Which would you buy for these prices?

[wowjustdoit]

Hi,

So I think I am going to make the jump to a Nord Piano. A lot of the great keyboardist I've seen are using these rigs live (there must be a reason).

Anyways, a shop in my area is discounting a bunch of their gear and they have some really good deals on The Nord rigs.

Nord Piano 4 - $2375

Nord Piano 3 - $1550

Nord Electro6 - $2145

I think I am going to go with the Piano 3. It seems like the best bang for the buck but I am interested in the Electro6.. The decrease in weight is attractive. I am most interested in playing piano and electric piano sounds. I will use acoustic piano sounds when playing by myself (singer-songwriter stuff) and electric piano sounds when playing with others.

An unrelated question... I have a Yorkville E10P speaker, but I am thinking about trading it in for something else that has two separate line input gain controls. I have the previous generation of the E10P which only had one. Does anyone have any experience with this speaker? Should I hang onto it?

[kirsty]

The Piano 3 is quite a bargain compared to the others so I can see why the deal looks attractive.
On paper there isnt a huge amount of difference between the Piano 3 and Piano 4 - Perhaps a few on the board who have owned both (cphollis maybe) could elaborate more on the technicalities.

Essentially for acoustic piano and EP playing all of the boards you have listed will produce the sound from the same Piano sound engine... sonically they will sound identical from each board.

What it comes down to is if you need 88 HA - hammer action keys which the Piano models feature. They will offer the most realistic piano playing experience. Although the heavier choice at 18kg its far from the heaviest 88 note board around.

The Electro will lose some of the keyboard to only 73 keys but will save your back in transit. You would gain an Organ sound engine but from your post it seems you may not really use it?
The HP action in the Electro is a lightweight Hammer action which is not as realistic as the HA and regarded as a compromise action to save weight. Some dont like the feel of the keybed and others like myself swear by it. I personally find it quite responsive to my rather light touch style of playing and connect very well with it.

I would recommend physically spending some time on each of the keyboards if you can to work out which you prefer best before making your decision


Regards your speaker, I dont have any experience with it.
If you are new to Nord... you may want to search the forum where you will find many a thread where decent speakers and amplification have been discussed at length. The Nord sounds are top drawer but are very raw and they really need decent amplification to bring the sound out at its best, ideally in a stereo speaker setup. Most of the Nord pianos dont sound as clever to most of us in a Mono configuration.

All the best
K

[wowjustdoit]

Thanks for the tips. Unfortunately, I don't have the ability to try any of these boards out due to the COVID-19 virus. It is my guess they are so heavily discounted to generate cash flow. I am interesting in hearing the differences between the 3 and 4... the specs look similar on paper, but after watching a few YouTube videos, it seems the 4 has better action...? I really like the idea of the Electro6, but without trying it, I am hesitant to buy it since the action will be noticeably different. I am sure I can adjust to the hammer action on the Nord Piano, but jumping to the Electro might be too much.

Edit:

Did it take you a while to adjust to the lighter action, or was it something you were actively seeking?

I haven't done much organ playing. It is definitely something I would like to improve on. The action on the Electro seems much more advantageous to organ riffs. I guess in the future I could always add something to my rig to get that organ sound if I go with the Nord Piano. It seems like the Nord Piano will be a great multi-purpose rig.

My current board is an FP-30. I was planning to upgrade to the RD-88 when that came out, but I just couldn't pass up on these Nord deals. I wish I would have played more, but they were never on my radar because of their price tag.

[SteveNordP3]

For what you’ve described as your objectives the 3 is your best choice. The sound library is the same - I don’t believe there are major differences other than storage size that would impact your experience much. That price is less than half what I paid for my 3.

[Rusty Mike]

For piano playing, I see the only real significant difference between Pianos 3 and 4 is that the P4 can use the filters feature while the P3 cannot. In my experience, the filters are most usable for the electric pianos and somewhat less so for the acoustics piano samples, so it probably won’t matter to you. Aside from that, P3 will play the same exact samples and has the same polyphony and piano sample memory (a point of criticism on the P4 when it came out).

The advantage of the HP action on the Electro 6 is the weight. If you plan to gig in the future, that weight savings is significant. Like Kirsty I’ve gotten quite used to playing piano on the HP. It works great when you play with a lighter touch.

It is, however, not ideal for fast organ playing. The keys don’t spring back fast enough.

$1550 is a good price for the P3. If you’re cool with the weight, it’s a nice deal.

I think the new RD-88 is about 85% right. I like the form factor, the weight and the price. I’m very disappointed Roland did not include the Piano Designer capability in the instrument, even if it added to the price a bit. I have an RD-800 in my home studio and like the feel of the keyboard (PHA-4 Concert, slightly different from the 88’s PHA-4 Standard). I think the pianos sound nice, but they are not nearly as interesting as the Nord piano samples.

[anotherscott]

People seem to be assuming that the Electro is the HP version, but I don't think we know that for sure...?

[wowjustdoit]

I do believe the Electro6 to be the HP model. I need to call to confirm as it is not specified in the email they sent me. I think the Piano3 is my best bet. When I go to pick it up, I might ask if they still have the Electro in stock. If they do, maybe they will let me play it. I I am in a different state right then the music store I am buying this from.. but at these prices I feel like I have to pull the trigger blindly and figure everything out later. I think I could always sell the Piano3 if I end up not liking it, probably for price similar to what I am buying it for. It is a floor model, which is one of the reasons it is so heavily discounted, but it comes with a warranty.

If I end up liking The Nord, I plan to trade in my FP-30 for a pair of Yamaha Stagepas 400i/600i speakers or one Stagepas 1K and save some money to buy a second, so I have a stereo set. If I end up not liking the Nord, I will sell it and trade in the FP-30 for the RD-88 and upgrade my speaker system with the extra money I get from selling the Nord.

Unless someone can convince me otherwise, I think this is the route I will take.

Thanks for all the help! I am super excited to have this upgraded rig! I do a lot of busking and I am very excited to have an upgraded sound!

One more question... the Yamaha 400i system fit into one travel bag (this is very attractive). Is 125dB SPL loud enough for my application? The 600i system comes in at 129dB, which is the same as my Yorkville, which is plenty loud. I'd prefer to get the 600i but then I would need two travel bags. For busking it would be nice to be able to carry my keyboard and PA system all in one, so no-one steals my schhhtufff!

[kirsty]

Lots of variables to consider in your message, hard to answer and advise what is best on them all.

Piano 3 is a bargain for sure. The P4 keybed is supposed to be slightly better but how much better for the extra money will probably be questionable. The experience of playing each will be very similar.

If you are busking and portability and weight is a big factor then the full 88 key Piano3/4 board will be more of a pain to lug about than the Electro so if you are able to play both it might be an idea not to discount it.

Re speakers. I have owned the Stagepas 600i in the past which I bought new. Its not a bad system although in hindsight I wish I had put that same money into a pair of DXR8's or 10's..
Not sure if you knew already, but you can get a Yamaha wheeled trolley bag to carry a pair of the 600i speakers or 400i which could be one solution for carrying these
eg: https://www.bax-shop.co.uk/speaker-cove ... XkQAvD_BwE

Hope you get chance to play both and let us know if you bit the bullet

[cphollis]

It depends what you want. The only thing you give up on a Nord Piano vs. Electro is the organ section. All the samples are identical between the two.

If you care about a realistic acoustic piano keybed action, the Nord Piano 4 is a notch better than the Piano 3. There's more precious piano sample member, and as RustyMike points out, the piano filtering buttons are getting a ton of use by me. I would not recommend the Electro HP action if you're serious about an authentic action. It's OK for a while, but it forced me to re-learn and then un-learn a lot of my material.

Now let's take it from the busking angle? You'll want the Electro as it's a lot smaller and lighter. Suck it up on the action, you'll figure out how to play it well before long.

I haven't done much busking amplification, but one unit you might want to take a look at is the CPS Spacestation V3 (used). Pros: very compact, loud, delivers spooky stereo imaging across 300 degrees of dispersion (everyone will hear you), and it's built like a freaking tank. Con: it's not light. I use mine all the time, as nothing else does quite what it does.

I also have had good luck with the Bose L1 Compact (light! small!) but it's overpriced unless you find a used one, and it doesn't get all that loud.

Best of luck!

[wowjustdoit]

Most of the busking I do is 120ft from my apartment. I live right in the city on a busy street corner so thats where I play. If the Electro is still available when I get back in town, I'll take it for a ride. I am definitely not counting it out. I want to love it.... but also I don't, because it's an extra $600. But it seems like it would be a damn good do-everything board. I haven't played any organ.. but this would give me an opportunity to try some stuff out.

And I'll look into the SpaceStation... you think that's my best amp? Vocals sound good thru it? I've been browsing sweetwater and that was one of the speakers that caught my eye!