Which Nord electro?

[ginger ninja]

Hi,

I'm about to pull the trigger on a Nord ELectro. Have decided that it fits my needs perfectly compared to the other models but now I'm struggling with which one. I think I'm set on 73 note and HP. Gonna be gigging with it at festivals and gigs around the UK and Europe. Need solid hammond, Rhodes and grand piano sounds. Can anyone sway me either way on a NE 3, 4, 5 or 6. Would like to save some pennies and get a second hand NE3 or 4 but I could be easily swayed if you guys think a 5 or 6 would be better.

Very grateful for any help.

Thanks!

[analogika]

Hi ginger ninja, and a very warm welcome to this wonderful forum.

I had a NE 3 some years ago and do now play a NE 5, both in the 61 keys version. After the 3 I couldn‘t decide on the 4 because I think that the only difference were the real drawbars. But then the 5 convinced me with the much larger piano memory. Only thing I‘d love to have different would be 73 keys, but I wouldn‘t be able anymore to put it on the back seat of my car - it‘s a bit to wide. If I were you, I‘d look for a used NE 5D 73 in good condition. Should here in Germany be around 900 - 1100 EUR. Sunny regards and good gut feel.

Amendment: As far as the keybed is concerned I do prefer the SW keys. I‘m a pianist with a real piano at home. Nevertheless do I not have any lack of feeling on the SW while playing piano parts, even Adele‘s Someone like you. On the other hand would I never be able to play our Deep Purple tunes the way I do if it was a HP keybed.

[baekgaard]

Also, be aware that the newer enhanced electric piano sounds (which in my view are better than the older versions) as well as the newer pianos, like e.g. the White, only works on the Electro 5 and 6 (plus other newer instruments). And the new (e)piano filters, which also in my view are an enhancement, only works on the Electro 6.

So... if you need the best in Rhodes including the Dyno filters etc, you gotta spring for the Electro 6. If you don't care about the filters, you can get the Electro 5. Any older than that and you cannot use any of the enhanced epianos nor the newest pianos (and likely any of the future pianos that eventually will be released).

[fieldflower]

There's a real killer feature in the NE6 - seamless transition.
That means when You change program the sound of the just played program can still ring if the sustain pedal is down, and the next key will play the new sound.
On NE5 and older when You change program everything goes silent, and then You can play the new program.
I really miss this feature on my NE5...

Going older than NE5 would have me crying about too little memory for piano sounds.

[Rusty Mike]

Going older than NE5 would have me crying about too little memory for piano sounds.

This, more than anything. The E4 has relatively small piano memory. I wouldn’t say that if not for the ever growing memory usage of the Nord Piano Library.

With regard to pure sound, the differences between the 4, 5 and 6 are minimal. I owned an E4D and thought it sounded great.

The Electro 5 introduced split/layer capability. If that is important to you, then it’s the 5 or 6.

The Electro 6 has more piano polyphony, more sampler polyphony, piano filters, seamless transitions and other goodies. It also has a different workflow compared to the E5, more akin to the Stage in a way. It’s not good or bad - just different.

They’re all great choices. I’ve owned the 2, 3 (SW and HP), 4D and now 6D73 and have loved them all. Depends on your needs and budget.

If you’re playing piano, give one of the 73 key models serious consideration. That would be my strongest advice.

[maurus]

My vote would be for a 5 or 6, for the dual keys/split option, and for the possibility to load the new EP sounds (in my experience it does make a difference; I can do without the filters, though).

My vote would also be for the SW action, if you want to use the organs. As a pianist you can adapt to the SW action much easier than as an organ player to the HP action.

Edit: I'd go for 73 keys as well.

[harmonizer]

I also suggest an Electro 5 or 6, mostly because they support the newer AP and EP sounds. And because they also have more "piano bank" memory (where the Nord-provided AP and EP sounds get stored), and because they have a real split.

[fieldflower]

The Electro 5 introduced split/layer capability. If that is important to you, then it’s the 5 or 6.

Forgot about this - also an absolute must for me.
Use both split and layer a lot in my playing!

[bburtin]

The LCD display on the 5 is also a huge improvement over a 2-character LED. If you want to save money and can live without some of the later features, the 3 is the first one that had a viable piano sound.

[RuudVincent]

The electro 6 has it all.