Kronos LS keyboard problem - sinking keys - design problem?

[DCMUSIC3]

(Click on image for full view)

It's time to repair 7 keys. I'm going to try the epoxy method.
The bad keys in the upper register were previously swapped out from the middle register.

It is now clear that this is a design flaw. When sharp metal meets a thin strip of plastic, plastic will lose.

[Poseidon]

This is simply unbelievable.
A design flaw, for sure
They have rush into production something that has not been tested properly.
And it’s clear, that Korg has learned nothing from 1st gen. Kronos.
why ?
Profits ahead of quality.
The Kronos workstations were driven by an idea “downgrade to profit” ( OASYS )

I am really sorry to see your gear in such condition.

[GregC]

It does appear that the LS has an inherent key bed issue.

I wonder if it takes 2 years for the issue to surface ? Or will it surface within the 1 year warranty ?

The Oasys to Kronos comparison is a separate discussion IMO.

[Poseidon]

Nothing lasts forever, plastic/budget keyboards are unlikely to last more than 3 yrs.
However the premium keyboards aren't simply built for the landfill
they should withstand heavy wear and tear, a lifespan of about 4-5 years is a bare minimum.
So we have here not only a design flaw,
but … ( you name it )

[GregC]

I think you are discussing LS. BTW, I frequently post stating what Korg "Should " do.

The 'heavy wear and tear' discussion is a good one. Our favorite manufacturers listened to gigging keyboardists complain about boards being 'too heavy. Therefore the LS, as an example.

I would assert 10 years of trouble free experience is a reachable standard for Kronos, Fantom and Montage. This is a good topic if you want to start it.
I reacall starting a similar topic a few yrs ago, specific to Kronos.

[LaLaLand]

Nothing lasts forever, plastic/budget keyboards are unlikely to last more than 3 yrs.
However the premium keyboards aren't simply built for the landfill
they should withstand heavy wear and tear, a lifespan of about 4-5 years is a bare minimum.
So we have here not only a design flaw,
but … ( you name it )

What you wrote is what I thought when I was cashing out for my new LS.
In half a year it developed keys lower/softer than others.
I realized it's a metal spring eating up the soft plastic support, inside the key, thus changing the distance of spring support. Design flaw at a glance.

This left such a bitter disappointment that I seriously consider going for a Roland Fantom, not because it's much better, but because I want to stay away from greedy Korg. A 3.000$ for an obsolete PC in a flimsy housing, with a toy-keybed. Software is another story. Software is the reason I bought it, a piece of art, for which I’m really grateful.

It’s not that keybed can’t be repaired. If Korg were honest or loyal to customers from whom they make a living, they would finally stop celebrating a decade of enormous profit from the Kronos project and give something in return.

A complete LS keybed:
- 88 pieces of black and white plastic (keys)
- a black plastic base
- 88 thin metal springs
- a PCB strip with some cables, some screws to hold it in place
- some rubber strip for key contact
- some felt strip

all this (AND NO MORE!) can’t cost more than 30$/unit to mass produce. I don't care if it's "made in Japan", if any Chinese froduct can beat the crap out of this crap.


Here's a comon sense remedy proposal for Korg to present the seriousness of their business, and not cheating:
1. Redesign the keybed mechanics. At least put a thin metal cover at the plastic contact ridge of a key, to cover the plastic
2. Send this modified keybed to all owners of LS, regardless of warranty, because you don’t want to see your premium product in garbage disposal bins pretty soon.
3. You finally lose maybe a 100$ of your vast margine for LS unit, which is nothing compared to lost reputation.


If not, customers should use the warranty, get a new original keybed,wait for it to fail again. Is this the path of LS model in Korg’s mind?

[titi34]

hello
I am starting to have this problem on the D4 key. I contacted Korg France after-sales service, we'll see what he thinks about it. I mentioned this problem that many users of this forum are experiencing. if we add the problem of poorly connected RAM .... it starts to do a lot for a machine of this price and which is recent !!!!

[GregC]

hello
I am starting to have this problem on the D4 key. I contacted Korg France after-sales service, we'll see what he thinks about it. I mentioned this problem that many users of this forum are experiencing. if we add the problem of poorly connected RAM .... it starts to do a lot for a machine of this price and which is recent !!!!

don't expect Korg to do anything based on posts here.

A decent key bed should last 10 years IMO.

if you have doubts about LS key bed durability, and if I were you, I would ask for extended warranty from your korg authorized service center.

[titi34]

Thanks for your advice. I'm waiting for the answer from Korg France

[xtatty]

Thanks for your advice. I'm waiting for the answer from Korg France

Please keep us informed about the outcome.

Thank you!

[titi34]

answer
"Hello Mr,
thank you for contacting KORG France technical support.
I assure you this problem is not as frequent as the forums might have it believe.
Would you have the possibility to send a short video by return email so that we can see if a service return is necessary"

by saying that it is not so frequent they implicitly assume to know the problem !!!

I made the video .....

[dfahrner]

By my count, five people here have reported having the problem (with links to one more on Youtube) in the past year and a half: the original poster had seven sunken keys, the others had one (or maybe more, two people say?)...this does seem to back up Korg France tech support's statement about the problem's frequency, although it doesn't help the people who have the problem...I went through the same kind of thing with a Kronos1 RH3 keybed; it eventually got fixed, but it took a couple of months...&%^$##@!

df

[titi34]

Hi
still no follow-up from Korg neither by email nor by messenger except a single message to tell me to go see my dealer !!!
Korg truly has the poorest after-sales service in the music world.
so i took it apart and moved the key to treble ... this key design is actually crap

[DCMUSIC3]

Me again.
Just repairing another key with epoxy.

Since the board is dismantled, I'm adding epoxy to other keys preemptively... before they fail.

So far this fix is holding up ... but I have no idea how long it will last.

If the Kronos LS was a motor vehicle it would have been recalled.

C'mon Korg!!!

[jg::]

I've now had one key on my LS go the way of the issue first reported by DCMUSIC3 and quite a few others here, and on YT videos.