JpScoey Posted March 24, 2012 Share Posted March 24, 2012 I'm right on the verge of pulling the trigger on a Nord Stage 2-88, but suffering from those last-minute jitters you sometimes get when about to spend a boatload of cash ! I bought a Stage EX-88 brand new about 18 months ago, & am very happy with it. The same dealer has offered me an excellent deal on a Stage 2 'package' (incl. Nord case & triple pedal)... £470 UKP (approx $750 USD) less than I'd have to pay anywhere else. SO... having to swallow the 'loss' on selling the EX, it will actually cost me about £600 ($950). * For the extra features on the Stage 2, is this justifiable, in your opinions? As I will be selling other stuff in an overall down-sizing excercise, I'll end up with a good profit - but that money isn't in my bank account yet, & those jitters won't go away ! * - see later post. PS: anyone in the UK interested in Nord Stage EX-88, Yamaha Motif XS7, Korg M3-73 EXpanded, Korg M50-88, Nord Electro2-73, Roland Juno D, Roland KC350 amp - all in excellent/as new condition, or Kurzweil K2000vp - getting old now, but still in good condition, PM me for details. John. some stuff on myspace Nord: StageEX-88, Electro2-73, Hammond: XK-1, Yamaha: XS7 Korg: M3-73 EXpanded, M50-88, X50, Roland: Juno D, Kurzweil: K2000vp. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tobias Åslund Posted March 24, 2012 Share Posted March 24, 2012 Am I reading this right - if you trade in your Stage EX, you will pay £600 to get a Stage 2? No, I see no reason whatsoever why you shouldn't go for it. Too much stuff, too little time, too few gigs, should spend more time practicing...! 🙄 main instruments: Nord Stage 3 compact, Yamaha CP88, Kurzweil PC4, Viscount KeyB Legend Live Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sakari lindhen Posted March 24, 2012 Share Posted March 24, 2012 and you get a case and the triple pedal? (that would be about 300 quid just there!) sounds good to me, BUT make sure you can cope with how noisy the keybed is...I dont know how bad the Stage EX is, but the 2 is a bit klonky... NORD STAGE 2, IPAD 2 with lots of soft syths Roland td9 expanded Guitars, basses, Pod Xtl, GT-10b Garritan, Reason, Symphonic Choirs , Cubase, Sibelius Three shelter cats Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
synthdogg Posted March 24, 2012 Share Posted March 24, 2012 I sold my Stage EX to upgrade to a Stage 2 also. No regrets whatsoever. It's been totally worth it! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nillerbabs Posted March 24, 2012 Share Posted March 24, 2012 Stupid pitch bender still only does 2 semitones. Absolutely ridiculous, and The only thing keeping me off the Stage 2. I guess they want people to buy a Nl2x/Wave too, but for the super-mega expensive instrument that the Stage 2 is, they're just not excused. It should be able to do it all, right? When in doubt, superimpose pentatonics. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Song80s Posted March 24, 2012 Share Posted March 24, 2012 this is easy. You should downsize your rig and get a Kronos Why fit in, when you were born to stand out ? My Soundcloud with many originals: [70's Songwriter] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JpScoey Posted March 24, 2012 Author Share Posted March 24, 2012 Am I reading this right - if you trade in your Stage EX, you will pay £600 to get a Stage 2? Sorry about that, don't know how it happened, but I managed to get my numbers mixed-up ! It will actually cost me twice that - about £1200 ($1900 USD). Same question remains - is it worth it ? John. some stuff on myspace Nord: StageEX-88, Electro2-73, Hammond: XK-1, Yamaha: XS7 Korg: M3-73 EXpanded, M50-88, X50, Roland: Juno D, Kurzweil: K2000vp. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AnotherScott Posted March 24, 2012 Share Posted March 24, 2012 Stupid pitch bender still only does 2 semitones. Absolutely ridiculous, and The only thing keeping me off the Stage 2. ... It should be able to do it all, right? No board does it all. There are all kinds of things the NS2 doesn't do (including even other common things, like letting you put the split points anywhere you want). I'm sure you've emailed Nord about this, and either they will address it, or they won't. But if it is the only thing stopping you from buying an NS2, and it is really perfect for you in every other way, toss a little MicroKorg or something on top of it for when you need that kind of pitch bendy synth. (You can still use the NS2's EXT function to play the synth from the Nord keybed, if you like.) Maybe this is the best place for a shameless plug! Our now not-so-new new video at https://youtu.be/3ZRC3b4p4EI is a 40 minute adaptation of T. S. Eliot's "Prufrock" - check it out! And hopefully I'll have something new here this year. ;-) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JpScoey Posted March 24, 2012 Author Share Posted March 24, 2012 You should downsize your rig and get a Kronos 1: Too heavy - (51 lbs... vs 41 lbs) 2: Too bulky - (57" x 16" x 6"... vs 51" x 13" x 4.5") 3: Too complicated - I still haven't been able to get my head round the Korg M3 ! 4: Even more expensive! - & that's without triple pedal & case. John. some stuff on myspace Nord: StageEX-88, Electro2-73, Hammond: XK-1, Yamaha: XS7 Korg: M3-73 EXpanded, M50-88, X50, Roland: Juno D, Kurzweil: K2000vp. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RedKey Posted March 24, 2012 Share Posted March 24, 2012 I questioned upgrading too. It took 2 minutes with the Stage 2 to have no regrets. If you can afford it, do it. It doesn't just have more memory and features, it sounds much better than the Stage EX. It's not advertised, but it has to have much better D/A converters or something. I did direct A/B comparisons using identical piano samples & settings and the Stage 2 was much more dynamic and crisp. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JeffLearman Posted March 24, 2012 Share Posted March 24, 2012 So, what's the effective trade-in value on the EX? An EX 88 or 76 is high on my list of possible contenders for new bottom tier. Lowest price I see on ebay for an EX88 is US$2600. That's about £1640. 1900 + 2600 = 4500, and the Stage 2 88 sells for $4200 here. I guess that's in the ballpark. If you were in the US, I'd be tempted to make an offer on the EX. No board does it all.Yeah, but wider pitch bend should be an item with zero variable cost (i.e., it's all overhead, no extra production cost). I can totally understand someone who needs wider pitch bend passing on the Stage for that reason. I pass on any instrument with a joystick rather than wheels. I dug the sounds on my JX10 but never managed to make good use of that damn joystick. But Roland at least has the defense that a lot of people prefer the joystick. What defense is there for omitting pitch bend range control? It's possible that a wider range could have a ripple-through effect in a number of algorithms, and it may be that they saved big bux during development by limiting it to 2 rather than whatever a more normal upper range is. If so, I'd like to hear someone say that with authority. Till then, it seems like a silly oversight. Not one I'd care about, though. I always use 2, so I'm good. :-) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steveaudio Posted March 24, 2012 Share Posted March 24, 2012 "I bought a Stage EX-88 brand new about 18 months ago, & am very happy with it." When I saw £600 to trade for a Nord Stage 2-88, I thought that sounded reasonable. £1200.....yikes! I looked up prices on US fee-bay, and I'd think at the least, you could do way better selling the Stage EX-88 privately. Or negotiating a way better price with the dealer. Then there's the part about how happy you are already with the Stage EX-88.......don't forget, the NS2 will also be "last year's model", at some point. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sakari lindhen Posted March 24, 2012 Share Posted March 24, 2012 I also wonder about the pitch bend limit. People complain about it often, vocally, and yet Nord has never addressed the issue...seems strange that it would be that complicated to sort... NORD STAGE 2, IPAD 2 with lots of soft syths Roland td9 expanded Guitars, basses, Pod Xtl, GT-10b Garritan, Reason, Symphonic Choirs , Cubase, Sibelius Three shelter cats Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mate stubb Posted March 24, 2012 Share Posted March 24, 2012 Only excuse I can think of is that the preset structure is so packed that they cannot find anyplace to store the value, or that the space for the OS is too limited to find room. Moe --- "I keep wanting to like it's sound, but every demo seems to demonstrate that it has the earth-shaking punch and peerless sonics of the Roland Gaia. " - Tusker http://www.hotrodmotm.com Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AnotherScott Posted March 24, 2012 Share Posted March 24, 2012 wider pitch bend should be an item with zero variable cost (i.e., it's all overhead, no extra production cost)... What defense is there for omitting pitch bend range control? It's possible that a wider range could have a ripple-through effect in a number of algorithms, and it may be that they saved big bux during development by limiting it to 2 rather than whatever a more normal upper range is. If so, I'd like to hear someone say that with authority. Till then, it seems like a silly oversight. It would be interesting, academically, to know why that limitation exists; and it seems so counter-intutitive and easy to address that I suspect your premise is essentially correct, that there was some complication. Maybe something about the architecture of the synth engines makes it so that certain kinds of bends don't sound good, and it was non-trivial to fix, and so it was easier to prevent you from making those bends than explaining why they sounded odd, or something like that. Regardless, there have been enough comments about it that I'm sure Nord is aware people would like it. Now it's up to them as to whether they can reasonably supply it, and up to potential customers to decided whether or not it's a deal-killer. Harping on it isn't going to accomplish anything. Maybe this is the best place for a shameless plug! Our now not-so-new new video at https://youtu.be/3ZRC3b4p4EI is a 40 minute adaptation of T. S. Eliot's "Prufrock" - check it out! And hopefully I'll have something new here this year. ;-) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JeffLearman Posted March 24, 2012 Share Posted March 24, 2012 £1200.....yikes! I looked up prices on US fee-bay, and I'd think at the least, you could do way better selling the Stage EX-88 privately. Or negotiating a way better price with the dealer. What prices were you seeing? See my post above where I did the math, and the most he'd have to gain would be US$300 -- ignoring differences between UK markets and US. Of course, if he'd be happy with a used or open-box Stage 2, he could do considerably better. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Octopus Posted March 24, 2012 Share Posted March 24, 2012 Nord Stage 2 works perfect to everything except to play organ on weighted keys. NS2 88, Yamaha Cp300, Moog Little Phatty, Hammond Sk2, Roland Fantom X6, Ventilator, Nord C2D, Leslie 3300, Leslie 122 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lord_Nord Posted March 25, 2012 Share Posted March 25, 2012 As a NE2 owner, I'm thinking of using it as a MIDI controller on top of my future NS2 HA76 (weighted) board for organ/synths/samples. Anyone try that yet? A.J. Blues Manager and Keyboardist The Tash Brothers Band www.myspace.com/TheTashBrothersBand Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aidan Posted March 25, 2012 Share Posted March 25, 2012 Nord Stage 2 works perfect to everything except to play organ on weighted keys. +1 You know you wanna, Scoey! Studio: Yamaha P515 | Yamaha Tyros 5 | Yamaha HX1 | Moog Sub 37 Road: Yamaha YC88 | Nord Electro 5D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
keyman27 Posted March 25, 2012 Share Posted March 25, 2012 Too expensive Weird pitch bender stick, and -2/+2 only Samples are one-layer only (except for the pianos) Accessing the patches is not easy F to F keys layout on the SW73 version I don't know if those are good reasons not to get one. They didn't stop me, and I'm keeping it. But those are my biggest gripes about the NS2 SW73. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steveaudio Posted March 25, 2012 Share Posted March 25, 2012 "What prices were you seeing?.....Of course, if he'd be happy with a used or open-box Stage 2, he could do considerably better." Yes, I'm seeing prices of around $3400 to $3500 for used or open-box Stage 2-88's. So the OP's first quote of $950 to trade sounded great. For $1900.....personally I'm not surprised the OP has "last-minute jitters". And I've learned the hard way about ignoring those (expensive) jitters. Just my 2cents, I too have NS2 lust..... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moonglow Posted March 25, 2012 Share Posted March 25, 2012 I did direct A/B comparisons using identical piano samples & settings and the Stage 2 was much more dynamic and crisp. Yeah, I did this too, and fully agree! ....and the organ has been improved to similar (possibly even greater) magnitude. "We don't stop playing because we grow old; we grow old because we stop playing." - George Bernard Shaw Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ITGITC Posted March 25, 2012 Share Posted March 25, 2012 Do it! "Music expresses that which cannot be put into words and that which cannot remain silent." - Victor Hugo Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dglavko Posted March 25, 2012 Share Posted March 25, 2012 I have a ns2 76 and totally dig it b/c to me it is the best all in weighted board under 40 lbs but adding ob drawbars is a must imo. But the ns2d (with drawfaders) can't be too far away so you might hold out for that. I would have. If you don't want weighted keys, I'd say get a kurzweil pc3/61 instead, as it is a much better and cheaper keyboard in most respects. (I have a pc3 too.) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JpScoey Posted March 25, 2012 Author Share Posted March 25, 2012 Thanks for your thoughts guys. Stupid pitch bender still only does 2 semitones.you could do way better selling the Stage EX-88 privately. The cost I quoted would be for a 'private sale', based on current UK prices (anywhere beteen £1650/£1850) Nord Stage 2 works perfect to everything except to play organ on weighted keys. Not a problem, as I use my Hammond XK-1 for organ. The Stage would just be used as a lower tier if need be. F to F keys layout on the SW73 version 88-notes is essential to me (brought up as a piano player, it feels like an arm's missing with anything less)! As the above points appear mainly about the pitch-bend (the StageEX is the same anyway), I don't exactly see that as a deal-breaker. The concensus would appear to be almost unanimously that the Stage2 is simply a great 'board - so it looks like the chequebook is coming out ! John. some stuff on myspace Nord: StageEX-88, Electro2-73, Hammond: XK-1, Yamaha: XS7 Korg: M3-73 EXpanded, M50-88, X50, Roland: Juno D, Kurzweil: K2000vp. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Octopus Posted March 26, 2012 Share Posted March 26, 2012 If you have the money GO FOR IT!!!! I would recomend the 88 if you use/like to split the keyboard in 3 parts in live situations. The extra weight and dollars is worth it. And especially if you play or will play classical music on the piano part. Then it is of course nice to have the wide registry. Together with an organ or maybe a leadsynth the NS2 is the best you can have!!! Yes, expensive ..but the best. It is stupid to die curios ;-) NS2 88, Yamaha Cp300, Moog Little Phatty, Hammond Sk2, Roland Fantom X6, Ventilator, Nord C2D, Leslie 3300, Leslie 122 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tonysounds Posted March 26, 2012 Share Posted March 26, 2012 I did direct A/B comparisons using identical piano samples & settings and the Stage 2 was much more dynamic and crisp. Yeah, I did this too, and fully agree! ....and the organ has been improved to similar (possibly even greater) magnitude. Red, Moon and I were all there for this. No question, the Stage 2 sounds much better. DO IT. Hitting "Play" does NOT constitute live performance. -Me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JpScoey Posted March 27, 2012 Author Share Posted March 27, 2012 Well - the trigger has been pulled... the bullet bitten... the jitters overcome !!! I've ordered the Stage2-88, & it should be delivered by next Monday . I'm looking forward to many happy times with this baby ! John. some stuff on myspace Nord: StageEX-88, Electro2-73, Hammond: XK-1, Yamaha: XS7 Korg: M3-73 EXpanded, M50-88, X50, Roland: Juno D, Kurzweil: K2000vp. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ITGITC Posted March 27, 2012 Share Posted March 27, 2012 ...should be delivered by next Monday . Very cool. "Music expresses that which cannot be put into words and that which cannot remain silent." - Victor Hugo Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JeffLearman Posted March 27, 2012 Share Posted March 27, 2012 it feels like an arm's missing with anything lessI remember that feeling. I got over it pretty quickly. Now when I play 88 keys I feel like I have an extra arm! "What prices were you seeing?.....Of course, if he'd be happy with a used or open-box Stage 2, he could do considerably better." Yes, I'm seeing prices of around $3400 to $3500 for used or open-box Stage 2-88's. So, he could save big by getting an open-box NS, but not so much by going private. I'd go for the open box, myself. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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