Nord User Forum

The logic should be straightforward: newer Nords should be more valuable than older Nords. Except ... the older Nords bring most of the sonic firepower, play all the samples, etc. And as I probe resale value, it's quite impressive.

I would expect anything electronic to depreciate quickly over time. Computers, phones, etc. This is most definitely not the case with Nords. More like a fine, collectable instrument it seems.

As Exhibit 1, I have a Nord Electro 4D. Great board, but one sound at a time. No splits, no layers. Primitive LED display. Puny memory. That being said, it's a fun keybed, easy control surface, looks awesome, major tone, etc. It's still a blast to play.

When I bring it out, people comment.

On reverb.com, they seem to be going for around ~$1500. I didn't pay all that more for mine when I bought B-stock many years ago. Obviously, people want them. The units that show up on reverb.com are gone quickly. BTW, $1500 for a 61-key instrument buys you serious firepower in both the new and used category. Something is going on.

As Exhibit 2, there's my lovely Nord Piano 2, which -- despite its unimproved yet adequate action -- continues to deliver serious joy. Very limited piano memory. All the reverb.com offers are right around $2K, which is -- err -- close to what I paid way back when. Including the super-fragile triple pedal. Say what you want about this piano action, etc. -- people are putting up good money for this board.

And, finally, there's Exhibit 3, a Nord Stage 2 76 with a weighted keybed - not the EX. They're going for $3000. Jeez. I paid, like $3300 for mine as B-stock so many years ago. I sold it to a friend for a whole lot less (replaced with a NS3C) and holy moly did he get a deal. I made sure they knew about it so they wouldn't sell it cheap.

Bottom line: I am convinced that many Nords hold their value in a way you wouldn't expect. And -- given time -- I would expect a few of them to be collectible. Or there's something completely weird going on that I haven't figured out.

I can understand that some boards can turn to be collective items, like Nord modulars or Nord waves. Those boards never upgraded to a higher level (even if they could) but the sonic power they deliver keep them still in the game! I believe I am very lucky to get a NW in the stealing price of 650€, if only I knew they would cost double on reverb after some months...I could by another one I found for 750 and resell it!
However, concerning boards like electros and stages whose new features give even more quality to their awesome sound, I also can not understand why the price of the older models is still so high. I guess it has to do with the limited number of items produced in comparison with the big manufacturers like Roland, Korg and Yamaha...

The secondhand market has gone nuts,Infact seeing this for myself with experience of buying and selling loads of secondhand equipment for many years I just don't understand how its become such a cesspit with Values!!!,the values of things are just being pushed up for no good reason Considering its supposed to be booming after the selling of Reverb to Etsy who are these planks paying such stupid prices for secondhand items???

Nords do tend to hold there value,which I think is a combination of them being sturdy and reliable and great instruments,certainly some of the older Nord Leads seem to be gaining in value or desirability,but I suspect that is a case of people not really paying them much attention back when they were in production,and showing an interest in them nowadays certainly the NL1 and NL3 seem to be commanding what I would say is way Overinflated value,but that seems to be across the board of Secondhand items,which IMHO is down to most people seeking out more affordable instruments from the secondhand market,New Retail values have skyrocketed making the secondhand market more accessible,and more people tend to seek out secondhand bargains knowing that if they decide to sell it on your more likely to break even than a huge loss but even then who is paying such high prices for secondhand

I've bought and sold lots of items from all sorts of manufacturer and got lots of bargains in over 20 years,many of the Digital instruments I have bought in that time are becoming hard to find now at a sensible price and even some that were once in abundance are now hard to find even though they've been produced in 10's of thousands of units,the secondhand market has just gone crazy,For me there are too many people just inflating the prices just look at ebay and the typical synths that were once ten a penny are now being listed at prices over and above there original retail price,and these people still keep listing them again and again...surely they must have a lightbulb moment and wonder why they don't sell a perfect example of this is the Virus TI Line,there have been loads on ebay listing for around £1500+,even for MK1s????being relisted again and again,a sensible price would be more in the ballpark of half of that for a mint condition model,I've even seen a few listing for £1900???You can buy a new one still for £2k???I've also owned 4 Roland JP8000's in my time which were normally in the price range of £300-350 for a mint model,now you'll be lucky if you can get one for double that and the ones I've seen have had cosmetic damage or faults????

I dont get why anyone who knows the true sensible values would try and list things in such a high price bracket!!!!!so they are either naive or simply greedy or simply waiting for some idiot to part with his money,either way its created a steep hike in some digital instruments including Nords

Yeah, lot's of offers on eBay are wishful thinking ..... I always look at the offers which really have been sold for a certain product, to get a feeling of the real market price which people had been willing to pay, and then check this against my very personal feeling of what I would be ready to pay. If this fits and I see a product in this price range I gonna buy it, if the available offerings are above I just ignore them, But at some point of time there is always one who will pay the requested price if the seller just waits long enough - stupid but true

I'll put it this way, I've had a lot of Nord stuff and I kept my Lead 3 and Rack 3. I hated the A1 for lack of aftertouch and funky MIDI, the Piano 3 was starved for memory, the 3P had intolerable noise and funky MIDI, and my Stage 3 woes are elsewhere here. Suffice it to say, it wasn't for me. It could be great for you, but I ended up with an MP11SE and I now have the studio piano keyboard I was looking for, but I sure wouldn't want to tour with it, it's very heavy. It plays like a real grand and it's actually a decent MIDI controller, you could even live on it standalone if you were a starving music student, it saves to USB on front, and records, has a metronome, it just a lot of things. And it's a great digital piano, maybe not as good as a Roland V-Piano but a lot cheaper. I'd probably have a StudioLogic SL88 Grand if I hadn't gone with the Kawai. For the price, the MP11SE is a great.

I think the only Nord which can really be considered a collector's item is the original Nord Lead with the slanted corners. It has an iconic look and was a breakthrough instrument for many reasons.
No surprise you see them on offer for unreasonable prices, usually higher than the more recent Lead models. And still we're not talking about thousands of $: IF it can be considered a collector's item, it's a very cheap one. Nowhere near any vintage analog.

All other Nords IMHO are not collectibles and most definitely do not appreciate over time. They simply lose value slower than other brands, because they're great instruments and they're built like tanks, so you can buy a 10-year old used one and trust it to last as much.

Spider wrote:I think the only Nord which can really be considered a collector's item is the original Nord Lead with the slanted corners. It has an iconic look and was a breakthrough instrument for many reasons. .

Even more collectable is the Original Nord Lead without the Slanted corners.(same case as NL2)..They are rare,but there is a few out there

I don’t know about collectibility, but just in terms of longevity, retaining their usability, and not being obsoleted quickly by the next generation product, Nord keyboards seem to do well. I’ve had a Nord C2 for over 8 years and it doesn’t feel dated or like I need to replace it with a more current product. A firmware update upgrades the B3 emulator to that of the C2D, which no doubt benefits resale value.

I use the C2 primarily for the digital pipe organ and as a 2-manual midi controller. The B3 emulator is a nice-to-have bonus for me. If I were buying it today, I would also look hard at the Viscount organs, but a Nord is not like the average rompler that gets dated shortly after purchase. I think other Nord keyboards also have excellent longevity.