Nord User Forum

[SamuelR]

Very good infos, thanks, Samuel,

if I were you I‘d start with a nord Piano 4. It gives you all you need today, it‘ll guarantee you a good resale value once you feel to „grow“, or it will always be a good base to add a second keyboard to in the near or far future. My personal view.

Cheers, good luck.

Yeah, i think that sounds like a good plan thanks for the help

[MartinJ2EX]

I was thinking that at the beginning but i really need 88 keys for the classicals :/
but don't you think P4 have a good/decent resell value too? i mean maybe i could get P4 first and then move to Stage 3 (maybe stage 4 if it has come out by then) later if i need it?

If that is what you need now, sure
You'll be very happy with a Nord Piano 4, and if you feel the need for Synth later, at home it's easy and cheap with plug-ins
Another thing I didn't mention... if you have an iPad, you can load it up with Plugins/Synth Apps, too -


Based on the past, Nord Piano 4 will probably be on sale in the very near future, as soon as Nord Piano 5 hits the market and P4 sells out
So if you can wait a few weeks, you might save a few hundred on a Nord Piano 4 €
I know, it could be tough and I would find it very hard to wait, too, if I were on the market for a new Nord

[Tasten-Bert]

Based on the past, Nord Piano 4 will probably be on sale in the very near future, as soon as Nord Piano 5 hits the market and P4 sells out

Yep!

[SamuelR]

I was thinking that at the beginning but i really need 88 keys for the classicals :/
but don't you think P4 have a good/decent resell value too? i mean maybe i could get P4 first and then move to Stage 3 (maybe stage 4 if it has come out by then) later if i need it?

If that is what you need now, sure
You'll be very happy with a Nord Piano 4, and if you feel the need for Synth later, at home it's easy and cheap with plug-ins
Another thing I didn't mention... if you have an iPad, you can load it up with Plugins/Synth Apps, too -


Based on the past, Nord Piano 4 will probably be on sale in the very near future, as soon as Nord Piano 5 hits the market and P4 sells out
So if you can wait a few weeks, you might save a few hundred on a Nord Piano 4 €
I know, it could be tough and I would find it very hard to wait, too, if I were on the market for a new Nord

My plan was to get one during/after summer so that would accually be perfect timing

[Nord33]

I've been looking into a nord keyboard for a while but am not sure which one i want to get if i were to decide on one. Atm im mostly intested in the nord piano 4/5 since i don't really feel the need of the organ or synthesizer. Although that might change in a couple of years in the future and if it does i don't want to feel disepointed that i made the wrong decision.

The main reason between the models are the price, Stage 3 is a lot more pricey than the Piano 4 and like i said earlier i don't think i have the need of the organ or synthesizer at the moment so saving some money by getting the piano 4 instead of stage 3 would be pretty good. If someone could give me some of the biggest diffrences between the three (Piano 4, Piano 5, Stage 3) that would be very helpful to help me make a decision.

Also i was wondering, if i were to get a Piano 4 or Piano 5. Would it be practical to get Lead A1/Wave 2 using that to create the sounds that i like and then using software to import them to the piano 4/5 and use them on the sample synth. Or would i just be better of saving up some more money and getting the stage 3 instead?

When I first saw your post, I already knew what I would like to tell you, but now, I see some users have already said similar... so I'll just say it shortly:

You gave yourself answer inside your question. Firstly, you said that you don't need all of the stuff Nord Stage 3 offers, and that you could be satisfied with Nord Piano 5, even Piano 4... just few words after that, you were talking about buying lead A1, or Wave 2. So, those are all very good keyboards/synths, but you're talking about "too much" when it comes to Stage 3, but when it's about Piano 4 + Wave 2/Lead A1 than it's okay.
I don't say that's not a good combination, what I want to say instead, in my opinion if you look for a best possible option like buying used Piano 4 (around 1600€) + Wave 2/Lead A1 (2000/1000€), you will end up having two boards with something similar to Stage 3, but not at all stage 3. Sometimes it will be even better, but in my opinion, many times it will be much better taking stage 3 for 3500€ and have it. Take into account that I said about Piano 4 that is used (so price can be more than that and if it's less, I would consider that keyboard may be faulty).

Everything comes down to your needs, but it's like buying any other electronic device (even more, it's much more important as product is more expensive), you need to try to look farther into the future about your needs and make plans according to that.

take a look at second comment (I agree with that one --> comparison between prices and keyboards)



Edit after Spider's comment:

I mostly agree on this one... if you find yourself in that comment, consider buying Yamaha P125, I personally played this keyboard, and I think there is no better keyboard in that price range for starters

[Spider]

When i said i don't need a synth, i mean't right now i don't feel any need for one. Sure i would like to layer some sounds to the piano to make it sound nicer but i don't feel the need to be able to tweak the sound in an instant, correct me if im wrong but isn't that the diffrence between the sampler and the synth?

From your posts and especially this one, I have this impression, please correct me if I'm wrong:
- you're just starting to play
- you never played a real piano or even a weighted keybed
- but you "need 88 keys for classical music" (ahem, a lot of the classical repertoire was composed for 5- or 6-octave instruments )
- you have no need for organ
- you have no real idea what a synthesizer is
- but you want to buy a Nord, a very expensive and specialized instrument, "because of the sound, the color, the reputation etc".
- and not only "a" Nord. Maybe the most expensive Nord, the Stage (one of the most expensive instruments on the market). Maybe a Nord Piano. Maybe all of those plus a Lead A1, or even a Wave 2!

Honestly, I have the impression that you are in the initial phase of enthusiasm when starting to learn a new thing, and you're looking in all directions and trying to think a bit too much about too many things at the same time.
Learning piano is a VERY challenging thing. It takes many years. Learning organ (if you'll ever get interested in that) is a totally different thing, taking many more years: the only common point is they both have keys, but they're totally different instruments. Learning synthesis is a whole other matter, totally different from the first two (more years of study).
Take things one at a time.

If you're focusing on piano, forget about the other things. They will only distract you and frustrate you and make it more likely that you will give up after trying a bit of everything and not learning much of anything.
As others have said, among Nords your best option is probably the Piano4, especially if you can find a blowout sale. Or even a used Piano2 or Piano3.

Still, I wouldn't discard the other brands. Yamaha and Kawai have much better weighted actions than the Nords. A used Yamaha CP4 can be found for a fraction of the cost of a Nord, and it has arguably the best action you can find in a portable digital piano. The Yamaha P series are also very good entry-level pianos. The Kawai MS or ES series are really, really good. For starting to learn piano, I would personally choose any of these before any Nord...and I'm a big Nord fanboy.

But there are things that other brands simply do better. One is of course cost. Another is specialized piano actions. Another is pianos for home use. Will you be gigging, or will the piano always stay at home? Also, how will you listen to your music? If you already have a PA system, or will only use headphones, that's fine. If not, a piano with built-in speakers will be a great convenience. Nords don't have speakers because they are meant for live playing, where amplification is provided by the club-theatre-sound service.

[SamuelR]

When i said i don't need a synth, i mean't right now i don't feel any need for one. Sure i would like to layer some sounds to the piano to make it sound nicer but i don't feel the need to be able to tweak the sound in an instant, correct me if im wrong but isn't that the diffrence between the sampler and the synth?

From your posts and especially this one, I have this impression, please correct me if I'm wrong:
- you're just starting to play
- you never played a real piano or even a weighted keybed
- but you "need 88 keys for classical music" (ahem, a lot of the classical repertoire was composed for 5- or 6-octave instruments )
- you have no need for organ
- you have no real idea what a synthesizer is
- but you want to buy a Nord, a very expensive and specialized instrument, "because of the sound, the color, the reputation etc".
- and not only "a" Nord. Maybe the most expensive Nord, the Stage (one of the most expensive instruments on the market). Maybe a Nord Piano. Maybe all of those plus a Lead A1, or even a Wave 2!

Honestly, I have the impression that you are in the initial phase of enthusiasm when starting to learn a new thing, and you're looking in all directions and trying to think a bit too much about too many things at the same time.
Learning piano is a VERY challenging thing. It takes many years. Learning organ (if you'll ever get interested in that) is a totally different thing, taking many more years: the only common point is they both have keys, but they're totally different instruments. Learning synthesis is a whole other matter, totally different from the first two (more years of study).
Take things one at a time.

If you're focusing on piano, forget about the other things. They will only distract you and frustrate you and make it more likely that you will give up after trying a bit of everything and not learning much of anything.
As others have said, among Nords your best option is probably the Piano4, especially if you can find a blowout sale. Or even a used Piano2 or Piano3.

Still, I wouldn't discard the other brands. Yamaha and Kawai have much better weighted actions than the Nords. A used Yamaha CP4 can be found for a fraction of the cost of a Nord, and it has arguably the best action you can find in a portable digital piano. The Yamaha P series are also very good entry-level pianos. The Kawai MS or ES series are really, really good. For starting to learn piano, I would personally choose any of these before any Nord...and I'm a big Nord fanboy.

But there are things that other brands simply do better. One is of course cost. Another is specialized piano actions. Another is pianos for home use. Will you be gigging, or will the piano always stay at home? Also, how will you listen to your music? If you already have a PA system, or will only use headphones, that's fine. If not, a piano with built-in speakers will be a great convenience. Nords don't have speakers because they are meant for live playing, where amplification is provided by the club-theatre-sound service.

What you said is correct. I am still a beginner, and the reason why i look at these expensive options is because from past experiance with buying stuff. I usually look at the best of the best because the times when i havn't i've just ended up "wasting" more money in the long run. The keyboard i have atm is a yamaha np12 which i got cause i wasn't sure if i was going to enjoy playing or not so i din't wanna spend $500+ when i don't know if im gonna like it or not. I have played for around 6 months now and i love it more than i thought i was going to and i don't see that stopping anytime soon.

From the past I've had bad experiances of selling stuff, either no one is instressed or i have to lower the price more than i planned. Because of that usually when i get something new and need to get rid of my old stuff i give them to friends or family if they want it. So instead of slowly upgrading i usually google around and try to find the best so i know i won't be have to get rid of my old stuff once i want/need to upgrade. So maybe this sounds stupid to you guys but thats what has been working out the best for me in the past. Also im going to wait until middle/after summer and keep looking t.o make sure i don't make a bad decision

and btw im gonna have the piano at home all the time and i do have a PA system already.

[Nord33]

What you said is correct. I am still a beginner, and the reason why i look at these expensive options is because from past experiance with buying stuff. I usually look at the best of the best because the times when i havn't i've just ended up "wasting" more money in the long run. The keyboard i have atm is a yamaha np12 which i got cause i wasn't sure if i was going to enjoy playing or not so i din't wanna spend $500+ when i don't know if im gonna like it or not. I have played for around 6 months now and i love it more than i thought i was going to and i don't see that stopping anytime soon.

From the past I've had bad experiances of selling stuff, either no one is instressed or i have to lower the price more than i planned. Because of that usually when i get something new and need to get rid of my old stuff i give them to friends or family if they want it. So instead of slowly upgrading i usually google around and try to find the best so i know i won't be have to get rid of my old stuff once i want/need to upgrade. So maybe this sounds stupid to you guys but thats what has been working out the best for me in the past. Also im going to wait until middle/after summer and keep looking t.o make sure i don't make a bad decision

and btw im gonna have the piano at home all the time and i do have a PA system already.

What you've said is totally common and normal thing. Nobody can know for sure if he/she will like his/her instrument after a while, but you can get as close as possible to knowing it by getting to know instrument as much as you can before you buy it. Nord is my dream keyboard and I don't own one yet, but I've done so many research about Nord Stage 3 (in the first place) and other Nords that I'm now able to help people with different problems, setups and so on...
Selling your keyboard (or any other product) at lower price tag than original (brand new) is normal. You can't expect to get more than 85 - 90% of the original price from the day you took it from the store. Every day after that price goes down even more until it reaches one point that is different for every type of product.
I know for myself what I need from keyboard now and I'm pretty sure what I'll probably expect from it in next few years. According to that (and my budget) I can filter list of keyboards I would like to buy. Of course because of financial situation I'm not going to buy NS3 yet, but it's definitely on my list.

According to what you said up here, there are two possible solutions for you (in my opinion):

1. Buy relatively inexpensive keyboard --> like Yamaha P125 or something of that price range and features
2. Buy Stage 3 directly --> because you will spent many many more by buying Piano 4/5 + Wave 2/Lead A1, but you want get that many features that could justify price difference.

//That's my final conclusion when I read everything you wrote up to now.

[SamuelR]

What you said is correct. I am still a beginner, and the reason why i look at these expensive options is because from past experiance with buying stuff. I usually look at the best of the best because the times when i havn't i've just ended up "wasting" more money in the long run. The keyboard i have atm is a yamaha np12 which i got cause i wasn't sure if i was going to enjoy playing or not so i din't wanna spend $500+ when i don't know if im gonna like it or not. I have played for around 6 months now and i love it more than i thought i was going to and i don't see that stopping anytime soon.

From the past I've had bad experiances of selling stuff, either no one is instressed or i have to lower the price more than i planned. Because of that usually when i get something new and need to get rid of my old stuff i give them to friends or family if they want it. So instead of slowly upgrading i usually google around and try to find the best so i know i won't be have to get rid of my old stuff once i want/need to upgrade. So maybe this sounds stupid to you guys but thats what has been working out the best for me in the past. Also im going to wait until middle/after summer and keep looking t.o make sure i don't make a bad decision

and btw im gonna have the piano at home all the time and i do have a PA system already.

What you've said is totally common and normal thing. Nobody can know for sure if he/she will like his/her instrument after a while, but you can get as close as possible to knowing it by getting to know instrument as much as you can before you buy it. Nord is my dream keyboard and I don't own one yet, but I've done so many research about Nord Stage 3 (in the first place) and other Nords that I'm now able to help people with different problems, setups and so on...
Selling your keyboard (or any other product) at lower price tag than original (brand new) is normal. You can't expect to get more than 85 - 90% of the original price from the day you took it from the store. Every day after that price goes down even more until it reaches one point that is different for every type of product.
I know for myself what I need from keyboard now and I'm pretty sure what I'll probably expect from it in next few years. According to that (and my budget) I can filter list of keyboards I would like to buy. Of course because of financial situation I'm not going to buy NS3 yet, but it's definitely on my list.

According to what you said up here, there are two possible solutions for you (in my opinion):

1. Buy relatively inexpensive keyboard --> like Yamaha P125 or something of that price range and features
2. Buy Stage 3 directly --> because you will spent many many more by buying Piano 4/5 + Wave 2/Lead A1, but you want get that many features that could justify price difference.

//That's my final conclusion when I read everything you wrote up to now.

Alright, thanks for letting me know
I'll keep looking at nord and some other alternatives and see what happens.

[Spider]

What you said is correct. I am still a beginner, and the reason why i look at these expensive options is because from past experiance with buying stuff. I usually look at the best of the best because the times when i havn't i've just ended up "wasting" more money in the long run. The keyboard i have atm is a yamaha np12 which i got cause i wasn't sure if i was going to enjoy playing or not so i din't wanna spend $500+ when i don't know if im gonna like it or not. I have played for around 6 months now and i love it more than i thought i was going to and i don't see that stopping anytime soon.

From the past I've had bad experiances of selling stuff, either no one is instressed or i have to lower the price more than i planned. Because of that usually when i get something new and need to get rid of my old stuff i give them to friends or family if they want it. So instead of slowly upgrading i usually google around and try to find the best so i know i won't be have to get rid of my old stuff once i want/need to upgrade. So maybe this sounds stupid to you guys but thats what has been working out the best for me in the past. Also im going to wait until middle/after summer and keep looking t.o make sure i don't make a bad decision

and btw im gonna have the piano at home all the time and i do have a PA system already.

Hi Samuel, thanks for the clarification! I hope my comments didn't sound pedantic, it wasn't my intention. From your further comments, I'd hardly call you a total beginner: you may still have a lot to learn about piano and keyboard technique, but you have very clear ideas about how to develop and what gear will better support your growth! Nothing stupid in your words, on the contrary!

Based on your additional comments, I'd say that buying an expensive keyboard like a NP4/5/Stage3 wouldn't be excessive, provided you have the $$$ of course. You already have a few months of experience and you're liking it more and more, and you have a few more months to decide: this is good because you can see if the "honeymoon" phase starts to fade, or if instead your enthusiasm keeps growing.
In the second case, it's not stupid at all to go for the best possible keyboard, that will last you a long time and grow with you as you improve your skills and discover new uses and techniques. In this respect, a Stage would be like a videogame where you gain experience and unlock new secret weapons! You start using only the piano section, then you discover the sampler, the synth, the organ... it may be a never ending love affair!