The New B3 came out in 2002.

The reason online tests are useless on instruments of this type is for a few reasons:

Diki made some good points there.

Online demos, your missing so much of the sound and only hearing the range of the microphone used and what your computer speakers can handle, plus most online Audio is terribly compressed (particuarly youtube which emphasises video quality over audio) and loses so much quality.

These AB tests often are based on deep purple type riffs; Staccato notes or single notes. On an orignal Hammond when you play a bunch of notes you are hearing so many frequencies combined to make the sound. On most clones, when you play more than one note, the second note is identical to the first but tuned higher or lower.

What the majority of clones capture is an very close approximation of the sound, particuarly single notes. What nearly all failt to capture is the almost intangible elements that breath life into a vintage instrument.

[This message has been edited by Tonewheeldude (edited 10-30-2010).]