Nord Grand with Kawai Action

[sudkcoce]

Official: https://www.nordkeyboards.com/products/nord-grand

[Spider]

Wow.
Finally moving away from FATAR actions, and licensing a keybed from the manufacturer with maybe the best actions (still to be determined exactly which Kawai action is this). Doubled piano memory. New fancy looks halfway between a vintage electric piano, a Korg SV1 and a Crumar 7. But dressed in Nord Red, of course
Only slightly bigger and heavier than the NP4, but still quite portable.
And at long last... a good old spacious FLAT EMPTY TOP!!! Just imagine playing this onstage with a Minimoog sitting above it... instant '70s!

It's basically a NP4 on steroids, answering most of the criticisms. I'm really surprised Kawai accepted to licence one of their precious actions, I think this is the first time it happens, and it speaks volumes about the regard that Clavia has attained even among the "big ones". Who knows if this will be a one-off collaboration, or it will spark a new era of improved keybeds across the whole range of future Nord products.

It will not be cheap, it will cost like a NP4 plus some premium for the additional memory and redesigned interface (and more red paint ), and of course plus the licensing fee to Kawai which I assume will not be small.
Maybe 500€/$ more than the NP4? Still, if the new keybed is as good as promised, it may be well worth it.

[maxpiano]

Very interesting new product, the weight has also been kept reasonable, it will be interesting to see how well they have integrated the Kawai keybed in with the Nord Piano sound engine and what the final result will be.

Now... "suspence" while waiting to see the price...

PS: though it is the color that made Nord famous, I have to say that in this case I am not sure I like it red...

[Michael Bracha]

what about the keys ? wood or plastic?

[Spider]

PS: though it is the color that made Nord famous, I have to say that in this case I am not sure I like it red...

Yes it's a pretty big chunk of red wood, it will definitely be an eye-catcher on stage, for good or bad.
Still, the top usually can't be seen from the audience (all Nords have red tops anyway, small change here) and if the back is black like other Nords, basically only the red sides will show. Of course they are big, kinda like the C2D sides. But all in all, probably not much difference from other Nords.


Now that I think of it, this Nord Grand could be to the Piano-Stage line what the C2D is to the Electro line: a full-blown, full-size, no-compromise specialized product, while the others are smaller, more portable jack-of-all-trades. The C2D has been a pretty good success despite its size and cost, we'll see if the Nord Grand will enjoy the same popularity.

[Valpurgis]

Kawai responsive hammer RH2 or RH3?

[maxpiano]

Kawai responsive hammer RH2 or RH3?

The exact model is not indicated, but looking at the statement on the Nord Grand product page

The Nord Grand is our first stage piano to feature triple sensors that track the movements on the hammers rather than the keys delivering the smooth dynamic touch of an acoustic grand.

then at the models on http://kawaius.com/technology/wooden-key-actions/, I only see the first 3 types being like that, so should be the RM3 Grand ... unless Kawai has developed something else/new.

[maurus]

Wow. I've been recommending this for years - some may remember
It might be based on the VPC1 or some evolved version of it - if so the action might be akin to what Kawai calls its Grand Feel Compact, but who knows?
On the other hand Clavia doesn't say "wooden" action, hence it is probably more like the action in the MP7/ES8.

In my experience (I've been using a VPC1 with a Nord Electro for several years now) the combination of Kawai's wooden action and the Nord Piano engine works just great - let's hope this thing comes close action-wise.

[dkernohan]

Wow. I've been recommending this for years - some may remember
It might based on the VPC1 or some evolved version of it - if so the action might be akin to what Kawai calls its Grand Feel Compact, but who knows?
On the other hand Clavia doesn't say "wooden" action, hence it is probably more like the action in the MP7/ES8.

In my experience (I've been using a VPC1 with a Nord Electro for several years now) the combination of Kawai's wooden action and the Nord Piano engine works just great - let's hope this thing comes close action-wise.

I bought a VPC1 and NE5D at Maurus' recommendation. A great combination of feel and sound. This is very good news (and could mean a price drop for the NP4 - which offers merely a very good piano action...)

[DimitrisPl]

It looks a bit like Korg SV1 but it's more beautiful!