Lou_NC

Just wanted to give an update on this topic for any who might be following: I just called Ray at Hammond (what a great and helpful guy!) and he told me that the two pedals are indeed very different beasts internally. The EXP-100F is an optoelectronic configuration with an active PCB inside that outputs a variable DC signal to the organ for volume control, whereas the EXP-50 is basically a variable resistor to the organ. So, there's no compatibility between the two electrically. So rather than try to repurpose an EXP-100F I now plan to fabricate a kick switch to attach to the EXP-50 pedal that came with the SK-2 that I just bought from my co-worker. Ray did mention that the parts for the EXP-100F kick switch should be available from BBorgan, so once I get a few more minutes I will give them a call and see what I can come up with regarding attaching one to the EXP-50. The wiring from the kick switch will of course be completely separate from the expression cabling, but that should still be a very workable solution for me, assuming I can get the mechanical and electrical parts I need. Lou

First thing that comes to my mind is Stevie Wonder's use of Clavinet (I think) on a number of 70's/80's hits.

Does anyone have a pin/signal diagram for the Hammond EXP-100F expression pedal? (This is the expression pedal with the Leslie kick-switch). I own the expression pedal and currently use it with my XK-3. I'm looking at buying a Hammond SK-2 from a co-worker, and I'd like to be able to build an adapter cable to use the EXP-100F pedal/kick switch to control volume and leslie speed on the SK-2. I need to understand both the pin assignments as well as the electrical characteristics of the inputs/outputs on the connector on the pedal to understand whether I can make this work. I can't seem to find any reference material on the EXP-100F pins anywhere on the web. I'm an EE and handy with a soldering iron so I don't have any reservations about tackling this project, if I can get my hands on accurate reference information. If anyone has done anything like this already, I'd really appreciate hearing about it! Thanks, Lou

Does it all need to be in one keyboard? Are you willing to use a MIDI controller and a small MIDI sound module? At the risk of being ridiculed to no end, I'm going to suggest you consider pairing a MIDI keyboard controller with a "vintage" MIDI sound module like the Alesis NanoSynth. I pair mine up with a 49-key MIDI controller that sits on top of my dual manual Hammond setup and it gives a lot of bang for the buck in terms of sounds, IMHO. I think I paid about $150 for my NanoSynth a few years ago. You'll have to check Reverb or Ebay to find one these days, but they're out there. If you don't like the Alesis idea, I'm sure there are a lot of decent sounding modules out there that sell for cheap since they're a few "generations" old. Not too many years ago the sounds in these older modules was considered professional and "state of the art". For the gigs you are describing, do you think anyone in the audience would notice or even care? Lou

No need to wedge stuff between your keys, back in my college days I watched a guy do this on a organ keyboard using a one or two ounce bank sinker style fishing weight. Not sure it would work for black keys, but I saw him use it with success on a white key. ☺️

76-keys is going to drive your costs UP not save you anything vs. 88, if you want a weighted piano action, which I would recommend if you're seriously taking piano lessons. For the most cost-effective weighted piano action with built in speakers, my go-to recommendation (for a new keyboard) these days is a Casio CDP-S150. It's a decent weighted action for the price, and you can expand via MIDI to your computer/tablet for all the sounds you desire for "noodling". Adding speakers to a tablet/computer can be done very cheaply with a set of "computer speakers" off of Craigslist or your local thrift store. That will get you about the same sound you'll get from built-in keyboard speakers anyway. Lou

Did you find any significant difference in the feel of the keybed between SK-2 and Mojo? That could be another factor, but if they're similar in feel it won't be a major decision factor for me.

Thanks for the tip, but the SK Pro is a single keyboard. If I wanted that I would simply stick with my XK-3. Now the SKX Pro is interesting but it's 2x the cost of the SK-2 I'm currently looking at, not really a price point I'm interested in paying.

I currently play a Hammond XK-3 and a jury-rigged synth (connected via MIDI) as lower keyboard, plus Roland MIDI bass pedals. I'm not a pro, I play for my own enjoyment 90% at home and occasionally at church or with friends in an informal jam session. Since I've always played two manuals + pedals, I've been looking at upgrading to a dual-manual clonewheel for some time now, and a friend is offering to sell me one of his two Hammond SK-2's since he just ordered a Hammond XK-5. I've been looking at all the Hammond options, as well as the Crumar Mojo and Viscount Legend Live. I'd like to keep weight to a minimum since I do take this keyboard out of the house occasionally, so even if I could find an old XLK-3 lower keyboard to match up with the XK-3, weight would be more than I'm really looking to manage at this time for a "portable" dual-keyboard setup. (Unless of course an XLK-3 happened to fall out of the sky, in which case I *might* consider shlepping it around). At first I rejected the idea of the SK-2 since it only has one set of drawbars, but the more I thought about it the more I realize I rarely touch the lower keyboard and pedal drawbars when I play, and I could always set up a few presets to cover that. So I've found myself seriously comparing the SK-2 to the current Mojo Classic. (No knock against the Viscount, but it is a bit more expensive, and I don't think I'll ever need two sets of drawbars per manual). I'm actually leaning slightly to the SK-2 since I like the idea of having some extra sounds (which would potentially be used in the church or small band setting, so they don't have to be the world's greatest piano voices, as long as they're "decent"). My friend is offering the SK-2, including Hammond expression pedal and halfmoon switch, for $2K, which seems fair given current prices for everything out there. I figure if I don't like the SK-2, I can always re-sell for close to what I'm paying, and get a Mojo. Looking for feedback on those of you who have experience with the SK-2. Do you love it, hate it, (or simply tolerate it)? Has anyone who owned an SK-2 moved on to a Mojo for any reason? Thanks, Lou

I think your price is reasonable. My metric for used gear purchases is that I think around 60% of new (which usually includes free shipping) pricing is fair for gear in reasonably good condition. I might go 70% for "like new in box", but that's it for me. So you're in the ballpark, $1,700 new times 0.6 gives $1,020. That said, while I love the Mojo action, the single set of drawbars on the Mojo 61 is a deal breaker for me, and could make that board less attractive to a broader audience. (I've also passed on local sales of Hammond SK-1's and XK-1's for the same reason). In my own case, I'm looking for something that can be turned into a dual-manual solution with a 2nd keyboard, and the minimum set of drawbars I'll accept is the duplicate of my Hammond XK-3, meaning a full set of upper and lower drawbars, plus pedals (I kick bass). I think the Viscount is a viable option, but the Mojo 61 just won't cut it for me. I could be an oddball here (I've been called that before!) but just wanted you hear a perspective that could be relevant to your sale. Good luck, Lou

I'm considering a Hammond SKX as well, as my choices have been narrowed down to one of the dual-manual clones with built-in 11pin connector. I also really, really love my Hammond EXP-100F expression pedal with kick switch to change Leslie speed to fast/slow (currently in use on my XK-3/XLK-3/Leslie 3300 setup). Does anyone know of an expression pedal / kick switch combination that is compatible with the SKX? I don't see an off-the-shelf solution available anywhere. I don't mind building an adapter if my EXP-100F is *electrically* compatible with the inputs needed to function as an expression pedal / kick switch combo for the SKX. I can build an adapter cable, if I can get my hands on a schematic of the EXP-100F/connector, and understand the input requirements of the SKX. Thanks, Lou

Those all seem like they would work well to lower the noise level here at home. Have you tried them with your keyboards or just for office communication? No, I haven't used them with the keyboards, other than a quick experiment using a cheap BT transmitter plugged into my mixer sending BT audio to one of the headphones (can't remember which one). There was noticeable latency (probably from the cheap BT transmitter) that made that particular configuration unusable. So I continue to use my wired Sony MDR-V6 headphones with my keyboard setup. But I HAVE listened to MP3 and Youtube audio on my computer through all 3 brands/models of the noise cancelling headphones described above, and the audio quality of all of them was excellent to my ears. So, using a wired configuration would probably be fine with any of them from the standpoint of audio quality. (Actually now that I think of it, I don't believe that the more affordable Plantronics Voyager on-ear headphones have wired capability, so that is probably not an option with that choice). Lou

My company recently went through an in-depth evaluation of over-the-ear noise-cancelling headphones during our recent transition from private offices to "open floor plan". Don't get me started on THAT lunacy, but I digress........ We evaluated several brands and the overall winner was Sennheiser MB 660. Runner up was the Plantronics Voyager 8200 UC. There are pros and cons to both, personally I prefer the tactile feel of the controls on the Plantronics 8200 over the "slide-touch-tap" controls of the Sennheiser 660's, but the noise cancellation on the Sennheiser's is absolutely incredible! From my home (Covid) office, I did an A/B comparison of these two headphones while my neighbor's lawn service was running three (yes, count 'em, THREE) Stihl backpack leaf blowers AND a commercial lawn mower, and the Sennheiser's were DEAD QUIET. If they can cancel that noise, I'm sure they can handle a blender! The Plantronics were definitely "very acceptable" with very little noise bleed-through, but the Sennheiser's were unreal. (Both have corded capability for zero-latency audio, in addition to BT, either native or through a USB dongle). If your budget is more modest, in 2018 we were originally issued Plantronics Voyager Focus UC on-ear headphones for online video calls, before the open office space. They worked very well considering their price point, offering reasonable noise cancellation. They also had the best phone call audio of all 3 headsets for Teams/Zoom calls. But the Sennheiser MB 660 are truly in a class by themselves when it comes to noise cancellation. Lou

I see a number of proponents advocating 2x relatively large (12"+ woofer) active PA speakers for a clonewheel amp solution with good bass response. Is there any real advantage to that setup vs. a SSv3 and a subwoofer? That is the direction I'm headed in and will probably end up with by the holidays. I would have to say that having 2 PA's would possibly provide a lttle more versatility in re-use of the PA speakers for other purposes, and perhaps resale *might* be higher for 2x PA's vs. the SSv3 and sub. But for someone who only wants a clonewheel solution with good bass response, and isn't worried about resale, I'm having trouble seeing any major advantage to 2x PA vs. SSv3/Sub. Am I missing something else? Thanks, Lou

I'm looking into getting myself a dual-manual clonewheel, looking at all the options out there, including a Mojo 61 with lower manual. Using the Mojo 61 as an example, I'm wondering how people make drawbar changes for lower manual or pedals, "on the fly", with only one set of drawbars? For example, let's say I have 888000000 on the drawbars, playing that registration on the upper manual "live". (I may be adjusting those drawbars in real-time as I play, but I end up with 888000000). I want to change the lower manual (as I'm playing) which was previously set with 006400000, to 006404000, to add some 2' to the lower. I hit the "lower" button, but the drawbars are set to 888000000. If I pull the 2' drawbar to set it to "4", what happens? Do I end up with 888004000 on the lower? Or do I end up with 006404000? In other words, when I select the "lower" button for the drawbars, does the sound generator pick up the drawbars as they are currently set, or does it "sense" only those drawbars that are moved from the time where the "lower" button was pushed? I'm sure I can answer this question in two minutes if I could get my hands on one of these keyboards, but that is very difficult where I live. Thanks, Lou

Thanks for calling it a "tablet" stand instead of an iPad stand! There are a few of us Android tablet users around......... Now if we could only get the KEYBOARD manufacturers to consider incorporating a music/tablet stand into their keyboards. Gee, it would probably add all of $5 to their bill of materials cost. I haven't had a keyboard with a built-in music stand since I bought my 1980's vintage Korg BX-3! Lou

Hey Mike, depending on what you're looking to do with the drum beats (simple song practice, performances, recording, etc.), you may want to simply search on youtube for a specific drum beat and BPM, then use as-is, or even download/convert to MP3's. There's a ton of stuff out there, and it may save you some time if you're just looking for something simple to practice with. You may not even need to download/save, simply bookmark the URLs of the beats you like in a browser and access them in real time when needed. Lou

My recommendation is to go directly to a simple NAS setup. Mine is attached via Ethernet to my main home router, and it's accessible by anything on my WiFi or wired home network. I have a Synology 2-bay box with two Western Digital "Red" 4TB NAS hard drives. (These are high-quality rotating media intended for NAS applications). Lou

Aside from Hammond/Leslie being one of the most versatile and glorious sounds ever to grace human ears (can you tell I'm a little biased?) the fact that it was a presence and in near constant use in many recording studios (at least from the 60's through ??), it certainly appears on a lot of recordings. I believe a Hammond/Leslie was as much a fixture in recording studios as a piano, at least in a significant number of studios. Also, it's the original "pad" sound (don't even get me started on my discussions with my 30-something worship director at church, who constantly asks for "synthetic" pad sounds vs. my volunteering to provide Hammond/leslie patches in place of those awful sterile sounds). Hammond is the original "synthesizer" with such incredible sonic versatility......straight backup/background sound behind vocals via sustained chords, percussive solo leads, haunting refrains played with C/V, the list goes on and on. So, it's not ONE sound at all, I would classify it more like an entire "bucket" of sounds depending on the mood/genre, etc, of the music you're playing. Lou

Before you send back the Samson, you may want to try connecting the USB cable to a surplus wall-wart that has a USB A "charging" output (instead of the Mojo USB jack), if you have one laying around. These wall warts used to be commonly shipped with cellphones for many years, and I have several on hand, and I swap cables to charge Kindles, phones, etc. Might be worth a shot. Lou

Wouldn't this provide a "dry" signal (no Leslie effect) to the sub? Depending on the cutoff frequency of the sub, I suppose all you woud hear "dry" would be the low bass notes, so this may be acceptable. But it would definitely sound different than what you'd be getting out of a Leslie 3300, 147, 122, etc. Might be to your liking, but it will definitely be different, that's all. Lou

I've been playing organ for my own enjoyment for 50 years as of 2021. Started on a Wurlitzer in my parent's living room, and while I've migrated to clonewheels, and I love the Hammond sound (I currently play a Hammond XK-3/XLK-3 setup with a Korg MIDI pedalboard), I've never seen a need for anything more than 13 bass notes. I don't play "heel and toe" and have no desire to learn, as I don't think it would enhance my playing pleasure. Playing "toe only" does it for me. One useful tidbit I will pass along. If you decide on a 13 note pedalboard, pay close attention to the LENGTH of the "white" keys on the pedals. I've owned many brands of MIDI pedals since the 70's, and I prefer the length of the pedals that I have in my Korg MPK-130 and my Roland PK-5 pedalboards. I bought and quickly sold 13 note Studiologic and Hammond pedalboards since their "white" keys were noticeably shorter than the keys on the Korg and Roland. I'm not home at the moment and therefore can't take a tape measure to my pedals, so I can't give you a number in inches right now. If you're starting out, it might not make much difference what length pedals you learn to play on. But it makes a difference to me, so I wanted to call it to your attention. Good luck! Playing bass pedals makes you a real "one man band".......bass, chords in LH, and melody in RH. Add a drum machine and you never need to suck up to a bass guitar player, drummer, or rhythm guitar player in order to generate a "full" sound! :-) Lou

If you have any doubts on how much power your equipment actually draws when operating under normal conditions, you can always buy (or borrow) one of these "Kill a Watt" devices to see what your equipment REALLY draws in use, then plan your power solution accordingly: https://www.amazon.com/P3-P4400-Electricity-Usage-Monitor/dp/B00009MDBU/ref=asc_df_B00009MDBU/?tag=hyprod-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=167125429392&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=9520429682556976790&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9009736&hvtargid=pla-306572288073&psc=1 Lou

I just picked up a second Casio CDP-100 off local Craigslist for $300 with a stand. I like these older Casio weighted boards because they are inexpensive and have DIN MIDI outputs. I use the Casio to drive an Alesis Nano Piano via MIDI to "boost" the quality of the piano sounds to what I consider "good enough" for my needs. I picked up a couple of Nano Piano's and a Nano Synth over the years for just north of $100 each, they come up for sale from time to time. I'm no professional musician, but honestly this is a very light weight and reliable piano solution IMHO. Lou

Wayne, This is great advice IMHO. I followed a similar path, only my goal was extending the bass range of my Hammond XK-3 setup in my home studio, which uses small JBL Control 1 Plus monitors as the "main" speakers. I've found that there are a LOT of used "home theater" subs being sold on Craigslist these days (at very reasonable prices) as people transition from 5.1 "receiver" based systems to sound bars for their TVs. I have two different "home theater" subs, one JBL in my practice space, and I can't even remember the brand of the 2nd one in storage right now. My ears can't tell the difference between a quality "home theater" sub and a "pro audio" sub! Lou