A loudly clacking key might point to a common culprit: a cracked sub-chassis (or sub-frame). Roland used these plastic sub-chassis as a rib structure supporting sets of four or twelve keys inside the PHA-4 Concert keybed. The good news? Replacement parts are cheap, the job is fairly straightforward. What are the symptoms? The most common … Read more
I recently had a customer reach out to me reporting that her Yamaha P-155 would not power on. When I inspected the piano, I found a destroyed power adapter and a burned power inlet. I’m not certain what caused it: Damage like this could be caused by not fully inserting the plug, by a power … Read more
My customer first mentioned that her KR-5000 had started “crackling.” By the time I showed up, every output—speakers and headphones alike—was dead, though all the buttons and sliders still behaved. Diagnosing the KR-5000 I popped a set of headphones into the headphone jack and heard nothing, which let me rule out blown speakers. Additionally, there … Read more
Last week a customer wrote in about his older, beloved Roland E-16 that had begun humming and would occasionally reboot. This was caused by a poor power adapter. As power adapters age, they can become unreliable, and often introduce humming or erratic behavior. I’ve put together a search tool for Roland power adapters, but I … Read more
Look closely at the photo above. Your P-525 detects which key you play, and its velocity, with those little rubber contact strips. You can read more about them on my digital piano troubleshooting page. Those tiny white flecks mean the contacts no longer work correctly. The smallest debris—or even a single cat hair—can cause significant … Read more
When a customer asked me what power adapter they should buy for their Roland FP-90X, I figured it’d be a quick lookup. A few minutes later, I was elbow-deep in Roland service manuals, product listings with conflicting voltage specs. Some sellers offered “compatible” power supplies at both 9V and 12V. (There’s some incorrect information on … Read more
Electronic keyboard instruments — especially Yamaha Disklaviers, Clavinovas, stage pianos, and organs — represent significant financial investments. Some of these instruments cost well over $50,000. I’ve had a few customers ask me about the best surge protector for their Disklavier or other instrument. My predecessor in keyboard repair here in Maine, Nick Orso, was so … Read more
If you own a Yamaha Clavinova from the early 2000s and you’re noticing some sticking keys or sluggish response, you’re definitely not alone. I get this call a lot. Unfortunately, it’s a design flaw from that era that inevitably catches up with these otherwise excellent instruments. There are other reasons Clavinova keys stick, including spilled … Read more
This article is not mine, but I was researching information for a customer trying to convert older Technics keyboard files to a modern format, and stumbled on this derelict article on Technics APC files. I rescued it from http://www.keso.nl/, which is a website that went “off the air” several years ago. The editor in the … Read more
Roland digital pianos, particularly models from the mid-90s to the early 2000s, are known for their unique feel and sound. However, many owners face a common issue: the failure of the infamous plastic weighted hammers! The Issue with Original Roland Hammers The original hammers were constructed by surrounding a lead weight in a very thin … Read more