Francois wrote:My only concern about the base is the fact Korg didn't plan a trap door to access ram slots and ssd easily. I wonder if the lack of trap door is due to using MDF as opposed to metal. With the PA1X for example, the trap door to add extra RAM of the VIF option was well designed. And that meant anybody could add RAM. With the Kronos, it's a chew to open the entire base to simply add another ram module.
I understand the desire for a trap door, but I think that would weaken the integrity of the wood.
Also, my employer has a Kurzweil K2500EX (metal bottom) and there is a trap door on the bottom for changing the batteries and it's a pain in the neck to get under there due to the size and weight of the instrument. (It's mounted on a cart for portability.)
Francois wrote:My only concern about the base is the fact Korg didn't plan a trap door to access ram slots and ssd easily. I wonder if the lack of trap door is due to using MDF as opposed to metal. With the PA1X for example, the trap door to add extra RAM of the VIF option was well designed. And that meant anybody could add RAM. With the Kronos, it's a chew to open the entire base to simply add another ram module.
I understand the desire for a trap door, but I think that would weaken the integrity of the wood.
Also, my employer has a Kurzweil K2500EX (metal bottom) and there is a trap door on the bottom for changing the batteries and it's a pain in the neck to get under there due to the size and weight of the instrument. (It's mounted on a cart for portability.)
Motif XF8 has a trap door on the base to install both flash memory expansion boards
Current gear: Access Virus TI2 Whiteout Keyboard (111/150), Access Virus TI2 Polar DarkStar Special Edition, Gibson Custom Lite 2013, Roland MV-8800
The *real* issue with the Kronos is not the material of which the bottom is made, but the fact that the keybed is screwed to that bottom instead of being firmly bolted to the chassis.
Has anyone tried replacing the keybed from a M3 into the 73 key Kronos? Would it be possible, or are the width of the keys (or the connecting cables) that different?
EXer wrote:The *real* issue with the Kronos is not the material of which the bottom is made, but the fact that the keybed is screwed to that bottom instead of being firmly bolted to the chassis.
That's hardly uncommon enough to be classified as a source of problems for the Kronos specifically. It's the same with my JX10 for instance, for instance. The Nord Stage too, IIRC. The Hohner Pianet. The Micromoog (ok, notoriously unreliable, but hardly because the keyboard is fixed to the bottom).
IMHO the wood bottom was a poor choice for the way the kronos was desingned. I have seen the inside of it and for example the keybed fixacion is directly dependable on screws that fixate the wooden board and this also causes the keybed to suffer for fluctuacion when it is transported and i believe that for giging musicians the problem will get worse as the wood tends to deteriorate very easly. I know that to have such a machine at this price some parts can not be made of gold, hehehehe, but this is an High-end instrument and musicians expect high-end build quality. This being said although i have encountered many problems with this keyboard i believe there is no other that can do an equal job for it's price and korg will continue to try to solve and polish this amazing machine.
Its a very common BEST practice to use
wood base for WEIGHTED keybeds,
not cheap at all; there are many reasons:
other the ones already mentioned,
absorption of noise and vibrations from keybed and stability.
As far as I can tell after having the (metal) baseplate of the K61 in hands, is that a MDF base will be WAY more stable than a ~1mm VA sheet. The metal baseplate is more a dust cover than anything else. Nevertheless, it seems appropriate for the lightweight 61 keybed.
So glad I ordered a 61 key with all the keybed issues of the weighted.. But I think people are just upset they spent 3000+ on a keyboard with a press board bottom.. Maybe they should use a piece of .25" plastic like used on the Dyson sweepers .. They call it Liquid Metal. Then it would still keep that sound dead of the hammer action and give extra strength to support user panels for upgrades.. I own a dyson and its pretty durable and the plastic is pretty thin. 1/4" thick of that liquid metal would be awsome and it could have been molded to pocket only ram so no wondering happens.. to make it user installable..
I don't think people realize how durable MDF actually is compared to solid wood. Try drilling a hole in the two and see which one splinters and gets destroyed quicker.
Access Virus TI2 Whiteout Keyboard (111/150), Access Virus TI2 Polar DarkStar Special Edition, Gibson Custom Lite 2013, Roland MV-8800 
