Nord User Forum

[Lee Batchelor]

Good points, AnotherScott. I know there's no easy solution. I used to have a MOX8. It had a much lighter touch than the other Yamaha pianos or synths I've owned and the HP Nord series. Prior to it, I owned a Roland RD 700 GX, which weighed a ton and felt very heavy to the touch. The Yamaha P120 was before that. I needed a sledge hammer to get any sound from it.

Perhaps I need to start working out !

[huw1952]

I'm in the exact same position as the original poster. Was looking to buy a NP3, but the fatar keybed puts me off. I have had no end of problems with fatar keybeds in the past with the Kurzweils I have owned, so won't go there again. I love the Nord sounds so the Electro 5D 73 seems to be my choice, with and 88 note midi keybed (if I really need it). I have been looking a boards - Roland A88 seems a good option or the Kawai Es100/110 for their excellent action ( pity about internal speakers though). On the second hand front I'm considering one of the very first boards I ever bought, the Roland A90EX or A30. Yes, the A90 was a huge lump but I love it's playability and its contol capabilities.

[anotherscott]

The Kawai ES100/110 have standard MIDI DIN too

Yes. In the interest of the "low cost" criteria, I was sticking with stuff only up to about $500, but if you're willing to go up from there, those Kawais are worth looking at (which have different actions from each other), and also the Casio PX-350.

In my opinion the action on the NP 3 if anything is too light (at least as compared to my acoustic).

The HA actions used in the 88 key Nords are lighter feeling than the HP that Lee was talking about, I don't know whether he's tried those.

I'm in the exact same position as the original poster. Was looking to buy a NP3, but the fatar keybed puts me off. I have had no end of problems with fatar keybeds in the past with the Kurzweils I have owned, so won't go there again. I love the Nord sounds so the Electro 5D 73 seems to be my choice, with and 88 note midi keybed (if I really need it).

The Electro 5D 73 still uses a Fatar keyboard, albeit not hammer action. But I wouldn't dismiss all Fatars based on your bad experience with the older Kurzweil. There were definitely problems with some of those older hammer actions, but the newer ones used by both Nord and Kurz have not experienced those kinds of problems. Meanwhile, the SW actions can have their own issues, as they can develop squeaks and creaks.

or the Kawai Es100/110 for their excellent action ( pity about internal speakers though).

Well, at 26.5 lbs, at least they're not adding much travel weight! Personally, I like having speakers in my 88, it can come in handy for things like unplugged rehearsals (vocal rehearsals, or just with acoustic guitar to go over parts, etc.), and I like that they add a vibration you can feel in your fingers which makes the experience more authentic to playing an acoustic. Sometimes they can also be loud enough for certain gigs, like playing a wedding ceremony or cocktail hour, though the Kawai speakers are on the quiet side for that, it would probably have to be a pretty intimate gathering.

It would be nice if the Kawai had a line input, so you would also have the option of hearing the Nord sound you're triggering rather than the Kawai's own sound.

[huw1952]

It appears that the recent NP3 has experienced keybed problems and that they had to rectified by adding some felt? It doesn't fill me with confidence I'm afraid. Would love to buy one but I feel the Electro 5 73 might be a safer bet? Weighted keys aren't essential for me, but I prefer 88 notes, hence the controller.

[anotherscott]

It appears that the recent NP3 has experienced keybed problems and that they had to rectified by adding some felt?

Ah, I have not seen anything about that.

[huw1952]

Quite a thread!
nord-piano-forum-f10/nord-piano-3-key-knocking-noise-t11859.html