbar settings. Select whether the drawbars affect the upper, lower, or pedal registration with these buttons.

Waterfall keyboard feels like a real B-3, and can transmit velocity, but not aftertouch, to internal non-organ sounds and external MIDI devices.

One cost-cutting measure is a single set of drawbars in place of the XK-3’s upper, lower, and pedal sets. The XK-1 still has three independent parts for upper, lower, and pedal keyboards.

A 3-band EQ helps you tailor the XK-1’s sound to the room you happen to be playing in. These buttons control either a modern, external Leslie, or the built-in simulation. The latter is Hammond’s best effort yet in this area.

Pitch and mod wheels on an organ? We think it’s a thoughtful addition in case you want to control an external sound module with the XK-1.