Nord User Forum

Hey guys.

So I had some interest in the Nord Lead 3 lately and noticed a difference between the panel illustrated in the manual and the one I tried out. The later had no "Global" label under the transposition buttons, neither it had the sort mode label next to the arrow selection buttons.

I found three different versions of the panel through quickly googling.

This one looks like the one in the manual: "global" label, "sort mode" label.


This other one does not have the said labels:


And this last one does not have them, plus it has black buttons for "Shift" and "Store", instead of the grey and red ones:

Plus the painting is different next to the pitch stick.

Does anyone knows exaclty when those different versions appeared? It may be a way to determine the time an instrument was manufactured, right?

Thanks

There's a version number on the bottom right of the printed surface. There's also a version number on the rear. My Nord Rack 3 has v1.7 on the front and v1.6 on the back.

I've also seen different versions of the Wave and Stage 2 HA88.

Anyway, if you really wanted to know when it was made, there's a label on the inside with the manufacturing date and possibly the initials of the person who did it (or perhaps did the QA check?). My NR3 was made in 2003. I don't know exactly when the Lead 3 was discontinued, but I assume somewhere between 2003 and 2005.

A newer model that was used a lot will probably be in worse condition than an older one that was stored properly. One stored in dusty/damp/sunny conditions will certainly be in worse condition, no matter the age.

As far as I know during the production of the NordLead3 and the NordElectro1/2 versions were written at the left of the panel print. I think all three versions are pre-production models. Surely the one plucked from Sequencer.de should be one, because he always photographed pre production models, special on presentations during fairs.
Pre-productions models could have some different printing or knob/button colours.
Knowing Clavia these ones wouldn't be for sale and shouldn't reach the second hand markets, because they were meant to deliver factory Patches and for testing and mostly there is an agreement between Clavia and the user they won't sell it to others. Now-a-days Clavia wants the testing material to be returned to the factory to be distroyed.

Testing and factory patching synths on the market are very rare...
I own a NordLead3 po-production model signed by the development team
No, not for sale!

About pre-production versions...
Here three versions of the Nord Modular G2.
The guy holding them is Rob Hordijk, pre-design consultant and alpha tester, the guy doing nothing is Ake Daniëlson, Clavia's main sound designer.
The book lying on the ground is by Curtis Roads...
I took the picture.

Bit of synth history

Yep, and those two guys are Dutch...

How strange, the keyboard in the middle has the keyboard on the wrong side. Ha ha!

Is Åke Danielsson really dutch?
And Roland Kuit is from Stockholm?
I played nord for Shass at a gig once in November. She lives in Den Haag.

Yep, Ake lived in Holland most of his live. I don't know about his nationality.
Roland has a girlfriend in Sweden, but he still is living official here.
I live in The Hague (so does Roland AFAIK) and Rob too, but I don't know Shass

Cool picture: nice to see the faces to put on the names

I doubt the NL3 I tried was a pre-prod one. And about the pictures I posted, the only one that could match ths assumption -tom me- is the last one, all black buttons. The first two are like the one I saw myself and like the one illustrated in the manual.
Weird though: the last one is taken from a forum I know well and I think it may have been published in an add... hmmff.

Anyway, I've got my info: several versions, version number printed on the panel. Which I should have known since I already have some Clavia instruments here and saw this several times. Thanks guys