Do you think Nord's are cycling out?

[bennyray]

A friend of mine swears they are not as in demand as other brands have more options at a lower cost. Thoughts or opinions?

[ITGITC]

 

I couldn't care less what your friend says.

 

I like mine. That's all that matters.

 

...and if you'll give me a dollar and a couple of hours, I'll be glad to tell you why!

 

Tom

 

[bennyray]

Guess I have on choice but drink to that!

 

 

 

 

 

[jeffinpghpa]

Reports of Nords death are greatly exaggerated.

 

That being said, they offer a great experience for the gigging player who desire to have one.

 

My reasons for selling my red stack were based on my goals and what I wanted to do next.

[Song80s]

A friend of mine swears they are not as in demand as other brands have more options at a lower cost. Thoughts or opinions?

 

I recall starting on a topic on 'why $4000 for a Nord "

6 months back.

 

6 pages of posts, the love was detailed and convincing, even to me , a non Nord owner.

 

I don't believe much has changed in 6 months.

[Doerfler]

I don't believe much has changed in 6 months.

 

Except it's winter now

[bennyray]

A friend of mine swears they are not as in demand as other brands have more options at a lower cost. Thoughts or opinions?

 

I recall starting on a topic on 'why $4000 for a Nord "

6 months back.

 

6 pages of posts, the love was detailed and convincing, even to me , a non Nord owner.

 

I don't believe much has changed in 6 months.

 

Greg and Dave always choose words carefully as a wise man!

 

Much respect as always!

[Dave Ferris]

I don't know about that since I only run in a small, specific musical world pretty much removed from most here- but I am seeing quite a few Casios among older Jazz piano guys, that are my age, on gigs. Actually more then Yamahas.

 

With the younger 20s,30s, early 40 somethings, I do see quite a large number of Electros. Mainly I think for the organ and piano. Again though, I don't inhabit the pop/rock world, so I'm not exactly a barometer.

 

A few still play their old Kurzweils too. Just saw the great Randy Waldman at Bogie's in Westlake backing a singer using an old Kurz.

 

It seems more common that if you're mainly an Acoustic player, you're more likely to hold onto an older electronic keyboard till it literally dies.

 

I feel the gigs and the days of "full-time musicians" being able to make a living and buy a house are the main things "cycling out" - or have totally left the building altogether.

[ITGITC]

 

Honestly, I'm more worried about Kurzweil. Those are priced like the Nords, but it's hard finding one in a music store (and has been for a very long time).

 

OTOH, I don't have the sales figures on any of the brands. Without those, everything said is speculative.

 

I would be interested in knowing if using a laptop (or iPad) on stage for sound generation is trending up these days. Again, without numbers, the best we can go on is what we see when we go hear bands, or read in Keyboard Mag articles. Right? Lots of folks are using these (iPads) to display lyrics or notation. That's easy to spot. But for sound generation? I don't know.

 

And while we're on the topic, I wonder how sales at Vintage Vibe are doing? Personally, I'd rather have a Nord than fool with the mechanical issues of a Rhodes or Wurlitzer EP. And, after lugging a Rhodes around for years, I can't see using one live these days.

 

But, I'll admit, these are my preferences. I can't begin to guess how sales of various brands are doing today. Does anyone here on the forum have access to these numbers?

 

 

 

 

[ElmerJFudd]

For some the focus on most common gigging functions and a user interface that doesnt require a big touch deep diving is preferable and worth the price.

They really pioneered the use of flash RAM and a forever growing sample library to let users pick and choose what they want rather than be given a big library full of things you may need and many you may not want at all.

Despite achieving lighter weights, the build quality is sturdy.

 

That said, they arent competitively priced when you consider features and capabilities present in Yamaha, Kurzweil and Korg boards in the price range. They dont design and build their own actions so if youre not a fan of one of the Fatar models they use youre out of luck. And some folks dont like red - which is they are apparently very deeply committed to.

[cphollis]

Complex topic, to be sure.

 

If I deconstructed what I needed into specific atomic features, I'd probably be playing something else. Thankfully, I haven't done that.

 

In my world, I play for fun, not $$$. I'll pay a premium for a better experience. It's certainly not for the money.

 

And the Nords make me smile every time I play them.

 

I have had a similar infatuation with Porsches. Thankfully, I'm through that now. There is no logical reason one should ever buy a Porsche. There are cars for less money that are faster, handle better, etc.

 

Until you really drive one, and then it's all over.

 

Logic can only take you so far in life ...

[retrokeys]

Don't know about others but I have had an Electro 2 since they were introduced. It has been gigged regularly since and has yet to go to the shop. Just about the most reliable board I have ever had. Tough to justify replacement. Maybe this is the reason for slowing sales, if in fact, that is happening.

[Dr Nursers]

I think Nords are here for a long while yet. When I bought my Electro 5D, I was really put off by the workflow initially, and also disappointed in the lack of memory for sounds. But - I grew to like it and can't see myself selling mine unless I'm forced to. That said, I no longer use it for gigging.

[bennyray]

I think Nords are here for a long while yet. When I bought my Electro 5D, I was really put off by the workflow initially, and also disappointed in the lack of memory for sounds. But - I grew to like it and can't see myself selling mine unless I'm forced to. That said, I no longer use it for gigging.

 

Great observation but most people like Nords for sounds plus the light weight of the keyboard. The one thing about NORD is the resale value is very good. I sold a NE5D after a year and was offered about what I paid for it needless to say I sold it. I like the pianos because they cut thru the mix really well. Having said all that the player is what makes your instrument stand out bottom line.

[Jerry Huber]

On the NBC Today show this morning, I saw a segment where a large choir sang a Christmas tune. They were all wearing red robes, their accompaniment was only a keyboard player playing a red keyboard, obviously a Nord. I wondered if the producers thought the red keyboard had the right look to match everyone else wearing red. I've had Nords for 10 years, I never thought of them as a "Holiday" keyboard, maybe there's a market for that.

[ElmerJFudd]

I also believe these niche instruments, the pricey ones that we are into are duking it out more and more with software developers on MacOS/Windows and iOS. You can show up to any gig with a decent USB Midi capable keyboard in the back line and have all your sounds and fx, splits and layers and song lists ready to go. You dont need the keyboard to be capable of any of it. Little by little the issues that kept us away are fading. Latency can get pretty low, polyphony pretty high, stability/crash-proofness is much better than it was.

[3rdAct]

For a single keyboard focused on B3 (with drawbars), AP, EP, and clav, along with some basic orchestral and synth sounds, it's still hard to beat the Electro, or the Stage, if an actual synth is desired. And the keybed is workable for all of those sounds, and the interface is quite simple. This focus will probably continue to serve Nord well, assuming they keep up with any improvements in sounds that others produce.

[Stokely]

I do find it interesting that the versions seem to be "speeding up". Electro 2 to 3, then 3 to 4 took a long while iirc...then boom, 5 and 6. Piano and Stage as well. Probably just a shift in how they think of version numbers, we have done that with our main software product at work

 

Personally I've probably got one more hardware keyboard in me, and leading contender is an electro. That's mainly for live, but it can serve as a controller at home too. If I wasn't playing live, I'd be software only 100% sure of that. So in short, it's not just Nord but all of them phasing out in my case....

[ChiefDanG]

I could not justify, to myself, spending big bucks on a gigging board. About 6 months ago I decided to take advantage of a great price and bought a NS3. Nowadays, I think - why didn't I do this years ago?

Love my little red keyboard.

[El Lobo]

Last gig, a musician said how impressed she was with the B3 sound "coming out of that little keyboard." That's enough for me.

[fjzingo]

I guess the toughest competition is not other brands, it's more used boards. It is difficult to get better and better. Nord stage 2 is everywhere still...

[UnderGroundGr]

I had two models in the past.

I believe are overpriced and the quality do not much with the cost...

Especially the keybeds...

But everything is a matter of taste...

[Steve in VA]

I think Nord has fallen behind some of the competition in their support for computer-based virtual instruments. A built-in USB audio interface is becoming increasingly common and is one of the primary reasons I chose a Roland RD-2000 over a Nord.

[AnotherScott]

A friend of mine swears they are not as in demand as other brands have more options at a lower cost. Thoughts or opinions?

Friend is saying two things... demand is low, and it's because of competition

 

To the second: Others brands' boards having more options at lower cost has been true for a long, long time.

 

To the first, we have no hard sales figures. Best clues would probably be to look at the major online sites, search the product categories where you find the Nords, sort by best-sellers/popularity, and see where Nords fall. It tells you nothing about overall sales (i.e. they could be down for everyone), but does give you a clue of sales relative to other brands. Surprise... Nord looks good. I suspect your friend is swearing out his a$$.

 

As for how the boards have changed over time, I've owned five Electro/Stage models over the years, and the newest (Stage 3) is easily the best.

 

[CountFosco]

One of my favourite TV shows is the pommy show Later with Jules Holland. Each episode, 5 or 6 world class bands/artists from a wide variety of genres and vintages take turns to play a live track, approx 3 tracks each. It's a great studio space, artists are set up in the round. Generally the standard of music and performance is very high, and the sound guys must be top notch. And it's gear voyeur heaven. I certainly haven't seen a drop off in red keyboards in recent years.

[J. Dan]

There's no place in St. Louis to buy a Nord OR a Kurzweil, so I've never laid my hands on either one. Locally, I've seen bands where the keyboard player had a Nord (never a Kurzweil), but never noticed any difference over other keyboards to justify spending that kind of money online on the hope that it will be what I imagine. Many years ago, before GC, we had a local retailer that carried Kurzweil, promoted them heavily, and even developed their own sample libraries. That was K2000 days, well before Nord existed. "Those days are gone forever, I should just let it go, but...."

[SamuelBLupowitz]

As a younger guy interested in vintage keyboards and sounds, but without the means to haul too many around, the Nord seemed (and still seems) to be the perfect balance of sonic fidelity, interface simplicity, use flexibility, and portability (sounds like something out of Gilbert and Sullivan).

 

I trust from the experiences on this forum (as well as my own) that there are other boards that can do some of those things better. But for the totality, the Electro fits me perfectly, and that seems to be the case for a lot of other vintage-minded players in my age bracket in my local scene (either Electro, Stage, or Piano). I can grab a handful of drawbars and get that great organ sound from something that fits in my car with all my other stuff. It sits right on top of my Wurlitzer. I can set it up with exactly the samples and user presets I like (as much as you can dive in and save presents and switch between them easily, I love that my 4D has for "live" save settings so I can just swap between the most recent tweaks to my four most-used sounds).

 

And when I don't want to haul my clav or my Wurli, it gets the job done really well, and while I can certainly tell the difference, my drummer always tells me he can't!

 

I always say that if I could have anything I want, I'd walk onstage to a pre-set B3, Wurlitzer, Clavinet, Yamaha grand, and maybe a Moog. But that's not the world I live in, and I'm just as happy today with my Electro 4D as when I got it a few years back, both as an all-purpose gigging board and as a dedicated organ.

 

Though I still think about getting something with dual manuals and two to four sets of drawbars... :wink:

 

Oh also I can't believe this hasn't come up yet on this thread, so something something something Nord Lead.

[jeffinpghpa]

There is really nothing else matching it for a B3 organ in its class other than Crumar/Gemini or getting a dedicated clonewheel.

 

If you like to tweak in some effect adjustments on the fly in your amp simulations or stomp box effects, it does make up for what else is lacking in the core samples for rhodes, wurlitzer and clav and is great onstage when you don't come in with all of your patches dialed in just right.

 

I think the acoustic pianos are very desirable in a live instrument because:

 

- they have unique tone and characteristics, especially the uprights

- sit well in a band mix

 

They are built very well and are very light. No arguments there. I never had any failure with any of the Stage, Stage 2 or Electro products I owned.

 

Is it going to sound like the 40GB pianos from 8dio, or the EPs in Keyscape or Soniccouture? No. Does the synth provide the sonic nuances and behaviors of programming a Kurzweil? No. Does it give you a B3 experience like the XK-5? Not really.

 

I don't think any of the above is really what customers are buying Nord for, though.

 

[Legatoboy]

It would be nice if they were a bit cheaper, even with all that's been said...stating the obvious I suppose. I dig my 5D a lot though!

[Joe P]

Don't know about others but I have had an Electro 2 since they were introduced. It has been gigged regularly since and has yet to go to the shop. Just about the most reliable board I have ever had. Tough to justify replacement. Maybe this is the reason for slowing sales, if in fact, that is happening.

 

I'm in the exact same boat, but I do covet an NE4SW73. I'm not a drawbar jockey so I don't need the NE4D, I have the NE2-61 now and would like more keys for organ splits and for piano. Also, I would like access to the Nord sound library and would be interested to hear if the Leslie sim and overdrive are good enough for me to lose my MiniVent and Organ Grinder. Also the Amp sims and other effects are desirable for EPs.

 

Generally speaking I don't have New Nord money, I barely have Used Nord money!