Nord stage 3 88 inconsistent feeling keybed

[thommydonuts]

Hey everyone,

I’ve just bought (and returned) a Nord stage 3 88 because of inconsistent feeling keys all the way up the keybed.

Some feel undampened and return quickly whereas others are slower dampened and feel mushy to play. It’s particularly noticeable playing slowly and softly. Playing harder and fast not quite as much.

I’ve made a quick video to show this:



Just to be clear it’s not a critique of the entire action, which I know isn’t ‘the best’ hammer keybed out there, but a problem with the quality control.

I’ve tried one other stage 3 88 which was better then the original I purchased, but still had random different feeling keys. The one I got was particularly stiff in the middle of the keyboard which wasn’t fun.

Has anyone experienced this? Anyone know if Nord has done a bad batch?

I need to get another one, but I don’t want a lucky dip choice of whether it’s. a good one or not?! It’s a £3000 keyboard!

Thanks in advance

[Ivan Jochner]

I have had another trouble with keys but on my Nord Stage 3 Compact.


ALL sharp keys made constant scratching noise throughout the keyboard.

( Good job i am a piano technician and i could disassemble and lubricate all rubbing plastics on keys myself)

But in your case its better to pick up a decent Nord from the shop.

And i am 100% with you that its a HUGE SHAME to sell a product in such shape!

I personally don`t want to spend another 5-6 years till they settle down their updates and hardware problems, minor things and bugs are acceptable, but for 3500 $$$ i expect at least hardware stability!

Cheers

[peteques]

Hi there,
I've had mine about a month now and no probs. But in saying this, your video does appear to show an inconsistent touch - however its difficult to "see" this and I'm sure you can feel it more. You are right £3000 is £3000 and it needs to be right - and the feel is very important. You did say that you tried another NS3 which had random feeling keys - what made you the go for the NS3 then? Did you buy online or from a shop? You could return it to shop and try their display model and compare the two. If online, still return if you are unhappy - what is the returns policy etc? Also do you know anyone local with one and try theirs? Good luck - I hope you get it sorted.
Pete

[baekgaard]

Looks like there is a large difference between some of the keys. It might of course be that it needs to be "broken in" a bit and will become more even with use (I'd expect that) but it's probably best to have it checked.

I've not had any issues like this with any of the Nords' I've owned or tested.

[thommydonuts]

I have had another trouble with keys but on my Nord Stage 3 Compact.


ALL sharp keys made constant scratching noise throughout the keyboard.

( Good job i am a piano technician and i could disassemble and lubricate all rubbing plastics on keys myself)

But in your case its better to pick up a decent Nord from the shop.

And i am 100% with you that its a HUGE SHAME to sell a product in such shape!

I personally don`t want to spend another 5-6 years till they settle down their updates and hardware problems, minor things and bugs are acceptable, but for 3500 $$$ i expect at least hardware stability!

Cheers

Eugh, that's a lot of effort for something new! I've serviced my electro 2, lead 2 and stage 2 over the years so I'm not afraid to get in there, just not immediately!!

[thommydonuts]

Hi there,
I've had mine about a month now and no probs. But in saying this, your video does appear to show an inconsistent touch - however its difficult to "see" this and I'm sure you can feel it more. You are right £3000 is £3000 and it needs to be right - and the feel is very important. You did say that you tried another NS3 which had random feeling keys - what made you the go for the NS3 then? Did you buy online or from a shop? You could return it to shop and try their display model and compare the two. If online, still return if you are unhappy - what is the returns policy etc? Also do you know anyone local with one and try theirs? Good luck - I hope you get it sorted.
Pete

Thanks.

So I bought mine online , but returned it to the shop. They had a new one there which I tried. It also was inconsistent up the keyboard. It was better than mine, in that the middle 3rd wasn't as 'stiff' but not wonderful. I've never had a problem like it with anything else, (Roland/Kawai) which is why it so noticeable.

I've had a Stage 2 for a few years with the waterfall keys. I really like the Nords. Easy to use, sound good etc. Just getting an upgrade. I want hammer action cause I go out with a keyscape/roland a88 rig at the moment for piano, which is awesome, but there's nothing quite like rocking up, turning your keyboard on and being ready is there?!

[thommydonuts]

Looks like there is a large difference between some of the keys. It might of course be that it needs to be "broken in" a bit and will become more even with use (I'd expect that) but it's probably best to have it checked.

I've not had any issues like this with any of the Nords' I've owned or tested.

Could be something with breaking it in. I've never had anything like though either, so It's a bit odd. Gonna have a chat with the distributor tomorrow, see if they can help.

[NordNerd431]

Have had the same issue (as well as noisy keys when they’re released) since I got mine. Exchanged for a new board, and then had the 2nd board sent for repair. Long story short, it is a noisy, inconsistent keybed in an otherwise excellent piece of equipment. I was told by the distributor that Clavia has spent enough money on me, and that they recommend I return the board for a refund. They also claim to have never had complaints like this about the keybed before. I also have never had this issue with Rolands or Korgs. Ever. It’s a shame that I have been labeled as a troublemaker rather than admitting that their product has issues. My final step is to send the distributor a video file demonstrating the issue, hoping that communicating the problem in this way may help Clavia better understand what the problem is.

Hey everyone,

I’ve just bought (and returned) a Nord stage 3 88 because of inconsistent feeling keys all the way up the keybed.

Some feel undampened and return quickly whereas others are slower dampened and feel mushy to play. It’s particularly noticeable playing slowly and softly. Playing harder and fast not quite as much.

I’ve made a quick video to show this:



Just to be clear it’s not a critique of the entire action, which I know isn’t ‘the best’ hammer keybed out there, but a problem with the quality control.

I’ve tried one other stage 3 88 which was better then the original I purchased, but still had random different feeling keys. The one I got was particularly stiff in the middle of the keyboard which wasn’t fun.

Has anyone experienced this? Anyone know if Nord has done a bad batch?

I need to get another one, but I don’t want a lucky dip choice of whether it’s. a good one or not?! It’s a £3000 keyboard!

Thanks in advance

[Thomas Ex]

Bei meinem neuen Stage3 sprang beim zweiten Gig die Taste g#'' heraus. Man konnte sie wieder einrasten, aber es passierte immer wieder. Also zurück zum Shop. Jetzt warte ich auf den Service.

[Hobster]

Thomas Ex wrote "On my new Stage3, the G#' button jumped out on the second gig. You could snap it back, but it happened again and again. So back to the shop. Now I'm waiting for service"