Nord Piano 3 Key knocking noise

[pablomastodon]

oops

[OG3playsnord]

I recently bought a Piano3 new. I love it! But after about 10 days of playing for 3-4 hours a day, C5 started making a loud knocking noise when releasing the key quickly. It got progressively worse till it was unbearable to play fast passages without getting bothered by it.

I suppose I could send it back to the store for an exchange or warranty repair, but that will probably only net me another keybed with the same problem and possibly weeks of not being able to play my new instrument. Plus, I wanted to find out what was causing the noise.

I've repaired keybeds on stage pianos and synths in the past so not a big deal for me to open up the Piano3. I don't recommend you fix your instrument on your own as it can void your warranty, but if you do decide to fix it, here is what I did (do at your own risk).

It takes T20 torx screws; just remove the screws along the back, sides, and 2 from the bottom (one is close to the headphone jack and the other near the power switch). I use the Nord's 4 legged stand so the screws on the bottom are fully accessible. Also no need to unplug any of your output, pedal cables. I suppose you might want to unplug the power harness if you feel safer, but not needed.

Once the screws are removed, you can pull up on the panel and undo one ribbon cable by pushing the 2 tabs on the edges with your fingers and set aside the front panel.

I partially disassembled C5 by releasing a tab at the rear(?) front(?) of the key (the tab is pink in color) using a small flat head screw driver and pulling up. The banging noise is coming from the hammer banging back to its resting position upon release of the key. The rubber grommet at the top of the hammer unit appears to deform easily and unless it continues to makes positive contact with the inside of the key, the looseness causes the hammer to bang back to its resting position.

A true fix would be to replace the grommet with a slightly thicker or harder material or add a dampener to the hammer unit itself at the bottom, but that would require a more intense repair so I decided to fix the looseness by adding a shim inside the key.

I used some 2mm thick hard felt cut to about 7-8mm width and about 10-12cm length and placed it inside the cavity of the key (above the hammer's grommet that contacts inside the key). If in the USA, one can source this hard felt "EZ stiffened felt" at craft stores like Michael's Arts and Crafts, Joanne Fabrics. You will want to make sure the hard felt is somewhat loose inside, otherwise it can slightly bind the key. I don't travel with my instrument so I did not do this, but if you do, I recommend you put a piece of tape under the key so that the felt does not accidentally fall out of the cavity while the instrument is positioned in a way the hammers are in a neutral state. For this, I recommend using foil tape.

Re-assembled the key to ensure no noise and no odd friction compared to adjacent keys. It takes a little playing to break-in the hard felt.
My B4 key was also starting to make noise so did the same. It is an easy fix.

Hopefully Nord will come out with a permanent fix for the keybeds, but until then, I know how to fix the noise so more power to me.
My Piano3 was back in service within the hour. Next time I need to service a key, it will take me no more than 10 min to do.

[OG3playsnord]

Here is the hammer's grommet I speak of.. It is coated in grease. Apparently there is a gap between this grommet and inside the key cavity when you quickly release the key causing the hammer to bang back to its resting position. My remedy is to add the hard felt shim.

[lordy]

I noticed this noise too, just when i release a key very quickly. It never comes when i play normaly.

[OG3playsnord]

In your case it might be the key hitting the bottom of the front panel. If that is the case, you can open it up and add washers to the 2 posts that support the front panel. They connect to the 2 bottom screws I noted in my DIY above.

Almost all the keys make some level of noise, but mine was like LOUD even if I played semi gentle passages. I lost concentration while playing.
It's pretty sad considering this is their 3rd gen Piano series and still have issues with their keybeds. Are these still sourced from Fatar?
Nord should buy Yamaha keybeds. I have a CP1 and VPiano and neither have such problems. I bought those new 6-7 yrs ago and play almost every day for several hours.

[lordy]

Yes, even i find my np3 very good to play, on yamaha keybeds, there is a sensation of quality, better than on fatar. I don't like fatar very much. But'the np3 gives lot of pleasure to play, that yamaha pianos can not give me.

[OG3playsnord]

Agreed! the exact reason why I bought my Piano3. The character in the piano sounds is very addictive, and how the tones change color and sings when you really get into it is just breath taking.

I'm happy to report I've not had one knocking noise since my little fix.

[taxman]

Get mine today - one key makes some noise I notice it later at home. No knocking but a high click sound. My dealer check it next week. The board I tested in the store has a very quiet keybed, no knocking sound and no klicks...

Cheers

Reiner

[sriskin]

I bought my NP3 in Aug of '16, love it, but just now the C4 & C5 have begun to 'clank' - a loud mechanical metallic sound on release. I'm waiting for a reply from Nord.

[pablomastodon]

Hi Steve,

Please check your email. I responded to you about 9 hours ago. Perhaps in spam folder?

Bless, Pablo