sweibel Posted April 3, 2003 Share Posted April 3, 2003 Maybe George H. from Geosync could offer his opinion?I've had a PC2X for a few months now and it's an awesome synth. For the last 2-3 weeks it seems that I've noticed a slight increase in resistance on the A4 key, meaning that it feels slightly different when pressing A4 than all other 87 keys. The A4 also has a different "thud" sound when keying up. It's a really slight problem but it's enough to throw me off when trying to play chords at medium velocity as usually I'll have trouble pressing all notes at the same time (A4 will sound a little late). All keys including A4 function correctly (trigger sound okay) so I think it's just a mechanical question. What's strange is that this has only started to bother me for about 2 weeks. Also I am letting my girlfriend use the PC2X to practise and she's a complete beginner so I hope she isn't misusing the keyboard. Question: is there anything short of opening up the unit that I could do to maybe even out the A4 action? With increased wear on the keyboard action do you think this will eventually smooth out the resistance of A4? Thanks for any suggestions! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dikrek Posted April 3, 2003 Share Posted April 3, 2003 Maybe it needs some lubricating. Are you comfortable enough opening it up? Still, if it's this new it's covered by the warranty, so I'd take it in if I were you. D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave Bryce Posted April 3, 2003 Share Posted April 3, 2003 Originally posted by dikrek: Still, if it's this new it's covered by the warranty, so I'd take it in if I were you. I agree fully. It's Kurzweil's responsibility to make sure that your instrument functions perfectly at this point - you should definitely take them up on it. dB ==> David Bryce Music • Funky Young Monks <== Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Geosync Posted April 3, 2003 Share Posted April 3, 2003 Don't take any chances, take it in for service. Take Care, George Hamilton Yamaha US Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SurrealMcCoyJazz Posted April 3, 2003 Share Posted April 3, 2003 I've broken many individual keys over the years. Sometimes when only a key is partially cracked or broken, it may respond like you describe. Often times a partially broken key can be temporarily mended by epoxy. The Fatar keybed shouldn't be difficult to locate replacement parts...... Surreal Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Superbobus Posted April 4, 2003 Share Posted April 4, 2003 This one's for D. You can tell me anything about how great Kurzweil is, but I would never ever buy a Kurz with keys. Not one board has a decent action. Either it's spongy, like the K2600, or it's springy, like the PC88. I tried the PC2X, didn't convince me. Okay, the Yam you were talking about in the Patch Sound thread doesn't have a great action too, but that's synth keys anyway and I'm sure about one thing: Yamaha keyboards are definitely the most reliable and their piano action is by far my favorite. So in the end, there's always something about any unit which bites you in the ass. Rant over. Sweibel, take it in for service. All keys should work equally. http://www.bobwijnen.nl Hipness is not a state of mind, it's a fact of life. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sweibel Posted April 4, 2003 Author Share Posted April 4, 2003 Thanks for everyone's quick input. It's strange because like I said I seemed to realize this problem just starting two weeks ago. Before thing seemed fine (maybe my girlfriend had an anger attack?). I'm been on the fence about bringing it in for repair and just hoping that with time and wear the resistance would go away. Right now it's like this psychological thing, knowing that whenever I hit A4 there's this different feeling. Also I'm not too keen to transport the PC2X as it hardly fits in my Camry. Does anyone have a suggestion for a reputable repair shop here in LA? A few years ago I went to MusicTek in Studio City (I think on Burbank Blvd). I have mixed feeling with them.Thanks for any suggestions.Stefan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Albert Posted April 4, 2003 Share Posted April 4, 2003 Yeah, Advanced Musical Electronics on Venice Blvd. I found them because the wait at MusicTek just got too long. I've been completely happy with the work AME has done, everything has come back fixed in a reasonable amount of time, and they are not outrageously expensive. Go here for info: http://www.advancedmusical.com/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sweibel Posted April 4, 2003 Author Share Posted April 4, 2003 Thanks Albert. I will check them out when I haul the Kurz to the shop.Stefan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
petros Posted April 6, 2003 Share Posted April 6, 2003 I had the same exact problem you are describing except ot was the A and the G next to it. What was weird was it did it only when the keyboard was "cold". After you played the keys a few times they would stop the subtle sticking and would play OK untill next time after it had been left alone for a couple of hours. And when I took it in for service it would not do it! Finally I insisted they correct it. I called Kurzweil and complained that the service center did not fix it so they sent a whole new Fatar action assembly. I hear it's rather hard to take it apart. I finally sold the whole thing because it only played from p to f, not really ppp to fff. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sweibel Posted April 7, 2003 Author Share Posted April 7, 2003 Petros,Did you start to experience the "stuck" key immediately after you got the unit or did it surface later? In my case it seems it surfaced some 3-4 months later. My A4 key has the same "stuck" feeling nearly all the time except when I've repeated the note within 5-10 seconds. Even a minute after hitting the note last, it returns the same "stuck" feeling. When you had the new keyboard mechanism installed was the problem resolved for good? And what keyboard do you use now that gives you more dynamic performance?Thanks,Stefan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
petros Posted April 8, 2003 Share Posted April 8, 2003 It started about 10 months after I got it and it was like something sticky would inhibit the two keys when they were "cold" (had been sitting for a few hours). The replacement action did not have the same problem, I sold it 6 months after that. I went with a Yamaha P120 for better dynamic expression. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bitdump Posted April 8, 2003 Share Posted April 8, 2003 It is a mechanical error, please ask the service tech to note the serial # of the PC2 and the Fatar board. At least this can help the company track the problem, if it is a error in the assemble at Kurzweil or a production run error from Fatar in Italy. At least then it might be possible to figure out what the heck is going on and solve the issue once and for all. Well hopefully. Just my 2 cents anyway. Names to Remember: Charles Stepney & Emory Cook Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rick K. Posted April 8, 2003 Share Posted April 8, 2003 What kind of stand are you using?? I know that there have been people who have had to use plywood under the keyboard so that they weren't getting any chassis flexing with the Kurz's. Rick Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sweibel Posted April 8, 2003 Author Share Posted April 8, 2003 Bitdump-Thanks for the suggestion. I will do just that when I bring the unit in for inspection in the next few days.Rick-I am using an Ultimate Support System Apex. It's V shape prongs don't give enough stability especially at the outer bass and treble extremes of a 88 key board but the A4 stuck note is over the most supported area on the stand. I heard that the flexing problem was encountered on early PC88 boards with subsequent production runs having a stonger frame to avoid the flexing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
petros Posted April 8, 2003 Share Posted April 8, 2003 The flexing is still a problem. You get different combinations of "clacking" black keys depending on what surface support you place the PC2X on. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sweibel Posted April 17, 2003 Author Share Posted April 17, 2003 Quick followup: Brought my PC2XO to Advanced Musical Electronics on Venice Blvd. (as recommended here by Albert) yesterday (4/15/03 at around noon). I was a bit worried when I saw the building... (not the best exterior) described the problem of the resisting A4 key and left it there. At around 4pm same day I get a call saying that the unit had been repaired and was ready for pickup! They found a defect in the key counterweight mechanism (a short piece of plastic with some hooks that covers around 5 notes). A piece of plastic had broken off causing the resistance I was feeling. Talk about fast turnaround! I got the unit today and it's sitting at home. Can't wait to get to it and inspect carefully if the key is working fine (I did a quick check at the shop). All under warranty. So far I'm pretty impressed with the speed of Adv. Musical Elect.! Thanks for everyone's advice to bring the unit in. It paid off.Stefan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bucktunes Posted April 17, 2003 Share Posted April 17, 2003 Originally posted by sweibel: I am using an Ultimate Support System Apex. It's V shape prongs don't give enough stability especially at the outer bass and treble extremes of a 88 key board...I've seen several "major league" keyboardists that use two Apexes to support the big Kurzweils. They're set side by side so that the prongs form a split "W", which would certainly offer more uniform support. Of course, the obvious downside is that you're talking almost $400 for a keyboard stand... Peace all, Steve ><> Steve Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Geosync Posted April 17, 2003 Share Posted April 17, 2003 Glad to hear you're satisfied with your service. I'll pass the word along to our service manager. We like to keep track of these things Take Care, George Hamilton Yamaha US Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sweibel Posted April 17, 2003 Author Share Posted April 17, 2003 Yep, it's either a second Apex or the oft mentioned Quiklok that people recommend for the Kurz K2600X which has even more "body" than the PC2X. Don't want to risk any flexing issues.George, Has the counterweight mechanism defect I experienced something that has been reported often? In any case I hope to enjoy a uniform keybed response for some time to come. Thanks for all your help in all things Kurzweil in this forum. Greatly appreciated.stefan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.