Stage Piano Buying Guide - YAMAHA CP88 vs NORD STAGE 3

By popular request here is my comparison of the YAMAHA CP88 and NORD STAGE 3 88 digital stage pianos.
We'll discuss the other contenders in this keyboard category, compare the prices and features.
► YAMAHA CP73
► NORD PIANO 4
► ROLAND RD2000
► KORG GRANDSTAGE
► KORG SV73 SV88
I've included a few short sound demo clips from the archive.

[geoffk]

I have an Rd-2000, a Kronos2-88 (which is similar to the Grandstage) and a Montage8 (similar to the CP88). So here's my opinion:

Roland RD-2000. This makes the best MIDI controller, as the sliders can be assigned to any internal or external sound. The overall panel design is great. I love the PHA50 action, which is quite heavy, even though the keys have plastic cores. It's very well-made and fairly portable. The real star is that it has both sampled "Supernatural" pianos (which are excellent) and also modeled V-Piano sounds, which have unlimited polyphony and great expressiveness. It has string resonance, which Yamaha lacks (but Korg has). It's my favorite stage piano and my primary board.
There are 2000 sounds on board and most are excellent, although the organs could be better. Not the best action for organ anyway.

Montage8 I don't use this primarily as a piano but I could. The action is excellent and the Bosendorfer especially just sounds wonderful. My second-favorite piano after the RD-2000, an I could live with it as my only one. No string resonance, but you don't miss it too much. The Motage isn't portable, but the CP88 is. On the other hand, the CP88 only has 57 sounds, which is a bit mean compared to the Roland or Korg.

Kronos2-88. This is a brilliant instrument with a highly customizable, well-sampled piano featuring string resonance. It also has an excellent keyboard action--very similar to the Yamaha. But I just don't quite like it as well as the Roland or Yamaha. An excellent choice, though, and many people will play it and prefer it to the Yamaha or Roland. The organs are excellent.

I also have a Kurzweil PC3K88, but the piano is a bit dated and I don't care for the Fatar action. I hear that the new Kurzweil pianos are very competitive, though, especially if you want a 76-key model. The same goes for Casio. Casios sound great, they're surprisingly cheap and the action is very good. They also have 76-key models.

If you are a classical musician and want a piano with a true grand piano action, built by an acoustic piano maker, than the Kawaii MD-11 is unbeatable. But it's enormously big and heavy, the action is a bit noisy and the on-board sounds are limited. It's a great instrument, but it's not for everybody.

Finally, don't overlook Computer-based instruments. Keyscape is one of my favorite pianos and many others, such as Pianoteq, are excellent. A computer and a good MIDI-controller would match any of these pro boards.

And Nord? I just don't see the appeal. Yes they have a good sample library, but their instruments lack the memory to hold a good number of high-quality samples in memory at once. The Fatar keyboards are lousy and the polyphony is disappointing. And the pricing is simply ridiculous--way out of line with what you're getting. They sound Ok, but lack the customizability and technology of the Roland or Korg.

All that said, you could buy anything mentioned above and be very happy with it. So try them all. Play before you buy and decide for yourself. And don't be swayed by brand names or prejudices.

[TransistorBased]

Just bought a Nord Stage 3. I don't care much about key action since I mostly do synth, with some piano and organ stuff. I highly value being able to do everything from the front panel, and I love a strong synth engine. One of the better cover bands in the area uses a Kronos and I'm shocked at how bad the organ sounds on that are. Not to mention a couple of the synth sounds had way too much resonance or the decay times were weird, and there was nothing he could do about it in a live situation. People can brag about how deep their workstations are, but when something goes wrong live you're completely SOL since you have to deep dive for everything. Plus with as many presets as they have that's all anyone will ever use. I pride myself on understanding the process of how sounds were originally created by the artist, and crafting my own sounds in a similar way rather than just relying on a 'good enough' sound anyone could use.


Tl;dr... I'll take an incredibly accessible and playable interface with quality of sounds over quantity of sounds any day.

[bjrnb]

for 4499$ i would be expecting to just magically be able to play piano the moment i plug it in

[MrTomcat]

Been looking for a gigging keyboard for 3 years now. Nord is out of my range when you have a growing family. So I love the sound of the Yamaha CP73 & 88. Just order the CP73 last month on layby. Will be doing mostly Reggae, soul and RnB after the lockdown. Glad I made the right decision.

[crnova]

Last week I tried the Crumar Seven. Never heard of IT before some weeks ago. It's not for everyone but I think it sounds even better than a Korg sv-2 or Nord.

[SynthsandSounds]

It's great that you encourage people to get second hand gear! You could even get a marvellous roland D-20 or JX-8P if you want a synth engine to your piano for less than a deepmind

[LifeofCharlie]

Seamless transitions between presets used to be missing on all digital instruments It's so good to have them now!

[matszh]

I got the Kawai ES8, great key action and sounds, built in speakers (almost as good as MP11, but less controller functions and less weight). If I was to buy a NEW stage piano, I would SERIOUSLY consider the new Casio PX-S3000. Great sounds, action and portability, DAW integration, built in speakers, controllers, good looking, low price...It might be the holy grail for a lot of musician’s needs.

[chrisnubile]

This is so subjective. Its strange how nobody else felt the way I did playing the CP88. I'm a live engineer, and get my hands on Steinways and Bosendorfers regularly, and equally have to mic up (usually Nords) all manner of stage pianos. I actually thought the Yamaha was in a completely different league to the other keyboards you mentioned above, including Yamahas own P515 and older live stalwarts like the CP300. Its something to do with the dynamic range of the sounds, both on piano and EPs. It was so much more expressive. Everything, and I mean everything, else tended to disappear into a shapeless mass too quickly. I absolutely hear what you and others say about the Nord's sounds being characterfull, and woody, but they also became a mire when you began playing songs. The Yamaha had so much more air around the notes. I really disappeared into it, like I do with a real piano. I don't know why. It had something intangibly lifelike about it.

Also, the keyboard action itself is really big deal. The Nord one is significantly inferior to the others. Very much feels like a basic weighted keyboard.

[aukevanderplas]

I have a RD2000 now and to be honest. When I was in the store to buy a board, I was trying both the rd2000 and the nord stage. Eventually bought the rd2000 because of the pricing. But I found a couple of negatieve pointe (Some personal):
-playing it for a while, I just started to get annoyed by the sound, not sounding natural.
-I also think the system is Kinda hard to operate.
-Not much room te expand with more sounds via axial also not much available
-Organs are not that great
-build quality could be better

Don’t get me wrong the RD2000 is still a great piano and has a lot of positives. it’s price is affordable and it is way better than most stage piano’s.

But I’m probably going to trade it in for the nord stage 3.

[veerchasm]

I ended up going with the P121 and have been happy with it

[jazzmore]

The Yamaha CP-88 is an excellent professional stage piano....I played one at Guitar Center here in Sacramento, CA. The key action is excellent and the Grand Piano and Electric Piano sounds are great!!! This is the perfect stage piano for any type of gig!!! This would be an excellent professional entry level stage piano. However, Yamaha has a tendency to introduce new stage pianos with extreme high prices!!! This is not good for their business....$2, 500 is too high for the CP-88...the better price would be $1, 650. So, if you can afford $2, 500 for a new stage piano, then get the Roland RD-2000 at $2, 600!!

[rfichokeofdestiny]

Your advice to try them in person is important. Everyone has different needs and preferences and action/touch especially is very personal. That being said, here’s what I’ve found so far:

Yamaha: great synths with a storied history but I just don’t like the action. Too springy/stiff for me.

Nord: also a great line of synths but the action also doesn’t work for me.

I’ve been able to try the Roland FP30, RD2000, and Juno DS88. The FP30 felt somewhat better to me than the Yamahas. The RD2000 was alright. The Juno DS88 came out feeling the best for me. I wouldn’t mind having one at least.

I’ve played some older Casio Privias for quite some time and they’re not too bad, all things considered. I haven’t gotten much time on the PX-S1000 and haven’t been able to try the PX-S3000 at all. I’m sure they’re decent though. The action tends to be a bit on the light side.

I haven’t been able to find a Korg D1 or Grandstage so far.

I really want to try the Kawai ES8, ES110, MP7SE and MP11SE but I can’t find them *anywhere*. I don’t know what it is, but nobody has Kawais. I’ve got a Kawai VPC1 at home which has a great piano-like action (although it is a bit on the heavy side). But it just weighs too much to try to drag around everywhere with me.

There are others like the Kurzweil SP6, the Studiologic SL88, and the Dexibell line of keyboards. I haven’t run across any of them in the wild.

[TheBluemanBenny]

I bought the CP-88 a year ago after looking at all the reviews, yours and Dr. Mix, and just love this keyboard. If I got stranded on an island alone, the CP-88 is what I would choose to have with me. Who needs water or food.. :-)

[obwanz]

Hi Woody! Great, and very informative topic.

The the thing is about the 3 keyboards compared to the Stage 3 is that you only get 6 synth voices on the DeepMind compared the the 34 A1 voices, which can be split into 2 panels, giving you 2 independent 17 voice synths. Also the Hammond SK1 has a terrible Leslie effect forcing you to buy a Ventilator pedal. This makes for a massive setup. If you are gigging, you also have to pay extra for stands, cables, extra cases, pedals, weight, setup and tear down time, and space. You did mention that it was convenient to have everything in one keyboard. As a Stage 3 owner, I definitely have to agree! Great video as always. Have been a long time subscriber. 👍

[dynoroad]

Got the Kawai MP7SE, feels like a great musical investment, it has so many good features. It's great to practice piano on, it's superb as a Master Keyboard, and a great production tool with a good DAW. Also, it looks classy and timeless, fits great into a small apartment room.

[don]

Buy the best you can afford. Most of us have to be realistic. Honestly, all modern keyboards are amazing.

[lollebolle]

Great choice! I bought my P 121 a mounth ago, and I love it. I'm a giging musician and I like the the weight of it...10 kg.

[stucrisp]

I've had Roland stage pianos for decades. I just replaced my ancient, battered and tired RD300SX which has played thousands of musical theatre shows with me sitting in front of it. It was your videos that shaped my short list; Kawai MP11SE but I *do* need something I can move without hiring a crane. It has a lovely action though. I was looking at the RD2000 in keeping with my past history but I sometimes need a reasonable Hammond sound and somehow, Roland hasn't ever cracked it. I need a good harpsichord sound too more often than you'd think but really, I need a great piano with 'other stuff'. So I went and auditioned the CP88 locally and it liked me. I liked it. I was offered it for $2700 Australian dollars which sealed the deal It lists for around $3500(ish) in stores. So far I am thrilled with it - it is perfect for my needs and I can't wait for an upcoming show to try it for realsies. I really like the channel - keep up the good work. Stu

[jamesmcmahan]

Great perspective Woody! I don't always agree with your sound opinions, but love your song choices and creative thoughts. I agree on your final verdict, though