Help! New Kronos keys sticking, rattling

[Zippydog]

Help. Please.

Got my new Kronos 88 last fall and now have what I think is a mechanical issue with a few keys. The C above middle C is sticking, especially when I play it at the back of the key...less so at the front edge where there is more leverage. It makes a mechanical clicking sound that other keys do not make when played and released with the sound off. Same clicking sound from the E just above middle C, then the C D and E above that, but for now, just the C an octave up from middle C is sticking. What’s up? Known issue? Warranty covered? User fixable?

Have a gig coming soon and really can’t send it away, but worried this could get worse.

Thanks in advance for any thoughts or suggestions!

[GregC]

Help. Please.

Got my new Kronos 88 last fall and now have what I think is a mechanical issue with a few keys. The C above middle C is sticking, especially when I play it at the back of the key...less so at the front edge where there is more leverage. It makes a mechanical clicking sound that other keys do not make when played and released with the sound off. Same clicking sound from the E just above middle C, then the C D and E above that, but for now, just the C an octave up from middle C is sticking. What’s up? Known issue? Warranty covered? User fixable?

Have a gig coming soon and really can’t send it away, but worried this could get worse.

Thanks in advance for any thoughts or suggestions!

did you buy it Factory new, A stock ?
typically you have 30 days to exchange.

I would return/exchange it in a heart beat.

Don't wait around, is my opinion. Why
'user DIY ' a new $3500 keyboard ?

Thats how you mess up a warranty.

[Zippydog]

Purchased new last October. A stock from Sweetwater. Will call them first.

[GregC]

Purchased new last October. A stock from Sweetwater. Will call them first.

I think they service. Maybe you can arrange a fast turnaround. They are the best choice especially when there is a problem. You might luck out and work an exchange, even while 7 months has gone by. Its unusual for a keybed to go flakey so soon.

[Zippydog]

Thanks all. I’m in Chicago so it’s a one day ship to sweetwater as well. Will keep all posted.

[Zippydog]

So Sweetwater has given me an RA and yesterday I went to pack it up. Tested the offending keys and they were fine. Tipped the keyboard back and then flat again and the problem was back. Tipped it forward and it went away. Tipped it on its side and the problem “moved” to lower keys where it hadn’t been before. At the moment the problem is gone entirely. I can only surmise that something inside has come loose and is interfering with the mechanics of the key bed. THAT should be warranty covered. Gonna try it at rehearsal tomorrow, then send in to get opened up if the issue shows up again. Really strange.

[sensationlive]

I had the same issue and had to have mine serviced by a Korg authorized tech in Toronto. He mentioned it took about an hour to get the keybed back into place properly and showed that my top range was out about a 1/6” than the bottom. I have an LS and it is by far the best sounding feature packed synth out there but Korg really missed on the keybed design. I am convinced this issue will come back.

[GregC]

So Sweetwater has given me an RA and yesterday I went to pack it up. Tested the offending keys and they were fine. Tipped the keyboard back and then flat again and the problem was back. Tipped it forward and it went away. Tipped it on its side and the problem “moved” to lower keys where it hadn’t been before. At the moment the problem is gone entirely. I can only surmise that something inside has come loose and is interfering with the mechanics of the key bed. THAT should be warranty covered. Gonna try it at rehearsal tomorrow, then send in to get opened up if the issue shows up again. Really strange.

I guess u have the K2 88 model.

They keybed is heavy and has to be secure. It is screwed on to the chassis or some particle board from my old recollection.

Back in the days of covered wagons ( 2011) I use to insert 5 thin pieces of cardboard ( like business cards] between the keys and the thin bar when ever I moved my K around.

Thats the way Korg shipped it so I thought it was necessary.

That is considered a 'workaround' in that , the 5 pieces are unnecessary since the keybed is ' suppose to be ' stable.

My experience of some things is that sometimes 'suppose to be's ' and
the owner has to improvise sometimes.

[KK]

On the K2-88, there are smaller screws for the screen and on the periphery and bigger screws on the front edge and in the center. A simple DIY procedure to secure the keyboard where it belongs so that no keys rub against the inner part of the front part is :

1) Place thick pillows on a flat surface and cover them with a soft blanket, then turn your Kronos upside down on the soft surface, making sure that the screen, joystick and controls end up on very soft material.

2) Loosen only the bigger screws which hold the keyboard. Make sure each is still about two or three turns in, but barely tightened (with your fingers) against the wooden panel so that the keyboard is loose enough to be repositioned.

3) Now put your Kronos on the soft surface but this time on its back (where the AC plug and connections are), with the front part almost vertically up. Keep your unit in this position for the entire next step.

4) Tighten the bigger screws on the front edge first, starting with the middle one, then going towards the right side, then the left. Initially, stop tightening them when they start to give a good resistance. Then proceed the same way with the previously loosened bigger screws at the back of the keyboard. Remember all this must be done while holding the Kronos as specified in the previous step, so to ensure adequate spacing in the front. Finally, still holding the unit in this position, tighten all screws completely.

If your problem continues, your front bumper part could be bent in a bit or it is something else.