Should I get the Nord Piano 4 or is the CP88 a contender

[Jason K]

Good afternoon: 1st post, I hope I don't mess up.

I'm a new/not particularly great keyboard player. I've played guitar for about 25 years and thought keys might be fun to try in an acoustic band I'm in, Well, turns out playing piano is a heck of a lot of fun.

The band is just a group of folks who get together for fun. A few acoustic guitars, electric base, a mandolin player shows up from time to time, you get the idea. It's an eclectic group, but my keyboard sounds need to fit in with everyone else. (so a Moog 1 is out).

Now that I've been playing for about a year, I'm not a big organ fan. Pianos and EPs, strings and pads, etc. fall more into my wheelhouse.

I was just about ready to pull the trigger and buy a Nord Piano 4 (love the stage, but the synth section is a bit intimidating, and I couldn't see the extra synth functionality fitting in with the band. Also, I wouldn't take advantage of the organs).

Now Yamaha's new CP88 has been announced. It looks like they're gunning for the Nord Piano with that one.

Thoughts? should I pull the trigger and get the Nord Piano 4 like I'd planned, or is the Yamaha CP 88 something to consider? The $500 price difference is nice, but not a deal breaker at all.

I'd really appreciate the thoughts of folks who know more about playing keyboard than I do.

[anotherscott]

Yamaha advantages: 4-zone MIDI controller function, pitch and mod controls, more split/layer flexibility, more instant patch recall buttons.

Nord advantages: wider range of different pianos, more complete clav emulation, much larger selection of non-piano sounds, ability to load your own samples, triple pedal.

More subjective: which you prefer the action and sound of.

[Jason K]

Thanks for boiling that down for me anotherscott. Looks like the nord wins this round.

[cphollis]

If you're locked onto the NP4, nothing here to make you change your mind. At least, that's my deal.

[Quai34]

Red color is better!!!!

[kirsty]

The Yamaha will bore you to death with its synthetic samples.

Get the NP4

But then again, we would say that here wouldnt we

[Dave Ferris]

Just from a sonic perspective- the little I've heard of the CP88 pianos, I'm not crazy about. I prefer my CP4. Will get a better idea this week at NAMM, if I can hear anything in the din of the Marriott Ballroom.

At this juncture, going on the little I've heard, I'd go with the NP4. Maybe I'll be more impressed after playing the new Yamaha in person though.

[baekgaard]

Dave, have you tried the NP4 action? I know you're familiar with the previous version(s), but it would be intersting to hear your thoughts on the NP4 (which I personally find the best action for acoustics that Nord has come out with yet -- YMMV, of course ).

[Dave Ferris]

Hi, I have tried the NP3 and yes felt that was an improvement over the NP2 obviously. But not quite up to the CP4. But I haven't tried the NP4. And I've heard conflicting reports from - yes, it's even more responsive and better feeling then the NP3 to - no, it's exactly the same. I guess I'll try the NP4 this Friday at NAMM. Hopefully I'll be able to get at least a general idea on it, providing its' not too crowded... and hopefully with a half way decent set of phones. Although in the past the phones they have for demoing are very low quality.

Do you own the NP4 baekgaard ? If so, do you feel it's an improvement over the NP3 ? Thanks.

[23skidoo]

Will they let you bring your own ‘phones?