Nord 5D action

[HSS]

I like my NE5D 73's balance between meat & potatoes sounds and portability but its springy SW action with its aggressive pushback is fatiguing for me on gigs, more so than my Hammond SK's and Kurz SP4-7's SW actions.

 

In the context of my whining above, I have a couple of questions.

 

1. Do the NE5D's springs "break-in" after awhile and become looser with less pushback? I've had mine for only a couple months and used it on quick gigs as a single board solution just a few times.

 

2. Given that I'm not mechanically inclined (understatement of the decade), how difficult is it to replace the NE5D's springs with lighter ones? I know that Al Quinn indicated that he replaced his NE4D's springs with lighter springs in another thread and is happier.

 

Thanks.

 

[DanL]

I think any spring will lose tension over time.

 

Do you play any weighted boards? I find them much more fatiguing than my Electro.

[HSS]

Thanks for your quick response... I play mainly SW boards on gigs with up-tempo rock blues, soul, and R&B bands because doing these gigs on a weighted board wears me out (yeah, I'm a pussy).

 

If I'm playing the occasional gig where the piano is more exposed with lots of ballads and slow blues, I'll bring one of my weighted boards (PX330, RD300GX).

 

BTW... I really like the NE5D's palette of high quality meat & potatoes sounds (B3, AP's, EP's, clavs). As I think you suggested to me in an earlier thread, for the kinds of gigs I do, I don't really miss the SK's slightly better B3 sound and tweakabilty.

 

I just wish the NE5D's action was less springy, in particular for playing AP.

[AnotherScott]

1. Do the NE5D's springs "break-in" after awhile and become looser with less pushback?

In my experience, not really. I've never noticed any spring-return keyboard playing with less return pressure over time. I think further evidence is that, if you play older/used boards, the center section (which gets played much more) does not start feeling very different from the extremes.

 

2. Given that I'm not mechanically inclined (understatement of the decade), how difficult is it to replace the NE5D's springs with lighter ones?

It is extremely easy, and I say this as someone who is also not mechanically inclined at all. The hard part is finding the springs. The hardest part of the installation itself is knowing how to remove the cover, but you can find that info online.

 

You said you have (and prefer) an SK1. You can just swap the springs between the two, until you can locate additional springs so that you can have them both the way you want them. However, while I know the Nord opens easily, I don't know about the Hammond.

 

 

Do you play any weighted boards? I find them much more fatiguing than my Electro.

Just as an Electro is more fatiguing than many other semiweighted boards, I think your FA08 may be more fatiguing than many other hammer action boards. i.e. regardless of the type of board, the key may be the design of the particular action, at least as much as one type of board vs. the other. The fatiguing "pushback" HSS refers to is defnitely stronger on some semi-weighted than others, and stronger on some hammer actions than others.

[ElmerJFudd]

Weren't folks able to swap springs on Nords Fatar TP-8O at one point?'

[HSS]

In the thread linked below, Al Quinn mentioned that he had swapped out springs on his NE4D (TP80 action) recently for the same reason I'm considering doing it.

 

https://forums.musicplayer.com/ubbthreads.php/topics/2923929/2

 

Specifically, Al wrote that he replaced his NE4D springs with "KYSP27" springs from Syntaur Productions and he's happy with the result, so I suspect I would be as well (fingers crossed).

 

On the Syntaur website ( https://www.syntaur.com/ ), the KYSP27 springs are 95 cents each so, for me, 73 springs plus shipping would be ~$80. I may go ahead and order them, pop open my NE5D, and try to do the deed myself even though, like AnotherScott, I'm mechanically "challenged".

[slowtraveler]

I may go ahead and order them, pop open my NE5D, and try to do the deed myself even though, like AnotherScott, I'm mechanically "challenged".

It's a very manageable task for anyone with a little bench experience at the level of doing PC upgrades and board swaps, for example.

 

To prepare, I would recommend searching the Nord User Forums for guidance and bread crumb trails posted by users who have worked on their own Electros and Stages. Pablo Mastodon has posted incredibly helpful advice on DIY repair projects in various places, including here:

 

http://www.norduserforum.com/nord-stage-forum-f3/ns2-73-compact-eliminating-creaking-t7647.html#p48534

 

Carefully following the procedures I gleaned from reading posts by Pablo and others on the Nord forums, I was able to swap the springs on my E4D in about 90 minutes, using the following weapons:

 

Torx T20 screwdriver

1/8" or 7/64" hex key

small needle-nose pliers

7mm hex nut driver

 

Cheers,

 

B.

[HSS]

Slowtraveler... Many thanks for the info and the heads-up about the Nord User Forum.