Sub 37 Key Problem

[honkfestival]

First of all, I ~love~ the Sub 37. It is a beautiful artefact and sounds incredible. Thank you for such an instrument!

Yesterday I discovered a problem with the highest C key: it doesn't depress as far down as the rest of the keys. You can see the problem here, where I hold down the top A, B, and C keys at the point where the aftertouch begins:

https://www.dropbox.com/s/jt8n1zt1zm0bc ... .jpeg?dl=0 (423 KB)

Here's a video of what it looks like to press each key:

https://www.dropbox.com/s/9slmvwponv1lb ... s.mov?dl=0 (3.9 MB)

I also don't get any sound from that key unless I press it quickly enough, which is how I noticed in the first place. I don't have a video of that but I can take one if you'd like.

It feels like maybe there's something in the way at the top of the key mechanism, but I don't want to risk taking it apart myself.

How common is this kind of issue? Is it just a matter of breaking in the keyboard, or does is there some kind of problem? It's not really a big deal, but now that I've noticed, it does bother me. I just don't want to send it to NC from Canada if I can avoid it.

Thanks in advance.

[Amos]

It feels like maybe there's something in the way at the top of the key mechanism, but I don't want to risk taking it apart myself.
[...] I just don't want to send it to NC from Canada if I can avoid it.

Those are your two main options, really. You could maybe try blowing out the keyboard with compressed air first, in case there is simply a piece of debris causing the problem. Otherwise, you should contact the Moog service department before proceeding. It sounds like maybe one of the rubber stops/spacers under that key needs adjusting, in which case you might want to take a look at it yourself. The keyboard unscrews from the bottom and comes right out, without needing to open the body of the instrument. Again, check with the Moog service folks first.

[Marten]

I have kind of the same problem - it's not the high C does not trig, but I have to press it just a little bit harder for the trig to take effect.

[honkfestival]

So I followed Amos's advice and contacted the service folks, who were very helpful.

The issue turned out to be a bit of excess pressure sensor strip that was bunching up and causing the high C not to trigger properly. They sent me some clear instructions on how to remove the excess (with scissors!) and now it works beautifully.

Marten, I wonder if your issue is similar?

[Marten]

Could very well be - would you feel kind enought to post the instructions perhaps? Then I will check it out.

So I followed Amos's advice and contacted the service folks, who were very helpful.

The issue turned out to be a bit of excess pressure sensor strip that was bunching up and causing the high C not to trigger properly. They sent me some clear instructions on how to remove the excess (with scissors!) and now it works beautifully.

Marten, I wonder if your issue is similar?

[honkfestival]

Here's what they told me:

It is likely that the pressure sensor strip is in need of a trim. It is probably “bunching up” at the end of the keyboard and needs to be cut with a scissors to avoid bunching up.

If you remove the 8 black screws that hold the keyboard in on the bottom plate, you should be able to gently tilt the keyboard back toward the control panel to access the underside of the “keybed”.

Under the high C key, you’ll likely see the pressure strip is a little too long and is bunched up under that key. I know it sounds sketchy, but simply trim the end off with some scissors and re-adhere it with a little super glue if it is peeling up.

I only removed a tiny bit, maybe 1mm in width. Here's a photo of the sensor strip itself before cutting, though it's kind of hard to see:

https://www.dropbox.com/s/lo4rbaa2jw8m8 ... p.jpg?dl=0 (1.2 MB)

Of course you should contact the service department if you're going to do anything other than take a look. If it's just a triggering problem and doesn't feel wrong, it could easily be something else.

[Marten]

Thx for post!