Dead Key on my NS3

[Venatt]

Mine came inside a sealed transparent rubber bag, so it had to be new and I believe he told me it had a warranty(not sure). Now if it doesn't have a warranty I just as well have it open by a handy man, maybe there's something stuck in there.

It may be new, but bag sealing and shrink-wrap machines are easy enough to acquire. Was the box unopened with only the original staples? Did your OLED displays have the clear plastic protectors with the tabs? Was there a sticker next to the mod wheel about where to download sounds? Here are a couple of unboxing videos that might help you determine whether yours was truly new:

NS3-HA:
NS3-C:

If it was advertised as new and wasn't, you may have some recourse if you have photographic proof. Good luck.

Mine came exactly like it shows in both videos. Going back to the beautiful Nord Stage 3, for it to cost so much one would assume that it is because it has very good built quality and if after half a year it breaks down like that, then it means that something is very very wrong with the quality of the product. Just imagine if other keys are due to fail in the comings weeks or months ? Maybe I should consider going back to a cheaper Yamaha or Korg that kind of does the same job and costs less.

[Hobster]

None of the Nords I've owned exhibit this problem, but I did used to get this issue regularly (every 3-month tour) with my venerable Kurzweil K2000 which uses exactly the same style of keybed.

The K2000 was used for many years in a VERY dirty environment (a show with lots of fire-torches, smoke machines etc.) and some grit/dirt would always end up between the contact bed & the rubber membrane of at least one key, causing it to either not sound or, more usually, send out a fixed maximum velocity and I'd have to open it up and clean it from time to time.

My Nords have been used over the last 15 years in much cleaner environments with absolutely no issue.

As Pablo pointed out here, it's the design of the Fatar keybeds that's the issue and these keybeds are used by a LOT of manufacturers so it's NOT just a Nord problem (as I've just shown by example).

It may be a possibility that there is more chance of dirt/dust getting inside Nords (and consequently possibly sucked into the membrane mechanism) than other keyboards (Kurzweil excluded!) but I think it unfair to just slag off the Nord because you've had a fairly easily remedied problem with the Fatar keyboard contact mechanism.

There is nothing 'wrong' with the build quality of the Nords themselves.
Best thing to do is to simply keep your keyboard away from dust/dirt/smoke as much as possible, whether in or out of use.

[stringtapper]

The Nord Stage 3 is the most expensive keyboard I ever bought and it is the first keyboard in which a key has failed.

The key has not "failed." It's dirt on the contact just like Pablo said. This happened to me last year and after a short phone call with Pablo I was able to disassemble my NS3C, clean the contact, and reassemble the board and it has worked flawlessly ever since.

It was a tiny speck on the contact, so it doesn't take much. It's entirely fixable as long as you know how to take the board apart and put it back together.

As soon as you see how easy it is to fix you will probably be embarrassed that you considered selling the board.

[Venatt]

The Nord Stage 3 is the most expensive keyboard I ever bought and it is the first keyboard in which a key has failed.

The key has not "failed." It's dirt on the contact just like Pablo said. This happened to me last year and after a short phone call with Pablo I was able to disassemble my NS3C, clean the contact, and reassemble the board and it has worked flawlessly ever since.

It was a tiny speck on the contact, so it doesn't take much. It's entirely fixable as long as you know how to take the board apart and put it back together.

As soon as you see how easy it is to fix you will probably be embarrassed that you considered selling the board.

Yes, I'm hoping that is the issue, just a simple particle or dirt that can easily be removed, I will have it open this week to find out. To be honest I love the machine because of how it sounds and how easy is to work with. I used to have a Motif XF6 and working with samples was a pain in the butt, plus it was heavier and more of a problem to take to gigs, climb stairs etc. I which the NS3 had a few more options but it does the job.

[MartinJ2EX]

I have to jump in on that conversations... Blaming Nord is not exactly what I like to hear as an argument.

1. If your S3 is still under warranty, send it back and get it fixed.
2. I sent mine back after 1/2 a year because of squeaky keys and they lubricated the keys.
3. During a gig suddenly one key only played high velocities, I was about 2 months out of warranty, so I opened it and cleaned the contacts (as Pablo showed). I also lubricated the keys because they were squeaky (again)...
4. If you don’t have time to send it in, open it yourself - it’s not that difficult after all - another reason to love Nords (warranty aside)...
5. Nord already calibrates the Fatar keybeds they use. They are not perfect, but if we are honest Fatar is the only feasible option for keybeds, because a rather small company like Nord cannot easily produce/develop their own keybeds. Are there really any alternatives to Fatar??

If you really think it is a firmware bug - did you already do a factory reset?

[harmonizer]

......Yes, I'm hoping that is the issue, just a simple particle or dirt that can easily be removed, I will have it open this week to find out. To be honest I love the machine because of how it sounds and how easy is to work with. I used to have a Motif XF6 and working with samples was a pain in the butt, plus it was heavier and more of a problem to take to gigs, climb stairs etc. I which the NS3 had a few more options but it does the job.

I think you said the organ still makes a sound on that key, but acoustic piano does not. That is a good indicator that a single contact is not working, and it makes sense that dirt in one contact would cause these specific symptoms.

[kbrkr]

Check your padded keyboard case and see if you have any lint or debris in the case which could find passage into the keyboard. They are notorious collecting junk.

[amgems22]

I bought this thing brand new back in December 2018, does it get messed up this quick ????? If that is the case there is no qualified technician in town that knows how to fix this thing.
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It should be still under warranty if the purchase is within one year.
I had exactly the same problem of dead key, with the lowest white key.
Submitted a a warranty claim to Musician's Friend. The referred me to their repair service.
I packed it in the same box it came in. Shipped it (repair co. sent me a prepaid UPS sticker) and they had it back to me in a couple weeks with the key working.
No charge!!

Good luck

[Venatt]

I bought this thing brand new back in December 2018, does it get messed up this quick ????? If that is the case there is no qualified technician in town that knows how to fix this thing.
-------------------------------------------------------------------
It should be still under warranty if the purchase is within one year.
I had exactly the same problem of dead key, with the lowest white key.
Submitted a a warranty claim to Musician's Friend. The referred me to their repair service.
I packed it in the same box it came in. Shipped it (repair co. sent me a prepaid UPS sticker) and they had it back to me in a couple weeks with the key working.
No charge!!

Good luck

Yes, I contacted Nord and I will be sending my NS3 to California because yes it is covered under the One Year Warranty.

[Venatt]

Well, my NS3 is on its way to be repaired, not to California but to American Music & Sound in Southave Mississippi. Hopefully everything goes well.