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Re: Nord and Fatar keyboards. Time to move on?
Posted: 01 Jun 2019, 04:43
by ponkine
CountFosco wrote:ponkine has never played a Nord. Right ponkine?.
Wrong.
Why you ever assume that?
And why all the observations one can make turns into something hairy and personal, like if I was saying something against you as a persons.
So now on this forum isn't allowed to say any criticism? I didn't find that on the forum rules.
Re: Nord and Fatar keyboards. Time to move on?
Posted: 01 Jun 2019, 06:09
by afroskully
I’m not currently hating my E5 sw73 keybed (even if the bottom octaves are sounding mechanically clanky and loud with only 3+ years of normal wear), but if this new relationship with Kawai was to evolve into building a new all-purpose keybed for the Electro series, all I’m saying is.. that would be awesome.
Re: Nord and Fatar keyboards. Time to move on?
Posted: 01 Jun 2019, 07:34
by MartinJ2EX
imho, Fatar keyboards are still very nice to play. Sure, they have these sometimes squeaky or unreliable keys, but in general these actions are good.
I recently played an entry-level Kawaii (ES6, I think) and the action is horrible, mushy I would say, sorry...
With the arguments availability, compatibility and playability, I think Nord shouldn’t switch.
It’s appropriate to hope Fatar will innovate and become better, but that’s it for me

Re: Nord and Fatar keyboards. Time to move on?
Posted: 01 Jun 2019, 10:54
by catosim
I find the Fatar action both good, and not so good, on my NS3.
For aq-pianos it´s fair enough, but not superb. Then again, I haven´t played any stagepianos that are
very much better.
Have tried Roland, Yamaha, Technics, Ensoniq and so on....
My el-grand, Yamaha GT2, has better action - but it´s impossible to gig with
For rhodes and most synth-use, I find the action very good, and for organ not so good.
So....if I´d want action that suited all kinds of instrument and style, I´d have to buy multiple instruments.
It´s all about compromises, and I accept these compromises (at least on the NS3).
As for the Kawai action, I look forward to try the NordGrand and the action og it.
The correspondence of the action and the architecture/technology of the instrument is what makes the magic in the end.
But since no one in this forum has tried the new NG yet (maybe I´m wrong), I find it kind of ridiculous to vote for one or another action.
This issue isn´t about superstition, it´s about facts, and they´re not available quite yet.
Re: Nord and Fatar keyboards. Time to move on?
Posted: 01 Jun 2019, 12:25
by dkernohan
I'm with Maurus. Which is the other manufacturer of high quality actions that would sell to a small niche manufacturer like Nord? They're never going to make their own actions.
Re: Nord and Fatar keyboards. Time to move on?
Posted: 01 Jun 2019, 22:38
by AdamStage2
CountFosco wrote:AdamStage, perhaps you'll understand this negativity even less when you find out that ponkine has never played a Nord. Right ponkine? Ranting about Nord limitations, problems and price before you've ever played one is wearing thin.
Yes I read his Other Post after this one regarding costs and kind of see the OP seems to have some kind of tainted views about Nord....And thought
Kind of puts things into perspective...but I don't get why you would criticise a company and it's products you have no experience with??surely a bad experience with a given product would create a negative view on them but....????
I would suggest the OP spends sometime with the damn things before you make assumptions/crticisms...perhaps you'd have a more informed point of view!
I have no experience with driving ferrari's but I have no desire to slate the companies products

Re: Nord and Fatar keyboards. Time to move on?
Posted: 03 Jun 2019, 22:28
by Gambold
<So now on this forum isn't allowed to say any criticism? I didn't find that on the forum rules.<
Hah, welcome to the party, pal. You're not supposed to fart in church.
Personally I find the Nord keybeds adequate to the task. They are a little loud and I've played better, but the positives of the Electro way outweigh the light negatives of its keybed. And they are trying a new one with the Nord Grand, so they are listening.
MY big gripe is that we haven't had a new Grand sample for a long time now, and I'm not counting the Royal Crash Test Dummy as anything more than a headphone tool. Great for the loners. I've suggested a few times that regular piano sample updates are an implicit promise in the pricing, and oh, you think YOU got yelled at.
One could take their gripes about the keybed to the source. They've had plenty of time to improve...if any company is coasting on its product line, it's Fatar:
http://www.fatar.com/Pages/TP_40WOOD.htm
Re: Nord and Fatar keyboards. Time to move on?
Posted: 04 Jun 2019, 09:06
by CountFosco
Gambold wrote:Hah, welcome to the party, pal. You're not supposed to fart in church.
Haha good one. But OP put a fart in an envelope and sent it by post. He's never been to church.
Re: Nord and Fatar keyboards. Time to move on?
Posted: 04 Jun 2019, 11:01
by Tracii
I have been a guitarist and bass player all my life, and I'm fully aware of what string gauge/material/type and action I prefer on my instruments. When I play someone else's axe, I immediately notice it and it severely affects my playing.
I've only recently re-discovered keyboards (had some lessons as a child), and even though I can tell that there is a difference in feel between my Electro 3 and my Yamaha MX61, it simply stops being an issue within 5 minutes of playing.
What I DO notice is that the Electro keybed is really,
really noisy - as long as I'm playing unplugged or at very low volumes.

For example, when I take it out of the case and just quickly hit a few notes for fun, it's always a bit surprising just
how loud the keys are. But likewise, after a few moments I adapt, and then that's just the way it is. Guess I'm lucky not to be too discerning.

Re: Nord and Fatar keyboards. Time to move on?
Posted: 04 Jun 2019, 11:57
by Tasten-Bert
Well, my electro 5D 61 is, as far as I'm aware, the third keybed made by Fatar that I play. I love the feel. My style in rock is as close as I can get to Deep Purple or similar as well as piano parts like Adele's Someone like you or a good Boogie Woogie. No problems during about 45 years that I am playing. Started as a child with a Yamaha Organ. I remember once that a former girl friend told me how loud the keys are when I play with headphones on. That was on my Korg 01/W which had the keybed made by Yamaha I guess. And in the late 80s I once had a broken key, that was on a Roland E20, don't know who made the keys. So what could I argue about FATAR? Nothing - always and still very happy with it. Sunny regards from Germany.