The Official Sequential/Oberheim Forum
SEQUENTIAL/DSI => Prophet => Prophet 12 => Topic started by: hbz on October 14, 2017, 09:27:08 PM
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Hello! I just picked up a brand new Prophet 12, and I'm very excited to dive into its features. However, there are a couple of physical issues where I'm trying to decide if they are acceptable manufacturing variations, or whether something happened to the synth in shipping.
I posted photos and video here: https://imgur.com/a/zMlt9
- First, the lowest five keys are visibly lower than the rest.
- Second, the mod wheel seems to be slightly crooked. When rotating, you can see that the top and bottom of the wheel get closer/further away from the sides of the opening. (In the video of the mod wheel, I am not applying any lateral pressure at all.)
Since these issues are both on the left side of the keyboard, if I were being paranoid I'd suspect that maybe the synth had been smashed on that side during shipping.
BUT, I'm wondering whether this is within normal manufacturing tolerances? Should I be concerned?
hbz
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DSI uses well-designed shipping boxes that wouldn't allow such contact with the instrument from the outside. The instruments are securely held in the center of the box, and the Prophet 12 is no exception, having three molds that hold the instrument in place in the box. In other words, if you pressed on the box, you couldn't make contact with the instrument. So, I doubt any damage could have happened during shipping. I would suspect instead a quality control issue from the factory, or else, at the store where you bought it.
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First, the lowest five keys are visibly lower than the rest.
That's a new one - I'd definitely contact DSI on that account. The keybed housing doesn't separate into parts at that point, last time I checked, though a supplier / design change may have occurred. My guess is that it's something that can be remedied easily, though it wouldn't be any bit unusual to expect that your unit should be AOK out of the box, if factory-sealed.
The bender box issue, on the other hand, looks well within spec.
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If it's a brand new Prophet 12, I'd return it and get a replacement.
It's not usual for the keys to be different levels and the Mod wheel on yours does seem to move a little more than on my P12.
If this was your only issue, I'd say it was minor and to keep it, but as you have some lower level keys too, I'd say get another unit.
The Prophet 12 is a truly wonderful synth, but it's not that immediate for a synth with over 50 knobs on it so be patient.
In the first couple of months I considered not keeping mine because of this, but trust me it'll suddenly 'click' with you and you'll wonder how you ever struggled.
I would never be parted from mine - absolutely love it! :)
Hope you get it sorted quickly and hope you enjoy using it half as much as I do! :)
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Thank you all for your replies and encouragement. I was already enjoying my preset surfing and I am reluctant to part with this synth even for a few weeks, but I'll reach out to DSI and see what they say!
hbz
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So I heard back from DSI. Their reply -- which was rather brief -- said that everything was within spec and that neither issue affects playability. True enough.
But in my opinion, it's like buying a new car with a small scratch. No one will notice, but it'll always bother me.
I suppose I'll get over it, though.
Oh, well, thanks for your time, everyone!
hbz
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I guess if you are not happy get a replacement from the dealer.
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I can understand the desire for a new synth, especially one that's as significant an investment as the P12, to be in A+ condition, but looking at those pictures it seems like you might have some exceptionally high expectations. The difference in key dip looks pretty negligible and the mod wheel seems fine -- just mounted at a slight angle to the case.
I suppose my opinion comes from playing pianos that always have a fair amount of "character" no matter how well maintained. To me it's more about how the instrument feels and sounds than the specific measurements of its parts. Just my two cents here, not trying to disregard your perspective, just saying that once your "new synth eyes" wear off I think you'll find that your P12 is a sweet synth and that's that :)
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Hello! I just picked up a brand new Prophet 12, and I'm very excited to dive into its features. However, there are a couple of physical issues where I'm trying to decide if they are acceptable manufacturing variations, or whether something happened to the synth in shipping.
I posted photos and video here: https://imgur.com/a/zMlt9
- First, the lowest five keys are visibly lower than the rest.
- Second, the mod wheel seems to be slightly crooked. When rotating, you can see that the top and bottom of the wheel get closer/further away from the sides of the opening. (In the video of the mod wheel, I am not applying any lateral pressure at all.)
Since these issues are both on the left side of the keyboard, if I were being paranoid I'd suspect that maybe the synth had been smashed on that side during shipping.
BUT, I'm wondering whether this is within normal manufacturing tolerances? Should I be concerned?
hbz
I went through the same situation I bought a used P12 and freaked out a little because I though it might have been damaged by the prior owner but people here gave my feedback and I came to the conclusion that everything is fine.
Pots were stepping a little once in a while, operating system update cured that.
TRS jack was loose, needle nose pliers took care of that.
Keybed is sticky at first, that's just the way it is, it seems to be better now though and i don't notice.
Its not perfect, but A great value second hand and now I won't part with it since i figured out how to dial in the sweet range.....will be posting a you tube video for that soon.
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Yeah, it's fine, my Prophet 6 has a Mod Wheel like that, not an issue.