Prophet 12 keybed upgrade? ... or repair options

Prophet 12 keybed upgrade? ... or repair options
« on: January 17, 2021, 06:31:03 AM »
Hi,   I love my Prophet 12 but the keys have become uneven and I heard there is a replacement part to fix it.  Can anyone direct me to where I would purchase replacement parts, or at least shed some light on the subject?

Thanks.

timboréale

  • **
  • 204
  • MIDI nerd
Re: Prophet 12 keybed upgrade? ... or repair options
« Reply #1 on: January 17, 2021, 06:56:29 AM »
First thing I'd do is contact DSI support. Be clear about what kind of uneven - physical unevenness? Velocity is not consistent? Some keys don't trigger at all or intermittently miss? Etc. They'll have the best knowledge of how to fix it and which parts will help.
Prophet 6 keyboard, Rev2-16, Prophet 12 Keyboard, Nords, etc...

Re: Prophet 12 keybed upgrade? ... or repair options
« Reply #2 on: January 17, 2021, 02:06:45 PM »
First thing I'd do is contact DSI support. Be clear about what kind of uneven - physical unevenness? Velocity is not consistent? Some keys don't trigger at all or intermittently miss? Etc. They'll have the best knowledge of how to fix it and which parts will help.

Yeah, it's a mechanical uneveness.  Thanks for the suggestion.   I went to the support page but there is nothing listed on the P12 and no contact options that I can see. 
« Last Edit: January 17, 2021, 02:23:21 PM by Joel57 »

timboréale

  • **
  • 204
  • MIDI nerd
Re: Prophet 12 keybed upgrade? ... or repair options
« Reply #3 on: January 17, 2021, 02:30:45 PM »
If you go to sequential.com and click the "support" link there is a link to "contact support" which has a link to "submit a support ticket". Use that to submit your specific issue.
Prophet 6 keyboard, Rev2-16, Prophet 12 Keyboard, Nords, etc...

Re: Prophet 12 keybed upgrade? ... or repair options
« Reply #4 on: January 28, 2021, 07:28:01 AM »
Ive had this problem, i took the keys off and used the blunt end of a pencil to wiggle the contact pads which helped a bit

The keybed isnt the best ive had broken key brushings uneaven velocity response, the fatar ones he uses now are much better

I tried to find a replacement but could never find one, its a chinese brand

Syntaur had some spare parts when i was looking

timboréale

  • **
  • 204
  • MIDI nerd
Re: Prophet 12 keybed upgrade? ... or repair options
« Reply #5 on: January 28, 2021, 07:37:42 AM »
One thing I've noticed having partially disassembled my P12's keybed is that they are very sensitive to two things: the position and lubrication of the rubber bumpers at the front of the key guide. There are two rubber "bumpers" which sit on pins towards the front of the key support - the key has a plastic loop that fits over these bumpers which then provide vertical and horizontal stability as the key is depressed - keeping it from wiggling side to side and ensuring it doesn't twist on the way down. On my keyboard, some of the bumpers seem to have a "thinner" and "fatter" side, and one of them was even installed wrong, causing a fold which increased it's thickness enough to cause extra drag on the key. This is one potential cause for unevenness. Obviously if the bumpers are not well lubricated then the key will also drag on them slightly depending on how you play - this can also result in a "slow" or "draggy" key feeling or prevent a rapid, crisp return. I am not sure which lubricant to use, some people use a Dow mold release lubricant which is horrifically expensive, others use a Yamaha keyboard-specific lube, etc.

Velocity-sensing problems are a totally different story, though, and I expect those have more to do with the problematic graphite contacts and "rubber dot strips" midway back on the keybed, as they do with Fatar actions that occasionally run into similar issues.

I agree that this keybed does seem horribly inferior to nearly all others, but hopefully you can get it regulated enough to enjoy playing it with some simple efforts. Let us know how you get on with it!
Prophet 6 keyboard, Rev2-16, Prophet 12 Keyboard, Nords, etc...