Hammond SKX: Big Gospel Organ Sound for Small Churches
In the black church community, small storefront churches remain the foundation of the community. Despite the prevalence of mega-ministries and 10,000 seat auditoriums that dominate the media, small churches continue to crank out the best music and musicians. If you want to hear the latest gospel music innovations and the most creative musical sounds of the genre, the small storefront church is the place to go. It’s the place where cracked crash cymbals are not unusual and when a drumstick breaks, no one will judge you for grabbing a a hanger from the choir robe closet in order to keep the praise going.
Unfortunately, the small black church is also a place where music department budgets are low and tithes typically keep the lights on. Thus, a $16,000 renovated Hammond B3 organ is usually a nonstarter. But the fine people at Hammond USA have placed the big sound of the B3 in a small package that is suitable for small churches. In this post we’ll discuss the benefits of the Hammond SKX and how small churches can use it to get their praise on.
What is the Hammond SKX
The Hammond SKX is a portable two-tier keyboard that emulates the sound and character of a full-sized Hammond organ. With a fraction of the space required to house a classic Hammond organ, the SKX provides the fullness of the classic sound with a much smaller footprint. The SKX provides a compact and portable option for churches with minimal space, yet, it delivers all of the tone options that a traditional gospel organist will desire.
The Hammond SKX includes three sets of Harmonic Drawbars, Vibrato-Chorus, Touch-Response Percussion, and digital Leslie — as well as a complete palette of the most coveted Keyboard Voices, such as Grand Pianos, Electric Pianos, Clavs, Orchestral and Percussive voices, and more, any of which can be combined with the Tonewheel voices, or with each other, in the SKX’s dual Extra Voice divisions. It includes 32 ranks of Hi-Def Classical Pipe Organ voices, as well as models of two popular 1960s combo organs that sound exactly like the bigger robust originals.
The newly expanded voice library memory is greatly improved, allowing the installation of your custom voices or presets available for download from the Hammond website. It also comes with Hammond artist factory presets that are just mind-blowing.
SKX Highlights
- MIDI in/out ports
- Audio: Line Out L, R, Headphones
- Three sets of real drawbars
- Master Equalizer with Bass/Mid, Gain/Mid, Frequency/Treble
- Manual Bass allows the Pedal part to be played on the lower manual of the SKX
Why Should My Church Buy the Hammond SKX?
The Hammond SKX provides the sound and tone of the original Hammond organs to churches that may not have the space and budget to accommodate a hefty classic B3. Additionally, the SKX is offered at a reasonable price point that won’t break the bank or put a small church organization too far in debt.
What’s Included with the Hammond SKX?
The Hammond SKX is the smallest dual-keyboard organ in Hammond history. However, this portable organ only includes a power chord and owner’s manual. Users must purchase pedals, a keyboard stand, leslie speaker, and bench separately.
Conclusion
The Hammond SKX puts the power of a full-size tonewheel organ in a small package. Additionally, the midi capability provides expandability to suit any worship service or concert recording. If you’ve always desired to have an organ in your small sanctuary, the Hammond SKX is the answer to your prayers.
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