Take a look at any show where they don't have a REAL B3. Almost everybody is using Nord's. I guess the red doesn't worry players who care more about sound than cabinetry...
BTW, Ian... That button system is exactly the same as you have been content with on your PSR and earlier Tyros's (and I'm not really a fan of those short throw sliders that don't even cover all the footages on a T3 - I mean, c'mon! They couldn't put ONE more fader in there?
). If it's good enough for Almighty Yamaha, how come it's not good enough for Nord?
I've used a Nord Electro quite a bit (heavily considering getting an Electro3) and I found that, with practice, I could do everything I used to on the Hammond with the buttons. They can at least all be operated at the same time... They respond very quickly and predictably. Outright wanging a bunch of them totally in and out (for the 'wah' effect) is a bit harder, but for shading phrases, they work just fine.
I simply think that, if you had grown up on a Hammond with the button system, you would be complaining just as hard about the drawbars... It's what you have gotten used to, but the same effects can be gotten, just with some adjustments. You know, like learning to play on a non-weighted keyboard!
What's a used MIDI drawbar unit cost, these days, anyway? One of those and a C1 is still thousands cheaper than the XK3c and second manual kit. Many thousands..!