Key length in Stage 2 EX compact 73

[BuckW]

So are Hammond keys the identical same size as SW73?

I had to jam on some mini keys the other day and whenever I hit a chord where there was a white note between two black notes my knuckle would get stuck between the two black keys, almost unusable. I couldn't play on the top part of the keys.

The point being it was key width not length that was my issue.

[Jo Osantos1]

So are Hammond keys the identical same size as SW73?

I had to jam on some mini keys the other day and whenever I hit a chord where there was a white note between two black notes my knuckle would get stuck between the two black keys, almost unusable. I couldn't play on the top part of the keys.

The point being it was key width not length that was my issue.

Please don't make confusion with mini-keys. Check Novation mininova, that's mini-keys!

[gibmini]

I love the keyboard on my 2ex compact. I would never move to the larger stages. The compact is super fast, smooth and lovely to play. I play a mixture of organ, piano/epiano and brassy/synthy things. I find its fine for all of them, even piano. Makes me smile everytime I open a gig with it...

btw as the other posters said, it DOES NOT HAVE MINIKEYS. They are full sized organ/synth keys.

[MEL868]

added the female touch to the subject. I've played the NS2 SW73 Waterfall keys actively gigging for 6 yrs. I'm added to this post to help justify a new purchase. I recently sold my aforementioned NS2, very reluctantly, mostly to remove the feeling that I had to keep creating sounds for bands, and wanted to be reinsured to create my own again.

About the Keybed of the semi-weighed waterfalls - they are small indeed, so a pianist will probably not like them much at all. For me, I got older, and wanted to experience more velocity in my playing, reaching for a softer touch. Opening the box of a brand new NS2 73, was like a dream come true. it took me about 6 months before I connected it to my pc to update OS and use sound manager. when this happened, a whole new world opened up. Up to that point, 6 yrs ago, I never participated in a forum. I thought the Nord forum was overwhelming but I soon discovered there is good responsiveness in the team. It harbors serious artists, and some of them are willing to share!

In no time, I realized something amazing about the feel of the Keybed. It's like the ad for Lincoln cars which says something like, when you turn the car on...does it return the favor? Well, you don't even have to turn the car on! The quality of the Nord from the outside boast serious craftsmanship, for the attention to detail minded. I feel like the Keybed changes, sometimes as if I'm floating my fingers over the keys, with certain striking synth sounds. In other words, I don't get bored.

But, after 6 yrs of punching down on those keys, experimenting with aftertouch and playing my heart out, there were a few keys in the middle range that developed some pitting toward the top of the keys (white), which was barely noticeable and didn't warrant replacement, and I sold the keyboard noting this. After 6 years, the whole keyboard looked brand spanking new. the spacing between keys didn't budge a bit and were perfect in play and appearance. This, to me, is the whole manifest of you get what you pay for.

In shopping for a new keyboard, I agree, the compact SW Waterfall keys are a bit small, even for my long, thin, scrawny digits. I also wish Nord would have offered the option for physical drawbars, as I actually grew to love the LED bars, especially impressive watching those lights. However, I will have to adjust, because I went back and forth on the which keyboard to buy and tempted to switch to KORG, but I'm going to pull the switch on the NS3 SW.

I wish Nord would invest in slighter larger organ keys, but the NS3 has conquered a great deal of improvement on building and organizing sounds it will be more fun not to have to increase a learning curve there. I like smears and will continue to train my technique on the organ sound end, especially since I'm enjoying the synth era so much. I like the ease of importing sounds and intuitive use of the instrument so much that it outweighs my complaints about those little black and white lives matter.

again justifying my purchase. Also, portability. I wanted to go KORG 76, but it's too heavy man.

[DJKeys]

My Yamaha U3 has white keys 5 7/8, black keys (playable top surface) 3 3/4. The keys on my NS3C are 1/2 inch shorter, doesn't bother me at all.

-dj

[spradders]

Hi - I had the Stage 88 but moved to the compact 73. I love how portable it is - and while the SW keys took a bit of getting used to, it is an incredibly expressive keyboard. I'd give it a decent run before rejecting it. The HP was the worst when I tried it. The HA is great.