KRONOS REPLACEMENT TOUCH SCREEN UNAVAILABLE?????!!!!!

SanderXpander · Post by **SanderXpander** » Thu Oct 30, 2014 7:02 pm

I realize that Dan doesn't work in customer service, but I understood that he looked into this. In which case I don't get how he can say the part is available while kshacklett got confirmation of the opposite from Korg reps. Which is truth here?

kshacklett · Post by **kshacklett** » Fri Oct 31, 2014 6:33 am

I don't know what to think about having the LCD assembly comped to me by Korg USA. I appreciate getting the part I needed, but I wasn't looking for favors. I expect a sensible policy that's fair to everyone. I have to wonder how seriously they took my stated intention to cause them as much bad publicity as possible. No one from Korg ever contacted me to try to explain the situation or negotiate any kind of solution. When they called to offer me the part the conversation was rather terse and had a grudging feel to it.

I don't know if Korg USA is stuck between a rock and a hard place with Korg Japan dropping the ball, or if they have dropped the ball by not adequately lobbying for a reasonable supply of replacement parts. In any case I would still like to see some kind of clarification from Korg.

I was able to locate another LCD assembly taken from an existing Kronos, which I bought as a backup. It's very possible that the Kronos will remain my main pro keyboard for a long time. I'll likely buy another one as a backup or travelling unit, and the with scare this debacle has put in me I think it would be wise to stockpile a few parts.

By the way, I learned my lesson the hard way about transporting the Kronos in a gig bag without extra protection for the screen. The very first time someone moved it without my consent or supervision it was broken. With velcro, duct tape and a piece of masonite (or similar) I have installed a hard flap that flips over the screen when I don't need to see it. That would have prevented this whole affair, but who knows, maybe some good will come from it.

RichF · Post by **RichF** » Fri Oct 31, 2014 1:05 pm

Hi folks,

kshacklett, you were misinformed simply because of a temporary error in our parts ordering system. This has since been corrected, and I apologize for the frustration it caused you.

Once again: Kronos and Kronos X TouchView display replacements are NOT discontinued, and ARE available to authorized service centers.

Thanks,
-Rich

SanderXpander · Post by **SanderXpander** » Fri Oct 31, 2014 1:26 pm

Thank you for clarifying, Rich.

jeebustrain · Post by **jeebustrain** » Fri Oct 31, 2014 2:25 pm

kshacklett wrote:
By the way, I learned my lesson the hard way about transporting the Kronos in a gig bag without extra protection for the screen. The very first time someone moved it without my consent or supervision it was broken. With velcro, duct tape and a piece of masonite (or similar) I have installed a hard flap that flips over the screen when I don't need to see it. That would have prevented this whole affair, but who knows, maybe some good will come from it.

This is the exact reason why I've always used hard cases (or at least those rigid Gator bags with the hard sides). The extra weight is worth the security for me. My SKB ATA 88 "coffin" case has actually taken tumbles down stairways with gear inside and I've never had an issue with a damaged board.

dfahrner · Post by **dfahrner** » Fri Oct 31, 2014 5:07 pm

kshacklett wrote:...with velcro, duct tape and a piece of masonite (or similar) I have installed a hard flap that flips over the screen when I don't need to see it...

I've been transporting my KRONOSes in gig bags for several years now without any damage, and I keep a piece of masonite (and/or music books) in the bag's central exterior pocket over the display to protect it...and I ALWAYS move and load it myself; if someone else was going to do it, I would have a hard case (but if I could have someone else move my stuff, I could probably afford a hard case, etc.)...

df

kshacklett · Post by **kshacklett** » Sat Nov 01, 2014 5:28 am

So does this mean that the screen has become available in just the last day? It was only yesterday that an authorized service center told me that part is not available. Why did the service manager at Korg USA relay to me that the part was not available, and that there was nothing they could do about it? Why did he not look into the situation to see if there was indeed some problem with procurement that needed to be rectified and report back to me?

Will the screen no longer be available at parts distributors? If not, why the new policy? It is still listed for sale, albeit out of stock, at both Parts is Parts,

http://www.guitar-parts.com/catalog/kor ... cds?page=5

and Syntaur: http://23.229.154.60/Items/2949.html

I'm very curious to know what I'll be told when I call back a couple authorized service centers on Monday. I'll be a little more inclined to believe that the screen is available if just one place that is claimed to be able to get one tells that they can.

lonelagranger · Post by **lonelagranger** » Sat Nov 01, 2014 2:33 pm

Very good question. As I understand the situation, the part is available to authorized service centers and those that Korg chooses to give it to. That's the best I can make of it.

phil55 · Post by **phil55** » Sat Nov 01, 2014 5:58 pm

lonelagranger wrote:Very good question. As I understand the situation, the part is available to authorized service centers and those that Korg chooses to give it to. That's the best I can make of it.

Me too, or everything is shipped from North Korea...

I hope that Korg parts, will be offered to those that need it and not just to very out of the way 'authorized' service centres. Make it easy Korg.

kshacklett · Post by **kshacklett** » Tue Nov 11, 2014 6:09 pm

The latest: I thought I'd give it a week or so then then start with Korg USA. "It's backordered", was what they said. I suppose I would now get the same response from authorized service centers. Well, it beats the hell out of, "It's unavailable from the manufacturer and there's nothing we can do about it".

So the big question remains; will they ever actually have the part, or is "It's backordered" just better PR. It's been over a month since I first tried to get it.

My Kronos is all fixed, and I have a backup LCD/touchscreen, but I've come this far and I want to know what's going on. I'll call back every couple weeks and see where we stand.

GregC · Post by **GregC** » Tue Nov 11, 2014 6:47 pm

kshacklett wrote:The latest: I thought I'd give it a week or so then then start with Korg USA. "It's backordered", was what they said. I suppose I would now get the same response from authorized service centers. Well, it beats the hell out of, "It's unavailable from the manufacturer and there's nothing we can do about it".

So the big question remains; will they ever actually have the part, or is "It's backordered" just better PR. It's been over a month since I first tried to get it.

My Kronos is all fixed, and I have a backup LCD/touchscreen, but I've come this far and I want to know what's going on. I'll call back every couple weeks and see where we stand.

I don't know about your country .

posts and logic tells me there is a parts shortage. there is a log jam at Port of LA.

electronic cos do not intentionally run out of parts. its their business to fulfill orders and take care of demand. Sometimes s**t happens and its beyond their control. They do not want to entertain us with the nitty gritty obstacles within the supply chain. so they give a generic reason to buy time possibly to save passing along the headache

maybe it will take care of itself in a month or 2 and be forgotten about like every other parts shortage.

Derek Cook · Post by **Derek Cook** » Tue Nov 11, 2014 10:01 pm

I think the lesson learnt here, after having been used to my Yamaha's being built like tanks and virtually indestructible, is the Kronos and the large touch screen, need to be treated with kid gloves. Thank heaven I went for the Custom hard case (at what I think is a steep price) which at least will protect it in transit. But accidents will happen. I had a cat knock my AN1x onto my SY77 and it broke a key on the SY77 as it bounced to the floor. If that had been a synth knocked onto the Kronos display?..... But at least I was able to fix it, which comes back to Kerry's point and the availability of parts to fix our beloved synths, preferably by myself if I can get the parts!

As pointed out it could be a temporary supply problem, but a month is a long time if you have gigs lined up. After a year or so of not gigging, my Pink Floyd band is starting up again, and I am thinking of putting the Kronos into my rig to replace a lot of other gear to reduce what I take out, but problems like this make me nervous about doing so, but at least I have my current "AS IS" rig as a fall back, so I will probably take the plunge, as I like what the Kronos does. It might not be as good as my AN1x and Nord G2 for my virtual VA fix (my humble opinion), but the VA sounds are good enough for live use and what I am getting out of the CX3 engine is getting close to what I get out of my NI B4II VST, which takes a PC out of my stage setup (always a risk!).

lonelagranger · Post by **lonelagranger** » Tue Nov 11, 2014 11:03 pm

I would be interested in saving the bios in the Kronos and then flashing the bios to the identical motherboard I bought as a spare. Install the flashed motherboard into the Kronos and see what happens. I won't be trying something like that until my Kronos is out of warranty.

The Kronos is great, but as you said you sort of have to handle it with kid gloves. Build quality is less than Roland G8 or Yamaha XF8

Derek Cook · Post by **Derek Cook** » Wed Nov 12, 2014 7:51 am

lonelagranger wrote:
The Kronos is great, but as you said you sort of have to handle it with kid gloves. Build quality is less than Roland G8 or Yamaha XF8

Compared to my EX5 and SY99 (my main "flagship" Yamaha boards), the Kronos, whilst well built, does not feel as substantial. And whilst a big touch screen is great, Kerry's experience got me thinking about the vulnerability of it. Great care is needed!

SanderXpander · Post by **SanderXpander** » Wed Nov 12, 2014 8:14 am

I don't think the difference is in build quality so much as it is in the amount of sensitive components used. I'd have felt a lot less bad about dropping my Nokia 3210 than one of today's touch screen devices. It's not really that one is made "better", just that it has a lot more plastic and much fewer chips and large displays.