Clavia Nord Electro 61

software version = 2.3 on the OG electro.(not electro II)

Presets sound good. Mine was downloaded with updates though - so I'm not sure WHICH presets they are. (Bought used)

Editing patches is easy. But its not a synth/workstation type board. So editing a patch is basicly adding effects. Most of this is on the front panel. No menus, sub menus. Easy to do in real time.
Manual - don't need it for your basics. Had to look up how to config the pedal, lower the keyclick volume on the B-3.And to learn about the filter settings for the clavinet. Clear manual.

Very easy to use. Everything you need is on the front panel clearly labeled. It???s a simple instrument.
Drawbars:Some pro's and cons to their Led -push-button method. Its hard to just reach up and smoosh in a bunch of drawbars. (I like to switch suddenly to a 888000000 but with the smooth morph. ).I imagine this will get easier after a while. But it IS quick to reach up and nudge a drawbar in our out by 1 quick tap. Its nice to access a preset and be able to change it immeadiatly. (You don't have to worry about the fact that your drawbar is in the wrong position after switching to a preset.) B-3 vets (I'm not one) will also miss having the seperate sets of drawbars for upper and lower manual. (a button is used to toggle upper and lower). I wasn't concerned with this when I got it. But its such a nice sounding b-3 clone I'll be using my 'lower manual' (via midi) more now. Some magazine reviews complained about not having a real screen. This doesn't bother me - except there's no way to name your stored patches.
A lot of it's Ease of Use is due to lack of features though.

Organ has full polyphony. Other sounds - I'm not sure. Hold down the sustain and arrpegio up the keys, and you'll drop notes. For my purposes I'm not worried.
I like it. Yay! Waterfall keys. Non-organ sounds require a soft touch. I've been gigging with synths instead of digital pianos with weighted keys anyway, so I'm used to not having the proper Electric Piano touch. If you want weighted keys you will be dissappointed(?)
Built in effects are exellent. Includes old school sounding chorus, phaser, flanger, wahs and autowahs, distortion.
Expansion:can download new sounds from web site. Haven't tried.
Midi is minimal. No pitchbends, After touch. You can Midi in a keyboard to make a 2 manual organ. (what else do you need from an Organ/Electric Piano clone?)Not sure how to score this one. It's not loaded with features - but this board shouldn't be. They lose a point for no reverb. THAT???S a pain in the butt. I'm trying to strip down my gear. . . And now I've got to add another piece for reverb!

Velocity response is nice. Because it???s a compromise between the super light action of hammond and sluggish action of the rhodes and such, the electric pianos require a softer touch than most keys. I always set my synths for a light touch too. So it works for me! (why work so hard when its not real action.)
Sounds: This is what this instrument is all about. The b-3 is HEAVEN!!!!!!!. Ok - to qualify - I haven't played on the real deal in years. But a/b it against recordings, and its dead on. Sweet leslie sim. The best chorus/vibrato I've heard. Keyclick sounds weird at the preset level. But lower this to a nearly subliminal level (or eq it out) and it sounds about right. I got this board because I heard someone playing one in a festival (complete with left hand bass) and it was hand's down the best clone I'd ever heard. To qualify some more: I haven't tried the competitor's latest versions of the clones that use modeling. But this beats ALL the sampled drawbar clones. None of the stores near me carry organ clones. So I went with this one when it showed up on Ebay.
Electric Pianos. They sound great. I don't know if they'd fool the vintage keyboard players. Not enough chime in the rhodes for me. (comparing to my Mark I 73 key) but still REALLY nice and I'm not even considering hauling the rhodes to a gig. the rhodes is the only vintage keyboard I have, so I may be just more critical of the nord copy because of that. Although I prefer the real Rhodes to Wurly, I like the Wurly sound better in the Nord. The wurly doesn't have the elusive metalic bite of the real deal (although I'm not familiar with the models to know which ones I'm comparing it too) but is still oh so sweet and fun to play. No annoying sample crossovers like my previous EP sounds.
Clav: nice and ultra funky. Don't think it would fool a clav player. But how often do you hear a raw clav? It doesn't have that harpsichord flavor quite.(like superstition )Then again - I haven't fooled much with the filters. So I may have to ammend this later. Usually the real clavs are loaded with effect. so put your wah, distortion, and/or phaser on - its is OH so groovy. Higher ground sound with autowah - and that herbie hancock 'wah-ka-ja-ka-wah-kah' stuff from those headhunter albums all easy to mimic. I've never even touched the real clav - so i'm not the best expert here.
Electric Grand. Mine doesn't have the sample in it. I could download it - but don't care to. I don't have a desire to mimic an electric grand.
Acoustic Grand:OK. A step up from my workstaion that's over 10 years old. Its not offensive, but lacks the complexity needed to make a good piano sound. I don't use piano sounds except when required. So I'm not to fussed. Not sure which sample I have.

Works with anything the b3, electric pianos, and such fit in with.
Built in effects are exellent.

Effects: Nice and phat and old-school sounding. Not as phat and liquidy as the old analog pedals. But then again, a LOT less noisy too. The distortion is better than I expected. I've never used the digital distortion in ANY of my keyboards before, but now I do. It sounds tube enough for me. But I use a rather subtle amount. That autowah sure is fun!
It reacts VERY nice to playing. Very easy to get lotsa expression. Looking forward to further developing my B-3 chops.
I'm going with 10. Even though NOTHING is really a 10. so 9.9

Too soon to tell.

Haven't dealt with company. Hope I don't have to - They are overseas

Oh yeah I'd get another one if lost.
I've been playing for about 25 years. Playing gigs with digital keyboards for 15. Current rig:Yamaha sy-85, this Nord now, played through a behringer xenyx1202 mixer (cheapest way to get reverb @ guitar center) and the keyboardist fave roland KC 500 keyboard amp. I've got a Rhodes 73 Stage Mark I (recording, home practicing only) Rhodes VK 1000 - (little known b-3 clone from the x-b2 days. Rhodes in name only. Its actually made by Roland. The Nord is to replace the VK-1000)
Love? - Sounds KILLER!. Its so small and light! Hate? - No reverb:that's a pain.
didn't compare to the latest generation of clones from hammond, roland, korg. It leaves the ones from a few years ago in the dust! I went with this one because I heard someone perform with one and I was consumed with organ envy. Also - I wanted one with a good electric piano sound, because I don't like the one in my SY-85. Because of other good reviews, I bought one off Ebay. For some reason - the stores around here don't carry the organ clones.
What would I add? I won't mention the reverb thing again here. (oops). A panel button to disable midi would be nice. So I could easily enable my other keyboard to work as a lower manual. Also - there's nothing for pedals. Not that I pedal-bass anyway - but I'd start learning. Jazz, Church Organ players need to consider this before buying!. (The 16' folds, no way to disable it)
Yeah it helps me make music. Haven't performed with it yet though???.
Just the keyboard I've been waiting for!

Very easy to use. I've not got round to putting my own presets in and don't use the ones supplied, I just dial in the instruments and effects I feel like as I go which is quick and easy to do. Drawbars are a little fiddly for live use and Ioccationally catch the wrong buttons when playing live as they are really easy to push. But that's my fault, not the Nord's!

Features are good, plenty of good usable effects and all the instruments
I need and a couple more. I would like to have had reverb included also
but most amps have that anyway. Keys are really nice (although I'm no expert), they are great for fast funky organ but also expressive enough for subtle rhodes

Overall the sounds are good. The organ is the best, I'd give that a 9. Great Leslie, A really organic overall sound.

E.P's are good also, but to my ears lack the depth of my NI Electrik Piano. It does not bother me too much because the subtle differencies would be lost live anyway. I'd give the Rhodes and Wurly an 8.

Clav, okay, again not as good as the Native Instruments one but good enough live. Theres plenty of pickup positions to tweak the sound.
7/10 for these

Piano and Electric Stage Piano. Piano is okay in a mix but not great on its own. 6/10 for these.

I play mainly organ so overall I'll give 8.

So far so good. Looks funky and has nice wood at the side. Feels solid and well engineered.

Not contacted Clavia but the website looks good and you can update the sounds as new ones are released which is Handy.

This is damn funky KB that has most things I require. "proper drawbars" would be a good addition as would be reverb. Also pretty expensive but all Hammond clones tend to be.

The presets for electric piano are very good though they're a little heavy on the "distorted", overdriven Wurly and Rhodes. I find these of no use, so I edited them out.I am an old time Wurlitzer player (and owner) so I love their Wurlitzers. I've tweaked the vibrato and added just a spice of "tube overdrive" for the my ultimate Wurly.

Edting patches, by the way, is a breeze.

This is a "player's" keyboard. There is no sequencer. Someone who is a "button pusher" as opposed to a real player should get a synth that plays itself. I really appreciate this about the Nord Electro 2.

The action could be a little harder. It is much spongier than my real B-3 and it really does not compare to either of my Wurlitzers. When I first got the Nord, I hooked it to a keyboard controller I had and felt that it played better. Now, I've gotten used to it but still feel that the action is too soft and too spongy for electric piano.

Also, I know everyone has raved about the Leslie simulation. I feel this is really somewhat mediocre. I own two Korg CX-3's (circa 2002) and find their Leslie simulator much better. On fast, the Nord simuator makes you kind of nauseous. I am also quite put off by the lack of real drawbars. If you have a real B-3, as I do, then these buttons in lieu of real drawbars ARE a big deal to overcome.

In my opinion, the electric pianos are the best thing bout this keyboard. They're even better than the real thing!! Plus, you don't have to wind up in the orthopedic ward after lugging them around.

I like the organs in the Korg CX-3 (version 2, circa 2002) much better. I also own a Hammond B-3 and just find the Korg more like the real thing. But, that being said, there's a whole lot of room for other Hammond players'preferences and many people like the pure flute tones of the Nord when played through a real Leslie. To me, however, you buy an organ clone so you don't have to carry around a 122 anymore.

I'm sorry to say this, but the acoustic piano inside is terrible - tacky, tinny, and totally irritating. For loud rock, it would cut thru the mix, but for playing jazz, standards, or blues, it's just non-useable. When I need an acoustic sound I use the CP-70 (electric grand) which, though, it sounds unlike an acoustic can get by. Most of the time, if I need an acoustic piano, i use my Roland RD-700.

So far, the keyboard has been very reliable. I either use it with my Korg CX-3 or with my Roland RD-700 stage piano.

I contacted the factory about their use of an electric shaver cord instead of a normal 3-prong power cord because I needed a replacement. I had to go to Radio Shack to buy a replacement cord (I bought 3just in case).While the cords are available,I don't know why Nord decided to use such a weird power cable when they could have picked one that was interchangeable with every other keyboard.

I love playing the electric pianos on this keyboard. For me, they're it. The organs on the Korg CX-3 (post 2000 versions 1 or 2) are better as is the Leslie simulator. Plus the "feel" of the CX-3 is much more B-3 like.

The clavs on the Nord are excellent but that was never a real sell for me nor was it an instrument I liked very much in the 70's. I was and AM a Wurlitzer man and the Nord NAILS it and does a fine job on the Rhodes too. All this being said, Nord did a great job. No one can make perfect copies of ALL the electromechanical keyboards and put them in one product. With the exception of the acoustic pianos, which in my opinion are awful, every other instrument on the Nord Electro 2 is way more than adequate.

This keyboard is very easy to use. No menus to scroll through. You use knobs and buttons to adjust sounds and change settings. I am running v2.2 of the software which allows you to set the split point anywhere on the keyboard for the Hammond simulation. Even though it doesn't have drawbars its very easy to hold the buttons to increment/deincrement the drawbars.

Full polyphony. The action is a cross between a wurlitzer and hammond with waterfall keys. Its very easy to store presets and call them up on the fly no matter if your in organ or piano mode. You can midi another board and use it as the lower manual for the organ section.

The Organ is a 10. No doubt about it. The Leslie sim is incredible. Most sims don't model the leslie amp which really gives the leslie its warm throaty sound. Clavia modeled the 122 amp and the motion really sounds great. When you go from fast to stop in the sim, you can actually hear the horn stop in a different direction everytime. In my opinion they really did their homework on this Leslie simulation.
The clav is good and has all the filter and pickup combinations.
The wurly is great and you can dial in that classic wurly vibrato.
The Rhodes is good, although I don't use it that much.
The piano is ok, but I use this board for the organ mainly.

The nicest part about it compared to my chopped M3 is I turn this board on and its on. No looking for loose solder joints or bad tubes. Although I had to return the first one because one of the keys would not sound in the piano mode. This board looked like it was dropped in transit or at musicians friend. This was muscians friend's fault.

I haven't dealt with them directly yet, but I hear Clavia is a small outfit which is good. I know they take pride in their work and its great to be able to download software updates so that the board is future-proof.

I would be devasted if it was stolen. I would definitely get a new one. All of my vintage boards stay at home now since I have everything I own under one arm. I own a wurly 140b, Rhodes Mark I 73 stage piano. A chopped Hammond M3 and a Leslie 145. My main gigging rig is the Nord run through the speakeasy into my 145. There is no A/B comparison with this combo in my opinion. The Leslie sim is great, but with a 145 and speakeasy preamp this thing has HUGE balls!

V2.1 Very intuitive, when I first saw it in a shop I dialed in the organ sound I wanted. Everything was logical to me. The standard organ presets are are a bit weird, but can be replaced very easily. The manual is very good. Even with info on the instruments that are modeled in the Electro.

I have never had problems vith polyphony with this board, not even the piano's. The built in effects are very usful especially for elpianos. The leslie effect is stunning.

The keyboard feel is exellent for an organplayer like me.

There is no reverb, witch is a bit odd, since the organ section is modeled after an A100 that have built in spring reverb.

The sounds can be upgraded from a computer with USB interface, but memory is limited.

MIDI is well implemented and about every thing is controllable or gives MIDI output.

The sound generator is not multi timbral, that is you can not play organ and a pianosound at the same time. This is the biggest drawback to me.

There are very limited funktions for master keyboard use. There is no support for bass pedals.

There is not many diffrent instrument sounds here, it is not the idea. What it does is give you the basic classic sounds with controls similar to that on the originals plus som effects. Everything except for the acoustic piano samples are really good. Since I am an old organplayer, I love the organ sound. The electricpianos and clavinet are a nice extra bonus, and are mutch better than in typical soundmodules and keyboards.

Never had a problem, though it is not gigtested.

I bought it with version 2.0, I upgraded it to 2.1 via my computer MIDI interface. No problem. I have not had any reason to deal with the company as such, but I like the way they do things.

If i'd lose it i would defenitly buy it again although the currency has made it more expensive. I have a Solton MS100 that works as "lower manual" and supply me with rythm and GM sounds for MIDI. I play through a small PA with a Behringer mixer with built in effects, an STK 2x100 watt amp and two two way 12" speakers.

I love the organ/leslie sound, the sounds I am least taken with are the acoustic pianos(I tried all), but I do not hate them.

I'm using the version 2.0 after updating my V.1.0 nord electro, which I could get much cheaper after the version 2 had been released. The new preset sounds that you can download from clavia's website sound much better than the standard V.1 sounds: "thumbs up" - now you really can play even the acoustic piano with your nord electro.
editing patches is: easy as pie! turn the knobs, push some buttons and if you want, save down your modified presets, there are six times eight banks to do so.
The manual that is delivered with V.1 does not help much any more, if you updated the software, so clavia offers an updated manual on it's website. It is clear, illustrated and not sophisticated.

Since the nord electro offers "full polyphony" it's guaranteed to be fun playing. The semi-weighted waterfall keys serve a smooth feeling, they softly feather back when released - perfect keyboard for sliding up and down!
the nord electro 61 provides following effects: flanger, chorus, phaser, wah-wah, distortion, ring-mod, leslie, pan, tremolo and some others. they can be selected via the "effects"-section, intensity can be changed via knobs. the only downside here: you can't combine some of the effects with each other.
the nord electro can be upgraded with new sounds and operating systems via Midi-Port or USB port.
The keys themselves are pressure sensitive, there is no on-board sequencer since the nord electro is designed as a retro-synth with old e-piano sounds and an organ section, so why should there be use of a sequencer?

In Version 2 the acoustic grand piano sound has been improved a lot, by the way, it could be better still, but you can still modify it with some equalizer functions. you can even hear the pianos "hammers strike" when pressing a key. the wurlizer, rhodes and clavinet sounds are very realistic, concerning attack and release of the keys as well. the organ section as well will not sound like a B3 but maybe better than some "organ crimes" that have been released by hammond-suzuki within the last years.
The nord electro especially works for Rock (yeah, distortion!), Jazz (Playing Weather Report will work!) and some Funk styles.
For me, the waterfall keyboard and the reaction of the sounds is that kind of feeling that i have been looking for so long.

Yes, you can depend on this instrument, I found no bugs, you simply turn it on or off and it will always be ready for you. There are no backups needed, while playing a gig with this keyboard you create your sound spontaneously on stage.

Clavia supports the customers by providing Updates of operating systems and sound on it's page www.clavia.se
I did not make experiences with a personal customer support, since this product is reliable.

I cannot imagine reselling this keyboard again, I fell in love with it since the first day I checked it out at the store. About a half a year ago I tried it for the first time, two months ago I finally bought it, because the Version 1 had been for sale a lot cheaper and you simply could upgrade it to a full Version 2.
I love it's red color! :-) There's nothing to hate about it.
Sometimes I wish it had a bigger key-range, but I could do all gigs with 61 keys as well.
With this instrument you can MAKE music.

Installed 2.0 just after I got it. Never had to look at the manual (apart from to learn how to unlock presets - what's the point of that Clavia?) Everything labelled clearly and makes sense. After years of Roland synths I'm flabbergasted I can buy this on a Friday and gig it on a Saturday. Updating and swapping sounds via a PC is foolproof and helps make my sizable investment futureproof.

Keyboard feels great for the pianos, I'm used to a synth 'board for organ so that seemed a bit strange to start with. Polyphony is so close to full that there are no problems with it live at all - haven't tried it with midi yet. The idea of downloading new sounds from the net for free is great - would be nice to have a short mp3 of what they sound like. And a new OS! This is the future, ladies and gents...

Organ - 10 (leslie - 11! spot on!)
Wurli - 10
Rhodes - 10
Electric grand - 7 (never really use)
Clav - 8 better than in OS1 but still needs a lot of tweaking to get interesting. Pickup etc on 'presence' knobs does the job
Ac Piano - 6 (passable)

Effects in OS2 are warm and vintage sounding. Vibrato and leslie especially are stunning. Lives and breathes like a "proper musical intrument". Causes even seasoned jazzmen to turn round with a big grin on their face. Blues/Funk/Jazz/Rock/Soul/indie is where I use it and its perfect for that.

Dependable, solid, and now all I take to gigs other than the amp and some controller pedals.

No contact with clavia. Downloadable upgrades are great!

This will get a 10 by the time OS3 is out. Damn near perfect. I could have bough this or a car and I'm glad I made the right choice.

I have the Version 2.0 software, so some of this will differ from earlier reviews (and I'll try to cover the things they've fixed).

It's certainly easy to use, the presets are great. Editing patches is extremely easy. One really nice feature is that when you are saving a new patch, you can choose a memory location and check the patch that's already there before you overwrite it. I do miss the ability to name patches instead of just giving them letters and numbers (they go from A1 to D8).
The manual is very good.

Polyphony seems to have been fixed from v1.0. You have to try hard to make it 'note-rob', and it does it very musically.
Keyboard action is good, if not great. As others have said, a weighted action would be better for pianos, but it's surprisingly easy to get used to. It has the 'waterfall' front of a real Hammond, but I'd say to anyone who isn't used to this, it's no big deal. I'd been reading for years how you 'had to have this' for Hammond, but it makes no difference to me.
Built in effects are all good. The best thing about them is that they're all right there on the panel. So if you want to add some phase, distortion, whatever, just hit the button and dial it up. This is MUCH better than the pushbutton approach.
I haven't really explored the MIDI capabilities, but they seem fine on paper.

Here's where I give it near marks. All the sounds are the best I've ever played on a digital instrument.
I'll endorse everything that's been said about the Rhodes, Wurly and Hammond sounds. Version 2 software gives you control over Hammond keyclick. It also offers more Rhodes sounds, two different acoustic pianos and the awesome 'Mega Clavinet'.
Responsiveness to heavier playing is brilliant, though I notice the black keys play louder than the white keys.
The CP-80 electric grand is the ONLY sample version of this great instrument that sounds like the real thing. I have a feeling everyone says "who needs this' because they've never heard/played one that's any good. I love the sound of these pianos - and this board gets it (can't match the action though!).

It's well made and well set up internally for servicing (if it were ever needed). I'd say it's as reliable as any keyboard.

Incidentally, it's very easy to switch it from 120V to 230V operation: just open it up and flick a switch on the power supply board.

I bought mine secondhand from the US (I'm in Australia). An email to Clavia asking whether it could work on 230V got a prompt, friendly answer.
The free software upgrade is simply fabulous. The extra samples they give away are as good as any you'd pay for.

Overall, this instrument is everything I wanted: an incredibly light and compact, complete keyboard. All I need is the Electro, an amp and cables. If there's a PA, you don't even need the amp. No modules, no mixer, no outboard effects (and all the wall warts that seem to go with them). Just carry it under one arm, plug in and make music. If you want to vary the sound, just grab a knob or hit a button.
It's not a cheap instrument, but I think it's great value.

I use V1.1 and will upgrade soon (more about that later). It's even better than plug and play, just turn it on and the fun begins!

The Rhodes is my favourite, followed by the Hammond which, in combination with the virtual drawbars, is great and intuitive to play. The Wurli is a bit muddy but comes to life with a little EQ. The Clav is solid, but it lacks something in the adjustment department and the piano is good for those incognito-like songs.. I don't really use the Electric grand that much but it sounds solid.

The "preset" sounds are all there is, but you can store quite a few different settings, involving FX, drawbar settings etc. This is also very easy to do so thumbs up.

The manual is short and straightforward, in fact the Electro is so easy you hardly need a manual in the first place!

The polyphony for the organ is good, but i've noticed some voice theft when playing the piano sounds.. I saw Clavia have solved this problem with the v2.0 upgrade so I can't wait to have it done. Which brings me to the upgrade itself. It should be fairly easy but I haven't succeeded (yet) on my system..

As far as the keyboard itself concerned: it plays really fast and responsive, but the keys get stuck real quick if you happen to bump the Electro (not even hard) into something, even if it's in a suitcase..

The FX section is solid, it's too bad the distortion increases in small steps, especially in the 0-3 area.. I kind of miss a delay, which, in combination with the very useful tremolo and i.e. autowah could make things even better..

As for expansion: the Electro sports USB, which is a nice touch. Since the memory is all Flash and there is only room for 6 (granted, very good) piano sounds at a time this feels a bit limited.. But then again, when the sounds are this good, who needs anything else but the real things?

As for MIDI, i use another keyboard for that, i have the Electro for live purposes since my other keys are too heavy to carry around.

Like i wrote above, i love the Rhodes sound, it's very dynamic and it's almost like the real thing (i've played quite a few different Rhodes keys, 73s and 88s, i would've had one if i had the space).. The Hammond is also amazing! The first time my band heard this sound they could hardly believe that it was coming from this red killer machine..
And who wants to carry a Clavinet and a Wurlitzer along when you can have 'em in the same box? Fiddle with the EQ/presence and especially live no-one can tell the difference unless there are only vintage keyboardplayers/owners in the house..

Clavia have put a lot of efforts in the multi-samples for each key.. The lightest touch makes it sound sweet and if you slam the keys the Electro actually sounds like it's being abused! There is no (need for) aftertouch, or maybe on the Clavinet?

I can depend on my Electro for 95% of my time.. The other 5% i noticed a very strange bug which i hope Clavia will have sorted out with the V2.0 software: from time to time the Electro will "hang" and leave a single note ringing even after releasing the sustain pedal. Could it be the sample playback engine?

I have used it a several gigs, either as standalone or in combination with a Roland JV synth (Electro String Box anyone? Thought so!) and i don't think it will disappoint me, since the only appropriate backup would be another Electro i guess.. :-)

I have never dealt with the company directly, just brought it back to the store the first time my keys got stuck (see above!) and now i know how to "free" the keys myself..

As for the upgrade, i'll get it done this weekend and if it's really as good as i've read/heard then i'm in for something!

If my Electro were stolen then i would rush to the store in August and get me an Electro 2.. I wouldn't just lose this thing that's for sure!

I've been playing the piano almost all my life, but only recently made the step to keyboardist which is a bigger difference than i first thought it was.. But it's fun, and the Electro contributes to it because with it, i can focus on playing and not pushing buttons and adjust parameter so and so..

I'd love to see/play an Electro that's multi-timbral thogh, i very much miss the possibility to play the Rhodes sound and the Hammond simultaneously (on seperated keyboards if you wish, like the upper/lower half in the Hammond section)..

My conclusion is that, even though i went well over my initial budget to buy this baby, i would be very sorry now if i wouldn't have done it!

I was fortunate to have the Clavia rep let me take this thing for a test run. I was on my way to rehersal when I got it so naturally I used it for the rehersal. I didn't have any problems getting it hooked up and working immediately. I am using version 1.0 and I could tell that there were some polyphony problems. I looked at the website later that night and Clavia said they were aware of them and were working on a solution. I trust them. I love my Nord Lead II. :)
The manual was simple. The keyboard is very easy to use and you only look at the manual if you come across something you don't understand.
The Rhodes is great.... Love it...
The Hammond is stunning...... Very good. I would pit it against the hammond XK-2 anyday.
The CP70/80 is cool, but I don't think that I would ever use it.
The piano sound is truly amazing for a throw in sound. I found myself using it alot.
The clav is a total waste of time. Sorry.... I have a D6 and this doesnt' come anywhere close to it. Sounds way to much like a DX7 clav tone in my opinion.

The action is fantastic. Its solid and fights you back like a rhodes. It takes a minute to get used to the face that the keys aren't as long from front to back as a normal keyboard, but after a couple minutes you don't even notice it. The effects are great. I would like to see a way to change the routing of the effects. The Leslie simulator is very nice, but I would like to have seen some speed change possibities. I thought that it sped up to fast. Midi is there, but I don't really think that anyone will use it. You start to think of this machine as a rhodes or a hammond..... they didn't have midi. I can't imagine not having the keyboard, so the rack version doesn't seem all that interesting.

Again the Rhodes, Hammond, and piano are spectacular....
The clav is not...
I would love to see them get a new clav patch in there and with the USB interface I think that they could.

It's Nord... !!!!! Put a bullet in it.... turn it on ... it still plays. It's built like a tank and the wood sides are ultra cool.
I played it on several occaions live and would have a problem taking it out on tour.

I haven't dealt with them on the Electro, but they have always been great about helping me with my Lead II.... I like the company alot.
And the rep is really nice too.... (thanx Chris !!!!!)

It is a very niche piece of gear. With ther other thing that are around it's price range I don't know what I would do in a buyers shoes. The Motif does a great rhodes and Clav and decent Organ sounds with a built in sampler and sequencer for about the same price, but it can't compete with the feel of this keyboard. You really have to want to replace your older electro - mechanical pieces to get this, but there is nothing else out there that does it as well as this.... (just have a cool clav sound as a backup)