When I was inside I noticed it would be quite easy to cut the top end of and shorten it up (this was my plan B, if the keys were not reparable). If anyone needs more information about this you can find it on my website www.audiosite.org/sv-1 (a link to the service manual is also here).So, what do think of the SV-1? I like it a lot. The weighted keyboard is very nice to play (and unlike my Kurzweil PC3 didn't take any time to get used to). The look is very stylish, and the control panel puts things right there where you can actually control them during a performance. There are some minor things though...some buffer memory so it didn't go silent between sounds, more gradual distortion, not going to silence when parameters are set to 0.
But, overall this keyboard gets a big thumbs up from me. When it comes to the sounds - mine came with the original set, which is a curious group of sounds to be sure. It looks like Korg were hedging their bets by putting in some odds and sods (does anyone really want to play Jump on an SV-1?). It does however have some great vintage keys - the Farfisa, the Vox, and the Electrapiano (I have never seen one of these, so it's good to have its sound). That said, Korg have made things a lot better with Soundpack 2. More attention has been paid to getting more realistic pianos, Rhodes, Wurly, and clav sounds. With picking and choosing between the 3 soundsets, and using the editor (mid freq adjustment etc are useful) I have no complaints.
Speaking of which, I have skimmed through the forums and it seems the SV-1 has got some unfair criticism. I got mine for the weighted keyboard, and to have good classic keyboard sounds. I have a PC3 for my do everything keyboard, and with its organ sounds I don't really need those from the SV-1. So the SV-1 is the second keyboard, with the bonus that I can get good piano and E piano sounds from both. Same for strings. Then when I have a simple gig, I can just take one of them, and if its the SV-1 I can still get a reasonable B3 sound. I also have a 61 note MidiTech controller to give me an unweighted touch to play the PC3 organ from. So, the point is no one keyboard does it all. I wonder what the DX7 would have sold like if the Internet had been around then? When I got mine in 1983 I remember they were not an overnight success - for everyone who loved it, there seemed to be someone saying ' yeah but it doesn't have the fat analogue sound...' I think some people are expecting the SV-1 to be some sort of workstation with a funky front panel. To me it is better than that - a true musical instrument. Two words: play, enjoy.
