Check [[url=http://[/URL]="http://www.keyboard…"]Keyboard's[/]="http://www.keyboard…"]Keyboard's[/] product review archives, I'm pretty sure they have B-3 sound-alike and Leslie simulator shoot-outs both there, with a hefty range of products.

Thanks! Yeah, they do, but they haven't "shot-out" the new CX3. Also, I'd like to hear from other sources than that mag if possible...

Howdy

Strangely, I played a CX3 for a few mins the other day. It has a good "feel" and decent ergonomic compromises (IOW, they placed things that you're used to having in a certain place elsewhere but logically). Percussion worked properly, the leslie sim was decent, etc.

Sonicly, it was fine but there was too much keyclick for my taste and the sound was ALWAYS too DIRTY. Even with the overdrive knob zeroed, there was just WAY too much dirt on the sound. This is the comment I hear most often about the CX3.

The Native Instruments plugin is really quite good. If you have a DAW setup, its worth getting. I like the little Voce guy too. It sounds good and works the way you want it to.

All of these things can work well on a gig and passable in the studio. For me, they'll have to pry my B3 out of my cold, dead hands.

...they'll have to pry my B3 out of my cold, dead hands.

You have either very large hands or a tiny little organ...

:eek:

Sonicly, it was fine but there was too much keyclick for my taste and the sound was ALWAYS too DIRTY. Even with the overdrive knob zeroed, there was just WAY too much dirt on the sound. This is the comment I hear most often about the CX3.

The factory presets are programmed this way. If you tweak things in the Edit mode, you can clean it up. I've spent a few hours with them in the stores...the CX3 is about the best "Wanna-B" out there now. I had a VK7 for 3 years, it's OK but I didn't like the leslie sim in it. When I could, I took a Leslie. Its drawbar tones were very very close to my B-3.

The vibrato/chorus is almost spot-on on the most-often-used C3 position. The 2 and 1 variations are too weak, though. I use C1 a lot, so this was a bummer. But I decided not to buy one because I hardly ever gig these days, and it's awfully expensive for a keyboard that only does one thing (albeit very, very well.) The keyboard action is really nice.

Hint: Turn the "leakage" down...it's way too high in the presets. And change the amplifier simulator type parameter to "preamp" if you're going to run it through a Leslie or a Motion Sound rig.

But still....ain't nuthin like the real thing. :D

TP