Help for a Noobie - buying an Electro 4 SW-73 used?

[richardhan93]

Hello out there! I'd really appreciate anyone's help with this. I am considering buying a Nord Electro 4 SW-73 for my wife's upcoming birthday. I am looking at one right now and the condition seems good overall! Owned twice but no visible scratches, dings, all ins/outs work as normal, nobs work etc. (If there are any ESSENTIAL things to ask when buying a used Nord, PLEASE let me know!)

The only thing is the seller mentioned that "there has been a couple of times where when it is on the piano setting it kept jumping back over to organ. Doesn’t happen very often." When I inquired further, the seller said "it usually settles after a minute and doesn’t give you a problem. It’s never really happened when I’m like playing in my room or a small gig but when it does happen it’s been at a venue with questionable electrical system so I think it might have something to do with that."

Now, I definitely do not know enough about Nords to have a gut feeling about this. However, I did speak to an authorized Nord repairman and seller who warned me that I should never buy used Nords because they may look fine but an internal issue could screw me over in the future. Obviously it's safer to buy new and have a warranty but its a bit too expensive. And obviously this man is a salesman so there's always that. However, when the seller mentioned "questionable electrical systems," I immediately started to wonder if there may have been some type of short circuiting that messed up the internal hardware of the system and this switching of piano settings was just the beginning of something worse.

Any advice? Or has anyone heard of this issue? Trying not to be paranoid but also don't want to be too careless here.

Thank you all in advance!

[Schorsch]

I don’t think that saying ‘never buy a used Nord’ is right, certainly not for Nords only. It’s like with all used technical stuff, you always run a risk since it’s not a new device and no warranty included. I bought a lot of used synth workstations, stage pianos and others in the past from Roland, Yamaha, Korg and also Nord and have most of the time had no issues with them except of a Roland Fantom FA76 which, after around 7 years of extensive usage, had some technical problems but this was not related to the fact that it was used when I bought it. My Nord Stage 2 EX is second hand as well and is working without problems, I would say that the build quality is high level. Just make sure you have a chance to test the Electro before you buy, or agree with the seller on a return option if you encounter any problems within a certain amount of time

[JayDee]

The switching over suddenly from piano to organ raises a red flag with me. Not sure I buy "likely a result of a dodgy club electrical system" explanation, but there are other FAR more experienced voices that may chime in. Since Nords tend to command high used prices, often buying new isn't that much more expensive. I imagine there are a few, or more, retail outlets aggressively wishing to move inventory these days. If you can't get 25% or more off usual street price (not list) you're not shopping smartly. Nord, or any other brand are not bullet proof. Two owners, perhaps hard gigging pros? I say Caveat Emptor IMHO.

[richardhan93]

I did look into the issue with other electros and people have noted that it may be an issue of dirt/grime building up in the buttons/knobs. Overall, it does seem like a known issues...

[cphollis]

I've had two different Electro 4s. Both were rock solid with zero problems. However, switches can get activated in the heat of enthusiastic playing

[baekgaard]

I've had two different Electro 4s. Both were rock solid with zero problems. However, switches can get activated in the heat of enthusiastic playing

Indeed...

[harmonizer]

"there has been a couple of times where when it is on the piano setting it kept jumping back over to organ"

(I added the bold emphasis).
So It did not happen just once or twice. This alone would cause me to not buy this particular Electro 4.

Based on the experiences of others shared here, and my own experience with my own Electro 3, I would not have a problem with buying a used Nord keyboard. Just not this one.

A second thing to consider is that the Electro 5 and 6 can use the newer acoustic piano and electric piano downloadable sound libraries from Nord.
This includes the "White Grand", which many describe as the best acoustic piano sound Nord has ever created.
While there are many other piano sounds that the older Electro 4 can use, the Electro 4 cannot use the latest piano sounds libraries which include the White Grand.
I would advise that you get your wife an Electro 5 or 6, instead of the Electro 4.