Hammond XK1 query

[Tyburnian]

Hi. I know I should be playing through a real leslie, but I can't afford one! The question is: how do I get the screamin' hammond sound (Jon Lord. Ken Hensley, pretty much any classic rock band's sound) with just my XK1 through a pa? I've tried all the rock presets, the Purple preset and various others, plus a myriad of combinations till I'm blue in the face, including the distortion knob. I also tried the 4444xxxxx drawbars only, working from there, and I still can't get it. Surely it's not impossible? I've got more 'realistic' Hammond sounds from my Korg N5EX (which admittedly includes samples from their CX3).
Yes, I really should have a double manual, and I should have a leslie, but it is a real Hammond and I would have expected to pretty much nail the sound I'm after with the XK1.
Please can some of you wonderful people save me?
Tyburnian.

 

[jpscoey]

... how do I get the screamin' hammond sound... with just my XK1 through a pa?

The answer is - you can't !... just through a standard PA - which aims for a clean sound.

Jon Lord, for example, in addition to a Leslie 122 (sometimes 2 of them) also used a Marshall guitar stack.

The 'screamin' sound is produced by the tube (valve) amps.

To get close to this you could try the much-praised Neo Instruments 'ventilator'.

It's not cheap (about £370) but has recieved excellent reviews from all who use it.

A cheaper alternative would be to go through an amp simulator (usually a floor pedal) -

many companies make them such as Line6 / Boss etc.

 

[b3maniac]

I second John's thought on trying the Neo Ventilator. B3

 

[delaware dave]

+1 on the vent.
go here at the 3:25 mark in the video and listen to the overdrive:

 

[b3maniac]

Hi Dave,welcome to this forum. Jim has one of the best Ventilator reviews, and that played a factor in my purchase. I'm extremely please with the Ventilator use live, and it has become a permanent part of my rig. Don

 

[delaware dave]

I was using a MS Low Pro/Pro 3T before the Vent purchase. What I liked about the MS was that when you floored the expression pedal the 3T horn has what appears to sound like a "wider" radial circumference, where as the Vent's horn sounds like the spin is tighter (smaller radial circumference). I miss that wider circ however the Vent's cabinet simulation changed the sound of the hammond tone in my V5+ so that it sounds more realistic. The Vent's setup is so much simpler that I just forgo the circumference issue and inside of two minutes the "leslie" is setup. Can't beat that.

 

[b3maniac]

I have a Motion Sound keyboard amp in the music room that I never use. I need to try the vent in that and see what it sounds like...it should be killer.

 

[Gunthunder]

Like the others have stated, you can't really get it without the same gear. But I have tinkered with the Xk-1's Leslie settings and have gotten closer results than the presets.

 

[Gary Holdsworth]

I own the XK-1 and get a good enough sound for my 50-year old ears for CR cover band work. I just use the manual setting and tweak the drawbars to taste. Then again, I'm not doing John Lord huge overdrive, just adding the icing on the cake to an otherwise standard 4-piece CR cover band. I'll take 15 lbs over 450 any day, too.

 

[b3maniac]

Run it through a Neo Ventilator Leslie 122 simulator pedal and you'll be amazed. The Vent weights a couple of pounds and is as close to a real leslie as you'll find in current technology. Don

 

[OldgrowlyB3]

Damn, The Vent sounds great for what it is.
I lived next to/jammed with Ken Hensley when he lived in St.Louis County. Missouri. He said, w/o English accent," The B3s all sound different, he had one for the USA and one for Europe, "Have them tuned proper, both the B3 and Leslie, turn the preamp up on the B3 to taste , dimeout the leslie" he also said after the Heep got going he used a power conditioner and a plexiglass cab. in the studio because they recorded almost as loud as they played on stage. I remember him saying about the overdrive "the B3 should clean up almost completely when you raise the swell pedal. When I had a B3 /Leslie it worked as he said. He sent his Moog through a guitar amp. hope this helps-

 

[b3maniac]

I still have that original Ventilator I was mentioning in my 2013 post and it has a lot of miles on it now. I recently saw a low useage original Ventilator and picked it up for a replacement. But I'm not getting any younger. And after the effect of Covid on the live music business in my region it could take a long time to recover. I just hope that won't be the case.

 

[delaware dave]

I just picked up a GSI BURN because although the Vent provides that nice 122 sound I wanted to go for that Gregg Allman 147 sound. The BURN emulates both the 122 and the 147. I was able to do a side by side comparison. Although the BURN is a great alternative the Vent still wins. The BURN has a real tube and has a different sounding overdrive but overall the Vent's rotor interaction and cabinet resonance is still king.

 

[b3maniac]

I have a small tube preamp that I used to put between my (digital) CX3 and the Ventilator. The tube softens up the tone of the CX3. Of course I was playing in an R&B group. I bet the Burn sounds great with the Voce V5+ (?) Don

 

[delaware dave]

Yes it does as well as with a Vent.

 

[anotherscott]

I have a small tube preamp that I used to put between my (digital) CX3 and the Ventilator.

The Lounsberry Tall and Fat might do something similar, placed between an organ and a Vent, as it is basically designed to emulate an A0-28 preamp.