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I wonder if the new stock will be the same price. Personally, if I wanted one, I would pay a higher price for a new model straight out of the box.
There seems to be a genuine shortage of many instruments at the moment.
Fifty two quid for a music rest??!! You can buy an adjustable height stand with clips to hold the music open for well under half that! I would certainly do that.
Working performers buy Nord keyboards because they provide an unclutterred, high quality implementation of the sounds needed for a working cover band-- drawbar organs, electric pianos, acoustic pianos in a Nord Electro, with synthesizers also incorporated into the Nord Stage.
I purchased a Nord C2 because it is a good quality 2-manual digital pipe organ in a 34 lb. package. Most buyers of a C2 or C2D are interested in the Hammond B3 emulation.
I must admit I virtually never play any organs and find all the drawbar provision of no use whatsoever. I have it on a Roland RD700 NX, but as I don't really play organs...
It's a good thing that there are musicians out there who find value in the extra cost though.
I don't play organs on keyboards with weighted, piano-style actions. I don't think they are the most popular Nord keyboards either. The Nord Electro series is probably the most popular.
Roland Hammond B3 emulations are not as good as Clavia's or Hammond's, so there is value in the extra cost for those who play B3 music.
But the Nord C2 (2-manual organ action) was $2500 when I purchased it. The only potentially lower cost solution for a digital pipe organ would have been two matching midi controllers (eg Studiologic SL-66) and pipe organ VSTs and two laptops. It still would have been over $2K if not over $2500, and much more complex to manage. The cheapest Roland digital pipe organ (with Rodgers samples) was over $4000 for a single manual.
I agree though with respect to Nords with weighted piano actions.
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For a 2-manual pipe organ, probably. Keep in mind each manual may have half a dozen or more stops (sampled sounds) layered together. Maybe a single laptop would work. I've not tried it.
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For a 2-manual pipe organ, probably. Keep in mind each manual may have half a dozen or more stops (sampled sounds) layered together. Maybe a single laptop would work. I've not tried it.
I'm familiar with Hauptwerk. Cost will still be around $2K.
The tone of a conversation via the written word can be challenging. So let me back up. My ‘stereo’ post was meant to be humorous. After all, seriously, have any of us ever even heard of two laptops being used for a VST? So, please accept my apology for not making my point clear.
I thought your ‘two laptops’ was hyperbolic. If we were sharing beers together with a bunch of keyboard guys, we could have laughed together at the ‘stereo’ joke.
No worries. At the time I acquired the C2, midi organ solutions were even pricier. Some of the Hauptwerk samples are a little better or at least more tweakable than the Nord samples.
Getting back to the original Nord Grand review, I think if it were not a paid review, and the reviewer were speaking informally, the upshot of the purchase decision would have been that the MP11SE is nicer to play and has a better action but the Nord Grand is half the weight.
The Kawai ES920 may be a Nord Grand killer. RHIII action, 37 lbs, HI-XL sound engine, and less than half the price of a Nord Grand.
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Don't underestimate - for those who know how to use it, in the right contexts - the attraction and quality of the Nord sound libraries (pianos and samples).
Not to rain on your parade, but this should be prefaced with “paid for” review.....
This piano is indeed grossly overpriced; $3,800 for the piano only (no stand/speakers included in this price).
For some perspective, you can get a new CLP-775 (assuming it ever becomes available in the US) for about the same, and no, I don’t have to play either instrument to know that the overall experience will be better with the 775.
‘It sounds great’, he says; well, so does the current RGE with VRM from Yamaha, and the 775 uses a newer engine with new samples and more modeling. It also includes an attached cabinet (beautiful?), 6 speakers, and transducers. If you want the stand/pedals + 2 speakers for the Nord, you’ll have to pay more; bringing you closer to the price of an NU1X.
He talks about the action of the Yamaha being ‘mushy’. Yamaha has been accused of everything (I do it daily), but not of making mushy actions; that prize goes to some Kawai actions.
Portability, who said portability? This thing is a beast and though it is ‘technically’ portable, in reality it isn’t; in the same way my 50” tv is ‘portable’, but do I really want to haul it around with me to watch CNN? No! I have an iPad for that. Granted, the screen is smaller on my iPad, but isn’t that what makes it portable?
He refers to an aspect of the Nord (can’t remember exactly) as not being a ‘weakness’ but rather a ‘compromise’. Well, in my book a compromise can, and often does, lead to a ‘weakness’.
The instrument is probably good; I’m not saying the opposite, but it is significantly overpriced. Once again, specs do tell part of the story, and in this case, the price is simply more than the sum of its parts (not a good thing).
I tend to agree with you. Why would Juliard trained classical pianist have this in the house instead of a proper piano is a mystery to me. I also think that Nords are fine instruments, but grossly overpriced for what they are, the minuscule storage capacity alone is sad. Also, they name Nords a bit of a Doc Martens of a piano world, when everyone wants one, but don't know why. Most people would end up using couple of presets and the rest will just "rot" under the hood.
-Kawai ES8 -Casio Privia PX330 -Casio Ct-X-800 (fun rhythms!) - musical washboard and a kazoo -Sennheiser HD598
I see they only have one and the ad quotes "This item may be on display"! They recomme
Fifty two quid for a music rest??!! You can buy an adjustable height stand with clips to hold the music open for well under half that! I would certainly do that.
you miss the whole point of owning Nord LOL Everything about it is overpriced. Mind you a clear Kawai ES8 music rest is about the same if not more.
-Kawai ES8 -Casio Privia PX330 -Casio Ct-X-800 (fun rhythms!) - musical washboard and a kazoo -Sennheiser HD598
you miss the whole point of owning Nord LOL Everything about it is overpriced. Mind you a clear Kawai ES8 music rest is about the same if not more.
As I explained to you when responding to your PM, the ES8's transparent music rest is not sold separately, and only available as part of a set with the HM-4 stand.
However, now that the ES8 has been officially discontinued, it may be difficult to source either the stand or pedal unit accessories for this model.
