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 Forum index » Clavia Nord Modular » Nord Modular G2 Discussion
G2 manufacturing quality
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cebec



Joined: Apr 19, 2004
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PostPosted: Tue May 18, 2004 7:34 am    Post subject: G2 manufacturing quality Reply with quote  Mark this post and the followings unread

Hi,
I'm returning my SECOND G2 Keyboard because of what I consider faulty/defective rotary encoders. On both, one or more of the knobs has not been smooth -- has had a distinct click or rough spot -- and one or more of the knobs has been excessively loose.
I'm not usually this picky but I planned on using this keyboard for many years to come and, considering what I paid, and my previous expectations for build quality, I'm disappointed.
Both of my G2s had v. 1.4 on the front panel. Perhaps I will wait until 1.5 or later is released before I try again. I really want a G2, but I'm not going to settle. Either Clavia needs to use better quality encoders or they need to do some more quality assurance before they're out the door.
Finally, I also noticed some ugly blemishes on the side of one of the pitch wheels (very noticeable metallic blotch) and on the second one, another blemish.
I feel bad that these units will go back to Clavia, though. It's not cheap/convenient/fun for me or them, but I really hope they'll take this seriously.
Thanks for listening and keep me posted if anyone receives G2s with v 1.5 or higher and if this seems to make any difference. I can't imagine many others have experienced this problem, but I don't know, maybe others are just keeping quiet.
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Tim Kleinert



Joined: Mar 12, 2004
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PostPosted: Tue May 18, 2004 1:14 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote  Mark this post and the followings unread

I've got two version 1.4 G2s here too and have nothing to complain.

On the NL3 I bought over a year ago, some encoders had a different feel to them than others, but I didn't get worked up about it and they still work fine up to this day.

I read somewhere that Clavia invested considerable R&D in these encoders, in order to come up with something durable. They know these things will be tweaked hard.

I've never had a bad experience with Clavia gear, neither hardware-wise nor software-wise. They have been developing digital drumpads for 20 years now and surely know plenty about good hardware design. A friend of mine uses an old NL1 which has been on the road for almost a decade.

In that sense, I'm somewhat surprised by your story.
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cebec



Joined: Apr 19, 2004
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PostPosted: Tue May 18, 2004 1:26 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote  Mark this post and the followings unread

i'm surprised, too, because i've never heard of anyone having such problems with any Clavia products, and i've always admired the build quality of my Classic.

hmm, oh well. i'll wait another couple of weeks then re-order.

i probably would've coped with this latest G2 except it seems someone at the warehouse (who were supposed to be testing the knobs for me for these clicks/rough spots) also took a nice chip of paint out of the case!

still, if anyone else has experienced problems with the encoders, speak up.
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ian-s



Joined: Apr 01, 2004
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PostPosted: Tue May 18, 2004 3:19 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote  Mark this post and the followings unread

The encoders on serial No30 are all fine. I do have a mechanical noise on the low C key but it dosn't bother me.
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Unfed



Joined: May 11, 2004
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PostPosted: Tue May 18, 2004 3:28 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote  Mark this post and the followings unread

i think the 5th encoder on my G2 has this problem slightly. almost seems like a piece of dust or something in there, but i'm not about to start poking around. Smile don't even notice it most of the time. pitch stick/mod wheel seem ok. one thing i did notice was a slight paint defect at the last button under the encoders. right on the corner of the rectangular hole in the metal, it looks like a piece of dust got beneath the paint. no big deal i guess (but for $1800 you of course want it perfect). i'm sure it'll get a few nicks over the years, i don't expect it to stay perfect...
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ThreeFingersOfLove



Joined: Oct 21, 2004
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PostPosted: Sat Oct 30, 2004 3:55 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote  Mark this post and the followings unread

I think that the design of the Nord synthesizers is one their weakest points. Just take a look at an Andromeda, Neuron, VL1, Matrix12...lovely stuff. Smile Clavia should get some serious designers in order to update their synth-line. A lot of the controllers are not even ergonomic. Oh well, I suppose you can't have everything Sad

Yannis
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puRe



Joined: Oct 19, 2004
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Location: Serbia

PostPosted: Sun Oct 31, 2004 1:25 am    Post subject: Reply with quote  Mark this post and the followings unread

shoshin wrote:
On the NL3 I bought over a year ago, some encoders had a different feel to them than others, but I didn't get worked up about it and they still work fine up to this day.


Exactly the same case here (on NL3)...
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Tim Kleinert



Joined: Mar 12, 2004
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PostPosted: Sun Oct 31, 2004 1:45 am    Post subject: Reply with quote  Mark this post and the followings unread

Well, actually, on my G2, some encoders do have this kind of "click" or "rough spot" cebec mentioned. But it never bothered me and it never has produced any malfunction of any kind up to now.

And as mentioned, our NL3 gets constantly abused -and quite roughly-, and all the encoders are still working fine,

However, I do not agree with Yannis about Clavia build quality. Their hardware is above the average, IMO. Those flimsy joysticks on the Neuron and the wobbly Andro pots inspire far less confidence on my behalf.

I almost never hear about serious hardware issues on Clavia gear.
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puRe



Joined: Oct 19, 2004
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Location: Serbia

PostPosted: Sun Oct 31, 2004 11:47 am    Post subject: Reply with quote  Mark this post and the followings unread

shoshin wrote:
However, I do not agree with Yannis about Clavia build quality. Their hardware is above the average, IMO. Those flimsy joysticks on the Neuron and the wobbly Andro pots inspire far less confidence on my behalf.


Clavia is for abuse
Neuron is for fine floating stuff

Wink

hell, they even give you replacement joysticks...
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mosc
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PostPosted: Sun Oct 31, 2004 1:02 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote  Mark this post and the followings unread

I've had the NM1 and the G2 and to me they appear to be very well made. Their weakness is that the knobs can get bashed when transporting the synth, or when it falls on the studio floor face down.

One can't realistically expect that they should survive such a fall. If you buy a very expensive custom made case there isn't much danger of damage in transport. Still, I wish they would include in the original box a piece of styrofoam that fits on the front panel to protect the knobs. I'm thinking of something about 1 inch (2.5 centimeters) thick. This would be pretty usefull.

Still, my NM-1 did fall on its face (clumsey thing) and a friends NM-1 got its big tuning knob bashed in courtesy of homeland security workers protecting us. With a little patience, a soldering iron, and some good super glue, I was able to repair both synths.

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ThreeFingersOfLove



Joined: Oct 21, 2004
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PostPosted: Sun Oct 31, 2004 11:22 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote  Mark this post and the followings unread

Yeah, the Neuron's joysticks are a tad fragile but other than that it's like a tank. Smile I don't have one but have tested it some months ago and was impressed by the build quality.

Horizontal modulation wheels in the G2X? Is this ergonomical? Have you noticed the wrongly placed "main" LCD in the G2/G2X?... to the far left? Viruses and Indigos suffer from the same problem. There is enough room in the G2 to place it in the center, lest we speak about the G2X. It is rather tiny - not very informative if you take the synthesizer away from its editor. With so much information coming and going we could certainly use a bigger LCD. Rolling Eyes At least the main one.

Yannis
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jksuperstar



Joined: Aug 20, 2004
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PostPosted: Mon Nov 01, 2004 9:31 am    Post subject: Reply with quote  Mark this post and the followings unread

Quote:
Have you noticed the wrongly placed "main" LCD in the G2/G2X?... to the far left?

I'm personally glad that everything is squeezed left to leave space on the right...my QY-70 sequencer fits there nicely. I'm sure the Nord2 users didn't complain when a Nord Mod 1 rack fit on their keyboard either.
I also find myself rarely using the main LCD...if anything I'd ask for 4 row LCDs in the patch section: then it wouldn't need the "Display" button. All data could be shown at once. But once I'm "in" to a patch, I don't mind smaller LCDs...meaning they don't efffect my work.

And having 16 knobs/buttons/leds would've been nice for doing some sequencing work using the 16-step sequencers, but beyond that, I find the interface to be the best I've ever used. The Emu XL-7 being in second place...

You don't seem too happy with your Nord?
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elektro80
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PostPosted: Mon Nov 01, 2004 10:30 am    Post subject: Reply with quote  Mark this post and the followings unread

The NM1 seems to be very well made. OK.. a few components are fragile but that is really not unique to the NM1. The insides of the NM1 seems reasonably well put together too. The industrial design could of course have been "better" , but there are no serious errors as far as I can see.
The PPG Wave series was far more messy, but the main problem with the PPGs were inconsistent build quality.. not the industrial design. These synths were "build like a panzerkampfwagen" but the soldering resembled a velcro bonanza. Some of those models could not be moved unless you planned to resolder absolutely everything. I never had any problems with the Waveterm though.

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