Considering selling Kronos and buying a stage piano instead

[Bugra Ekuklu]

Hi folks, at these days I've been thinking about selling my pretty Kronos X73 and buying a digital piano instead, like the new-coming Kawai MP11.

The reason underneath I'm considering that is, I think Kronos is not sturdy enough compared its cost. I bought it on June 2013 and now the F4 key is rattling, there is no action loss though. I never did gigging, it's where I put when I bought it. I behaved my Kronos as if it is my child.

I know they are totally different kinds of instruments at all, however I recently bought a MacBook and because of heavy workflow I left Kronos onboard sequencer. I'm not a combi-er guy either (except large strings voices), so now it comes unreasonable to use a workstation.

I usually play acoustic and electric pianos, should say it I'm fond of Kronos' SGX-1 and EP-1 engine, rarely organs and other synth stuff. I believe MP11 does both pianos well.

I'm DETRIMENTALLY afraid of Kronos' OS -I do not believe it is a stable system- and its build quality. Kawai's build quality is charming, instrument should be ageless to me.

What you think, do you believe Kronos' build quality is okay? In those conditions, would changing it be a reasonable decision?

B.

[carmol]

In those conditions, would changing it be a reasonable decision?

B.

if you plan to use Kronos only as a stage piano,
definitely YES.

[danmusician]

I have no problem with build quality of e Kronos. If you have a key that's rattling, find out why. It could be that the bar in front of the keybed needs adjusted away from the keys. Is there a dealer near you?

It's all a matter of taste. For me, having tried the Roland and the Yamaha top of the line stage pianos, I preferred the Kronos pianos. Others disagree. I once described the Kronos is way: "Came for the pianos, stayed for the workstation." I would have bought the Kronos just as a stage piano even if I had no plans to use the other sounds/capabilities.

Not sure why you're afraid of the Kronos OS. I use it daily and never have an issue. There's lot of complaining on these boards from a group of users that gives the impression that there are more problems than actually exist.

If you're going to look at a stage piano, I'd suggest that you also look at the Casio PX-5S. It's also a wonderful piano. Though I prefer the Kronos, the Casio is a very close second. It's also very light and compact for gigging.

[michelkeijzers]

You mean you say the build quality is not good enough because you have one single problem and did not even went back to a dealer?

On the other hand, if you only need a stage piano, the Kronos was not the right choice in the first place.

[carmol]

I have no problem with build quality of e Kronos. If you have a key that's rattling, find out why. It could be that the bar in front of the keybed needs adjusted away from the keys. Is there a dealer near you?

I experienced rattling on my Kronos 73,
after few months of no intensive use.
unfortunately I think is a problem of RH3,
which tends to become noisy after a while.
I changed keybed 4 times, then I
changed the weighted 73 with the synth action 61.

[danmusician]

I have no problem with build quality of e Kronos. If you have a key that's rattling, find out why. It could be that the bar in front of the keybed needs adjusted away from the keys. Is there a dealer near you?

I experienced rattling on my Kronos 73,
after few months of no intensive use.
unfortunately I think is a problem of RH3,
which tends to become noisy after a while.
I changed keybed 4 times, then I
changed the weighted 73 with the synth action 61.

And yet thousands of other users of RH3 in various instruments have not experienced any problems. So it is clearly not a fault of the RH3 keybed. There must be some other explanation for your problems (which I'm sorry to hear that you suffered through.)

We tend to extrapolate cause and effect based on anecdotal evidence. Unfortunately, this has caused people to abandon or avoid the Kronos for no real reason.

[carmol]

IMHO many, maybe all rh3 tends to
become noisy, and other keybed of other brands too,
maybe because of cheap components or designs.
I played a roland rd-300nx keybed really orrible.
i think that many people became accustomed,
or consider it normal, because it dont affect functionality
and its not even noticeable in live
(this was the first answer of my local service)

[GregC]

You mean you say the build quality is not good enough because you have one single problem and did not even went back to a dealer?

On the other hand, if you only need a stage piano, the Kronos was not the right choice in the first place.

^ ^ This

[GregC]

Hi folks, at these days I've been thinking about selling my pretty Kronos X73 and buying a digital piano instead, like the new-coming Kawai MP11.

The reason underneath I'm considering that is, I think Kronos is not sturdy enough compared its cost. I bought it on June 2013 and now the F4 key is rattling, there is no action loss though. I never did gigging, it's where I put when I bought it. I behaved my Kronos as if it is my child.

I know they are totally different kinds of instruments at all, however I recently bought a MacBook and because of heavy workflow I left Kronos onboard sequencer. I'm not a combi-er guy either (except large strings voices), so now it comes unreasonable to use a workstation.

I usually play acoustic and electric pianos, should say it I'm fond of Kronos' SGX-1 and EP-1 engine, rarely organs and other synth stuff. I believe MP11 does both pianos well.

I'm DETRIMENTALLY afraid of Kronos' OS -I do not believe it is a stable system- and its build quality. Kawai's build quality is charming, instrument should be ageless to me.

What you think, do you believe Kronos' build quality is okay? In those conditions, would changing it be a reasonable decision?

B.

I think you should sell it since you are barely scratching the surface of the Kronos. Since you are inviting replies on your thought process, here are mine. By the way, I enjoyed 3 different Roland Rd digital pianos for 12 years.

Anyway,

1) how do you ' know ' the MP11 will be 100% problem free ? Isn't this a brand new model ? Are you going by looks, advertising and appearance ? Are you attracted to the next ' great thing of the year ' ? If you are ' sold '
it does appear to be a highly worthy choice for a serious digital piano. But without actual user experience for at least 6 months, there are no ' sure things '.

2) most serious piano musicians buy the 88. 88 keys on a piano is what many of us developed our skills on. Thus, I feel ' restricted ' on a ' 73' .

3) you are ' detrimentally afraid ' of the OS . you believe it is not ' stable ' ? This is puzzling to understand. You are familiar with the various Korg updates and improvements ? I consider the OS ( esp 2.1) to be incredibly stable and well supported. If you have any actual data to the contrary, please share.

4) My experience with the Kronos build quality for almost 3 years is sterling. Yes, I baby my 88. Thus I have zero concern about ' build quality'. Don't be quickly impressed if a digital piano has a metal case and sturdy controls, larger dials and buttons. It could still have a problematic keybed, quirky navigation, etc . Seeing a sterling record by a keyboard co will definitely help in getting confidence towards a purchase. Thus, logic tells me you should be spending time on the Kawaii DP user forum.

[dfahrner]

My thoughts on the issues raised here (from owning 3 KRONOS over a couple of years, daily use, carrying them to gigs, etc.): (1) The KRONOS build quality is as good (it's as "sturdy") as any other keyboard manufacturer's products; (2) once the key contact problem was addressed, the RH3 keybed is at least as good as any other manufacturer's; (3) the SGX-1 and EP-1 pianos are better than almost all other manufacturer's piano sounds; and (4) the KRONOS OS is stable, I've never had a problem with it, or heard of any significant problems.

Of course, a lot of this comes down to personal preference: some people like other manufacturer's sounds, response, or keybeds better than the KRONOS...(to me, no matter how good the Casio PX-5S sounds, it looks awful)...if you don't use most of the KRONOS features, you probably selected (and paid a lot of money for) the wrong instrument to begin with...but unless you find another instrument that does significantly better-sounding pianos and has a better keybed feel (however you define these things), I'd keep the KRONOS, you might start using more of it some day...

df

[mikeyd]

These posts always make me wonder why someone buys a Kronos in the first place. Then does it become buyers remorse or what?

Definitely sell your Kronos. If you only need a piano, I think someone said you Kronos wasn't for you in the first place. Although IMHO it has some of the best pianos out there.

This falls under do I sell my Kronos and buy a Roland or a Yamaha etc. type post. I really don't think anyone will talk you out of it. Your are on a pro Kronos Forum.

Good Luck and happy playing.

[Bugra Ekuklu]

Firstly I appreciate you all to sharing your thoughts. I will try to answer your questions as better as I can.

The build quality problem. Woof. Having been astounded that almost no one have complaints about build quality. Imho, it could be better, maybe not as sturdy as a CP1. It is not about one single problem, it is all about my worries. I personally do not accept any kind of production error on a $3.500 high-end instrument. Check out the Yamaha's CP and Kawai's MP series to understand the reasonable fail ratio.

I'm 30 km to dealer, I don't have personal car. So I cannot bring my Kronos to a dealer. And I don't have to. Because it is $3.500. Here in Turkey, it equals two month salary of a PhD.

What kind of quality checking is this? Korg did produce significant number of troublesome Kronos and SV-1's, what else, is it not absurd because they also made regular products?

I don't have a trouble with 73. Personally I choose 73 because its enough to play EPs and shorter than a 88.

I was playing synths few months ago, so Kronos is/was logical to me.

Today my problem is, everyone has priorities and my priority is keybed-feel. Imo, RH3 is just a regular keybed. Of course some may be fond of it, but personally I do not find anything special on this keybed. So CP5 or MP11 may satisfy me.

-B.

[lonelagranger]

I can understand some of what you are saying. I own a Kronos X 88 and use mostly the pianos. I think they are very good. Not the best, but certainly miles ahead of the Triton days. I also wish the build quality would have been better. Take a look at the composition of the Triton and Triton Studio. Very solid. I do not think the Kronos is of poor construction, but it is obvious that build quality was changed in the production of this instrument. When I pick my Kronos X up off of the stand it is on I can actually fell the entire keyboard flex slightly. It is a very small amount and does no harm, but still it is there. The end caps are plastic. Not so on the Triton or Triton Studio. I actually first notice the change in build quality in the M3 Module. I actually sent it back because of the poor build quality, at that price range. I love Korg products and will continue to buy them, but like many manufacturers these days they cut corners wherever they can to save money.

Personally, if you are looking for a good piano I don't think you could go wrong with a Roland RD700NX. I had one and loved it very much. It is not cheap, but it is built like a tank. it also weighs around 54 pounds. I returned it to get the Roland Integra 7 and a Casio PX-5S. So what if it's ugly. I am playing it not dating it.

Good luck in your search for the perfect piano.

[GregC]

I can understand some of what you are saying. I own a Kronos X 88 and use mostly the pianos. I think they are very good. Not the best, but certainly miles ahead of the Triton days. I also wish the build quality would have been better. Take a look at the composition of the Triton and Triton Studio. Very solid. I do not think the Kronos is of poor construction, but it is obvious that build quality was changed in the production of this instrument. When I pick my Kronos X up off of the stand it is on I can actually fell the entire keyboard flex slightly. It is a very small amount and does no harm, but still it is there. The end caps are plastic. Not so on the Triton or Triton Studio. I actually first notice the change in build quality in the M3 Module. I actually sent it back because of the poor build quality, at that price range. I love Korg products and will continue to buy them, but like many manufacturers these days they cut corners wherever they can to save money.

Personally, if you are looking for a good piano I don't think you could go wrong with a Roland RD700NX. I had one and loved it very much. It is not cheap, but it is built like a tank. it also weighs around 54 pounds. I returned it to get the Roland Integra 7 and a Casio PX-5S. So what if it's ugly. I am playing it not dating it.

Good luck in your search for the perfect piano.

Actually, the Extreme had the plastic end caps- easy to ding up.

I also had a Triton and the number buttons started to not work/respond. But after 8 years of steady use, that was minor stuff. I was amazed the floppy drive worked as long as it did

[lonelagranger]

Also, you could replace the Korg floppy with one from a PC. That was great. Many other brands wouldn't let you do that. Your right the Extreme did have plastic end caps. I forgot about that one. I had the 61 key version and it felt quite solid. That is still a great keyboard. I would buy it again in a minute.