Rhodes - why only new pianosamples and no proper Rhodes

[Ledbetter]

I agree that they are not unusable, but more velocity control would be very welcome.

[jazzystu]

I'll add my 2p. Very briefly, I am a very boring straight up jazzer. I like a straight up clavinet, straight up Rhodes Suitcase, a straight up grand piano and a straight up monosynth.

The nord is a hell of a tool. I used to drag a Hammond C3/Leslie 147, Rhodes Suitcase, Clav D6 and Minimoog D around and after I stopped gigging, I sold them. A while after, I got a call from a very very good band to play. I needed all the gear NOW. Because everything has gone silly pricewise in the meantime, it would cost me a fortune to buy a load of crap. You have to wait to get a really nice Suitcase 88 for a decent price, or a Clav which doesn't need a total rebuild. Not that I am afraid of a rebuild. I think I could disassemble, reassemble, tune and tone a Rhodes in the dark.

My last Suitcase piano was horrible inside, the hammer tips were utterly shagged and somehow, it was perfect. I really don't know how. The insides were ruined, but it sounded utterly perfect and played like a dream. The suitcase was like riding a motorbike, if you turned it up loud, you got this real roar from it and you could feel the sound. I remember playing it through headphones and it pretty much being like the amped whatever EP7. I'd put money on it that if you ran Ep7 into a suitcase cab, you'd get an identical sound.

My opinion is that the velocity curves let the Nord down, that and the lack of ping pong tremolo. The sine doesn't cut it. Again, I gather the electro has a ping pong setting. It's just a small thing that lets the instrument down. Another thing like a +/-tone pitchbend. Other than that, I prefer the synth to my old minimoog. It is just better.

I remember carrying the top of a Rhodes 88 around by myself, the utter strain of it. Whipping the lid off and adjusting a clacky note.....but there was nothing like it.

Nord do release amazing grand pianos all the time and they are ace. I too wonder whether the bog standard crappy old rhodes direct samples are, none of this half modelled sh t. (I like an 88 note Wurly though!). "We took a late Mk1 suitcase and optimised it's hammer tips" No you didn't. These things are half modelled. Give us one warts and all, one with the clacky notes, but the better-everywhere-else like scarbee or whoever.

I have a Stage Ex and I'm waiting for them to give me something good enough to upgrade to. I've played and demoed a 2 and 2EX and they are just not there yet. As it is, later this year, I am looking at quite a big cash injection. So, will I buy a Nord Stage 2 EX, or a Mk1 Suitcase 88 (late) and another Clav D6?

The answer is the latter.

Lets face it, most of us are modern pianists and we want the basic stuff. Organ, Rhodes, Wurly, Piano and a farty synth sometimes. Nord is all things to all men and what is so frustrating is that with almost no real bother, they could make it utterly utterly spellbinding. They fail at the last hurdle IMO. It's a shame.

I do remember lugging all my stuff around and people saying "Why do you bother". Moog on top of Rhodes, Clav to the right. It was a ball ache, but you know what? It sounded epic.

I think it's time to buy some old gear again.

[sus_4]

Amen, jazzystu... I hope the boys at Nord are listening. (I've got a rusty D6 in my garage that needs some lovin'... This is the year I go for the re-build.)

[jazzystu]

Pull the tips, then get needle nose pliers and straighten all of the sockets very carefully. Washing up liquid to push them in. re-tip it even if it doesn't need it. Stringing it was fun. One string off, one string on, not de-stringing the whole thing! Look for cracks in the pickups and be very careful with the wires which come out of the Beyer "thing" which was £70 to replace. I put new pick ups on mine and I think the originals were better. Once I got it sorted, it was beautiful. I used clavinet.com parts.

Good luck.

Edit:- The boys at Nord are not listening. They have demonstrated this over years. As a result, I am not expecting them to sort out the problems and will buy old gear as it comes up.

[Frantz]

I'm not trying to be controversial here. Everyone is entitled to her/his opinion. Some find the existing Rhodes samples lacking, others are perfectly happy with them. And that's okay that different people have differing opinions. I just wanted to point out that there are those who seem able to play what's there already and be quite happy, and that It's extreme to suggest that there are "no proper Rhodes" and/or that they are unusable.

And as some have pointed out above, even if you bring a real Rhodes, many of the issues complained of above will exist on that original Rhodes instrument.

CopyPaste.

[pablomastodon]

don't know why, but this sounds strangely familiar....?

[Frantz]

It's pure coïncidence Pablo
You translated my thoughts into english words so much better than I could !

[lordy]

Hello, i used to play lot of rhodes, and as a lot of keyboardist, i wonna take care of my back now.
So, i m looking for the best stage piano rhodes Sounds. When i hear kronos, last sv1 rhodes, cp4, i can t understand how clavia nord can continue to work with 8 mo rhodes sounds, poor in dynamique, poor in mechanism and artefacts noises.
Nord is aware, and read us, and know exactly what we are expecting for, but nothing.
Actual memory capacity allows larger sound.
When nord is going to release real good rhodes Sounds ?

[adoors]

Did anyone ever really reach out to Nord? What did they respond? I am actually going to do that right now: http://www.nordkeyboards.com/about-us/feedback

[Mr_-G-]

They did respond by producing 3 new samples, the "amped" electric pianos, a Rhodes, Wurlizer and the new CP80. But that did not please everybody.
I am willing to be that they will produce some new improved samples and somebody somewhere will still not be happy with those.