Nord, any (trusted) insight on feature to cost ratio?

[jellyjim]

No intention of triggering a brand focused flame war (is that even in the lexicon anymore?) but I find myself heavily GASing for a Nord Piano 5 whilst simultaneously screaming:

"How f ing much £££ do you want for it?! Say that again!"

Any trusted insight would be of interest. I could ask on certain other forums but I know you lot are grown-ups (kinda) and the thread won't pitch swiftly into a cataclysm of nonsense.

I can rattle off half a dozen boards with better features for half the price and yet ... still I lust for the Nord.

So what gives?

Am I in fact making unfair comparisons? The Roland RD88 has 3,000 sounds. Maybe that's a terrible feature in a stage piano? Maybe I only want the sounds I want. The Nord only has 2Gb piano memory. Maybe the truth is, in reality, you don't need more than that for a convincing piano?

Or is it a case of, of course Nord make the greatest pianos in the world. Their detractors are all just driven by sour grapes. Or, no Nord's a massive rip-off. They must be having a laugh, move on for the love of God.

Or is only a perceived expense?!

And so on.

I suppose I'm asking: why is Nord so freaking expensive for the features and is the expense justified?

Nord/cost ... help me understand!

As an interesting side note (comparing cost and performance): I much preferred the piano sound and action on my old Roland FP30 compared to my current Yamaha MODX8 (though obvs the FP30 wasn't a synth)

Jim

[Guest]

I can't comment on the piano but I do have a G1 and a G2 and neither of them has ever had a single problem, and the red colour is nice.

[N i g e l]

I much preferred the piano sound and action on my old Roland FP30 compared to my current Yamaha MODX8

the standard MODX preset pianos or the Bosendorfer variants ?

[Eddy Deegan]

I don't own a Nord so can't comment on the sounds but this raised a question:

I can rattle off half a dozen boards with better features for half the price and yet ... still I lust for the Nord.

Not that there's anything wrong with them but why do you lust for a Nord?

If it's because you just want one, then you'll have to make that decision for yourself. It's almost as if you're asking us to talk you out of it

[jellyjim]

I much preferred the piano sound and action on my old Roland FP30 compared to my current Yamaha MODX8

the standard MODX preset pianos or the Bosendorfer variants ?

The standard. I do like the Bosendorfer library.

[jellyjim]

I don't own a Nord so can't comment on the sounds but this raised a question:

I can rattle off half a dozen boards with better features for half the price and yet ... still I lust for the Nord.

Not that there's anything wrong with them but why do you lust for a Nord?

If it's because you just want one, then you'll have to make that decision for yourself. It's almost as if you're asking us to talk you out of it

haha. Well kinda ... I can't really afford it right now.

Nord seems to be one those brands that attracts attention for cost and 'outdated features' and yet is also revered/loved. Just curious about that really.

[tomas]

Part of the reason might be that a not insignificant portion of the manufacturing is done in Sweden, where a strict balance between work and what you think is important in life is enforced. If the quality of the instruments they produce there meets your expectations, then the right price is what you’re willing to pay. As always.

[The Elf]

I'll add the upcoming Kurzweil K2700 as one potential reason to not opt for the Nord...

[paulreso1]

I recently purchased a Nord Electro 6HP 73 after a lot of thought and even some good old fashioned trying things out in real shops. I tried the RD88, the Korg SV2, the Yamaha’s…I went for the Nord because the 73 note keyboard size suited my studio better, the pianos (acoustic and electric) sound super good, I like the control layout, the keybed is ok (it’s not piano like in the HP version - more Rhodes like)….and the electronic tone bars are for me an acceptable compromise as I use piano and electric piano much more than organ. I tried lots of nice options and couldn’t be happier with the Nord….I will say this, if the action of the keybed is important to you, try the top end Kawai stage pianos….I have a CA digital Kawai as the family piano and the action on that is fantastic…I believe the Nord Grand uses a nice Kawai action ….in any case good luck with the “will I won’t I” tussle…cheers, Paul

[Arpangel]

I’m still in a similar situation to the OP, I can only go by my experiences of playing a friends Nord Stage 3.
I’m still grappling with the choice, as I need a really good Rhodes, I'm not too worried about the acoustic piano's organ or synth, although they would be a welcome bonus.
My initial impression of this Nord? it was "OK" it sounded, alright, I’m sure I would have got used to it, and liked it, but it didn’t bowl me over, like "wow" I must have it.
But saying that, what do you expect? It’s not a Rhodes, it’s not a Hammond, and it’s not a Bosendorfer, it’s a more than capable imitation of those instruments, in a light, attractive, portable package, that you’d be hard put to tell the difference in a mix or on stage.
What it won’t give you is the feel and experience of playing a real Hammond or a Rhodes, or an acoustic piano, and that’s what gives these instruments their magic, as we all know.
Bottom line, I haven’t bought one, for me, it’s way too expensive for what I need, which is basically just a very good Rhodes, IMO they are a bit over priced, and my friend has had reliability issues, and inconsistent customer service, but these things can happen with anything we buy, they wouldn’t stop me from buying one if I thought it fitted my needs.

[Dave B]

I suppose I'm asking: why is Nord so freaking expensive for the features and is the expense justified?

Just concentrating on this part, my thoughts about Nord gear are :

1. They are a relatively small manufacturer so price is always going to be on the high side
2. Their way of working is very much geared towards simplicity of use. But you do have to 'think Nord' to a certain degree so I've seen experienced musicians who use them look in horror at something more powerful. Likewise, iirc, both The Elf and I have been left scratching our heads at something as simple as "changing midi channel".
3. What they do, they do well. Players love the features and sound
4. They do seem to be built well - important for gigs and touring
5. They are deemed a premium brand and can charge accordingly
6. Their gear really does hold its second hand value well - several times I've been tempted by the idea of an Electro, but I think that they are a tad overpriced for what they are and the S/H prices are almost as high (I've often seen higher) than the new price
7. People really do seem to love the red colour

[Wurlitzer]

Dave's point 6 is an interesting one, which I've noticed too. Example right now: the Nord piano 4 is currently listed @ £1,999 on Anderton's and the Nord piano 5 @ £2,549. But if you look up second hand 4s on Ebay, people are STILL asking over two grand! That's despite the fact that the instrument is basically superseded now, and we're just waiting for the 5 to hit the stores. They're basically saying that the only price allowance you get for an instrument with only half as much sample memory, les flexible operating system etc, along with all the risk of buying used as opposed to new with a warranty, is 20% off the price. I can only assume that these people are going to take somewhat lower offers, but still...

This seems to be a general thing. You just don't ever see previous Nord models for the kinds of prices you can pick up a previous Yamaha or Kurzweil. The only reason I can imagine for this is that the instruments really are that good - good enough to justify the prices charged new - so it's just not worth people's while to let them go cheaper. Either there's enough customers willing to pay that sort of money second hand, or sellers just figure they'll find a use for the instrument if they can't get that sort of price.

I've never owned one so I can't say.

[Arpangel]

What would a world class touring musician do if he wanted the best possible piano, Rhodes etc? they’d either use the real thing, or probably, a laptop running a top VSTi, along with a pro master keyboard.
I desperately want to buy a hardware Rhodes, but I just can’t bring myself to buy something like a Nord, Korg, Roland etc, they are just chips in a box, like a VSTi, the price isn’t justifiable to me. The world has moved on since these types if keyboard ruled, but they arentill hanging on.

[Hugh Robjohns]

You don't have to look hard to find world class musicians performing on Nords... They might not use them when recording the album, possibly preferring hired in vintage instruments, but as practical, reliable, playable stage instruments they are hard to beat.

[Wurlitzer]

What would a world class touring musician do if he wanted the best possible piano, Rhodes etc? they’d either use the real thing, or probably, a laptop running a top VSTi, along with a pro master keyboard.

The real thing mainly when the piano is a major part of the act - theatrically and image-wise as well as musically. Elton John, Tori Amos etc. tour with real pianos. Not sure how many keyboardists in bands do the same, or even use laptops. Most probably just the very best hardware. Subtle differences of sound and expression that seem important when you're scrutinizing a carefully crafted recording of your favourite jazz musician don't tend to come across so much when blasting a power ballad across a stadium.

I desperately want to buy a hardware Rhodes, but I just can’t bring myself to buy something like a Nord, Korg, Roland etc, they are just chips in a box, like a VSTi, the price isn’t justifiable to me. The world has moved on since these types if keyboard ruled, but they arentill hanging on.

Well, a Nord is not a real Rhodes. (Not sure that quite counts as "insight" in the meaning of the thread title ). But then neither are any of the products it's competing with, or having its price compared to.

And real Rhodes are a clunky ball-busting PITA, no matter how much one can be tempted to romanticise them.

[zenguitar]

And real Rhodes are a clunky ball-busting PITA, no matter how much one can be tempted to romanticise them.

All we need now is a member by the name of Rhodes to issue a rebuke

Andy

[Arpangel]

And real Rhodes are a clunky ball-busting PITA, no matter how much one can be tempted to romanticise them.

A real Rhodes, is a real Rhodes, it doesn’t need any romanticism, if you’re the right person, you don’t worry how much it weighs, flunkies do that for you.

[tea for two]

I think sometimes we want to get something that reflects something of us as a person.
So I understand original Rhodes would appeal.

I make most of my music on a 2010macbook. One of the usb ports is a little dodgy. One of the speakers crackle. Baseplate is warped won't sit. It freezes sometimes when there's just eight parts to a track.

But I wouldn't swap it for a free latest M1 macbook.

This Japanese Kintsugi (embracing the damaged) is reflective of so many of us as persons.

[Arpangel]

This Japanese Kintsugi (embracing the damaged) is reflective of so many of us as persons.

This could be part of it, but for me, it’s not like that, it’s definitely about making something, creating something, that you are proud of, something that works, against all odds, making the most of things, I think it’s a good thing, it encourages imagination, inventiveness, if you have to think of work arounds, and, it also makes us really appreciate it when we are able to work with things that aren’t compromised or broken, but quite often, the broken, the work arounds, produce far more interesting results, than stuff that is working properly, hence the desire to stick with the broken and damaged.

[Fortunecookie]

I'm a long time Nord user and have several of their Keyboards(5 in total),amongst them my original NL1 which I purchased in 1996 and still have it today in full working condition,albeit a few scuffs here and there,Nord has been a solid reliable brand for me for many years now,I just couldn't see myself using any other Brand with confidence both as a studio tool and gigging board

The thing is with Nords philosophy is you either "Get it" or you don't, yes there are cheaper perhaps better sounding alternatives for the price comparison, but in terms of ease of use and playability,portability and reliability you can't fault their gear.

This is why they tend to command higher prices in the 2nd hand market,as the vast majority of them usually are still in solid condition,both functionally and cosmetically, because of the build quality and they are still light enough to gig with without getting slung around or dropped because of the excessive weight,certainly with the stage or Electro series,you can get by with a single Board if your using the sample editor yo create your own sounds,I used to gig with 3 Boards at one time, now I only use a Stage 3,as I've Sampled a lot of the sounds from my other synths, its so easy to make replications of your sound using the No fuss sample editor and they've made it even easier and quicker to use

A lot of appeal with the nords is the fact they are pretty much Knob per function with the odd additional shift+function options,so your not trawling through sub menus all the time to alter different aspects of your sound, everything is live and you only really need the submenus to setup the initial functions of the Boards like midi channels/Outputs etc, things that you pretty much set up to globally and don't have to alter again, thats how my experiences with Nord have always been.

They have a great extensive sound library, perhaps not to everyones taste, which covers all aspects of sounds,and instruments,Vintage and new however like myself your free to replace those with any sound you want,so you can tailor your nord to your own needs I don't want a rompler with 3000 Variations of a Saw Wave,Certainly with the Wave/Electro or Stage series, you can replace the complete sample library with that of your own,Thats perhaps why Nords are always relevant,I think a lot of People are put off by the Nords limited sample memory specs when you compare them to larger Gb Workstation/Samplers but even with 2gb Memory you can still cram a lot of samples inside the nords File system, don't think for a second that they're crippled because of limited sample RAM

I like the simplicity of the Nord Stage,its kind of like having a great Organ,A grand Piano and a Synth,on stage inside one box with the addition of a few great Stomp box type pedals without the bullshit of every type of parameter editable via a large Touchscreen,when all you want to do is add a little wet signal to your piano or Synth,the nord do this easily without having to trawl through pages of menus, certainly my experiences with other Gigging Keyboard players is they always tend to have a Nord in their setup.

In terms of Cost,they perhaps are Expensive,but when you weigh up the reliability and longevity of the instruments certainly from my years of ownership,problem free,I have certainly had my moneys worth out of them i don't really see them as overpriced for me its been money well invested.

What you also have to look at when lusting after a Nord or anything that commands a premium price,is,is this going to still suit my needs in a few years time is it going to continue to inspire me and be a Keeper,even after newer instruments supersede it,if you answer yes then the cost is worth the outlay, even after all these years I still get that from my older Nords,Infact the nords perhaps have stopped me Gasing for other brands as I tend to compare them in terms of ease of use and having to relearn another Brands way of working,most of which never give me that instant gratification