Hammond XB-2 and Roland VK-7

Big boys … new toys: Roland VK-7 and Hammond XB-2

Last week I bought two aswesome instruments  – a Roland VK-7 and Hammond XB-2. The latter unfortunately has the MUSE chip failure. I tested it few months ago and shot this video. I still haven’t given up on it. I checked some options including the XB2-kit. The kit is however more expensive than a fully functional keyboard (and the XB-2 keyboard itself feels really crappy compared to the Roland’s VK-7). But still … I’m gonna fix it someday 🙂 Or at least make it a fully functional midi controller, possibly using arduino + midi kit to translate the drawbar messages into something understandable by another synth (e.g. VK-7 or hopefully a standalone box).

The Roland is awesome. The previous member Jani Baš played it for years in his former band tribute to love. Not only is this instrument great, it also has some history, which makes it even more valuable sentimentally. Here are some pics. The recordings will be produced (not so) shortly, depending on my playing skills (it’s still on todo list) 🙂

Baby got home :)

Baby got home 🙂

Both keyboards side by side (VK-7 top and bottom XB-2). Both keyboards are equal in size and general purpose. VK-7 is also a synth (see the left top side of the keyboard).

Both keyboards side by side (VK-7 top and bottom XB-2). Both keyboards are equal in size and general purpose. VK-7 is also a synth (see the left top side of the keyboard).

Now, back to the (other) keyboard 🙂

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