Played some Nords recently...(extended commentary)

[Mighty Motif Max]

This is somewhat of a rambling commentary/collection of thoughts post (lol), so bear with me if you so please.

 

For most of my life I managed to not encounter a Nord keyboard. Sure, I knew of bands that had them, but none were local. Okay, I'd seen a band with an Electro 2 some years back, but they weren't great and it wasn't music I particularly enjoyed. I'd tried out a Stage 2EX back in 2016 at Guitar Center and was, shall we say, underwhelmed at the very least. A confusing sea of knobs and buttons, and I didn't like the sound at all. A few years back I again found a Stage 2 76 at a Music Go Round, and, having read a bit about Nord's UI, I tried it out. To say that I despised the action would be an understatement - I felt zero finger-to-ear connection, struggled with dynamics, and it honestly felt both too stiff and mushy at once. Not ever having been in the market for such a board anyways, I let it go and just figured that was how they were, having read various forum threads through the years about them lacking finger-to-ear connection and such.

 

I went to college; I saw more Nords over there, and was at this point aware of their popularity as controllers for Mainstage and such. Also I'd found Jesús Molina's music and he made those pianos sound fantastic. Fast forward to about a month ago. I'd purchased my MODX7 and was testing some third-party soundsets, one of which was a (free) version of Nord's old Silver Grand made from various samples available around the web. I kind of liked it, actually, so I started looking through Nord's own piano library site. Not bad at all, much like I'd heard in Jesús Molina's recordings (he used the uprights a lot and I tend to really like uprights anyways). Still, recordings don't tell you all that much in practice (looking at you, Korg Kronos pianos and strings). Then several weeks ago I was down in the Twin Cities on a business trip and to relax I went to the Roseville Guitar Center (the only GC I know of with a rather nice keys department). Since I had plenty of time, I decided to spend some time with the Nord Stage 3 88 they had on the floor with some nice monitors. Probably spent a good half-hour with it. I have to say - I have to say I was impressed.

 

The action felt great - while I'm not very picky about semi-weighted/synth actions, I am rather picky when it comes to hammer actions. Very few fall into my "enjoyable" category - namely the Kawai RHIII and Yamaha BH (not BHS) actions, with the Medeli action that Kurzweil uses in the 88-note PC4 being above average in its price class. My only experience with the Fatar TP-40 was in an old Studiologic SL990 that was pretty beat up, so unsurprisingly that wasn't a great experience. A lot of my keys work is ragtime or modern pop, both of which often demand a quick, smooth action. The Stage 3's keybed was great - maybe a smidge light, but really nice and expressive.

 

The second surprise was the pianos. I'm also very picky about piano samples, and generally I lean toward Yamaha and Kawai in that regard (for band mixes Roland is great). I've read all sorts of commentary about how the Nord pianos sound great in recordings but aren't great while you're playing, and again going back to my previous experiences I wasn't expecting much. And to be honest I was never that impressed with Nord products in general, so I had low expectations. As you can imagine it was quite a surprise then when I pulled up the Royal Grand and the Upright samples and found them really musical and enjoyable to play. It did help to choose a different velocity curve for them, but once I did that, it was rather close to playing the real thing (probably topped only by the Kawai ES8 in that regard).

 

The other sounds were fine - EP's were good (I'm spoiled by the Purgatory Creek samples in my PC4), organ sounded like a Nord (just not a huge fan of their Leslie sim), and the pipe organs were horrible (lol). I didn't dig much into the synth/sample section but I found some nice pads to layer with the pianos.

 

I walked away basically having had a lot of fun playing piano patches on a keyboard for a half hour. Not what I expected. At least they're actually that good considering the price tag!

 

---------

That was the Stage 3 88. Then last week I had the chance to do an audition at a church and the house board was an Electro 6D (61). Even in mono it sounded nice, but it was one patch (Royal Grand with a pad). The action was a hard sell though - I felt like I had no dynamic control of the pianos, and the lack of a mod wheel was very annoying (I'm someone who likes to map cutoff for pads to the mod wheel when I layer things). It really sounded great, but really difficult to connect to. I've been alright playing pianos on my MODX7, Fantom 7, and even the Korg Krome 61 in a pinch, but the Electro's SW action was really challenging.

 

---------

I've come to a few conclusions since then.

 

1. Never evaluate a hammer-action board that's wall-mounted as it won't have the proper stability and the action will feel off as a result.

2. I apparently had only previously experienced Nord's HP action - aka the TP-100, which I strongly dislike in general anyways (and explains a lot about the Music Go Round experience).

3. Nord's version of the TP40 action is in my top two keyboard actions (beating Yamaha's BH, second only to Kawai's RHIII).

4. At least some of Nord's pianos sound really good - even in mono, and the finger-to-ear connection with the TP40 is awesome.

5. I wish every keyboard I owned had their build quality.

6. I'm not the target market for the Electro line - the missing mod wheel plus the action options just aren't it for me.

7. I really dislike Nord's SW action. Springy, hard to control, and slippery all at once.

 

HOWEVER...I now understand why some folks really, really like the Stage 3. It's not a keyboard that I would ever really see fitting in any iteration of my live setup (and the price is absurd), just because I'm called on to cover so many things beyond pianos (and the split limitations would bug me), but wow, what a board. Ironically it's the pianos and action that I like so much - who knew. It would seem rather silly to buy a Nord Stage just to use it as a glorified piano, but then the actual Nord Piano and Nord Grand don't have the controllers for pads, so that's not it either. Then again the Kawai boards cost half as much and are just as good at pianos and have a slightly nicer piano-centric action (but the other sounds can't compete). It's an interesting paradox.

 

TLDR: Longtime Nord detractor is really impressed by the Stage 3's action, pianos, and finger-to-ear connection; kind of wishes he won the lottery and did jazz trio gigs so it could actually be used (lol). Now places it in his Top 2 keyboards for a piano experience.

[MathOfInsects]

Lay hands on the Nord Grand sometime. 
 

:chef’s kiss:

[AnotherScott]

35 minutes ago, Mighty Motif Max said:

Never evaluate a hammer-action board that's wall-mounted as it won't have the proper stability and the action will feel off as a result.

It's not just the stability. Wall-mount boards are usually angled. Unlike unweighted/semi-weighted actions, hammer actions depend on gravity for their return. When you angle it forward, you're just asking for it to respond more poorly. In fact, if you angle it enough (e.g. 90 degrees), the keys won't return at all!

 

It's been years since I did a thorough eval of piano sounds, but I doubt things have changed much. At the time, I liked Kawai and Nord best (at the time, it would have been the Kawai MP10 and the Grand Imperial sample from Nord) followed by Yamaha. The others (Korg, Roland, Casio, Kurzweil) were all notably behind those leaders, though all serviceable. I suspect my rankings would be similar today, though I do enjoy one of the pianos on my PC4 much more than the earlier ones (up through Artis, but I never had the opportunity to play Forte), and I'm curious to try the samples on the new Casio 7000.

 

As for semi-weighted actions for piano, I'd say the Nords are average. Which is a step up, I used to rank them as below average, I think they've tweaked the velocity curves to get them a bit more playable on the newer Electro/Stage models than the older. Still not great, though, even by non-hammer-action standards. PC4-7 and Vox Continental are both much better, for example.

[Nathanael_I]

24 minutes ago, MathOfInsects said:

Lay hands on the Nord Grand sometime. 
 

:chef’s kiss:

This. The triple sensor action is fully controllable to low teens in MIDI velocity. There is no aftertouch, so there’s no spongy feel at the bottom. The keys bottom like an acoustic instrument. The action on mine is rather close to the Kawaii RX7 across the room in the studio. It’s substantially better than any Fatar action. I prefer it over the Yamaha ones simply because there’s no aftertouch mushy bottom. 
 

The Nord samples are very average rompler quality samples, and on the small side.  There are no proper pianissimo samples… they are just lower volume mf samples.  I’ve written about them elsewhere. the Yamaha CFX sample in P-515 is better. But play a truly state of the art sample like the Vienna Synchron Steinway with it on good speakers, and it’s a very very good experience. 
 

There’s no Fatar action I’d choose over Kawaii or Yamaha where piano is concerned. The best actions for piano are unsurprisingly made by people who make acoustic pianos. The action in the Nord Grand isn’t even Kawai’s best - they save it for their home digitals. CA-98 I think it used to be called. Not a gig piano. No rompler has a keyboard this nice. Sad, but true. I gave up romplers for a laptop a decade ago. The Nord Grand has a pathetically simple MIDI implementation, but GigPerformer or MainStage fully make up for its limitations. One pays for the action and it’s responsiveness.  
 

Nord should be making 32 or 64Gb stage pianos where the entire RAM can be dedicated to one instrument. 1 or 2 or even 8GB is crippled, compared to state-of-the-art for piano sampling. 32-64GB would truly match what the action is capable of, or stream a ~250Gb sample like the Synchron Steinway from SSD. That sample library is extraordinarily good. There’s over 50 velocity layers on one of the best prepared Steinways I’ve ever heard in one of the finest scoring halls in the world. On good speakers or in-ears, it fully delivers. 

Good piano actions are heavy. In odd form factors. And generally bundled with much less functional sound engine packages. The more the box does, the less good it is at everything it does. Versality over functional optimization. Choosing great piano action has always led me away from romplers and to stage pianos from piano companies. That said, a Kong Kronos is an immensely capable machine. As is a Nord Stage for most real-world gigs. I get why they exist. I just radically prefer what’s in my laptop, played on a great triple sensor action. 

 

 

 

 

[AnotherScott]

5 hours ago, Nathanael_I said:

The Nord samples {have} no proper pianissimo samples… they are just lower volume mf samples.  

Yes, that is their biggest shortcoming. The saving grace (such as it is) is that, in live (non-solo) gigs, pianissimo is rarely called for.

 

5 hours ago, Nathanael_I said:

The action in the Nord Grand isn’t even Kawai’s best

Right... as you said later, the best actions are just too heavy (and oddly shaped) to be practical in a portable slab.

 

5 hours ago, Nathanael_I said:

Nord should be making 32 or 64Gb stage pianos where the entire RAM can be dedicated to one instrument.

I suspect that would be way, way more expensive than connecting to a capable laptop.

[analogika]

Thanks for weighing in! 
 

There‘s a few things I’d like to add: 

 

1. As of the Stage 3/Electro 6, the Leslie has a “close” mic’ed setting that I find much better. 
 

2. Nord limits the choices on their interfaces, but the options they do offer are extremely musical. See the piano filters for an example. They’re basically just hard EQ presets, but they immediately do what you need them to, and they sound great. 
 

3. What I love about their pianos, despite their limitations (no pianossimo, yes) is that they don’t try to manufacture polished “ideal” representation. Their employees seem to find instruments that are special or have some kind of charm, and try to capture that with all its imperfections. I’m still a little pissed that they fixed the tuning on the C# of the Nefertiti Rhodes. At least the worn-out hammer tips are still there. 

[Moonglow]

Nord pianos are my favorite. There’s a “liveliness” to their sound character I really like.

[CyberGene]

The various Nord piano samples are very pleasing to my ears when I listen to online demos, however when I played a Nord Piano in a store, it was a meh experience. I tested with different touch response, I went through many different models that were installed but none was convincing. There's something in the playability that is severely lacking but I don't know what it is.

[Al Quinn]

Thanks for the writeup Max. Interesting insights. I had a Stage 2 HA88 and an Electro 4D but was unable to connect with either. Nord's sound great to me when someone else is playing them. I've sold both. In terms of sound, I have a Dexibell SX7 sound module and the acoustic pianos are stunning. The P515 I bought last year has been the most satisfying digital piano I've ever owned although, for me, it's too heavy to schlep to a gig. The finger to ear connection is so good that after playing it a lot and going back to my acoustic Yamaha C3 I realized that the C3 needed some work (i.e., voicing, hammer filing, and regulation). A few $$ later all is good.

[Stokely]

I had an Electro 6d, I really liked that machine.  The build quality, the sounds, everything.  I sold it thinking I'd upgrade to a Stage 3 compact (for the synth) but the plans fell through when covid stopped my gigs, and after they started Nord upped their prices by a LOT....too much for me at any rate, I've moved on to other options.   My buddy got the Stage 3 88 before the price hike and I like that action, it's fast and piano-ish enough for me at least.

I did see an Electro6 used on guitar center's used site for what I call a "mistake price"...I think they priced it at Electro 3 or 2 levels, and they said "excellent condition".   It was gone in a day.  You can sometimes catch such deals on GC.

[rickzjamm]

I had the NS3 & replaced it with the YC88, the action & "other" sounds beat the NS3 except the NS3 organ... I'm partial to that (pun intended).  

 

[ProfD]

Brotha @Mighty Motif Max, great write-up.  I certainly share some of the same sentiment when it comes to Nord KBs. 

 

I really should *like* the Nord Stage 3 for the sounds I use but something about that KB leaves me cold. 

 

That springy key action on some of the Electros and Nord Wave is definitely not my favorite. 

 

The Nord Grand is awesome to play.  For me, it has a better FTEC (finger to ear connection) than the Nord Stage.  😎

 

 

[Michael Wright]

I've had an Electro 3 and a C2,  They have since been sold on.  Right now I'm looking for something to take over piano/organ duties.  I was pleasantly surprised when I had a chance to try an Electro 6 73 with hammer action.  Its on my list of contenders! 

[Stokely]

2 hours ago, rickzjamm said:

I had the NS3 & replaced it with the YC88, the action & "other" sounds beat the NS3 except the NS3 organ... I'm partial to that (pun intended).  

 

Interesting, the new YC organ seems much improved (from vids and from testimonials) did you install that update?

For me the real kicker and why I don't think I'd be happy with the YC vs the Stage would be that the Nord has a full Lead A1 synth in it.   We've been talking about the Modx/Montage and AN-X as a possible engine, but if they added a cool new virtual analog engine to the YC it would instantly jump to the top of my wish list, Nord and their asking price of $5.2K can buzz off...

[Michael Wright]

9 minutes ago, Stokely said:

Nord and their asking price of $5.2K can buzz off...

Yup, they are getting pretty pricey.  The YC is also of interest,  but not being able to try anything out right now, puts everything on hold for me.   

[drawback]

2 hours ago, ProfD said:

The Nord Grand is awesome to play.  For me, it has a better FTEC (finger to ear connection) than the Nord Stage.  😎

 

My favourite action, and I'm a fan of their APs. I think if Nord offered as many improvements (alternatives?) to their Rhodes samples as they have for APs, I'd be tempted. But for me, their Rhodes library has been eclipsed for years. So any Nord at this stage of the game is not on my radar.

[ProfD]

15 minutes ago, drawback said:

But for me, their Rhodes library has been eclipsed for years. So any Nord at this stage of the game is not on my radar.

Brotha @drawback I read what you did there. I like it.🤣

 

The Nefertiti Rhodes sample is cute but not enough for me to spend that kinda bread especially for something red. 😎

[AnotherScott]

1 hour ago, drawback said:

But for me, their Rhodes library has been eclipsed for years. So any Nord at this stage of the game is not on my radar.

Yeah, I'm among those who really like the Nord APs but am not enamored with the Nord EP. They're... okay. And they have made improvements. But for EP, I'd still prefer assorted boards from Korg/Vox, Kurzweil, Casio, Kawai, Yamaha. (Not ALL the boards from those brands, but at least some.) Nord EPs still beat Roland's though...

 

I did get a substantially improved Nord EP by playing with the EQ, but a quirk of the Nord architecture is that your EQ'd piano sounds cannot be saved as easily independently recalled sounds. By which I mean, if you want to take your existing custom EQ'd Rhodes sound and bring it into a program with some other split/layered sounds, you can't directly call it up. You have to locate a Program where you've used that Rhodes before, and copy the Panel it's on into your new Program, and then further edit if that Panel included other sounds you don't want... It's just not a good system for mixing and matching customized piano sounds. Customized synth/sample library sounds can be saved in their own library, but that's not available for sounds in the Piano library... which isn't much of a problem for the acoustic pianos because they sound good as is... but is a problem for EPs which always seem to need tweaking.

 

In the end, the best thing to do is to write down your EQ settings, and dial them back in manually every time you want to use those EPs. Workable, especially since the EP controls are immediately front panel accessible. but so primitive! ;-) The other issue of EPs needing EQ is that, within a Program (or at least a Panel, IIRC), you can't have different EQs on different sounds, so if you're going to "use up" the EQ for your EP, you don't have separate EQ available for other sounds in the same panel. They addressed this some by adding a handful of separately independently selectable EQs for the EP sounds in a recent update, and that definitely helps, though I still don't like those EPs as much as the ones I EQ myself. So... better, but still not as good the ones in my top tiers.

[MathOfInsects]

45 minutes ago, AnotherScott said:

Yeah, I'm among those who really like the Nord APs but am not enamored with the Nord EP. They're... okay. And they have made improvements. But for EP, I'd still prefer assorted boards from Korg/Vox, Kurzweil, Casio, Kawai, Yamaha. (Not ALL the boards from those brands, but at least some.) Nord EPs still beat Roland's though...

 

I did get a substantially improved Nord EP by playing with the EQ, but a quirk of the Nord architecture is that your EQ'd piano sounds cannot be saved as easily independently recalled sounds. By which I mean, if you want to take your existing custom EQ'd Rhodes sound and bring it into a program with some other split/layered sounds, you can't directly call it up. You have to locate a Program where you've used that Rhodes before, and copy the Panel it's on into your new Program, and then further edit if that Panel included other sounds you don't want... It's just not a good system for mixing and matching customized piano sounds. Customized synth/sample library sounds can be saved in their own library, but that's not available for sounds in the Piano library... which isn't much of a problem for the acoustic pianos because they sound good as is... but is a problem for EPs which always seem to need tweaking.

 

In the end, the best thing to do is to write down your EQ settings, and dial them back in manually every time you want to use those EPs. Workable, especially since the EP controls are immediately front panel accessible. but so primitive! 😉 The other issue of EPs needing EQ is that, within a Program (or at least a Panel, IIRC), you can't have different EQs on different sounds, so if you're going to "use up" the EQ for your EP, you don't have separate EQ available for other sounds in the same panel. They addressed this some by adding a handful of separately independently selectable EQs for the EP sounds in a recent update, and that definitely helps, though I still don't like those EPs as much as the ones I EQ myself. So... better, but still not as good the ones in my top tiers.

Insanely easy to get around this, though: just build the split or layer on your saved EP patch, and do "Store as..."

 

I hate Nord's Rhodes. Nefertiti is the only one I even get near. I do like Nord's Wurly's, and with just a little bit of skill with the effects and EQ, you can get them to punch way above their weight.

[AnotherScott]

6 minutes ago, MathOfInsects said:

Insanely easy to get around this, though: just build the split or layer on your saved EP patch, and do "Store as..."

This requires that you know, before you start assembling your patch, which EP you're going to want to use in the combo you're assembling (or that you want EP at all), because you must pick it first. And then, if after you assemble the rest of the combo, you were to think, "hmm, now that I hear it in context, that other EP sound would work better here," you're back to the same problem. 

 

It's not insurmountable, it's just an irritating limitation that you don't have to think about with most boards, where you can pick the sounds you need, as you need them, in whatever order you feel like.

 

11 minutes ago, MathOfInsects said:

I hate Nord's Rhodes. Nefertiti is the only one I even get near. 

I have wished that I could combine the low velocity samples of one of their EPs with the high velocity samples of another...

[Daddyg3042]

In the last 10 years or so, I moved from a PC3 to a Kronos and now to a NS376.  Still have the Kronos but I haven't played out with it since getting the NS3.  I bought the Nord for really two reasons; didn't want to beat up the Kronos, taking it out 2-3 times a week.  Secondly, it was just too damned heavy in its hard case.  I was always scared it would go down and need to reboot on a gig as it takes like 3-4 minutes to boot.   They both have hammer action, but the NS3 plays much more "crisp-ly" than the Kronos, which feels kind of mushy now.  I certainly preferred getting around on the Kronos with the large screen and relatively user friendly interface, but the Nord is becoming much more intuitive as I use it, especially now learning how to use to use Song mode as kind of a "quick access" like the PC3.  

 

Insofar as AP & EP live, the Nord cuts though better than I found the with Kronos, which I'm sure EQ and whatnot would help.  It certainly doesn't have the variety of sounds the Kronos does, and orchestral stuff beats the Nord hands down, but I rarely do that live anyway.   There's enough within reach with the EQ & effects sections that tweaking on the fly helps sit the keys in the mix. 

 

Between the weight, weighted action on a 76 key board, and its presence in the mix, I'm glad I got one before the price went up.  

 

I still miss V.A.S.T though : )

[MathOfInsects]

4 minutes ago, AnotherScott said:

This requires that you know, before you start assembling your patch, which EP you're going to want to use in the combo you're assembling (or that you want EP at all), because you must pick it first. And then, if after you assemble the rest of the combo, you were to think, "hmm, now that I hear it in context, that other EP sound would work better here," you're back to the same problem. 

 

It's not insurmountable, it's just an irritating limitation that you don't have to think about with most boards, where you can pick the sounds you need, as you need them, in whatever order you feel like.

 

I have wished that I could combine the low velocity samples of one of their EPs with the high velocity samples of another...

I guess I've never really come across this to any extent that would gripe me. I rarely want the exact same sounding EP (or any keyboard) on multiple songs. I keep a couple of MOI-refined APs and EPs (and clav) on the Live bank, and those get me through most situations. Anything they don't, I'm usually building the patches from scratch anyway. But I understand what you're saying.

[ProfD]

46 minutes ago, MathOfInsects said:

I keep a couple of MOI-refined APs and EPs (and clav) on the Live bank...I'm usually building the patches from scratch...

Therein lies the beauty of the Stage.  That real-time control over the sections (organ, Piano and Synth) is almost worth the price of admission. 😎

[ElmerJFudd]

Every single time the notion of a Nord pops into my head all I need to do is go to the shop and play one to shake off that feeling.  There’s no way in hell I will ever spend that kind of money on a TP 100 or the tight springy action in the electro, wave two or stage compact (though the compact has a lot to distract from the keys). 
 

I would consider a Nord Grand with the Kawai action or a Stage 88 with the TP-40.  The sound library is very good as are the organ and synth engines.  But these are heavy instruments, so likely they’d stay at home.  I just don’t need either and there are so many other very good sounding and well featured instruments to choose from at significantly better price points.  
 

Everyone’s needs and budget vary, though.   So pick what works for you.  
 

 

[analogika]

28 minutes ago, Jazz1642606857 said:

As a pianist, I have never recommended Nord to another piano player.

I only like Kawai digital pianos. The Kawai ES series: ES120, ES520, and ES920.

I have no financial relationship with Kawai. I simply prefer their actions, their dynamic response, and their recent great SK-EX piano samples.

I do not recommend Roland, Kurzweil, or Yamaha digital pianos due primarily to their actions and secondly their main piano sample set.

 

The Nord Grand has a Kawai action. 

[CyberGene]

49 minutes ago, Jazz1642606857 said:

As a pianist, I have never recommended Nord to another piano player.

I only like Kawai digital pianos. The Kawai ES series: ES120, ES520, and ES920.

I have no financial relationship with Kawai. I simply prefer their actions, their dynamic response, and their recent great SK-EX piano samples.

I do not recommend Roland, Kurzweil, or Yamaha digital pianos due primarily to their actions and secondly their main piano sample set.

I see that you have copy-pasted the same post on PW but replacing the word Nord with Yamaha. One would think copy/pasting boilerplate across forums is a pretty good indicator of you being actually paid to do so but I have no reasons to believe Kawai would rely on such a cheaply executed marketing. So, you’re just OCD-ed, or something, about Kawai. I don’t want to disappoint you but there are many great pianists out there with a lot of experience that play all the digital piano brands in the world, not just Kawai. 

[AnotherScott]

56 minutes ago, Jazz1642606857 said:

I only like Kawai digital pianos.

Didn't you used to like some Casios, too?

 

56 minutes ago, Jazz1642606857 said:

I do not recommend Roland, Kurzweil, or Yamaha digital pianos due primarily to their actions and secondly their main piano sample set.

Yamaha has such diverse actions and sample sets, I'd be surprised if someone could really write off the entire line? Have you ever played the Yamaha CP88, P515, CP1, or CP5?

[ElmerJFudd]

2 hours ago, Dave Ferris said:

I have an itch to get something new and different. So I've been considering either the Nord Grand or Nord Piano 5 again.  Sort of leaning towards the NP5 for reducing the schlep weight of the P-515.  But not urgent, as I've hit a dry spell again.

 

I'm also still considering the Vintage Vibe.  I'm going to stop by Vintage King in Burbank again today and see if the mojo is still there. He said they got in the Deluxe model.

A Vintage Vibe with the slider for adjusting pickup position is very enticing.  But for me would also be a home piece.  

[SteinwayB]

I would like to chime in in on this topic which is near and dear to my heart.  I have been in the digital piano game a long time, starting with a Kurzwil K 1000 followed by Kawai MP9000 and then transitioning to software pianos including Gigapiano,  Ivory, Hammersmith, VSL, and others.  I profoundly remember receiving my original Nord Piano with reat expectations, plugging it in, donning headphones, and saying out loud "yuck".  The action and AP's were terrible.  I sold it and bought the CP4 which has been my workhorse for several years.  Fantstic action, best AP tone I had played (dark CFX) but still disappointing sound.  I found the latest software pianos previously mentioned sound great in recordings but the playability was way behind the CP4 and far less enjoyable to play.  I have used a wide array of amplification from FBT, RCFTT's, and Genelec 8050b's.  I have also spent hours playing with velocity curves and EQ.  Although the CP4 remained the best of the digitals, it was still not satisfying to play.  Several months ago I went to Chuck Levins and played the Nord Grand and MP11 along with CP88 and I liked the NG the best and the MP11 2nd, but the cost of the NG and weight of the MP11 were prohibitory.  I purchased a Kawai ES920 and although it sounded pretty good through it's speakers, still did not sound as good as my CP4 through headphones so I returned it.  Fast forward to a few weeks ago; I checked out a Nord Piano3 on CL and brought my CP4 along for AB comparison.  My first thought was "I hate this keybed" however the tone (royal 3d) absolutely blew away the CP4 so I bought it and sold the CP4.  First thing I did was download "white piano" and it was far better than royal 3d.  I have since adjusted to the light keybed of the NP and I absolutely love playing it.  I have NEVER said this about a digital piano before.  This is a gamechanger for me and I can't wait to bring it to a jazz gig.

[MathOfInsects]

1 hour ago, Dave Ferris said:

 

OT-- I just returned from Vintage King and playing the suitcase Vintage Vibe Deluxe model. I lasted maybe 90 seconds, both with phones and its speakers, and said not at all for me. This one was terrible ! The other one ( the Classic ?)  they had without speakers was better. This one had super clunky action and the sustain pedal was not integrated right. You could give it to me and I wouldn't play it.

Their thin sound and rubbery action do nothing for me.