Kronos88 Bad Keybed - Are they replacing these?

[dfahrner]

When I was trying to resolve this problem with a refurbished K88 last year, I found that the newer revised blue key contact strips were taller than the older pink ones, with a slightly inclined top surface where the key pushed on them (.440" - .420", versus a flat .400" on the old contact strips)...I didn't notice any difference in the thickness of the actual contacts (the black dots attached to the bottom), which could also be related to the problem, but I didn't measure them...the contacts on the blue key contact strips are about .035" - .040" thick - anybody have any old pink strips that they could measure the contacts on? I'd be surprised if there was any difference, or that if there was, any "mixed" parts could have been produced by Korg or by their parts supplier...

Anyway, this problem sure hasn't been handled very well by Korg - it took me several months, dealing with Korg service, parts suppliers, warranty repair centers (with an RH3 keybed replacement under warranty, too), etc., to finally get the right key contacts and install them myself...but even with all of the talk on this forum, my guess is that only a small percentage of RH3 keybeds had the problem (which could explain Korg's lack of interest)...and the revised blue key contact strips have been around for a couple of years now...

df

[Ernie Davis]

Wow. Glad ur finally taken care of. As for mine....making the sound trigger higher in the key press may have provided some forgiveness in giving the key room to bounce n cm back up slightly n not cutoff but it would not hv addressed the actual PROBLEM......the greater resistance at the top. No board should feel or act like that. Now im just hoping the new bed thats coming doesnt feel like the replacement rh3 in one of my friend's korgs. Oh well if it does....at least itll b somdthing i can get used to i hope. At least that irritating bounce wont be there. At that point ill add my yamaha piano as the piano controller n raise the kronos to above that n raise my organ controller up above that. Two 88s in the mix then but....man.....all the zoning real estate ill have then. Im tryin to think positively here. Lol

[pedro5]

So pleased you've had this resolved and are now waiting for another keybed replacement.
Let's hope it satisfies what it really should have been in the first place.

This keyboard saga seems to be ongoing with an apparent reluctance in offering quicker, proper solutions and I feel that the main problem is being with an initial diagnosis of the fault.
Convincing service technicians is an uphill struggle in itself to prove there is a problem, which can be so disheartening and an infuriating process for some Kronos owners to go through.
Although an owner/player has an advantage of a better understanding of a problem simply by usage etc,there are no excuses for qualified engineers to overlook or disregard descriptive information given to them, just because they can't find the fault,or even acknowledging that there is one.

"If it ain't broken….Can't fix it " approach is what some owners are faced with and are left with a choice of either trying to elaborate by providing further detailed information in an attempt to "convince" the techies,or simply give up and make do with whatever the fault is by not using the instrument to its fullest capacity(which makes no sense in having one in the first place).
As said,I'm having similar problems with convincing a service centre that there is a fault with my own Kronos….I remain hopeful that this time they will finally agree they exist (yes,there are more than one)and repair the unit successfully.

Not all RH3 key beds need replacing,of course and a number of simple fixes have been successful by replacing the rubber key contacts.
However,this does not provide a "cure all" solution for other keybed related faults and further investigation should follow as a matter of course without the persistant insistance,sometimes awkward or frustrating situations for some owners, in finding a need to do so.

I shall now end my "rant"……hoping my own, next "repair report" will be a happier one…..


As a side note…the RH3 is a "Real Weighted Hammer Action" (Korg's description) and does have various different weights (in groups) on their internal mechanisms.
They are graded in the sense that on a Kronos 73 and 88 key version,the lower keys are heavier to play and the higher keys are lighter.

However,for a piano player,the differences may not be immediately apparent mainly because through their own previous expectation feel /response from a piano type keyboard overall,the effect can be diminished to a degree.
Although I can't make the distinction by simple single key pressing in isolation(for testing purposes) playing the keyboard in a proper manner does provide the "right" feel between left and right hands,as one would want from a hammer action keybed.

All of the weight differences are a compromise though,to cater for keyboard players in general,not too heavy to put off put those who prefer a lighter action, but also to go some way to keep piano type players happier.(I'm sure many piano players would prefer them to be even heavier).
After all,the Kronos isn't really just a piano….it's also a synth,organ etc…plus other things.

Weighted keyboards are different as they have weights attached to the keys themselves,some have similar weights on each key,others have various,progressive ones, which provide a "graded" effect, as previously described,but without the hammer mechanism.

While I've been waiting the return of my Kronos,been playing an older keyboard (Yamaha DJX…of all things…)that I have and it's absolutely horrible to play !!!!
This shows that I've got used to the RH3 keybed so much,I'm at a loss without it.
(I don't play professionally,so I don't really need to adopt playing styles for different instruments,so it's not that important etc).

I've already mentioned that I'm planning to buy a PA900 soon……that being a weighted keyboard (only),will,no doubt, present its own playing characteristics,but should be some fun.
The intention is to use the Kronos as a controller anyway,having the PA900 as a backing/arrangement means,probably substituting its sounds with the Kronos ones for final recording.

Let us know the final result with the "new" keybed.

Best Wishes.

[Mk11Audio]

Hi all,

New guy to the forum, and I just discovered a really bad problem with the keybed of my Kronos-88... it's similar if not exact to the problems described by Ernie and the RH3 keybed.

When first trying to depress a key, it's giving me much more "resistance" than other keys like it's stuck or "catching" on something, then it gives way after much more pressure is applied. But it affects the ability to play "nuances" properly especially soft passages. What's odd for me, is it's only about 3-4 of my keys... 1 in the lower register, and 3 in the upper register.

Ive just noticed this thread has more pages so I have more to read... maybe someone found a "repair" option.

For the record, I bought this Kronos of Craigslist, and its in really immaculate condition, it's not an "X" but I did upgrade the RAM to 4GB, and current OS I am running is 2.1.2 can't wait for this new 3.0 OS... looks pretty great.

Thanks

[ybobo64]

When i bought m'y Kronos 88 on january 2011, i had the same problem. I callled Korg in Montréal. The réparer it underground warrants. The tôle me there Was an issue with the rubber strip. Lots of owners had that problem but Korg never put the announcement on their site. You can try it in your country.
Good luck.

[geoelectro]

Hi all,

New guy to the forum, and I just discovered a really bad problem with the keybed of my Kronos-88... it's similar if not exact to the problems described by Ernie and the RH3 keybed.

When first trying to depress a key, it's giving me much more "resistance" than other keys like it's stuck or "catching" on something, then it gives way after much more pressure is applied. But it affects the ability to play "nuances" properly especially soft passages. What's odd for me, is it's only about 3-4 of my keys... 1 in the lower register, and 3 in the upper register.

Ive just noticed this thread has more pages so I have more to read... maybe someone found a "repair" option.

For the record, I bought this Kronos of Craigslist, and its in really immaculate condition, it's not an "X" but I did upgrade the RAM to 4GB, and current OS I am running is 2.1.2 can't wait for this new 3.0 OS... looks pretty great.

Thanks

Are the keys that stick all natural keys? Is it possible the front of the key is touching the front rail?

Geo

[Mk11Audio]

today it feels like just F4 and A4 are really sticking hard... for those of you familiar, try playing the arpeggiated run from the 80's song "On The Loose" from SAGA... this is why I notice it. the notes are: E flat 4, F4, G4, A4, Bflat 4

Roll the notes in order, and to play it with ease, you have to move your hand forward and your finger "strike" area is in between the black keys, making it much more difficult to depress a weighted keyboard in the first place, not impossible... but more strength is required.

...and now as I was trying this on ALL octaves, the problem is throughout the entire keybed in those areas I described. If I place my thumb on E flat, and then the rest of my fingers fall into their respective places, F, G & A... the F & A on all octaves "feel" stuck... except the last upper octave, I can play the run smoothly with no key sticking... Maybe that's why the original run was played on a "spring loaded" keyboard instead of weighted...

The "catching part" feel more like under the panel near the back of the key, not the from rail part as you suspect... but that's a possibility I won't rule out...

It's a really really stiff keybed... more so that any of the other manufactures... my S/N: 001459 and my guess is mine is one of the "pre" 1500 so it may be plagued with the original bad keybed... I didn't check this forum before my purchase... <sigh>

~M~[/quote]

[SanderXpander]

The issue you're having is not the original "faulty keybed" issue that has been posted about on this forum. But it doesn't sound ok either, I'd definitely get it checked out by a service center.

[ybobo64]

This could be! Mine had serial number 1250.

today it feels like just F4 and A4 are really sticking hard... for those of you familiar, try playing the arpeggiated run from the 80's song "On The Loose" from SAGA... this is why I notice it. the notes are: E flat 4, F4, G4, A4, Bflat 4

Roll the notes in order, and to play it with ease, you have to move your hand forward and your finger "strike" area is in between the black keys, making it much more difficult to depress a weighted keyboard in the first place, not impossible... but more strength is required.

...and now as I was trying this on ALL octaves, the problem is throughout the entire keybed in those areas I described. If I place my thumb on E flat, and then the rest of my fingers fall into their respective places, F, G & A... the F & A on all octaves "feel" stuck... except the last upper octave, I can play the run smoothly with no key sticking... Maybe that's why the original run was played on a "spring loaded" keyboard instead of weighted...

The "catching part" feel more like under the panel near the back of the key, not the from rail part as you suspect... but that's a possibility I won't rule out...

It's a really really stiff keybed... more so that any of the other manufactures... my S/N: 001459 and my guess is mine is one of the "pre" 1500 so it may be plagued with the original bad keybed... I didn't check this forum before my purchase... <sigh>

~M~

[/quote]

[geoelectro]

I don't own the weighted action Kronos but the 61 note version. I do however service keyboards for a living. A sticking key can be due to a foreign object that has fallen into the keybed. Or, it can be a lubrication problem. I find older products that have been played hard or extensively begin to wear out the lubrication. Lastly it may be a broken part. In any case the keybed is removed and inspected to determine which it is.

Geo