Nord User Forum

Hi all, thanks in advance for your help.

I recently joined a funk band. My background is in classical piano and singer-songwriter work, and I haven’t played much synth before. My current keyboard is a Yamaha DGX620, but it’s in bad shape - the damper pedal input and screen are broken - and it’s way too heavy for gigging (about 40 lbs). I only use it at home for practice.

For my new keyboard, here’s what I’m looking for:

-Great Clav, Wurly, Rhodes, electric piano, and acoustic piano sounds
-A mod wheel for pitch bending
-Lightweight (under 30 lbs)
-60–76 keys to save space on stage

I found this used Nord Stage Compact for $1,399 at Guitar Center:
https://www.guitarcenter.com/Used/Nord/ ... hesizer.gc

The price seems great, and with Guitar Center’s 45-day no-questions-asked return policy and 3-year warranty coverage, it feels like a safe bet. Before I pull the trigger, I’d like to understand how it compares to newer models (Stage Compact 2, 3, and 4).

From what I’ve read, newer models have better clav sounds, updated displays, and more features. Since I’m new to synths and my standards aren’t sky-high, I might not notice all the differences - but I still want something that sounds good. We’ll mainly be playing in bars.

So my question is: Will something this old still get the job done, or should I save up and spend a bit more on a newer model?

If you were a guitar or bass player who wants some synth and organ stuff, it could be worth a closer look.

But you seem to be a piano player who needs a stage piano - that's not what this thing is:
a) The Stage Compact has a waterfall key action, no weighted keys - nothing to seriously play piano with, its focus is on organ playing;
b) the original Stages have no sample playing in the synth section - no natural sounds like strings available;
c) there's quite a number of limits for the piano section in the first generation - something to consider severely.

Not to mention the age.

A low level entry for you could be a Piano 5/6 HA73 (~35 pds.) or a Stage 2-HA76 (not EX-HP76!) (36 pds.)

I do use a Stage Compact (3rd gen.), but always along with a second weighted controller keyboard. To satisfactorily play piano on a Compact, you'd need to go with the newest itineration (4th gen.) - the 3-sensors key action is an organ-oriented waterfall type as well, but somewhat usable for piano playing.

If you're looking for a good, general purpose keyboard, your money would be better spent elsewhere. A 20-year-old keyboard will not be without problems, and the tech is much better these days.