As a
keyboardist, I
adore the sound of the B3; it is the
mack daddy of electronic keyboard instruments, representing an essential part of the sounds of
gospel,
blues,
soul,
R&B,
country,
rock,
pop,
ska, and countless other
genres. If there is such a thing as
aural sex, there is
no doubt a B3 somewhere
in the mix.
As a musician who has to play multiple venues, however, it would be remiss of me not to mention the only drawback of integrating a B3 into your live sound: you need a pack elephant (or a burly gang of roadies) to move the thing. This logistical difficulty created the market for B3 and Leslie simulators; whether these in fact measure up to the original is a subject of furious debate among audiophiles and musical purists alike.