Buying a Kronos, new Kronos 2 or used Kronos

Discussion relating to the Korg Kronos Workstation.

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Craig_UK
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Buying a Kronos, new Kronos 2 or used Kronos

Post by Craig_UK »

Hi folks.

Having phoned music shops, I am now in the position to purchase a Kronos 2 73 note, but I also have an option of buying an original Kronos 73 note that has been expanded to 3 gig (not sure of the size of the SSD in the original Kronos but I can find out).

If I save some money and go for a 2nd hand one, would someone please tell me what I would be missing?

I understand that some piano sounds would be missing in the original that now appear in the Kronos 2 and I would imagine also some other sounds, since it appears the Kronos 2 also has a few of the expansion packs that now come with it.

Also with the new Kronos 2 I would get a longer guarantee, but I'm trying to work out if going 2nd hand is still worth it, since I've been told this is in very good condition.

Any advice would be appreciated, basically would you go for new or used in the same position?

Cheers :)
GregC
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Post by GregC »

Kronos 88. MODX8
Achieve your musical dreams :)
https://soundcloud.com/user-898236994
19naia
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Post by 19naia »

There are bugs and problems some people have with the Kronos. Some of the problems show up randomly and surprise the player at the most inconvenient times.
You could literally play the used kronos for an hour or more to test it and have it work fine and then find it doing strange things a few days later and then that stops and shows up again unpredictably.
The problems can be worked out but i think a new keyboard will have a warranty to cover any repair cost.
And you could get lucky i guess even if the used one has problems but only if the repair cost is still less than the savings from not buying the new one.

If you can afford the new one and you value the guarantee of the warranty over the savings on cost, then the new one is the one to have.
The used one could have extra sound sets bought and installed and its not hard to check. You could spend a significant amount paying for extra sound sets, so it may be better to get a new one that comes with some bonus sound sets preinstalled. Some sound sets cost upwards of $500.
Piano players normally like having the varieties of Grands like the german and Berlin Grands. Look up what sounds are installed on the used and see what it cost to add the kronos 2 bonus sound sets. Cost assesments. Maybe you dont require much anyway ?

Any way, if you are open to my bias, its always a better guarantee to get new ,because the factory is obligated to you having a perfect running rig for the duration of the warranty.
I dont mind having problems to work out any way,,thats when i learn the most about the complexities of kronos. Still, i got a brand New kronos 2
Its only with cell phones that i always go cheap or used because of personal issues like dropping it in the rain puddles, toilet or all them other places i have sacrificed cell phones. :lol:
Jakker27
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Post by Jakker27 »

Never had any issues with original Kronos personally.
Kronos 88, M3M, VG99, NI Maschine, Continuum, Voicelive, Handsonic, Vsynth xt
Pouyakhoshgoo
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Post by Pouyakhoshgoo »

Personally i would go for the brand new keyboard.(if thats what you mean by saying New K2).
If none of them are hrand new, then i would go for the Kronos 2.
First because obviously its been used less than the other one, also its got new piano sounds etc.
Best of luck to you and let us know which one you got!
Pouya-khoshgoo
fclef
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Post by fclef »

I have an original K73 (Serial #160) in my studio that has always given me good service. Never experienced any of the problems reported with the early units; however, I did take the precaution of swapping out the original RAM strips. (I believe some of the early problems were caused by faulty RAM or loose RAM strips.)
After several years, I decided to add a K61 since it's much lighter and easier to transport. Couldn't justify the cost of a new unit, so I opted for "B-stock." Many vendors sell returned units at a discount in order to clear their inventory. These are usually sold with a full warranty. My K61 has also been trouble-free. Purchased it from AMS and received it in the original packaging.
Perhaps you might consider going this route. You get what is basically a new unit without the cost.
BTW, as a long-time Korg user, I have nothing but praise for the Kronos and its capabilities. Both units were money well-spent.
Korg Kronos 73, Korg Kronos 61
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In the past: Korg DS8, M1, T3, Trinity, O1W, Wavestation, Triton Extreme, Triton Studio 76
GregC
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Post by GregC »

19naia wrote:There are bugs and problems some people have with the Kronos. Some of the problems show up randomly and surprise the player at the most inconvenient times.
:lol:
Like others I have the 1st gen Kronos ( from 5 yrs ago) and never experienced any bugs, intermittent or otherwise.

and its difficult to determine if the ' bug ' was the result of the owner. or from the factory. I tend to think that any factory related issues/bugs are a small %( I would almost bet under 4%).

So owners buying the Kronos 2 or a quality used Kronos should not worry about 'surprise, most inconvenient time '.
Kronos 88. MODX8
Achieve your musical dreams :)
https://soundcloud.com/user-898236994
psionic311
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Post by psionic311 »

I bought a used original Kronos 61 from a music store in June 2014. I upgraded it with another SSD and maxxed out the RAM. I always plug it into a UPS.

I've been bringing it back and forth to practices and gigs about once a week for about a yeah and a half now. I've never had any problems.

In your position, I would go for the original Kronos with the expanded RAM. This forum has a lot of regular users, and only very few have reported major problems. With the upgraded OS3, and a download of some good soundsets, (like Busch's free famous synths), you'll pretty much have the same thing as a brand new Kronos.
96th_Malice
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Location: Winnipeg Canada

Post by 96th_Malice »

I just purchased a lightly used original Kronos from my local music store

It came with a 90 day warranty ..... I had the option to extend the warranty for a year for $130

Yup ..... Worth every single penny
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Craig_UK
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Location: Derbyshire, UK

Post by Craig_UK »

Thanks for all the replies.

Having phoned around, I managed to get two excellent prices from two stores for a new one. It's being delivered this coming Wednesday :)
96th_Malice
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Location: Winnipeg Canada

Post by 96th_Malice »

Picked up my used Kronos Thurs

It went back to the music store last night

Joystick sticks left and right
Joystick causes random pitch shifting - singers LOVE this
* joystick to be replaced

C2 velocity is playing max all the time
Some keys play double notes when played softly
* contact strips to be replaced

Somehow the previous owner managed to write OVER the factory preload settings
* hard drive to be wiped / fresh factory install + OS

My music store provides 90 day warranties with an option to extend another year.

All of my issues with the Kronos were known issues and it looks like I got the keyboard that was the last one to build on a Friday of a long weekend :D

No worries as I will get it back in top notch shape

BUT unless you can buy used through a dealership with some kind of warranty ..... I personally would purchase a new one
96th_Malice
Posts: 32
Joined: Sat Jan 05, 2013 3:37 pm
Location: Winnipeg Canada

Post by 96th_Malice »

Picked up my used Kronos Thurs

It went back to the music store last night

Joystick sticks left and right
Joystick causes random pitch shifting - singers LOVE this
* joystick to be replaced

C2 velocity is playing max all the time
Some keys play double notes when played softly
* contact strips to be replaced

Somehow the previous owner managed to write OVER the factory preload settings
* hard drive to be wiped / fresh factory install + OS

My music store provides 90 day warranties with an option to extend another year.

All of my issues with the Kronos were known issues and it looks like I got the keyboard that was the last one to build on a Friday of a long weekend :D

No worries as I will get it back in top notch shape

BUT unless you can buy used through a dealership with some kind of warranty ..... I personally would purchase a new one
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Craig_UK
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Joined: Mon Nov 24, 2008 8:46 pm
Location: Derbyshire, UK

Post by Craig_UK »

The Kronos 2 arrived and I've been playing on it most of the day.

There was no cover over the lcd screen which I thought there would have been, also no staples to take out of the box, the CD's were not in the cellophane bag and the bag with the manual in was open, so I'm assuming this had been opened by the store I got this from.

At least it doesn't look like an ex demo which is good, since it was sold as new to me.

Main concern and I'm not sure if this is something Kronos 2 owners have to put up with, is that 3 times it has come up on the display with some sort of error whilst playing a sound, saying turn keyboard off, wait 10 seconds and then switch it back on.

Obviously not great seeing this. If I was playing on a stage, by the time you wait for it to boot back up again, it takes a while. Also there was no warning when it happened, so not good if it could happen mid flow in a song or recording session.

Anyway I'll try it over the next few days and hope it doesn't do the same :)
SanderXpander
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Post by SanderXpander »

Definitely not nornal, return it straight away and get a new one!
voip
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Post by voip »

Sounds a bit dodgy to me with the lack of factory restore disks and the manual bag having been opened. I take it all the packaging material has been double checked for the disks, including the end pieces.

Loose RAM has been cited as being the cause of some system errors and lockups.

I take it there were no USB devices plugged in at the time. There have been occasional reports of conflicts causing problems.

.
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