I've been using the Clavia Nord Stage 88 for the last 6 months and found it a real pleasure - the onboard sounds were easy to tweak and set up using REAL knobs. At first I looked at this and thought wheres the display? - it's there but it's tiny. But after you've played the Clavia Nord Stage 88 for a while you realise you don't really need the display. Manual is excellent. Personally I would prefer the traditional 2-wheel arrangement pitch bend setup.
Apart from my organ, this is the most I've spent on a keyboard instrument and it has (on paper) the fewest features. The Nord Stage 88 hasn't got expansion in a ordinary sense. You can download new sounds from their website which can be uploaded into the keyboard with a managing program. It's very easy to work and yet very effective. 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 could never be.
The Nord Stage is an instrument that you can really get into. The sounds are outstanding - particularly the Rhodes and Hammond. I find I can easily get the kind of sounds I hear my favourite musicians 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 which I love. 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.
In the time I've owned the Clavia Nord Stage 88 I have not yet had a single problem with it but most good gear these days is very reliable.
This is my favourite board by a long way and I would unquestionably buy it again.
Overall Rating: 10/10
Easy of Use: 9/10
Features: 9/10
Reliability: 10/10
Sounds: 10/10
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