as some of you know..i’ve been working on 2 Mini’s i bought
well in the mail yesterday came a set of bushings/dampers for the keys…spent the evening replacing them
and while i had the keys off i hand polished those too…the Mini feels like a whole different machine!
not a sound comes from the keys now..no more clacking and no keys moving sideways!!.. got them all lined up nice and straight
and to boot…when i received the key bushes…i put a order of “44 bushes” with the website…they seem to have sent me a extra set
so now i have enough to do the 2nd unit to
pic’s before
Does that also cure issues with sticking or loose keys ?
I heard that faults with the mini’s keyboard are the hardest to cure, was it easy to do ? I’m a complete novice when it comes to repairs but I’m sick of being so useless
I need to do this to my Mini.
I am either reverently or superstitiously averse to opening it up, and terrified that something will go wrong.
This has, of course, led to thousands of people yelling at me for clacky keys in my videos.
But I definitely need to do it.
@museslave
there isnt too much to do to remove the keyboard from the wood case
first off..lay your Mini upside down on a soft towl or blanket…remove the bottom black base cover , once the cover is off you will see the underside of the keys…there are only 4 screws holding it in place…they are countersunk onto the wood boards… at the same time you need to disconect the keyboard plug…then when you pull the keyboard out, there should also be 4 small wood blocks..they are for height adjustment..so your keys dont hit the top and bottom of the wood case..2 low & 2 taller blocks…the taller ones went to the outer board (to raise the keys so they dont bottom out on the case…thats about it!..reverse to put it all back together…just a note…to remove the keyboard you must also remove the Mod/pitch wheel black housing…2 screws on top and 1 plug underneath…please be carefull picking up the keyboard…as there are busbar springs on the underside that can easily get damaged…only hold/pick it up from the very ends of the keyboard..(black metal framing)
now to do the bushes is a little more work…first off…you need to remove the small springs at the back of the keyboard…they are colored red (for black keys) and a blueish gray(for white keys)…with a pair of needle nose pliers unhook the springs from the keyboard base…hold on tight…as they will try to get away from you!..then when the springs are off…you’ll need to pry the metal/keys off…they can be a little tight…wiggle them off the small tabs at back…then slide them forwards..as they hook under the fronts..once they are off..you will see the bushes…and also the clear rubber bumper caps for the bellcranks (those white colored arms)…clean them while your in there!!..mine were like glued in..grease had set like rock…OK..once you replaced the bushes and lubed the caps…while the keys are off…you can also re align all the keys..lay a ruler on top and look for gaps…be very carefull not to over do it straighting them…hate to hear you broke off a bushing tab…after that ( i used a medium sized screw driver..rest it on the base and carefully pry the bushing tab to the right height…to lower one i use a pair of needle nose pliers to bend them down a little, slide the keys back into place same as removing them..remember hook from the front, so place the front on first..then slide them to the back onto the small tab…to replace the spring..i found it the easiest to hook onto the base first…then with a very small screw driver…put the driver through the over end of the spring (hole loop)…and guide them onto the very small tab where they hook in place.
PS…when i did mine…i noticed that the black keys clacked a little…check this before you reinstall the keyboard in the case…hit them fast and listen for a faint clack/click…if they do clack/click…remove the pastic key from the metal base…and you will see a small green painted bit right on the very end where the key hooks onto the metal frame…just bend it down a little…so the key is kinda spring loaded on there…them screw it back in place and test…i found 4-5 like this on mine…
i hope this will help you out…if you get stuck…just PM me..i’ll walk you through it
Good advice.
A couple extra notes if you don’t mind…
Key springs aren’t always red and blue. Just note which colors are your sharp/flat or naturals.
Bushing orientation is such that the top should be a V shape, while the bottom is more like a Y.
Inspect your current bushings before replacing to note their orientation.
Bushings put on upside-down can sometimes interfere with proper key triggering.
Tighten the L-shaped rear keyboard mounts if loose. A 1/4 nut-driver is best.
I’ve done quite a few re-bushings. They make a great improvement, but do heed the warning about those springs. Those little buggers can go flying!!! Choose a small room with next to no place for the springs to land if they go airborne. I eventually used a set of pliers with serrated grip on the tips, they work pretty well. And keep a firm grip on the pliers when stretching a spring. BOING!
when i replaced the little red bellcrank springs..i used my wifes spear headed tweezers, as they take a good hold on the spring..their flat and wide to get between the spring coils…i never had one go flying on me…but i did before hand ..i lost 2…i used my mechanics magnet to find them ..also those pesky clear caps are a pain
yes…the bushing have a wide V and a narrow V, they look kinda like cats ears…be sure to also lube them…i have a can of silicone spray…i put them all in a small bag and spray into the bag..then give them a good shaking/rub…get that lube all over them
@Kevin and everyone else.., i dont mind more notes/better info/advise at all…we can all learn from doing/reading this .. Kevin, i know you have way more years experience than me…this was a first time for me too…and i didnt find it too daunting …now im on my 2nd keyboard rebuild..and this ones a bit worse for wear than the first this will be a total teardown…busbars, contact springs and all
Like MC says…rebushing makes a world of difference!..from sounding like a kids toy clacky piano…to almost total silence
Rebushing is definitely a huge improvement.
My wife is very good at it too.
She’s done several polymoog actions (71 notes ea) and many Minis.
I don’t normally close the gap on the keys to retain the springs, but to each their own.
(it’s different when you own vs restore someone else’s synth.)
Over the years… and with many springs a-flyin… I’ve gotten to the point I don’t lose them.
Also have a (homemade) digital tension gauge to pick replacements for pulled or bent ones and an original Pratt-Read key adjustment tool.
As for lube, I use dry bushings and only lube the key stops to get them on.
The Dow-Corning stuff can make bushings swell up over time.
Often a quick shot of spray silicone is used, but that’s it.
Stock Pratt-Read keyboards didn’t have any lube on their bushings anyway, but they did on the bell crank domes and rear pivot.
Also one more tip: don’t put a Minimoog action down on carpeting.
The ends of the spring contacts can sometimes get snagged and upon lifting the action, those contacts are often destroyed.
Again… um.. from experience.
Oh, MANNN. Mr. LIghtner AND MC responded with instructions. That’s enough for me to feel pretty comfortable with replacement. Also, americankiwi, thanks for you your description.
This Minimoog has been signed by Herb Deutsch, Dick Hyman, David Borden, and Larry Fast… and will soon be signed by David Van Koevering and Thomas Dolby. I want to avoid it being clacky.
I’ve heard people describe the two ends of the bushings differently and may cause some confusion.
Kevin you er words say to install the “Y” on the bottom, or in other words the taller/more pliable/ end and the “V” harder/more rigid/shorter on the top ? I like one poster’s description best - Wide and Narrow - easier to discern than the other way, but he leaves out which end goes on top. I’ve seen so much confusion in regards to this…youtube videos again show them upside down..but who’s right ? Why all the confusion ? I have found some machines have them one way and another the other way. Again it makes sense that the softer/narrower/springier/“Y” end go on top to give the nice bounce feel to each keypress. The other way it’s a much harder/rougher/ feel. I also believe the wider/more rigid end aligns the key if the gap is adjusted correctly, some thing the narrower end can’t do.
Can you chime in here KL, and clear up the confusion ?
.. Kevin, i know you have way more years experience than me…this was a first time for me too…and i didnt find it too daunting …now im on my 2nd keyboard rebuild..and this ones a bit worse for wear than the first 
this will be a total teardown…busbars, contact springs and all 
