Clavia Nord Electro Stage 88 Piano User Reviews at zZounds

Nord Electro Stage 88 Customer Review submitted November 22, 2005

By a customer from eichenlevinson.com

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Musical Background: active musician

Music Style: roots rock, funk, soul

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SPOTLIGHT REVIEW

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Overall: I just got the NS88 2 weeks ago. I've been a loyal NE2 player since they came out. Generally I use a CX3 or an XK3 for my organ since they just feel better (more Jimmy McGriff for my taste than the NE2). Amp is either Leslie 21 system, or KBR3d. As for the NS88, I am on the fence and need to spend more time with it. First, it is quite different from the NE2. Patch organization, layers, splits and morphs. I guess b/c it does more, the increased complexity is a necessary corollary. Biggest problem is with the Accoustic Pianos. This is why I got it. But they seem thin, and harsh in the mid and upper registers. I can't compare them to any known reference. For example, we all know Roland is big and warm. Yamaha is more crystalline and subtle. But these samples on the NE88 are simply perplexing. I am ok with the weighted action. yes, it is way too light, but it is still 'hammer' action. I think it is a fine answer for a board that plays clav, rhodes, wurly, B3, synth, and accoustic piano.... I think the synth section is just great. no more or less than you need if synth is not a big part of your sound--but don't kid yourself, it is a strong section with deep possibilities. So, if anyone has any thoughts on the accoustic piano issues with the NS88, pls feel free to share your stream of consciousness. Bill

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"I own it, I use it, it's the centre peice of my rig and it does it's job very well. This keyboard is not only a specialty keyboa" submitted November 28, 2007

By a customer from rogers.com

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Musical Background: Active Musicial

Music Style: Rock, blues, Pop, Country, Jazz

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Sound: It's a very unique board but I agree that the piano samples can sound a bit harsh and thin but then later on I listen back to something I've recorded with it and it's actaully pretty decent. Best EP's in the land. The organ section is really good. I like the Korg CX3 as well but with the dual aspect and the morphing and such you can do some pretty cool stuff here. As for the synth section, the jury's out. Sometimes I love it but at other times I'm finding it lets me down a bit particularly with the limited vibrato, limited pitch bending, no polyphonic portamento, The ADSR section has some significant limitations, and even some notes being cut off due to polyphony restrictions when layering, however, having said that I still find some gems in the synth section and overall I'm certainly glad it's there. For some single keyboard gigs or jam session it rocks. Feature: Size, weight, and it does an exclusive job very well. It's a really decent dual controller as well so lets not forget that. It nicely handles my Korg Micro X and my V-Synth XT (which I just purchased as I really wanted more synth in my rig) giving me some giant sounds when midi'd together or clever splits and routings even for just changing ones program but not having it necessarilly play on the Nord's keys! Very cool. Ease of Use: This is a total player's board. It's got the vibe going on and it can kick some serious butt. Dead simple to use. Quality: I have the Compact and it's the most amazing size and weight for it's class. Even the action is acceptable for a mild piano gig. Great size, weight, key action, and looks kinda' cool as well. Value: Jury's still out on this one as well as it's really pricey and sometimes I think to myself, wholly. that's alot of depreciation loss in the years to come but if I keep it for 10 years or more then it will have been worth it. I traded up from the Electro and that unit I had for over 3 years which is a record for me! Manufacturer Support: I lost my power cable and it took not only a long time to get one here in Canada but when I did finally get one from the distributor, it wasn't even new! It was like a Yamaha cable or something that had the square part of the end shaved down so that it fit the nord slot! No crap, this actually happened. First they said they lost the order request then I got that cable. However,on another occasion I did get info right away for a different matter so they can be pretty good as well. The Wow Factor: This is a sexy board, probably moreso than I am (cue laugh track...) But seriously it looks really good and is nice and slim. Hmmmm, I guess you could call it a babe! You can get pretty excited slammin' on those keys... Overall: Overll it land somewhere between and 8 and a 9 as it does what it does well but it has some weaknesses as well (like most units have) The huge price is a significant one but who else makes a unit like this? The Roland VR76? Sorry Roland, this thing kicks that units butt to Kingdom come)I love the retro vibe and the pound for pound sound. No gimmicks, lots of power and fun in a killer sized package. Like I said earlier, this is my main controller as well so it not only handles my need for Organs, EP's, Clavinet (outstanding), and some synth, but also governs my other modules. And even in a flight case, it's about 50 lbs (23 kg)which makes it a flight board candidate as well.

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"Strongly recommend this product" submitted June 17, 2006

By a customer from digital-dimension.net

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Musical Background: Active Musician

Music Style: Rock (mainly)

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VERIFIED BUYER

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Sound: Possibly the best sounding stage piano in the world... even the key release (dampers returning) has been sampled. Sounds totally like the real thing but costs a lot less and at just 41 lbs is way more portable. Ease of Use: Initial steep learning curve.. but pretty straight forward when you get the hang of it. Generally well thought out for performance use. Display could be a little clearer. Quality: Seems as well built as Volvo (good sweedish quality)... I have to admit to being a little concerned about the beachwood cheeks... they might not be entirely gig-proof Value: Ok, it's not a cheap instrument.. but it's worth every penny.. and then some! Manufacturer Support: Excellent website, free OS and patch downloads and great tech support. The Wow Factor: Drop dead gorgeous.. so long as you like red!

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"The Ferrari of stage pianos" submitted February 15, 2008

By a customer from gmail.com

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Musical Background: Hobbyist Producer, pianist and recording engineer

Music Style: Rock, alternative, soundtrack

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Sound: The EPs are amazing, especially when combined with the effects and amp simulation. I mean truly amazing. The pianos are well sampled, but the lack of half pedal support means that they don't quite sound as real as my Yamaha P-90 which is a generation older than this. Also, the piano sounds are very bright, not thin though and you can eq them with the amp-sim section, but it does tend to a more rock piano sound. The organ section is great, the rotary simulator does an admirable job, however I don't really have so much experience with these sounds. The synth does what it does well, with a nice analogue style warmth. But the inputs are fiddly as hell. Why not have a nice ui for this available from on the PC software? Feature: I bought the 88 note variant. The unit does not have an external power adaptor so it is stuck at the voltage in the country you buy it. Which is not necessarily a good thing if you are gigging in countries with different ac specifications. The unit comes with a decent sustain pedal (although this lacks half pedalling support) Ease of Use: The ability to combine sounds and switch between sections whilst playing live is brilliant. I've never played anything that can switch so quickly and easily between sounds, with careful combinations of organ, piano and synth you can have 6 different sounds no more than 2 button pushes away, none of which upset sustain of previous notes and without annoying gaps as a digital fx box reconfigures. Quality: It's a stage piano. Coupled with a decent flight case it should do just fine. The 88 note variation has a good keyboard, again not quite the match of my p-90 but then the varied weight of that wouldn't feel right for the other non-acoustic piano sounds. The other problem I have is that the piano sound select button is just a little too edgy for me. This may be a manufacturing defect as the other buttons are fine. Value: It's not cheap, and the value of the synth compared to having, say, a second midi output and a good module is debatable. That said, if you've got the cash, you won't regret it. Manufacturer Support: Not spoken to them, but the ability to download new sample sets for the piano section and update the Keyboards OS over USB is great. The Wow Factor: It's bright red made of wood and die cast metal. It feels well constructed and looks gorgeous. This is the Ferrari of Stage Pianos. Overall: Unless I ever get a real Rhodes 7, this is always going to have a place in the studio as my EP sound source of choice. I've enjoyed playing it so far, and can't see that changing. The analogue style warmth of the amp-sims and effects are what really sets it apart from anything else out there.

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"Excellent board." submitted February 22, 2006

By a customer from yahoo.com

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Musical Background: Active musician

Music Style: Jazz/ Blues/Rck/Country

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SPOTLIGHT REVIEW

Sound: OK..First of all, I'm a live player. I sold my Motif ES8 and replaced it w/a Nord Stage. I also own a XK3 system, as well as a B3/122; The hammond samples on the Stage are very good. They are excellent when I morph the organ to the 3rd out and send it, via a Speakeasy tube pre-amp, to a real Leslie (I use a Leslie 330 or 860 on the road, leave the 122 at home). If I can, I still bring the XK3 because of the non-weighted keybed on the XK3, and the fact that I re-tubed my XK3 with vintage tubes and it absolutely screams thru the Leslie 330 or 860. The Rhodes and Wurlies are excellent. I used to sometimes haul out my old 73 Rhodes for the odd gig. No need any more to risk damaging my vintage gear with the Stage in my possesion. Now the pianos, this is where I differ probably from everyone else: I grew up playing a Steinway model M. I do not like the Yamaha grands (samples or real), the Roland pianos, the Kurzweil's, the Korg pianos or any other piano sampler/rompler, period. The only way I got a decent piano out my Motif ES was when I used a KSound's Steinway sample. The idea of having to load the sample every time I turned the keyboard on drove me nuts. That, on top of the weight of the Motif ES (nearly 100lb. with semi hard case)- what a relief that it's gone. As far as the Nord's Steinway, I think it is excellent, especially in a live mix. The Fatar keybed doesn't bother me at all. If you want a real Steinway action, then go haul one around. I'll take the 38lb Stage any day over all the heavier workstations and sample pianos out there. As far as the Stage acoustics sounding a little thin in mid upper registers, this doesn't bother me. Just EQ the pianos - easy to do on the fly with the onboard effects of the Stage. And all the crap of having to run stereo to get a decent sound out of the acoustic pianos on the Motif ES. No more - the Nord Stage 88 sound fine in mono. I do miss the arp on the Motif ES but I can always get a rack and midi it to the Stage. Maybe this isn't the best keyboard if your just gonna stick it in your living room, but on the road I think it is unbeatable. For once I have less gear than the drummer, and almost as little as my guitar players. The amount and quality of sound I blast out with the Nord Stage 88 absolutely puts my bandmates back in their respective seats. None of them can touch me when it's my time to step up. And for the time that I sit back, the Stage 88 is just killer. Feature: Novel approach. The Stage is really well laid out for live use. Interface is simple and intuitive. Great synth section. Goofy little power cord - looks like it came out of the kitchen from the blender. Ease of Use: Straightforward and logical user interface. Quality: Seems to be well built. Value: Pricey, but you pay for what you get. Manufacturer Support: Nord seems very responsive to my inquiries. The Wow Factor: Definately aesthetic on a gig. I like the red color under the stage lights. Who else has a rig that looks like this baby! Even the red case is cool - makes a statement when you roll into the gig. Overall: I will probably hold onto it for a good while. I might get a rack to midi into the Stage 88.

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"Wow, what a keyboard" submitted March 26, 2006

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SPOTLIGHT REVIEW

Sound: If you like pianos and funky rhodes, you can't get better. Best action ever too. Feature: Only downside, is no extra sounds, but hey, your a keyboard player, not an orchestra, right?! The Wow Factor: Inspiring to play. One touch, and you start coming out with the best music you ever played :) Believe me! Overall: The sounds are awesome, never heard such a real piano, or funky rhodes. Plus you can twiddle the knobs to get just the sound you want, quickly, as you play. Awesome.

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"Nords sound great, but price, quality and service are big fat zeros." submitted February 23, 2009

By a customer from gmail.com

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Musical Background: active composer for film

Music Style: film score

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VERIFIED BUYER

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Sound: The only reason to buy a Nord is the sound. The problem is the quality of construction and Nord's service. Feature: Why do makers of 88-key electronic pianos think that a sustain pedal is adequate for someone looking for realistic piano sound? Leaving aside the organs and synths, a piano comes with *3* pedals. A damper, a low-sustain, and a sustain pedal. Leaving those features out leaves out a huge part of the sound of the instrument. Ease of Use: Progammability is not bad, but the MIDI implementation is boggling. If you want to call up a patch and just use it from your sequencer, you can't - because change the patch from a piano to an organ, and suddenly you need to be using a different MIDI channel. It's bizarre, unintuitive, and severely limits the instrument's uability in a sequencer setup. Quality: The first one I got had lots of sticky keys and bad springs. I went to have it fixed by a local authorized repair guy. He couldn't fix it, and he said Nord no longer provided spare parts for the Stage 88. So Nord replaced it. Well, the new one has a screw loose that is rolling around the *inside* of the keyboard. And the E4 has a bad spring, same problem as the previous one they sold me (though at least only 1 important key is affected instead of 6). Overall, they don't know what they are doing when it comes to keyboard quality. Value: Sounds great, but quality is absent, and the price is simply to high. Manufacturer Support: Just try and get their distributor - Armadillo - to answer your emails or phone calls. I had to contact Sweden's home office to get a response. They promptly sent an email saying "why aren't you helping this guy?", and then I finally got a response. When it was finally time for the exchange, it took months for Jason at Armadillo to respond to a simple email from Guitar Center confirming the RA number. Their support guy is always out of the office, too. I would call, and it was yet another 4-day weekend, or he's out of the office for 2 weeks, etc. If you are a pro and need fast help when you have problems, well you better be famous or you're not going to get any help from the clowns at Armadillo. The Wow Factor: It's a bright red Swedeish keyboard that says "Nord" on the side - that has sex appeal. But the reality is, quality and support are very bad and the keyboard will likely wear out on you within 18 months. Overall: Never buying Nord again. Sorry guys, but you're the worst I've had to deal with.

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"the pianos are great - but the synth...." submitted January 4, 2007

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Sound: all the emulations of the rhodes, wurlizer, hammond, acoustic pianos - are great. but the synth is a mystery to me. how much is this synth worth of the total value of the stage? 400 dollars? than i give it up and replcae the synth section alone with an alesis micron. think about it - for 400$ you get a lot more synth sounds + arpegiator + vocoder etc. another thing is - if you said this thing emulates electromechanical keyboards of the 70's - how come they didn't include some samples of a melotron?

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"keyboard=life" submitted December 1, 2005

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Sound: no Feature: it is perfect. Quality: it will be whole for at least eternity Value: its worth every penny Manufacturer Support: they love me The Wow Factor: i make love to it every night of my life Overall: i wouldnt ask for it any other way

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"Seamless switching please" submitted December 11, 2009

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Sound: The sounds on the NS88 are very nice, even though I understand that some people don't like the piano sounds - I think they're workable. The biggest problem (and this is a deal breaker for me) is sustain and switching issues. There is not as far as I could see a sustain function on the organ! But by far the biggest problem is that I need to be able to switch sounds seamlessly - sustain a chord or note, change sound and come in with the new sound on the next chord. I can do this on my present kbd, but on the Nord things come screeching to a halt. As soon as I touch a button all sound cuts out whether I'm damping or holding down the keys. To me this is unacceptable in a $4000 rig which otherwise I was on my way to buy!

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"Some nice organ/Rhodes sounds, but piano is disapointing" submitted February 2, 2006

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Sound: The organ is quite good, the Rhodes and Wurlitzer are decent. The pianos, like the other reviewers stated is a bit thin and harsh. The action is a bit sluggish and made by Fatar which also supples Kurzweil with actions. Every Kurzweil I had with Fatar actions always had keys that started clacking and breaking. Feature: More features than I need. I think the synth section is overkill. Quality: Again, I worry how long the Fatr action will hold up before the keys start clacking. Value: In my opinion the S88 is overpriced compared to Yamaha and Roland stage pianos. The Wow Factor: I am not a fan of the hot rod color red.

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Clavia Nord Stage 88 (88-Key)

User Ratings

Nord Electro Stage 88 Customer Review submitted November 22, 2005

"I own it, I use it, it's the centre peice of my rig and it does it's job very well. This keyboard is not only a specialty keyboa" submitted November 28, 2007

"Strongly recommend this product" submitted June 17, 2006

"The Ferrari of stage pianos" submitted February 15, 2008

"Excellent board." submitted February 22, 2006

"Wow, what a keyboard" submitted March 26, 2006

"Nords sound great, but price, quality and service are big fat zeros." submitted February 23, 2009

"the pianos are great - but the synth...." submitted January 4, 2007

"keyboard=life" submitted December 1, 2005

"Seamless switching please" submitted December 11, 2009

"Some nice organ/Rhodes sounds, but piano is disapointing" submitted February 2, 2006