Clavia Nord Stage 88

I have bought my stage 88 two months ago with the OS 3 on board which I have since upgraded from Clavia's website to v4, which was, for anyone with computer skills and a Internet connection, a very simple process.The Stage came with a very clear and easy to use manual which explains all functions clearly.Although the layout of the Stage is so easy to use and self explanatory that the manual is only used sporadically. I found most of the preset pretty lame and not at all representative of what this keyboard is capable of, except those written by AD.But here is where the Stage starts to shine. The editing, in real time with knobs, of the presets is brilliant. The results are mind blowing and the process super simple. The Stage comes with a Software manager which can be used to upload new sounds,Patches as well as samples and Piano sounds from Clavias website.This is a very simple process although the instructions for the software manager is not part of the manual which I think it should be.

The keyboard action is excellent,light and smooth. Be aware though that the action changes as soon as the Hammond is selected. I still coming to terms with this during performances. The Clavias techs have made the attack very quick when playing the B3 which gives you a authentic feel and sound whilst still having weighted keys(which the B3 never had)It reacts to touch very well and having sustain on is beautiful and lush through my headphones
The Stage has a number of real time changeable effects on board, which can be selected at any time. there are three banks of effects wahs,chorus,phazers brilliant delay. These fxs change the preset sound, Than there are two global effects, reverb (beautiful) and compression, and a Leslie, I would just buy the Stage for that Leslie sound.Which can all be edited while you play or assigned to midi or a morphing wheel.The pitch button is not as far reaching as I would like I love the fx and they sound superb and are very adjustable. I keep getting people to tell me that the Stage sounds hot every time we perform. One can totally individualize any sound on board which is one reason I bought the Stage.
The Stage is a Keyboard without a sequencer, I am at a loss why anyone would have something like that in a keyboard when one can use a laptop and see what one does on a large screen. Midi on board seems ok although I have'n used that too much.

The Stage hasn't got expansion in a ordinary sense. You can download new Piano sounds from their website(You need broadband) which can be uploaded into the keyboard with a managing program. Very easy to work, very effective. The new Ex version of the Stage has got more room in the on board memory.But How many pianos do you want on board. If you bought a keyboard for that reason, then there are ones with at least a 1000 sounds which sound exactly the same as everyone else. We play 26 songs with my current band all in different piano settings and I am yet to run out of memory.
It it has two empty memory slots which can be used to tweak sounds in real time. I would like to see more assignable slots for this so one can change quicker without using the preset dial.
It has 4 different outputs thru which you can route all sounds to different external(board) settings and eqs can be used. but there is not a Mono out, big miss, if I do small gig with combo amp. One can select mono setting but most FX work in stereo.There are ways around this though to use an Edcore stero to mono line mixer.($30)or build preamp.

I have read in reviews that players think the Stage doesn't sound as good as the originals. When 10 cc was recording deceptive bends, they spend 3 hours making a Moog, sound like a bass drum, until the engineer said why don't you use a bass drum. With this I like to illustrate that if you want the real thing use the real thing.
The on board piano sounds are very good and on stage are very realistic. To be able to add fx to the existing sounds makes this keyboard so good. I agree with a lot of reviewers that the Piano samples are very good but not as good as dedicated Digital pianos or some of its competitors. But the rest of the sounds leaves the competition for dead including the ease of use and the easy way of tweaking the sounds. In a live setting the epianos and b3 are unbeatable in their quality and expressiveness.Any sound is possible from Jan Hammers biting red Barron, to Richard Groove Holmes Grooving w MrGs smooth rhodes The b3, jimmy smiths to Santana it is all there
The Synth section is a bit weak in so far the presets are pretty mediocre again the AD presets are excellent and I believe one had 297 of those it would make this synth shine the way it should. I am not a programmer or have the time to spend forever trying to make synthsounds so for this I mark this section down. Should be 8 1/2

The Stage has stood easily up to the transport although i would recommend a hard case.
I bought this Keyboard so it would be the only one I had to take to a gig duh.No back up it is build like a truck

Never dealt with Clavia so far. Their Website is impressive and the way they have the Piano samples in a library is excellent idea and well organized and easy to use. Mind you one needs broadband for this website including the downloads. They are in the 60 mb range.One needs a current computer w usb to change and manage the samples on the keyboard. I marked this section down because I think one should be able to register and receive updates etc. And I have dial up and can do any of the downloading at home.

Being a guitarist by trade and having learned to play piano after 30 years of guitar playing this was a purchase which I have research long and hard. I read every review spoke to people who own one and I have played with an electro owner for 2 years.My feeling is that if you are considering this keyboard you know why you want it. Brilliant sounds, ease of use,looking beautiful(all those nice lights)I play mainly, funk, soul, blues and jazz.The Stage got all the right sounds for these genres. I havn't used the synth much on it and can see that it has some draw backs. There are much better dedicated synths and the idea about this Keyboard is you only need one to do the job and if you think that this does the job for you look no further because there is nothing else that sounds as good as the Stage. I marvel at it every time I play it I discover new sounds better sounds or old sounds I set up before and continue playing with them. I find this more an instrument akin to a guitar, you make music with it rather than band in a box idea. The better you play, the better it sounds, the better you play.It is something you like to go back to all the time and play it.It is expensive but than so are the keyboards that have similar features but this is for me the keyboard that does have the sounds that speak to me.Is it worth the price I think so and if it got stolen I'd go and order a new one right away.

First time I played around, it didn't make sense. After reading a little bit of the manual it all became much clearer and is very easy to use. The beauty is in being able to edit everything on the fly during a gig without having to go into pages of menus.

The presets sound pretty decent, but they are an empty canvas for your morphing into new sounds with different effects. That's where the magic comes into play!

I enjoy the action on the Nord Stage. It's not too difficult to play yet is still weighted so still feels like you're playing a piano instrument. I've had many keyboards, both with weighted action and semi-weighted, and I feel like this is a good compromise. It's difficult to do glissandos for organ playing, but you can midi it up to a separate keyboard, do glissandos, and have two manuals to play B3.

The effects are excellent, especially the Rhodes tremolo and the leslie. I had to edit the default leslie settings to make it switch between slow/fast a little slower. You can get some cool effects applying the leslie to other instruments other than organ as well.

It's cool that you can put whatever samples you want on the board, but I wish it had more memory. Actually the new one that just came out has twice the amount of memory, but it still seems a little low.

I wish you could use the USB cable to connect via midi to your computer. This would help a lot.

GREAT sounds. The Rhodes/organ/clav/wurli sounds are great. I love how you can select a very mellow rhodes (variation 1), or a very bright Chic Corea-esque rhodes (variation 2), or one that is kind of in the middle (variation 3). I have found variation 3 to be the most playable at my jazz gigs.

I have very mixed feelings about the piano. I'm using the Yamaha MK2 piano sample, and I have found that the high end has a lot of clarity and sounds very nice. The mids get muddled and are not as rich when you play a chord. The low end is ok, but I have needed to EQ the sound to add more bass. Keep in mind that I have a Steinway B grand piano in my living room. Given that, I have had a lot of compliments on the piano sound from fellow musicians at gigs. Also, I have found myself using the mono version of this piano sound since it gives it more presence.

Seems very well built.

Haven't had any problems as of yet.

I would buy this keyboard again. I've struggled to find a keyboard that I can play live and be very comfortable with. I've been playing professionally for 14 years, mostly jazz/ salsa/ funk/ blues/ variety. I also own a Korg Triton Pro, Roland RD 700, Hammond B3, Fender Rhodes, Roland VK8M, and a Mainstage (Logic) Setup. I'm a professional musician and take pride in my sound. I found the Nord Stage to be the best choice for me because 1) it has great, musical sounds, 2) it's very portable!, 3) it has weighted keys, 4) only need one keyboard for the gig, 5) doesn't hurt that it looks cool.

I'm waiting for the new piano sounds to come out so Clavia can improve the one section that I believe needs improving. They've promised several new pianos, so I'm excited to check them out!

I recommend this keyboard for musicians who play a lot of live gigs in the genres of jazz, funk, blues, etc. I wasn't interested in the sequencer/ sampler functionalities of keyboards. Sequencing is so much easier on a computer anyway so it doesn't make sense to have it on a small keyboard screen.

I was very lucky to get the revision C even though the distributor had announced, that they wouldn't be available until the next month.

The presets are very good, and with the extensive range of effects, the possibilities within only one sound are endless. It's pretty easy to tweak, too. At first the panel may look confusing, but trust me, there IS method in the madness. When you've used it for a day, you'll see everything much clearer.

The manual is very good and illuminating - and in contrast to the Yammie and Roland manual, it's actually readable!

Unlike many reviewers here, I think the action is great. They're pretty fast but still weighted - obviously great for EP's then, but I also like it for playing both acoustic pianos and synth too. Sadly, these keys are far too heavy for playing organ and clavinet properly - no percussive plaing can be done here. Luckily, there's a key trigger option for the organ making the sound trigger very fast. But still there's a problem here - especially with the clavinet, which this function doesn't cater for. I miss a more sensitive velocity layer for clavi. I guess the only way 'round is an external board!

As earlier mentioned, the effects are great - and there're lots of them. Chorus, flange, phaser, different wah's, tremolo, autopan, ring modulation, delay. Furthermore, there's the amp sim - it's extremely useful!
Finally Clavia included reverb too. I have a complaint though - why is this not assignable? I don't like that I have to plaster a reverb on everything and not just the piano. I also would have liked an arpeggiator for the synth section. I actually find it strange that this isn't included.

Clavia continuously develops new sounds and OS's. These can be downloaded for free.

There's no sequencer in here, and no similar fancy things. This isn't a workstation where most of the playing consists of turning the pots. This is a musical instrument on equal footing with an electric guitar, if you ask me!

The best sound in this thing are the EP's - and the organ, but the weighted keys kinda put a stop to a full use of the organ. Well, both of these are extremely realistic, - I'd find it difficult to tell the difference bewteen this and the real thing. The acoustic pianos are good, too, although not as good as the EP's.
I like to play around the synth, but it's actually my first synthesizer ever, so don't ask me about good or bad sound in the synth.

I use this thing for mostly jazz, funk and blues. It's just the right thing for me. The effects mentioned above are also very well executed. This baby really creates music.

Well, I guess I can. Wouldn't be able to say, though. I've never had a problem with it. I would have no doubts when taking the NS as my only board for a gig. Nords are just well-built!

Never had to.

If I lost this, I would buy it again as soon as I had the money. Even though it would take me a lifetime - OK, then I'd buy a different Nord... but trust me, people, I'll make an insurance for this board! I sure paid a lot of money for the NS, but it's all worth it, trust me.

I've been playing since I was a kid, and I'm in my twelvth year. This is my first keyboard ever, and I'm glad I chose this. The only (fair) complaints I have is the lack of an arpeggiator and the unassignable reverb. But as soon as I sit down and dig into the rhodes patches, I'm willing to forgive anything.

I've been comparing this with the RD-700 GX and CP300. I find that this is by far the best - both in sounds AND keys. So much for PHA II ivory feel! (I wasn't impressed!)
This is the best investment I've ever had. Every time I play, I forget about the time and just play and listen. There's a whole new world for me to explore. Jolly good work, Clavia!

Oh, and by the way, I've heard some people complaining about the optional legs. I say: Buy them. Rock solid and good looking.

I've used this board live for the last 6 months and found it a joy - the onboard sounds are easy to tweak and set up using REAL KNOBS. At first I looked at this and thought 'where's the display?' - it's there but it's tiny. But after you've played this thing for a while you realise you don't really need it. Manual is excellent. Personally I don't like the pitch bend setup and would prefer the traditional 2-wheel arrangement.

Apart from my acoustic piano, this is the most I've spent on a keyboard instrument and it has (on paper) the fewest features. Compared to a Korg Triton or Roland Fantom you might think it has very few features: no sequencer, no sampler, no drumkits. But that would be to miss the point of this thing - it's a *musical instrument* in the way that a Triton (and I have 2) could never be. Many people have complained about the keys but I personally jump between this, a Yamaha S90ES (weighted), Triton (unweighted) and Yamaha acoustic piano and find I just adjust.

As I said - while the Triton is a brilliant tool for achieving certain results, the Nord Stage is an instrument that you sit down at and really get into. The sounds are outstanding - especially the Rhodes and Hammond. I find I can easily get the sort of sounds I hear my favourite players use. The layout of effects and amp sim is like having a set of floor stomp-boxes so the whole thing really feels like a retro setup with modern convenience. My only gripe is the acoustic pianos - the bass and treble ends are decent enough but they all get 'soggy' between C4 and C5. Might just be my preference, but it doesn't come close to a Yamaha motif in this department. That's why it only gets a 9!

Had it 6 months no problems so far.... Then again NONE of my keyboards or modules have ever broken down. Gear is just very very reliable these days.

Not had to deal with them.

This is my favourite board by a long long way and I would definitely buy it again - in fact I am planning to get my hands on the Nord C1 organ soon. However like other reviewers I find the prices of the accessories very expensive - case and legs set me back another GBP300. It's expensive but not as expensive as buying a Rhodes and a B3.

I bought this keyboard new in August 2008. It came with the latest software v2.26 pre-installed.

In terms of ease of use there are lots of knobs and buttons to play with but I still found it very hard to get the instrument to sound how I wanted.

In general I found this machine unintuitive and very fiddly to use.

Anyone ever played a cheap Fatar/Studiologic keyboard?

Well, that's what you've got here, the action is Fatar/Studiologic. Feels very springy, not properly weighted, the keys are too long (Clavia's excuse is that action is supposed to be halfway between an organ and a piano). My fingers ached after playing, this is not acceptable from an instrument in this price range - surely an 88 note stage piano should feel like a piano?

Other poor design features include only 4 velocity curves, limited split points, inadequate midi implementation (you'll need this to control an external module because you won't want to use the onboard piano sounds) and a tiny LCD screen. The USB connnection is for OS updates and can't be used for midi. No external screen editing except to organise the infrequent sample updates (external samples, AKAI etc, cannot be used in the Nord).

PIANO:

The Yamaha C7 is unusable. The sampled instrument is out of tune! I downloaded the much bigger XL version which took up most of the flash memory but there didn't seem to be any noticeable improvement.

The Ambient Steinway was poor too - sounded very distant like I was playing a piano remotely in a different room. In the end my workaround was to download the Close Miked Steinway and have that up to the C above middle C, then the Ambient Steinway up to the the top.

The other pianos were even worse. A joke. The Svenska pianofabriken sounds like a bad pub piano (maybe that's the point, but not when the other pianos are so poor).

All the pianos sound harsh, boxy and unrefined.


RHODES:

Why would anyone want to sample a MK V Rhodes? They never sounded great when new (listen to some mid 80's Chick Corea), they just don't have the "x" factor in the tone that MK I's up until about '77 did.

The MK II ('81) Rhodes sounds horribly nasal, pickups set WAY too close to the tines.

The MK I ('78) is clearly the better of the Rhodes sampled, though an earlier MK I would have been a better choice (in reality this instrument is more similar tonally to the MK II's of '79 than the MK I's used on those classic Herbie albums from the early/mid '70's). Again, this instrument is not properly set up, the tines are set marginally too high so it sounds dull with not enough colour. And try to play hard any higher up than the Bb above middle C then forget it - there's a velocity layer missing.

So, like with the piano, I had to find a workaround which was to have the MK I Rhodes up to the C above Middle C then the MK V up to the top. (I would have split the keyboard at the Bb but this is not possible - on this instrument you can ONLY split at C or F). Splitting the Rhodes sound meant I was unable control Auto Pan on upper/lower at the same time - i.e. had to adjust speed/intensity on lower, then again on upper. Very frustrating.

HAMMOND:

For almost ??2000 WHY no drawbars? And WHY only one set of virtual ones. Presets for upper/lower awkward to select quickly on the fly. There's no "phut" to the start of the note like a real "B", nowhere near as good as NI B4.

OTHER SOUNDS:

Didn't spend much time with the Clavs and Wurlys. Synth section far from intuitive

EFFECTS:

Leslie Sim ok but not outstanding, not as good as NI B4. Rhodes Auto-Pan is sine wave, schoolboy error this as should be square wave.

3 band eq is harsh and very limited, no visual display to see where rotary encoders were when you saved the patch.

Infrequent OS and sample updates, with an arrogance that they're the best and you're lucky to own one of their products.

The concept of having really good Hammond, Rhodes, Piano sounds all in one unit seemed worth the high retail price.

One by one my hopes were dashed. This turned out to be the worst keyboard I have ever owned. I persevered for about 3 months on numerous gigs before finally admitting defeat and putting this lemon on eBay.

Clavia promise the earth on their website. The truth is that upgrades appear rarely; you get the impression that once they have your money they'd rather spend their time on energy on new developments such as the Nord Wave than sort out the numerous faults inherent in the Stage 88.

I am using OS2.6...the presets are really good, but I have found that I can very easily "salt and pepper" them to my own personal tastes. Editing patches is much easier than any workstation that I own...no need for deep menus. The manual is fairly small by workstation (Motif and Fantom) standards.

This is where I disagree with some of the previous reviews...I find the action to be wonderful (i.e. VERY FAST). As a benchmark of keyboard response, try playing the intro to Billy Joel's "Angry Young Man" on the keyboard of a Yamaha Motif XS8 or a Roland Fantom G (I own both)...I know that this may just be me, but I cannot play this on either one of these, but I can on the NS88. No sequencer...no sampling...just a great stage piano with KILLER organs thrown into the equasion. As far as expansion goes, Clavia is phenomenal about updates and new sounds...although OS 3.0 has been some time in coming.

The NS88 has a limited range of instruments/sounds, but it no doubt excells at what it does have. I have found that I can tweak the pianos to fit any need. Onboard effects are really good (the organ rotating speaker effect and overdrive are PHENOMENAL !!).
One thing that I have to comment on is the electric piano (Rhodes) sounds. One of my benchmarks here is the "grunt and belch" of a real Rhodes when you spank it hard in the lower 2 octaves...none of my workstations do this (although maybe the yet to be released ARX SuperNatural electric piano card for the Fantom G8 will address this)..but the NS88 has it nailed !! And the Wurlies are awesome as well.
The acoustic pianos are a matter of taste, and are very subjective obviously. I have found that the pianos of the Motif XS and Fantom G are really great, but for some reason the grand pianos on the NS88 just seem to "fit" better when playing live...maybe it's because the piano is more raw and less processed on the Nord.

Every Clavia product that I have ever owned (NL2x, NL3, NE73-2, and NS88) have been totally dependable and trouble free...and I would never feel the need to take a backup instrument.

Clavia has always answered me within 24 hours (because of the time difference in Sweden, you would expect a delay). And Jason at Armadillo Enterprises, the American distributer, has always been quick to answer all my phone calls/emails immediately.

If something were to happen, I would immediately replace this with another NS88. Even though I own a lot of other 'boards, this one does what I need for my jazz gig impeccably...and it weighs 20-30 lbs less than they do

Lots of knobs that do a lot of things. I like things simple but overall very easy to figure out. Very easy to do keyboard splits and combinations such as the oh so popular Rhodes/Piano combination. Also has a great compressor on it which is key to me and what a lot of other keyboards are missing out on.

The reason why I love this keyboard is because its based off of simple standard sounds but does them better than any other keyboard out there. You won't be able to create complex pad sounds that use different temps of delay and combine it with a dark stereo reverb or anything but thats not really my style of music. When I bought this I wanted a good piano and rhodes sound and that's what I got.

Pretty standard features. The Polyphony is more than enough unless you want to combine 3 different sounds and smash down all of the keys. If you needed more polyphony then you are probably a bad keyboard player and should stop.

One complaint that I personally don't have but would agree with other users is the amount of memory that you can use. There aren't any sound/memory cards to store saved patches on and you find that you end up saving over old patches or pre existing patches. Kind of annoying for what you pay but nothing is perfect.

However a long the same lines my complaint is that I haven't found a way to transfer saved settings into a computer. We do fly in dates and I sometimes have to have a Nord backlined for me and end up spending 30 minutes setting up all of my patches.

This is why I bought this, then bought a second, and got a Nord sponsorship for a third. Some people don't like the Nord piano sounds and some fall in love with them. I am in the latter and can't use anything else. I guess it's like the difference between a steinway and a yamaha grand piano.

My favorites are the upright pianos. Nice and dark like my favorite studio piano. Also a big fan of the rhodes although if you like Mark I percussive clean rhodes sounds this may not be for you. Most of the Rhodes patches have some bite to them. Especially great when played through a tube amp like a fender bassman. You get great crunch and bite.

The Organ on this Keyboard is more functional than any other keyboard hands down. I don't care if you like other Organ sounds better than the ones Nord puts out you won't be able to find one that you can tweek better than this. It's very easy to adjust harmonic content, rotor speed, percussive quality and power.

Also great effects section that is very usable. Tap tempo delay is my favorite although I also enjoy the tremelo on the Rhodes.

I've really had no trouble with these keyboards. I said I've got 3. An 88 Stage, 76 Stage, and a good old 63 Electro. Unless you drop them down stares without a flight case they will last. You see these things all over the place on national tours and there is a reason why.

Easy to upload new patches from Nord. They have some really high quality ones online that are updates from version 1.

Never dealt with them except for sponsorship. Nice people.

Ok a little expensive. I can't tell you what I get for them but the MSRP sounds a little much for a stage piano. I'm sure that everyone who sees the price is going to expect the bells and whistles but I honestly believe that if your looking for good piano rhodes and organ sounds you can't find a better keyboard.

I've never used them but my friends have said the optional legs are weak and unusable so I would go with a good stand.

It's extremely versatile and easy to setup for what you want it for. I would suggest using in conjunction with some line 6 pedals (DL4, MM4) if you want to get really crazy with it.

And PS my sponsorship says nothing about me promoting them. I chose to ask for a sponsorship because I use them so much and needed 3 keyboards.

I'm a big fan of Nord's interface, and the Stage is no exception. Everything is transparent and easy to use. The synth panel was took a little getting used to, but still sounded great.

The manual, too, is clear and even entertaining.

I was extremely disappointed with the action of the Nord Stage 88. The keys are weighted but it doesn't feel comfortable in the slightest. The touch is marshmellowy. For lyrical passages, it's wonderful, but any more complicated rhythms were near impossible to pull off.

As a result, I ended up trading in my Stage 88 for the Stage 61 compact, which has the Waterfall keys. Nord's weighted keys just aren't as well executed as those on the Yamaha P-x series.

Other than that, all the features are lovely and work well.

The C3, the Wurlitzer, the CP80, the Clavinet and the Rhodes are all perfectly executed. I did the Pepsi challenge by contrasting them with the real thing, the differences were miniscule.

The big C7 acoustic piano is OK, but in the end, I preferred the dirtier sound of the emulated upright... which you can also find on the much cheaper Electro series. The massive C7 and Steinway's are good, sure, but not really worth the 2x price and weight of the Electro.

I found the inclusion of the Synth panel kind of unnecessary, although most of the sounds are fairly good.

Most of the post-effects are excellent and useful. The Leslie is surprisingly convincing, and the tremolos and pans and choruses are all very good. The amp emulators weren't all that useful.

All in all, the only reason I'd give this piano a lower score is because all the best things about it are already on the Electro, and at much less cost.

No question, a very reliable keyboard.

Never had to call.

It's a good keyboard, but I'd recommend a Yamaha P-series for those looking for the weighted keyboard, and an Electro (or a Stage compact) for anybody looking for the sounds.

The Software on the keyboard is 2.16. To update is very easy.
The preset sounds are a basic material. You have to work with the instrument. This is very easy. You don't need a patch editor.
The manual is helpful and good enough.

The polyphony is good enough. You have 3 instruments on board. Piano, Organ and synth and you can double layer each machine. This is not really done on the preset sounds. Therefore you have to work with the instrument and to program your own sounds. The effects are great and easy to use. The advantage is that you can edit alot of things directly which you find on no keyboard on the market.The MIDI capabilities are standard if you work with an expander, but there is not a lot implemented. The RAM Memory for the samples are limited and if Clavia will offer more in the future for that instrument it could be a problem. Maybe they have a solution. The keyboard action is very good for Rhodes and Clavinet. For piano a little bit to light and for organ a little bit to strong. But it is a very good compromise.

Velocity and aftertouch is good realized. The Fender Rhodes, Organ B3 are fantastic sounds. The advantage of the Rhodes is that you can layer 2 sounds. This is great and something what the Electro doesn't have. The preset sounds are not layered. So if you buy the instrument you should work on the layering of sounds. The clavinet is good, you don't should layer it. Acoustic piano is ok. Wurltzer is a little bit unrealistic for me and for the Electro Grand there is no need. The synthesizer section is fine. Layering of two sounds makes it great. You have to work on that. The presets are only a basic help.

I use the Nord Stage 88 at home and for gigs I use the Nord Stage Compact which has a lighter weight. The Outputs are connected directed to the main speaker system and I have monitor speakers from d&b audiotechnik (2 x E3 with 2 x EPAC). This is very small and light weighted. All this is easy to carry.

This is very good. 3 years ago, I had a problem with a Nord Electro and the repair station got very fast a new pc-board to repair it. Also if you call them, it is very fine and they are fast.

If it were lost or stolen, I would buy it once more. I play since over 30 years on stage. I have a Hammond B3, in the past I had some Rhodes, two clavinets, Mini Moog, Prophet 5, Yamaha CS70, SY99, Kurzweil K2500, etc.
In the last 4 years I had a Yamaha S90, a MotifRack and a Nord Electro. One year ago I bought the NS88, which is for me great, beause this instrument sounds realistic when you play live. The Yamahas I had, have a lot of sounds, but the most don't sound good on a live gig. A lot of products need an effect processor that the basic sounds are good. In the NS88 the basic is good and that makes a difference between a NS88 and others. I play soul-jazz and fusion (TOP, AWB, EW&F, etc.) and for that you need organ, Rhodes, Moog and Prophet sounds and Clavinet. I can give everybody the information that you can get amuch better sound on the NS88, if you work on it and you create your own sounds. To go into a music shop and testing there, makes no sense, because from the first impression a sample player from another manufacturer sounds better first. But after two days I had the NS88, I created sounds which are fantastic compared to other products in the market.

version 2.00
Many presets are impressive but i wouldn't know how to use them. Editing patches is easy if you know what to do. I only read the manual on the first day.. and when i wanted to update the OS version. No problem.

I use my keys 99% live on stage, so the the NS88's polyphony is more than enough for me. I HATE MIDI. I rarely use it. So i cannot say anything about that. A good arpeggiator (like on the Nord Lead) would be apreciated!

The organ section is one of the best on the market. The best non-original Rhodes ever is featured on this instrument but there's something about the classic pianos that bothers me. Although the samples are impressive, they lack of natural sound when playing. I haven't figure it out yet, but i assume that the problem is the keyboard response on velocity cause i've used Kurzweil's PC88 keyboard (via MIDI) and got a totally other sound out of NS88!
The effects are one of the things i wouldn't buy the NS88 if they were NOT present.

Had no problems yet and i have used it without backup already.

I've been playing for about 10 years live now. And all this years i've been playing with Kurzweil's PC88. Last year i added clavia's NS88. I play jazz-rock-funk so all i really need is a GOOD natural piano, a GOOD B3 sound and a GOOD Rhodes. In other words these 2 instruments are more than enough.
I'm thinking about buying an amplifier from motion-sound. Friends who used it with a Nord Electro said that it's almost better than the "real thing".
In this price i would like to have at least a sustain pedal and the legs. Why doesn't clavia built a hardcase? And why does clavia's softcase cost more than other's hardcases?