Nord User Forum

Hello,
I'm a pianist, and I love touching the NS3 HA88, but the keyboard is way too heavy for me.
I'm afraid to go on the NS3 HP76 and not be able to play the piano correctly (Chopin), what do you think?
Can we glissando an HP76 and play the B3 organ?
Can we play Chopin or Bach with an HP76?
Does the HP76 keyboard make noise like older HP ??
Thank you for your answers, feel free to give me your impressions of the game on the NS3 HP76, I do not know if I sell my HA88 to buy an HP76?
Yours truly.

Hello,
I began with a Stage 2ex compact. Weight was perfect, play organ as well.
Piano is good in a band. Expression cannot compete with a real piano.

Change to Stage 3 HA88.
Piano feeling is much closer now to a real piano, organ play was easier with my Stage compact.
But the HA88 weighs a lot, plus case. More than 20kg.

For that reason sometimes I wish to have my compact back

Kind regards Helmut

The HP keyboard comprises action for weight, so I strongly recommend you find an HP to play before you purchase. It provides a good weighted action but not a great one.

Mine (Electro 3HP) is now 7 years old: The keys rebound slower than when it was new making very fast playing more difficult. It makes more noise than when new so is distracting in an quiet acoustic setting. Consider these things if you get to test an NS3HP. If HP barely satisfies you now, I expect it to disappoint you in future.

I play glissando on mine, but seldom play organ so I offer no opinion there.

I enjoy mine still, but I play with headphones or in amplified group, so I find its compromises acceptable. You need to try it for yourself to decide.

To that I'll add that adding a nice heavy weighted piano keyboard controller to play those passages is not a big compromise if the extra weight is justified, but if you want to gig without the heavy board, it's a lot easier to do it with a compact than if your only keyboard is also heavy!

I personally recommend you go with a compact stage for the organ and synth stuff and if you really want a nice weighted-action piano board from time to time you bring along any controller that makes you happy. The compact is so light and easy to carry that it's no bother to bring along a bigger heavier board when it's worth it, and it gives you a much lighter weight option when you don't need it.

Yeah, you could save $600 buying the Compact rather than the HP, and with that difference, more or less, you could buy something like a Studiologic SL73/SL88 Studio or a Kawai ES110 to use when you must have hammer action keys (and you'd still have a set of semi-weighted keys for your organ work). If you have some more budget, you could even pick an 88 that has nice sounds/capabilities of its own that complement those of the Nord, maybe a Kurzweil SP6, for instance.

I think the strongest reason to hesitate going that way would be if there's already some other board you want to bring for some other reason, and so taking this approach would mean bringing three keyboards, which might be getting unwieldy, unless you wear a cape.

I just ordered a Stage 3 HA 88 yesterday after owning a 2 EX HP 76 for two years, and before that owning an original electro for 13 years with the organ for action. When I was a tiring musician, or someone who traveled a lot, the light weight was amazing and I didn't mind the organ action even though I played piano mostly. The HP action is definitely nice, it's amazing to have as keyboard that feels good but only weighs 25 lbs. However, I did start to notice the slowness and heaviness of the action. Not a deal breaker, but slightly annoying. I haven't schlepped a 40 lb rig around in 20 years almost, so I'm not looking forward to that, but I mostly play at my church and the distance I have to move it is not that much. I'm looking forward to the great quality of the HA action and the extra keys on the bottom. Plus, I think it will resell easier if I ever need it to.

Personally, I'd recommend either the compact or the HA 88. The HP is fine, but it's definitely a compromise without the benefits of either of the other two.

Yes, either one side or the other, the HP is just a compromise that is just good at a everything but not great at anything....I will also go for the co pact route and then a second Keybed specialized for piano playing....For Chopin Waltz HA is good, for very fast passages though, it's a bit short....I've never been able to play the 3rd movement of "moonlight sonata" on my HA stage 2....Thus, my plan to buy a Kawai 'mp11