The electric piano remains one of the most distinctive and timeless sounds in recorded music history. We’ve selected some of the best stage pianos available for recreating classic Rhodes and Wurlitzer sounds both in the studio and on stage.
In contrast to conventional stage pianos that focus on high-quality acoustic grand and upright piano sounds, the instruments I want to focus on in this article place a special emphasis on the sounds of vintage electric pianos like Rhodes and Wurlitzer, as well as the Clavinet. That said, many of them can also deliver decent acoustic pianos and perhaps even a few other “bread-and-butter” sounds, which makes them true one-trick ponies for the stage.
This specific category of instrument first appeared around the turn of the century with the original Nord Electro. At the time, the concept was revolutionary: for the first time, the Nord Electro brought together the sounds of the electro-mechanical classics of the past in a compact all-in-one keyboard with plenty of hands-on control. It not only delivered much better Rhodes, Wurlitzer, and organ sounds than the synth workstations of the time, but also included the typical effects. Most importantly, however, it had a super-intuitive, stage-friendly workflow – a revelation for live players who were tired of menu diving.
Other manufacturers soon followed suit, and a new category of instrument was born. Let’s check out the best stage pianos for vintage sounds available today – beginning with the one that started it all.
Best Stage Pianos for an Authentic Vintage SoundNord Electro 7 HP: Still one of the Best Stage Pianos for a Vintage SoundNord Stage 4: More of EverythingCrumar Seven / Seventeen: Vintage Stage Pianos with Physical ModelingRoland V-Stage: Modern Stage Keyboard with a Vintage FocusViscount Legend ‘70s: Modular Vintage Stage PianosKORG SV-2: Vintage Stage Pianos with Tube Overdrive
Nord Electro 7 HP: Still one of the Best Stage Pianos for a Vintage Sound
The red keyboards from Sweden have been a familiar sight on stages around the world for decades—and for good reason. First released in 2001, the Nord Electro pioneered the modern stage keyboard and helped define a new breed of instrument. At the time, it was exactly what many live players had been waiting for, delivering authentic electric piano and organ sounds without the hassle of hauling around the electro-mechanical dinosaurs of the ‘60s and ‘70s.
Source: Nord Keyboards
Now in its seventh generation, the Nord Electro remains one of the best stage pianos for vintage sounds. The basic formula hasn’t changed much: in addition to a piano and electric piano section that can be tailored to your needs by loading your favorite sounds from the extensive Nord Piano library, there’s an organ engine that models the legendary Hammond B-3 alongside a bunch of other organs, as well as a synth section for everything else. You also get an extensive effects section with plenty of hands-on control.
The synth engine has seen the biggest improvements in the latest generation. Instead of the basic sample synth of the predecessors, the Nord Electro 7 boasts a full-blown synth engine with virtual-analog waveforms, FM synthesis, and more, allowing you to build expressive synth sounds to complement your performance. In many cases, you won’t need to carry another instrument anymore.
The Nord Electro 7 is available in three versions. If you mainly play electric piano sounds, you’ll probably want the HP version, which features a 73-key hammer-action keybed and now also offers the physical drawbars that were previously only available in the organ-focused ‘D’ models. If you’re more of an organ player, you can also get the Nord Electro 7 with 61 or 73 waterfall keys.
All three versions are available at Thomann*.
Affiliate Links
Clavia Nord Electro 7 61
Customer rating: (1)
$2,099.00 / £1,929.00 / 2,219.00€ at
Clavia Nord Electro 7 73
Customer rating: (1)
$2,555.00 / £2,299.00 / 2,679.00€ at
Clavia Nord Electro 7 HP
No customer rating available yet
$2,859.00 / £2,555.00 / 2,979.00€ at
Product page
More from Nord Keyboards
Nord Stage 4: More of Everything
The basic concept of the Nord Stage 4 isn’t all that different from the Nord Electro, and the two instruments also draw from the same sound library. However, the luxurious Nord Stage offers quite a bit more of everything. As it allows you to build more complex split and layer setups and combinations of sounds, it’ll often be the only keyboard you need to pack for a gig.
The main advantage of the Nord Stage over the Nord Electro is its layer architecture. While the Nord Electro offers one organ engine, one piano section, and one synth, the Nord Stage lets you double up in each section. The organ and piano sections are each available twice; the synth section is even available three times. This allows you to create configurations with up to three keyboard zones, each of which can hold a combination of an organ or piano and a synth, with the ability to morph between states. In addition, the Nord Stage features versatile master keyboard functions for controlling external gear.
The Nord Stage 4 also gives you a choice of three models: 73 or 88 hammer-action keys or 73 lighty weighted waterfall keys. All are available at Thomann*.
Affiliate Links
Clavia Nord Stage 4 88
Customer rating: (32)
$4,090.00 / £3,699.00 / 4,275.00€ at
Clavia Nord Stage 4 73
Customer rating: (9)
$3,899.00 / £3,555.00 / 4,099.00€ at
Clavia Nord Stage 4 Compact
Customer rating: (13)
$3,599.00 / £3,280.00 / 3,775.00€ at
Product page
More from Nord Keyboards
Crumar Seven / Seventeen: Vintage Stage Pianos with Physical Modeling
Mainly known for organs, the revived Italian brand Crumar has also been producing vintage-focused stage pianos for some time now. Even from the outside, you can tell at first glance that the Crumar Seven and its little brother, the Seventeen, put classic electric pianos front and center. While the classy design of the Seven draws from the Rhodes heritage of the ’70s, the Seventeen seems to come straight out of the ’80s with its eye-catching blue-and-black Tolex finish.
Crumar Seven · Source: Crumar
A unique feature of the Crumar Seven is that all piano, electric piano, and clavinet sounds are generated using physical modeling—meaning they don’t rely on samples. In addition to tine and reed models, there’s an emulation of a CP70-style electro-acoustic piano. DX and MKS pianos are also included, as well as a vibraphone. In addition, the stage piano includes a sample section with additional sounds that can be expanded using various expansion packs. Effects like tremolo, auto-pan, wah, chorus, phaser, flanger, delay, and reverb are also included, and there’s an amp simulation for that authentic gritty amp sound.
In contrast, the more affordable Seventeen uses physical modeling only for the tine piano (Rhodes). The remaining sounds are sample-based, with the pianos and electric pianos using no loops and offering 6 to 12 velocity layers. The Seventeen features 7.1 GB of flash memory, which comes preloaded with four expansions right out of the box.
You can get the Crumar Seven and the Seventeen from Thomann*.
Affiliate Links
Crumar Seven
Customer rating: (22)
$1,744.00 / £1,555.00 / 1,819.00€ at
Crumar Seventeen
Customer rating: (7)
$1,238.00 / £1,111.00 / 1,289.00€ at
Crumar Seven product page
Crumar Seventeen product page
More from Crumar
Roland V-Stage: Modern Stage Keyboard with a Vintage Focus
As a true all-in-one instrument for live players, Roland’s V-Stage combines all the essential sounds you need on stage: acoustic and electric pianos, organs, and an extensive synth section, paired with effects and a gig-friendly user interface. While the acoustic pianos are based on the V-Piano engine, the electric pianos use Roland’s SuperNATURAL engine. In addition to tine and reed pianos, the V-Stage also features digital FM pianos and clavinets. The electric pianos get their own dedicated section on the panel, where you also have direct access to typical effects such as chorus, phaser, lo-fi, tremolo, and an amp simulation.
The larger V-Stage 88 features a hammer-action keybed. The 76-key model, on the other hand, has semi-weighted waterfall keys, making it a great choice for players who often play organ or synth sounds.
The Roland V-Stage is available at Thomann*.
Affiliate Links
Roland V-Stage 76
Customer rating: (5)
$2,655.00 / £2,399.00 / 2,777.00€ at
Roland V-Stage 88
Customer rating: (4)
$2,869.00 / £2,599.00 / 2,999.00€ at
Product page
More from Roland
Viscount Legend ‘70s: Modular Vintage Stage Pianos
Here’s another Italian manufacturer with a rich heritage, offering stage pianos with a retro look and vintage feel. The Viscount Legend ‘70s is a modular stage piano that can be configured with various modules such as Acoustic Piano, Electric Piano, Clavi, and more. This makes it one of the best stage pianos if you’re looking for maximum customization. Each module is physically installed into the instrument and then occupies its own section on the control panel. The master section on the far left handles presets and effects. Depending on which sounds are most important to you, you can get the Legend ‘70s in various configurations from the factory.
Viscount Legend ’70s · Source: Viscount
The Legend ‘70s Artist W features 88 hammer-action keys and includes the physical-modeling-based Electric Piano module and the Sound Collection module with sample-based strings, pads, keys, and more. You can use the remaining slots to add sounds like acoustic pianos, Clavinet, synths (virtual analog and/or FM), or the External module for controlling external gear. The Artist W EX model comes fully decked out with five modules (E.Piano, Sound Collection, A.Piano, Clavi, External).
The more compact and affordable Legend ‘70s Compact features 73 hammer-action keys with hammer action. This model is also available in various configurations.
Various versions of the Viscount Legend ‘70s are available at Thomann*.
Affiliate Links
Viscount Legend ’70s Artist W
Customer rating: (8)
$2,280.00 / £2,055.00 / 2,389.00€ at
Viscount Legend `70s Artist W EX
Customer rating: (12)
$2,880.00 / £2,555.00 / 2,999.00€ at
Viscount Legend `70s Compact
Customer rating: (6)
$1,525.00 / £1,359.00 / 1,589.00€ at
Viscount Legend `70s Compact EX
Customer rating: (3)
$2,177.00 / £1,959.00 / 2,279.00€ at
Product page
More from Viscount
KORG SV-2: Vintage Stage Pianos with Tube Overdrive
For a long time, the KORG SV-1 was the only real alternative to the Nord Electro. That has since changed, but its successor, the SV-2, still deserves its place on the list of the best stage pianos for a vintage sound.
The sound engine includes meticulously sampled electric and acoustic pianos, Clavinets, and more. A total of 72 sounds are available, and you can create split and layer combinations using a software editor.
KORG SV-2 · Source: KORG
KORG paid special attention to a gig-friendly workflow. The SV-2 has no display and no menus; everything is directly accessible. There’s also an extensive hands-on effects section with Pre FX (compressor, treble boost, U-Vibe, vibrato, tremolo, wah), an amp and speaker emulation, modulation effects (chorus, phaser, flanger, rotary speaker), reverb and delay. A unique selling point of the SV-2 is the tube overdrive with a real vacuum tube.
The KORG SV-2 is available with (SV-2S) or without built-in speakers, each with 73 or 88 hammer-action keys featuring a hammer-action mechanism. All models are available at Thomann*.
Affiliate Links
Korg SV-2 73
Customer rating: (10)
$1,598.00 / £1,444.00 / 1,666.00€ at
Korg SV-2 88
Customer rating: (7)
$1,899.00 / £1,699.00 / 1,989.00€ at
Korg SV-2S 73
Customer rating: (17)
$1,775.00 / £1,599.00 / 1,849.00€ at
Korg SV-2S 88
Customer rating: (19)
$2,099.00 / £1,899.00 / 2,198.00€ at
Product page
More from KORG
*Note: This article about Best Stage Pianos contains promotional links that help us fund our site. Don’t worry: the price for you always stays the same! If you buy something through these links, we will receive a small commission. Thank you for your support!
The post Best Stage Pianos for an Authentic Vintage Sound appeared first on gearnews.com.
