Introducing Nord Piano 6!

[Spider]

Nord Stage 3 Compact/76/88: 3000/3200/3500 €
Nord Stage 4 Compact/73/88: 3800/4100/4400 €

That is wrong.

The Nord Stage 3 was 3500€/3700€/4000€.

True, sorry for the inaccuracy. Although if I remember correctly, the NS3 was actually 3000/3200/3500 until 2021 or so, before the inflation crisis drove prices up. And the NS4 was 5000 at launch, so the +1000€ price increase was still there.

Then of course we should adjust for inflation etc etc, this was not intended to be a scientific post, but just a remark that I'm afraid Clavia is really becoming too expensive for the average musician, especially if the new Electro will pass the 3k threshold, as looks very likely.

That's even more concerning if we consider that until a few years ago Clavia had basically no competitors, while now Yamaha and Roland have taken notice and are proposing very good alternatives at very competitive prices.

Omg, now I'm beginning to sound like Gambold!

[analogika]

Nord Stage 3 Compact/76/88: 3000/3200/3500 €
Nord Stage 4 Compact/73/88: 3800/4100/4400 €

That is wrong.

The Nord Stage 3 was 3500€/3700€/4000€.

True, sorry for the inaccuracy. Although if I remember correctly, the NS3 was actually 3000/3200/3500 until 2021 or so, before the inflation crisis drove prices up.

Sorry, are you talking about prices EXCLUDING tax?

I paid 3000€ inkl. 19% VAT for my Stage 3 compact in 2017, and that was a hefty quasi-endorsement discount. I just pulled up the receipt.

[Gambold]

>Clavia is really becoming too expensive for the average musician, especially if the new Electro will pass the 3k threshold, as looks very likely.<

Clavia has always been too expensive for the "average" musician. People who buy Clavias are either professionals, institutions, well-heeled amateurs, or musicians who are willing to pay top dollar for the very best. A

My concern about Clavia vs their competitors is not so much the pricing, but that they will fall behind in innovation, creating less reasons to spend the extra money. The Nord Organ is exciting because it appears to have a chance as the best organ on the market. That's innovation and leading the market.

The Piano 6 is another issue - I'm not a Piano owner so I can't speak with authority, but the general read I'm getting from those who are is disappointment. If current owners don't want to upgrade, and potential new owners don't see enough bang for the super-high bucks...then Clavia has a problem. We didn't see expanded memory, color screens, wi-fi, etc etc on the Piano 6. Clavia is selling dated technology now.

[analogika]

The Piano 6 is another issue - I'm not a Piano owner so I can't speak with authority, but the general read I'm getting from those who are is disappointment. If current owners don't want to upgrade, and potential new owners don't see enough bang for the super-high bucks...then Clavia has a problem. We didn't see expanded memory, color screens, wi-fi, etc etc on the Piano 6. Clavia is selling dated technology now.

Disagree. Generational improvements are very, very rarely enough to entice owners of the previous generation to upgrade — nor are they intended to — in just about ANY tech market.

iPhones/iPads/Apple Watch/Macs have been continuously criticised for literally decades now for not offering enough over their direct predecessors.

People were actively recommending buying a Stage 2 when the 3 came out, as they were buying the 3 over the 4 when that came out. The Stage 4 looks great, and if I were in the market for a new board, that's what I would buy — but it's not enough to see me upgrade from my Stage 3. Literally the only reason I switched from a Stage 2 to a Stage 3 was that I'd sworn to upgrade the second they offered a Stage with physical drawbars.

These new versions are interesting to people who were looking to buy a new product, anyway. Musicians tend to get decades of use out of their instruments, not months.

[Rusty Mike]

The disappointment for me is not the features introduced in the Piano 6, but rather the timing. The new feature set is compelling if I didn’t already own a Piano 5.

The Nord Piano 5 has been out only a few years, and this product introduction could have waited another year. By comparison, the Electro series is, In my opinion, several years overdue.

If Clavia is saving the most significant introduction for NAMM week, great. If not, it is sorely disappointing. Perhaps the Piano series has become a better seller than the Electro, hence the focus.

[Rusty Mike]

That's even more concerning if we consider that until a few years ago Clavia had basically no competitors, while now Yamaha and Roland have taken notice and are proposing very good alternatives at very competitive prices.

Not quite sure I would agree completely. Yamaha and Roland have their own interpretations, but it’s still up in the air to me.

I don’t own a Stage anymore and have no reason to own one. That said, the new Roland V Stage looks very busy. It will also be subject to Roland’s OS quirks. Also, you really have to like Roland’s sound profile - they have essentially one modern piano model and a specific drawbar organ flavor. We will see.

Yamaha’s YC series is more Electro-ish than a direct Stage competitor. That said, I’ve not had an easy time dialing in the YC personally. The CX and CFX piano samples don’t suit my ears and I find the Rhodes pianos less organic compared to the Nord. The velocity curves don’t fit my playing style despite endless tweaking. The menu diving and cryptic UI is frustrating. Despite being more expensive, I personally think Nord is the better value. Chances are pretty good that my YC 73 will go up for sale to help fund a new Electro when the time is right. Not sure yet what I’ll do with the Piano 5. it would be redundant to the Electro but playing it is a divine experience.

Anyway, I still think it’s a quality and personal use decision that is not 100% based on price.

[Gambold]

>Perhaps the Piano series has become a better seller than the Electro, hence the focus.<

That's an interesting idea. No idea how we could verify that, or even get some evidence for it, unless anyone here knows someone who works at a major music distributor and knows how many Nords go out a month in each line.

[analogika]

The disappointment for me is not the features introduced in the Piano 6, but rather the timing. The new feature set is compelling if I didn’t already own a Piano 5.

The Nord Piano 5 has been out only a few years, and this product introduction could have waited another year. By comparison, the Electro series is, In my opinion, several years overdue.

The Piano 5 came out in March 2021 — that's been four years. The initial release was in
2010.
2012 - NP2
2016 - NP3
2018 - NP4
2021 - NP5
2025 - NP6

Nothing out of the ordinary.

I agree that the Electro is overdue.

But it looks like Covid shoved the Electro and the Stage back two or three years.

[cphollis]

I don't lose sight of the fact that the Nord Piano is supposed to be -- well -- a digital piano and anything that goes along with that mission.

At some point, there's not much of anything in the way of significant new features that it would need. If you take a look at the feature set of the Piano 6, there's not much more I could think of asking for -- that is, without getting into Electro and Stage territory.

[analogika]

We didn't see expanded memory, color screens, wi-fi, etc etc on the Piano 6. Clavia is selling dated technology now.

I have to jump in…
What’s up with the fixation to color screens?

I do agree that bluetooth/wifi would be a nice addition to connect a mobile app for sound/program sync, but I really hope Nords will not get a color (touch) screen. Period.

Most color & touch screen user interfaces on musical instruments are really really bad (there might be exceptions and this is my humble opinion). Maybe Fantom 2020 is an exception.

Furthermore, Nords have a very clear and extensive live control layout. One does not need a screen with shiny 3D icons and other stuff. Other synths with hands-on interface also have black&white OLED, which is great.
Some Roland synths still have black&white LCD with horrible contrast.

Nords (and newer synths like Opsix, GAIA2, etc.) have beautiful and clear black&white displays that are perfect to read text and data off in gig situations!