JMcS

On mine, over time the belt for the low rotor stretched and the spring tensioner pulled the motor assy. far enough that it started to tap against the frame. It's easy enough to replace. Luckily, I bought replacement belts back when I bought the 3300 so I didn't have to find/wait for the replacement. The rotor's top bearing needs to be removed but the rotor doesn't. Be careful because if the rotor comes out it can be a PITA to get back in.

Gently snug up every screw you can find. I also lined the frame the panels fit into with thin felt weather stripping I bought at an Ace Hardware store. My 3300 is one of the early ones with the smooth flat black coating.

This might be of interest here as well: Scott Hawthorn's website. It contains recordings of Jack McDuff and Richard "Groove" Holmes as well as tips for playing Jazz organ bass. https://www.organfreak.com/ Enjoy. Edit: It looks like the McDuff recordings are no longer available there.

If you only watched the first solo, you missed it. How could anyone tell who in the audience was dancing and who was having a seizure. The only person in the place who could dance with any rhythm was the multi-colored sax guy.

Actually, I think they are trying to needle the thread.

Jackie Davis https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uio1PFuX66Q https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=30-r5-Ys9aw Be warned you might want to dig out your roller skates and head to the rink for some roller dancing.

Find an old 50's/60's era 12AT7. They sound great. Different brands and types may sound a little different but all the ones I've tried in my 3300 sound good. I've tried 12AU7's in my and they don't. I have a 2101 MkI so can't vouch for the MkII. Good Luck.

Then my comment didn't pertain to you. It was just a general comment primarily regarding those who feel unimportant/immaterial issues affect their playing. I have also commented that "if one can play, the gear doesn't matter and if one can't, the gear doesn't help" in the past as well. Edit: Some years ago, I read an interview with IIRC Joey DeFrancesco where he mentioned that he once showed up to a gig and one of the keys didn't work. I think it was an important one like the G above middle C on the UM. The interviewer asked him what he did about it and Joey said he didn't use it.

If you bring in a "keyboard/Hammond guy" and he complains about the color of the keys, you got the wrong guy.

A lot of the weaknesses in instrument sounds mentioned above seem to be the result of a low velocity value generated by the key strike. It is hard to generate a high velocity value on the Hammond keyboards so attack harmonics etc. are often missing or dull. This goes all the way back to the Extra Voices in the XK-3/c. Hammond added the Velocity Offset parameter to correct for this in an early update to the SK-1 and it continues in all models since. In the SKX-Pro it is on Pg. 93 #8. A set value can be added to / subtracted from the velocity value generated by the musician to dial in the desired keystrike velocity needed to get a value of 127. The Velocity Curve may help some but if the hardest you hit the key is less than the selected curve can boost the value you still don't get the attack harmonics. Also, the less hard the key is struck the less its velocity value gets boosted.

My wife told me she heard somewhere that God created Tina Turner to teach women how to dance in high heels.

These work well: Mighty Wedge soft shim

You can't go wrong learning from Tony Monaco. You might find this interesting/useful: https://www.organfreak.com/

In addition to the Velocity Curve options the SK's have a parameter called Velocity Offset. This parameter gives the musician the ability to add or subtract a value to the velocity value generated by the key strike. Adjusting this parameter along with trying the various curves may help you dial in the kind of attack sound you want. Good luck.

In the Equalizer section of the manual/menu there is a Tone Control parameter (SK-1 manual Pg. 100 #1). It curves the frequencies above 200Hz down. The higher the frequency the more it can be pulled down. There is an explanation and graphic in the manual.

It's been a long time but IIRC, it is possible to add the pedal tones to the lower split portion of the XK-3 keyboard (not the preset keys). It requires setting an external zone for the pedal MIDI channel, setting MIDI Mode to In1/In2, and connecting a MIDI cable from the out to an in. There may be some other steps involved but if so, I don't remember them. Good luck. If you can find the old XK-3 Tips thread, there may be more detailed information about doing this there.

It might be great if you could do it but as they say, if the queen had balls, she'd be king.

Why? Unless you have a prehensile penis, you can only play 2 things at once on an XK-3 keyboard. The XK-3c has a Manual Bass feature that allows you to layer the pedals with the lower manual when the keyboard split is turned on. Or when a lower manual is connected and MIDI In is set for Lower/Pedal mode.

Proof that if you can play the gear doesn't matter and if you can't the gear doesn't help.

Thanks Jim, Boosting the Velocity Offset on my SK-1 made a big difference in how the various voices sounded and I didn't have to beat the keys. I think I wasn't hitting the keys fast/hard enough to trigger the attack harmonics. I thought it might have a similar effect on the newer models.

Does tinkering with the Velocity Offset parameter have an effect on the harmonics etc. that are produced?

They are before and after pictures of the same organ. Both organs have the same scratch on the lower left side wall (Left of the Leslie switches/where they used to be). Also, the wood to the right of middle C on the lower manual has the same grain pattern. One of the sale offers is "probably" a scam.

Find the Velocity Offset Parameter (It may now be called something different) and adjust that. The velocity offset allows the user to add (or subtract) values to/from the actual generated velocity. It can be difficult to hit the keys hard enough to generate a high velocity value. This causes the key strike and other initial harmonics to not sound.

The 11 pin and 8 pin Leslie connectors have lines that carry other voices that go directly to the stationary amp/speakers. You could probably build an adapter to use 1 of those connectors.

On the other SK's it can be difficult to generate a high velocity value without playing whack-a-mole with the keys. This causes the various instruments to sound dull and lifeless since the attack harmonics etc. aren't produced. The SK-Pro probably has the same issue. Shortly after the SK-1 was introduced an adjustment named "Velocity Offset" was added that allowed the musician to add (or subtract) a value to the values generated by their normal playing. This greatly improves the quality of the sounds of the pianos and other velocity dependent instruments. The Velocity Offset adjustment is a system parameter (Pg. 81 #24 in the SK-1 manual). Velocity is a patch parameter in the Extra Voice menu (SK-1 Pg. 77 #7). Good luck.