Adan

I hear no hiss at all with the piano sounds. I tried turning the volume all the way up and playing all the notes at once. I tried sitting on the keyboard. I drank a bunch of vodka and then tried sitting on the keyboard. I recited a bunch of bad jokes, drank more vodka, and then sat on the keyboard. Nothing I did could produce a hiss. There's a very tiny amount of hiss in the rhodes patch. I tried to care. I could not. If you have a hiss that makes the SK "unplayable," then you have a defective unit, and I would bet anything that Hammond would replace it. It's that simple.

Whatever it is you're hearing isn't coming through my speakers. Although the first example does sound a little . . . how should I put it . . . misty!

Hear, hear!

I got the EXP50, and glad that I did. It behaves like a Hammond swell pedal. I was using the Roland EV5, which was not very good. Tried the FC7 and it was better, but still not quite there, so I returned it and sprung for Hammond's pedal. Is it worth spending $162 more than an FC7? Maybe not, because you can make do pretty well with an FC7. But it is significantly better.

I just got an FC-7, thinking it would be better than my Roland EV5. It is. It has more travel and a better sweet spot. The FC-7 works ergonomically when sitting. For standing, the EV5 might be better. You have to switch settings on the SK from "normal" to "rev" when using either. I'm thinking of getting the EXP 50 because neither pedal is really ideal as far as curve, they do not operate like a real Hammond pedal.

I've been following the Pimps of Joytime for years. They're finally starting to get the recognition they deserve, playing NoLa jazzfest and Sierra. They don't have a dedicated keyboard player and they deliberately use some cheesy keyboard sounds, but aside from that . . . Also Orgone. [video:youtube]

$215 for the EXP-50? That makes it pricier than the XK3 expression pedal! edit: Must be the store is gouging. $149 for an SK1 case also seems ridiculous.

My feeling exactly. Keyboard horns work best for stabs. For longer notes, the static, prefabbed nature of the typical horn patch gets laid bare. By contrast, a B3 with chorus and leslie has lots of groovy movement inside it. Use a hammond sound. Experiment with changing leslie speeds mid-phrase. Everyone will love it.

Just when I thought I'd counted all the musicians, the violinist appears . . . The sound reminds me of some of Lenny White's groups.

Nice job channeling a p'd off Hornsby. And you managed to eradicate the only hint of optimism in that song (but reappears later). Still waiting for your Booker tribute recordings!

Awesome post! Interestingly, I think this post has persuaded me not to have children (kinda been on the fence about that). However, I'd still like to own a B3 for the home again, someday.

Given how little you seem to know about it, I would say, no, don't make that kind of investment until you've become more educated. If there's a store that sells them within driving distance, go play one. I would also infer from your post that you'll be wanting to move it around. If so, you should probably start with a Hammond clone, then add a real leslie, then maybe later get a B.

What is your so-called friend asking for the CX-3?

Too many musicians neglect exercise. One can speculate why that is: irregular hours, bad eating habits picked up from being on the road or being around bars, and probably other things. And sometimes it's difficult to see the connection between being in shape and pursuing your work/passion. But it's there. If you sleep better, if you have good circulation and good posture, then you'll perform better in all aspects of life. Dave Ferris' story might be inspiring to, say, good runners who are trying to become great runners. But the same story might be intimidating to someone who is struggling just to overcome years of inertia. Like if you're just starting to learn jazz and someone plays a Herbie Hancock cut and says "see, this is the goal. Do this." I believe the most important thing with exercise is to find something you can do every single day and then do it. Every single day. If it's a part of a daily routine, then you will start to look forward to it, conciously or subconciously, and you'll miss it if it's not there. Make it the organizing principle of your life. That doesn't mean it's the only thing you do or care about. That means it's the one thing you don't sacrifice to anything else. Don't worry about how much you're doing at first. The goal at first should be to shift from inertia to momentum, and to keep some kind of momentum going. From there, you'll eventually find the comfort level. If it's a brisk walk for 30 minutes a day, then that's fine. That's infinitely better than doing nothing at all. I gets preachy about this stuff. If you read this far, thanks for indulging me.

A great thing about running is how efficient it is, for those of us with time management challenges. Put on your shoes, go out your door, you're back in 45 or 60 or 75 minutes having had a great work out. But it's also very destructive to parts that are prone to wearing out. Some people are built for it more so than others. I recently got a rowing machine (Concept II). With the right technique, you get a rigorous workout in less than 30 minutes. (With the wrong technique, you'll flail away and get a very poor workout). I balance that with running and swimming, and don't worry much about parts breaking down.